Grilled
Interviews with noted and notable figures in burgerdom.
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 14, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Editor's note: Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a while since we grilled someone, and we couldn't get back in the groove with a better subject. You know that burger history book by Josh Ozersky that comes out this month? Andrea Murphy here worked as Ozersky's research assistant on it. We figured we'd get all kinds of dirt on "Mr. Cutlets" from her. So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'!
How to shape an imaginary burger patty, Andrea?
Name: Andrea Murphy
Location: New York City
Occupation: Researcher
You served as Josh "Mr. Cutlets" Ozersky's research assistant for his book "Hamburger: A History." What exactly did that entail? I spent a lot of time at the New York Public Library (and other libraries) looking through newspapers, books, academic papers, obscure food industry journals, and other sources. What would usually happen is that Josh would give me a topic and I would go find information. Sometimes he was very specific (a list of movies either from the 1950s or that took place in the 1950s where people eat hamburgers) and other times more general. There was a lot of photocopying.
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Posted by Lauren Krueger, January 3, 2008 at 9:45 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, Ray Alma is a fascinating co-worker of mine, and one with an abundance of opinion. He constantly visits my desk to talk burgers, and has some fascinating stories to tell. The world just won't be the same once you learn what he did at his old job. So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Ray Alma
Location: Bayside, Queens (NYC)
Occupation: Cartoonist
How often do you eat burgers?
Not as often as I used to. Maybe once every two months these days. I eat turkey burgers frequently, but I don't really count them as burgers.
Where did your most recent come from?
McGee's Pub. "Homemade sliders." Not bad.
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
Yellow American Cheese. Don't get me wrong, I like cheddar as a cheese in itself, but when I get it on a burger it just pisses me off.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, November 12, 2007 at 11:45 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Lauren Krueger. We need some new blood around these parts, something to liven things up, and Lauren will be joining the crew of AHT to do just that. She'll be posting once or twice a week—reviews, rants, ruminations, and what not. Her first post will be along shortly, but first I thought I'd grill her as a bit of hazing and get-to-know-ya. So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Lauren Krueger
Location: New Yawk City! (I always hear the Pace guys [video] in my head)
Occupation: Eater, video editor
So, are you sure you're not vegetarian?
Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm a skinny girl who eats a lot of meat; it happens! I'm pretty sure I teethed on a T-bone.
How often do you eat burgers?
Not often enough (though certain members of my immediate family would say too often). Probably about once a week.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
More likely than not it was the mini burgers at Jimmy's Shake, I mean, Burger Shack. You were there! There's no burgers like home! There's no burgers like home!
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
Sure, yes, by all means! Blue rules, Swiss is heavenly, Boursin makes me melt. Interesting fact: I never had a cheeseburger until college. What can I say? Everyone was experimenting. I'll still gladly skip the cheese, especially on burgers that have a particularly delicious meat makeup. I (very briefly) dated a guy who wouldn't dream of eating a hamburger without cheese. Needless to say, he wasn't imaginative enough to make the cut.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, July 9, 2007 at 12:51 PM
Ladies and gentleman, I first met Nick Solares, this week's Grilled subject, in late April, when he started sending me a series of tips and links regarding burgers. As he was quite adept at finding interesting beefy tidbits, I thought, "This guy would make a helluva blogger." Mr. Solares must have sensed his own potential because in May he started Beef Aficionado, a site dedicated to all things beef. Most impressive to me was his feat of eating and blogging a burger a day during his premiere month—which also happened to be National Hamburger Month. And so, without further ado, let's get Grillin'. —The Mgmt.
Name: Nick Solares, editor in beef, Beef Aficionado Weblog
Location: NYC via UK
Occupation: Bon vivant
How often do you eat burgers?
The month of May excluded, I usually eat 3 to 4 per month, but sometimes I will go on binges and go through that number in as many days.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
In-N-Out burger on Sunset—I had a regular cheeseburger and an Animal-style cheeseburger. I am amazed that fast food can be this good. [Note: I'm sure Nick has eaten a few more burgers in the span between when I asked him this and when I published this interview. —The Mgmt. ]
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
Being an Anglophile and a foodie dilettante, I reflexively choose cheddar even though it rarely, if ever actually comes from Cheddar, but I am fine with American. Actually, my favorite burger places serve American exclusively, so I guess that should really be my answer. I love blue cheese in many other applications but find it much too pungent and overpowering on a burger plus burgers places don’t usually get very good quality blue cheese. Anyway.
