New York Post Slams City's Beloved Burgers; New York Times Disses Cheeseburger Spring Rolls
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Today in the New York Post,Steve Cuozzo raves upFive Napkin Burger, but more interesting is his "overrated" list:
Corner Bistro: "... not a dish you couldn't make yourself at home with supermarket meat." Right you are, Mr. Cuozzo!
Burger Joint: "... like a football scrimmage at busy times and the beef can be full of the hard, stringy sinew ..." Haven't experienced the sinew, but I haven't been in a while. Maybe it's gone downhill?
Shake Shack: "Gullible tourists line up for 90 minutes in Madison Square Park for a 4-ounce, Los Angeles-style patty unredeemed by a hint of brisket and cooked only one way, medium ... " Wrong you are, sir. The Shack is awesome. And most tourists have more sense than to line up in a 90-minute line for burgers. Those are all New Yorkers, unfortunately
DB Bistro Moderne: "... loved the sirloin/braised short ribs/truffle burger that was introduced five years ago - until I found myself eating everything (bun, potatoes, etc.) except the burger itself ..." I'll give you that. These things are a bit much. I'd also say that people have pretty much ceased talking about the DB Bistro Burger and that it's a fairly irrelevant choice for an overrated list
My overrated list (not that you asked)? Paul's Burger Joint, Peter Luger's lunchtime burger, Royale.
New York Times' Frank Bruni Sorta Slams Cheeseburger Spring Rolls at Delicatessen
... the brilliance of them, isn’t how they taste, which is sort of vacuously oily, crunchy and beefy, truth be told. It’s the name, the idea, the tidy wedding of classic diner staple and trendy Asian canapé.
They promise comfort with a bit of spin and a dash of international sophistication, comfort with a cheeky tweak. And in doing so they crystallize the appeal of this seriously mediocre but ingeniously conceived restaurant, a delicatessen that’s not really a delicatessen ...
Without having had them, I have no reason to doubt Mr. Bruni's take. They sound like a gimmicky item you'd try once and never come back to once your curiosity had been sated. Delicatessen: 54 Prince Street, New York NY 10012 (b/n Lafayette and Mulberry; map); 212-226-0211; delicatessennyc.com
I would also say that this kind of "spin and dash of international sophistication" is nothing new. Though they're not making cheeseburger spring rolls, the folks at New China Tung, on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, have been frying up pizza rolls and cheesesteak rolls for years now. New China Tung: 140 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217 (near Douglass Street; map); 718-638-5682
Wow - All but Five Napkin Burger and fusion burgers are places I visited during my only trip to NY a couple of years ago. I, predictably maybe, thought each was amazing (Shake Shack perhaps a little overrated - I was there for it's 2nd year of opening - but I'm from the north of England where there isn't a heritage of such burgers as they produce). Perhaps Steve Cuozzo would like to make a culinary trip to Manchester, England and then see if he still thinks the same...
I've never been to NY or eaten at Shake Shack (though I hope to do both one day) but I trust Adam's opinion on this, and have no doubt it's a great burger.
P.S. - Pizza rolls rock. I don't care what anybody says.
(ok, actually I haven't had any pizza rolls in many years, but they were great when I was a kid. Totino's aka Jeno's hit the spot when I got home from school.)
Shake Shack is definitely overrated. the burgers are good, but expensive for the meager 4oz patty or whatever it is. they won't serve them medium rare. it takes forever even when there is no line (still don't understand that). and overall the burger is just bland. the best thing about it is the bun. its worth a 10 minute walk from madison square park to go to resto for a real burger.
for the amount on money and the amount of time it takes, there are thousands of better places in the city to eat.
and what is with the 7-11 style cheese on the fries?
I like Corner Bistro and ate there regularly when I worked nearby. I think the atmosphere is a large part of it, but I do really enjoy the Bistro Burger w/ fries. But I wouldn't call it a destination by any means.
Last time I went to Burger Joint I thought it was good as usual but the crowds are kinda nuts there now.
Resto won't serve you their burger medium rare either. IIRC the server told me they cook them all to medium well, and he wouldn't let me choose the temperature.
@JudgeFudge: Thanks for the intel on Burger Joint. Glad to hear it's still up to snuff.
@sprout: "fusion burgers" is merely the tag for anything that appears on AHT that's burger-derived but not really a burger -- like cheeseburger spring rolls.
@FastFoodCritic: These aren't Jeno's Pizza Rolls I'm talking about. These are like egg rolls or spring rolls but with pizza filling. Though I do like Jeno's Pizza Rolls.
@Soup_Dumpling: You are right about the crowds and the price on SS. I don't agree that the burger is bland. But, yeah, if you take the crowds into account, then it's overrated as far as standing in line goes. If you discount the crowds, I don't think Cuozzo has anything to complain about.
@SoundBitesNYC: I've heard some different things about CB burger. That there are some they parbroil and leave sitting to finish/reheat and that there are some that they cook to order. I think I've gotten the parbroiled kind more often than the cooked-to-order kind. I've always thought that it somehow manages to be the juiciest dry burger I've ever eaten. It drips with juices yet the meat has that squeaky dry texture of bad chicken. Will have to go on an off hour and see if I can get one cooked to order.
@Nick: For reals? I guess I've asked for it cooked to medium-rare and they haven't batted an eyelash, but I've always thought it was more a placebo-ical form of customer service. No matter what I've asked, they usually come out about medium, which is fine with me.
@Kathryn: I still haven't had the Resto burger, so I can't add it to my "overrated list," though I think I could add it to my "overhyped list." That place just hasn't called to me. It's another case of a chef just adding fat to shit to get the foodies crapping their pants about it.
@kathryn The Resto burger has pork fatback so it needs to be cooked through. I don't consider it a hamburger as it is not 100% beef (same goes for the Prune burger)
SS needs to be the litmus test of good burger tasting taste buds. If you don't like it, you need to have your mouth examined. Go at a decent hour and get your fix. Cuozzo also shows his ignorance with that "tourist" line; those are, indeed, all NYers. Well, most anyway.
Shake Shack got a quick glimpse tonight on Law & Order: Criminal Intent on the USA Network...I'm talking about an extremely quick glimpse. The episode actually guest stars Neil Patrick Harris. The scene I am referencing is at a Shake Shack green table and then a moving shot focused at the end of the silver hangover roof at the burger pickup area showing the word "SHAKE". No clear identification, but I'm certain it was SS. I'm not sure if it's a re-run or not.
Thanks for commenting! Your comment has been accepted and will appear in a moment.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it pleasant. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
Print
13 Comments:
Btw, the Burger Joint still rules. I was there on Saturday and it was Right.On.The.Money.
JudgeFudge at 1:42PM on 09/24/08
Wow - All but Five Napkin Burger and fusion burgers are places I visited during my only trip to NY a couple of years ago. I, predictably maybe, thought each was amazing (Shake Shack perhaps a little overrated - I was there for it's 2nd year of opening - but I'm from the north of England where there isn't a heritage of such burgers as they produce). Perhaps Steve Cuozzo would like to make a culinary trip to Manchester, England and then see if he still thinks the same...
sprout at 2:02PM on 09/24/08
I've never been to NY or eaten at Shake Shack (though I hope to do both one day) but I trust Adam's opinion on this, and have no doubt it's a great burger.
P.S. - Pizza rolls rock. I don't care what anybody says.
(ok, actually I haven't had any pizza rolls in many years, but they were great when I was a kid. Totino's aka Jeno's hit the spot when I got home from school.)
FastFoodCritic at 2:35PM on 09/24/08
Shake Shack is definitely overrated. the burgers are good, but expensive for the meager 4oz patty or whatever it is. they won't serve them medium rare. it takes forever even when there is no line (still don't understand that). and overall the burger is just bland. the best thing about it is the bun. its worth a 10 minute walk from madison square park to go to resto for a real burger.
for the amount on money and the amount of time it takes, there are thousands of better places in the city to eat.
and what is with the 7-11 style cheese on the fries?