Ketchup or mustard?
With apologies to Monsieur Motz, I go with the pantywaist ketchup. I find mustard so austere and grim; burgers are supposed to be a fun, frivolous food. The mild sweetness of ketchup is wonderful juxtaposed against the charred exterior of the burger, and I also find that it contrasts particularly nicely with the tanginess of the cheese. Mustard tends to darken the entire palate, pulling the burger too much into the yin. I feel ketchup achieves a better balance as an accompaniment for while it is sweet it also has tartness from the vinegar that provides a smoother palate. I am also fine with Thousand Island that is ubiquitous of California-style burgers.
Sesame-seed or plain?
Plain. I like the idea of seeds, but it just turns out that my favorite burgers use plain buns.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Griddled, for anything up to about 6 ounces. Anything bigger than that I prefer grilled or broiled with a slight preference for the latter, although I prefer smaller burgers.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Rare please, unless I am eating sliders, in which case you usually have no choice.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, May 29, 2007 at 1:36 PM
Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a while since we "Grilled" someone here on AHT. Sorry 'bout that. But we're back, and with a most illustrious guest indeed. John T. Edge is the author of one of AHT's favorite burger books, Hamburgers & Fries, and he's here with some fascinating burger talk—and a recipe for bacon-infused burgers. So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'
Name: John T. Edge
Location: Oxford, Mississippi
Occupation: Director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, contributing editor at Gourmet magazine, and writer for various folks
How often do you eat burgers? Or did all the burger-eating you did for the book turn you off burgers altogether?
I eat more burgers now after the book than I did before. I eat them about two a week: One is a burger I cook, and the other is one someone else cooks.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
At Phillip's Grocery here in Oxford. It's a much misunderstood burger. Phillip started out in Holly Springs, Mississippi, with a burger that has linkages to the doughburgers and slugburgers in the book. It's a burger with a strange consistency at its core. It's a creamy consistency—as if there were peanut butter in it: Is there soy in there? Is there bread in there? There's some extender in there, most likely a bread-based extender, and it crisps up the burger as it cooks. I like it drenched in chili. A nice chili cheeseburger, with pickle, mustard, and onion.
It's a great burger, but it's a tell of something else—it points its way to the early days of burgers. It's a remnant of an earlier time when almost all burgers had some sort of meat extender added. You could say it's a vestigial hamburger.
Interesting. So on that chilli cheeseburger, or any burger for that matter, do you prefer American, cheddar, or other?
I don't look down my nose at the processed slice of cheese goo because it melts really well. Of late, I've been taking those blue cheese crumbles in the tubs, you know what I'm talking about? I mix those in red wine vinegar or cheap balsamic, then add some spicy brown mustard (we use Zatarin's, but any spicy brown mustard will do—anything but yellow ballpark mustard). Mix that up, and you don't need any dressing. It's kinda self-contained.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, April 9, 2007 at 6:39 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, last week my Serious Eats colleague Alaina Browne blogged about Value Pack, the typeface made from hamburger meat. Today, in this installment of Grilled, we bring you the man behind the meatfont. So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Robert Bolesta
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Occupation: Graphic designer
What inspired you to create Value Pack?
It was made for a typography class I was taking at Pratt Institute. The project was to make an alphabet out of any found object. I wanted to do raw meat, and hamburger was the easiest to mold and shape into letter-forms.
What, if anything, does Value Pack say to the observer?
It was intended to be just a type study, but I suppose there are other levels of meaning, if you choose to read into it. I made it before I read Fast Food Nation
, but I'm sure you can draw some parallels. To be honest, I was mostly interested in trashy supermarket aesthetics and the repetition of the letters resembling an assembly line or something.
Who are your artistic influences or inspirations?
I am graduating in about a month, so right now a couple of my professors have had big impacts on me.
How long did it take to make Value Pack?
A frustrating day to shoot it. I went home to Pennsylvania to do it so I'd have more space. I repackaged each one individually, and I figured out that regular plastic wrap doesn't look the same as industrial plastic wrap, so at midnight I drove to the 24-hour grocery store and asked them if they would go back behind the meat counter to get me a sample of the industrial kind. They actually did it! It was awesome, but it made me feel weird when they watched me leave. They had this look on their faces like they had just given a murderer his weapon.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 5, 2007 at 6:00 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, I happened across the McChronicles shortly after starting A Hamburger Today. It's a blog written by one very McDonald's-obsessed man. At first, I thought it was some sort of McD's guerrilla-marketing stunt, but after reading the site for a few months, it became clear that the man who I came to think of as "Mr. McChronicles" (the author maintains anonymity on the site, so I have nothing else to call him) had no affiliation with the chain other than eating at it frequently and critiquing it. I finally got around to giving him the third degree last week. So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: The McChronicles
Location: New York
Occupation:
So you're essentially a "customer evangelist" for McDonald's. Let's get this out of the way, since a lot of AHT readers will have the same question I do: Do you work for McD's?
Some people are "sure" I do, many wonder if I do (and ask). The truth is that I don't, never have, and think that working at a McDonald's (as a crew member) would ruin the relationship I currently have (as a pure consumer). Being hired as a "fake blogger" is a reprehensible thought to me, considering the goal of the McChronicles blog. I have absolutely no affiliation with the company, or any related organization, in any way.
Why McDonald's? When did your fascination with the chain begin?
Like many people, I have something within me that has a very positive reaction to McDonald's. Once, while entering a McDonald's with a middle-aged, college-educated engineer, he turned to me and said, "No matter how many times I go to McDonald's, and no matter how old I am, when I walk in I always feel like a kid." That statement hit me hard because I feel the very same way. I never articulated it, or thought much about it, but I do share the exact same feelings.
OK—so that "something" inside me probably started in the '60s. Like everyone else of my era, I grew along with McDonald's. Face it, in the early days, they were like the awkward kid next door—interesting and amusing as they found their way. At some point they reached their stride and became significant. Their ads got stronger, more persuasive. Their message became more compelling and personally meaningful. Eventually, for a young kid, McDonald's was high on my short list of really cool places to go (or to aspire to go). But I had two big problems: I lived very far from the nearest McDonald's (and rarely traveled), and my family was very poor. As a result, I don't think I went to a McDonald's until I was 12. Even then, I had to borrow money from a friend to be able to buy something.
During my college years, I lived near a few McDonald's. With money from a part-time job I was able to eat there occasionally. It felt good. My first pre-date with my wife was at a McDonald's.
After I got my first "real" job, I discovered that there was a McDonald's right around the corner from where I worked. It always felt like a real treat when I ate there. At one point, 100 percent of my entire consumption was from McDonald's for well over 30 days. I never really kept track because it wasn't a big deal to me (this was in the late '70s, pre-Super Size Me). I didn't gain weight or feel bad. No big deal.
Fast forward to the modern era. Having an undergraduate degree in business (focus on international business), an MBA, and 25 years of business experience, and being responsible for a corporation's entire global marketing and communications program, I had become relatively astute in business, marketing, advertising, and the like. I would often sit with my wife during lunch and comment on my observations on how the McDonald's we were sitting in seemed to be doing.
With my consumer hat on, I slowly adopted the role of "every customer." I observed as moms schlepped their kids in and out, as the retired rallied for coffee, as business people swooped in for a quick bite, and as teens co-opted McDonald's as their "third place." And, with my businessperson hat on, I studied the crew, the managers, the owners, the corporation, the delivery people, the facilities, the advertising, the challenges of running the business of McDonald's. As my observations, comments, praises, and criticisms mounted, my wife grew a bit frustrated. One day she said, "I can't do anything about these things you are pointing out. Why don't you organize your thoughts and tell someone who can do something about them?" Bam! It hit me. She was right. I was driving her nuts and wasting my time. So, I turned to blogging.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, February 12, 2007 at 6:00 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, a couple months ago, I received an email from AHT reader Zoe Hamburger. Yes, you read that right. Zoe Hamburger. Heh. Ms. Hamburger wrote some kind words about AHT and mentioned that she especially liked the Grilled feature. I wrote back that, with a name like hers and given her job (keep reading for enlightenment, dear reader), she could be Grilled herself. I was delighted when she agreed. And so, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Zoe Hamburger
Location: New York City
Occupation: MWW Group, in the Consumer Marketing division working for McDonald's
That's your real name?
Yes.
Really?
Yup.
It's not just a shameless ploy to appear among the illustrious alumni of our Grilled Q&A feature?