Soup_Dumpling at 2:56PM on 09/24/08
I like Corner Bistro and ate there regularly when I worked nearby. I think the atmosphere is a large part of it, but I do really enjoy the Bistro Burger w/ fries. But I wouldn't call it a destination by any means.
Last time I went to Burger Joint I thought it was good as usual but the crowds are kinda nuts there now.
SoundBitesNYC at 3:14PM on 09/24/08
Shake Shack will certainly cook burgers to order, you just have to ask.
Nick Solares at 4:44PM on 09/24/08
Resto won't serve you their burger medium rare either. IIRC the server told me they cook them all to medium well, and he wouldn't let me choose the temperature.
kathryn at 4:44PM on 09/24/08
@JudgeFudge: Thanks for the intel on Burger Joint. Glad to hear it's still up to snuff.
@sprout: "fusion burgers" is merely the tag for anything that appears on AHT that's burger-derived but not really a burger -- like cheeseburger spring rolls.
@FastFoodCritic: These aren't Jeno's Pizza Rolls I'm talking about. These are like egg rolls or spring rolls but with pizza filling. Though I do like Jeno's Pizza Rolls.
@Soup_Dumpling: You are right about the crowds and the price on SS. I don't agree that the burger is bland. But, yeah, if you take the crowds into account, then it's overrated as far as standing in line goes. If you discount the crowds, I don't think Cuozzo has anything to complain about.
@SoundBitesNYC: I've heard some different things about CB burger. That there are some they parbroil and leave sitting to finish/reheat and that there are some that they cook to order. I think I've gotten the parbroiled kind more often than the cooked-to-order kind. I've always thought that it somehow manages to be the juiciest dry burger I've ever eaten. It drips with juices yet the meat has that squeaky dry texture of bad chicken. Will have to go on an off hour and see if I can get one cooked to order.
@Nick: For reals? I guess I've asked for it cooked to medium-rare and they haven't batted an eyelash, but I've always thought it was more a placebo-ical form of customer service. No matter what I've asked, they usually come out about medium, which is fine with me.
@Kathryn: I still haven't had the Resto burger, so I can't add it to my "overrated list," though I think I could add it to my "overhyped list." That place just hasn't called to me. It's another case of a chef just adding fat to shit to get the foodies crapping their pants about it.
Adam Kuban at 5:01PM on 09/24/08
Corner Bistro blows...however Shake Shack always lives up to the hype.
davey at 5:07PM on 09/24/08
@kathryn The Resto burger has pork fatback so it needs to be cooked through. I don't consider it a hamburger as it is not 100% beef (same goes for the Prune burger)
Nick Solares at 5:32PM on 09/24/08
Does the line suck at SS? Yes.
Is the burger great? Absolutely.
SS needs to be the litmus test of good burger tasting taste buds. If you don't like it, you need to have your mouth examined. Go at a decent hour and get your fix. Cuozzo also shows his ignorance with that "tourist" line; those are, indeed, all NYers. Well, most anyway.
fascfoo at 10:59PM on 09/24/08
Shake Shack got a quick glimpse tonight on Law & Order: Criminal Intent on the USA Network...I'm talking about an extremely quick glimpse. The episode actually guest stars Neil Patrick Harris. The scene I am referencing is at a Shake Shack green table and then a moving shot focused at the end of the silver hangover roof at the burger pickup area showing the word "SHAKE". No clear identification, but I'm certain it was SS. I'm not sure if it's a re-run or not.
Just thought I'd highlight the Shake Shack on TV. The episode is called "Want": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0629600/
mmakis at 12:01AM on 09/25/08
@Adam: When people talk about Five Napkin Burger and leave out Nice Matin, do they assume they are the same or ignorant?
To be fair, if Five Napkin Burger is on anyone's list (Top or overrated) they should be treated separately...
BirdDoggie at 2:00PM on 09/25/08