It would be a pretty good scam, but you can't make this stuff up.
So you've heard a lot of burger jokes in your life—any memorable ones? What's been the cheesiest?
Aside from you asking what the cheesiest burger joke has been? When I was younger the cable company sent the bill to Bacon Double Cheeseburger instead of Peter W. Hamburger. My family thought it was hilarious. You have to have a good sense of humor if your last name is Hamburger.
Since I started working with McDonald's, I've gotten more jokes than ever. I’ve had reporters hang up, people call the main line of MWW to see if I was for real.... The jokes are endless, but usually not memorable.
Do you feel your name guided your career path? Perhaps it was silently guiding you to work toward the promotion of hamburgers?
Maybe it's in the name, but I've always loved food. My dad used to give cooking lessons; my mom was a restaurant critic and has written two cookbooks, so it’s definitely in my blood. Still, if anyone had told me a year ago that I would be working with McDonald's, I would have thought they were crazy.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, February 5, 2007 at 6:26 PM
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I bring you today the inspiration for the Grilled series of Q&As. When I saw Ganda Suthivarakom interviewing food lovers in her "You Are What You Eat" surveys on her foodblog Eat, Drink, One Woman, I knew I had to adapt the format for AHT. Ms. Suthivarakom recently graced the stage of Carnegie Hall along with David Byrne and Miss Saigon. And so, without further ado, let's get Grillin'
Name: Ganda Suthivarakom
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Occupation: Writer, singer, web producer, not necessarily in that order [Um, you forgot foodblogger. —The Mgmt.]
How often do you eat burgers?
Probably once every two months. I'm kind of picky about burgers. I figure if I'm going to intake that much cholesterol, it better be worth it.
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
Only American will do. Cheddar's too oily, swiss is too bland in the wrong way, blue cheese is just wrong. American is mild and melty and just right for me.
Ketchup or mustard?
Ketchup. Mustard is for sandwiches and vinaigrettes. Ketchup is a fine, fine condiment. Fries are merely a vehicle for ketchup. I also like a dab of mayo.
Sesame-seed or plain?
Sesame seed
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
I've enjoyed grilled and griddled equally.
And how would you like that done, miss?
I like a medium burger, but only when I can trust the establishment not to give me mad cow sponge brain. Hence the burger once every two months thing.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, January 29, 2007 at 10:31 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, I don't recall how we first happened upon Mister Hamburger's lively dispatches, but when we did, we were immediately taken by his no-holds-barred reviews and his neat little burger icons that quickly convey specific information about a given sandwich. We were also immediately saddened that we didn't think of such a cool icon-based ratings scheme. I should have Grilled Mister Hamburger much sooner, but better late than never, right? So, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Mister Hamburger
Location: Mister Hamburger is currently in Europe, but usually New York City
Occupation: Being Mister Hamburger
How often do you eat burgers these days? Are you still on the Mister Hamburger Weight Loss Regimen?
Mister Hamburger eats as many hamburgers as he can. His intake rests at about two or three per week. Mister and Missus Hamburger have to cook their own sometimes because Rome does not share the same love of hamburgers. Mister Hamburger's regimen is kind of over, Mister Hamburger got back on the horse and eats crap again, but Mister Hamburger continued running.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
As of publication: The Hard Rock Café in Rome.
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
All. Mister Hamburger likes cheddar, mozzarella, blue cheese, American, fontina, Gruyère, Emmenthal, Monterey Jack, Parmigiano, Basque. And to all the cheese Mister Hamburger missed, Mister Hamburger loves you. Mister Hamburger has started taking notes about various cheeses on a scrap bit of paper because Mister Hamburger forgets what types of cheeses he buys at the supermercato in Roma.
Ketchup or mustard?
Mister Hamburger loves ketchup and gives Heinz five hamburgers.
Sesame-seed or plain?
Mister Hamburger loves a well-toasted sesame seed bun. Mister Hamburger loves finding the sesame seeds in his teeth after he finishes his burger.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Mister Hamburger takes it any way he can get it, but he prefers grilled.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Mister Hamburger demands medium-rare, unless Mister Hamburger finds himself in countries that serve excellent-quality meat, in which case, he demands rare.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 22, 2007 at 5:22 PM
Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to be a little self-indulgent. This week's Grilled features Honey P., one of A Hamburger Today's founding editors. While we're a little averse to the sound of our own keyboards tapping, we thought you might want to know more about the folks who had a hand in making this site what it is. And so, without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Honey P.
Location: New York City
Occupation: Journalist
How often do you eat burgers?
Used to be about two times a week but too much Oprah and Dr. Mehmet Oz has me paranoid about heart disease so I’m averaging about one patty every one to two weeks. Regardless, I usually can’t resist.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
At an old school drive-in called the Charcoaler in El Paso, Texas. I had the area’s classic green chile burger. It was fantastic, no grease, fresh ingredients, perfectly palm size, and it tasted like you grilled it yourself in the backyard.
American, cheddar, other?
Cheddar, blue, gruyère or jalapeño Jack. I reserve American for summertime grill-outs and the Fourth, when you can’t seem to escape it. But it really does melt so well onto the burger. I just can’t renounce my expensive tastes. Well, not yet.
Ketchup or mustard?
Depends what else is on the burger for me. For example, ketchup and cheddar make a perfect pair, but if the burger has bacon and blue cheese, then I like a Dijon mustard. With American, Heinz and French’s is a classic combo. And for a really wild time, a mayo-ketchup mix is usually super tasty.
Sesame-seed or plain?
I don’t really care. The makeup of the bun is more important—soft, so it soaks up the juices but hearty enough that it holds the thing together and doesn’t fall apart. I like the taste sesame adds but it’s not deciding factor.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Grilled. ‘Cause an open flame does a burger right. Despite some of the haters around here, I love the Corner Bistro burger, and I know that’s broiled, so perhaps broiled is my second choice.
And how would you like that done, miss?
Medium is my rule of thumb, but if your meat can hold its own, then medium-rare.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, January 16, 2007 at 5:37 PM
Ladies and gentlemen, this installment of Grilled puts in the hot seat one Dave Freedenberg, aka "Famous Fat Dave" aka "The Hungry Cabbie." Mr. Freedenberg recently made the Saveur 100, a yearly list of all sorts of cool food things compiled by Saveur magazine. Mr. Freedenberg is a New York City taxi driver who moonlights as a food tour guide, ferrying his patrons around the city in his cab. His blog, The Hungry Cabbie, details his adventures and food finds. And now, without further ado, let's get Grillin' ... —The Mgmt.
Name: "Famous Fat" Dave Freedenberg
Location: New York City
Occupation: Cab driver, tour guide
How often do you eat burgers?
It depends on what season it is. If it's BBQ season, I eat more burgers than are healthy. In the winter, my consumption drops to maybe one a week, if I'm lucky. I've gone more than a month without eating one, though. Trying times. It was as though a great void was forming in my soul.
American, cheddar, other?
It depends on what else is on it, doesn't it? But I have no preference, really. I like cheese.
Ketchup or mustard?
Both. Or neither. Or only ketchup. Mustard only might be good, but in that case, the mustard has gotta be great.
Sesame-seed or plain?
Either one.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Barbequed, I suppose. So I guess I mean grilled.
And how would you like that done, sir?
If the meat is really good, oh, baby, I like it raw.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 18, 2006 at 11:55 AM
After a brief hiatus, ladies and gentlemen, Grilled is back. This week's installment is Peter Meehan, who has discovered and relayed the news of some of New York's finest burgers in the pages of the New York Times. Because he wishes to retain his anonymity for the purposes of his reviews, we do not have a photograph—apologies to those of you who enjoy rating the relative hotness of each new Grilled subject as compared with my sister. Without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Peter Meehan
Occupation: "$25 and Under" columnist for the New York Times
Location: New York City
How often do you eat burgers?
Once or twice a week at most. Back before I was reviewing restaurants, I probably ate three or four burgers a week.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
BLT Burger. I’ve taken a short burger break after bingeing at BLT.
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
American, I guess. Seems like the patriotic answer. But I am open to almost any melty cheese on a burger. I have more specific feelings about what cheese choices I object to: I love blue cheese and mozzarella, but I don’t think either belongs on a hamburger; and I don’t like burgers blanketed in any outré or overly pedigreed cheese.
Ketchup or mustard?
Mustard on the burger, ketchup on the side. I think a truly great burger needs no ketchup. (But I have a very strong affinity for ketchup, so there’s a good chance I’m still going to eat at least part of that truly great burger with it.)
Sesame-seed or plain?
That’s tough. Sesame-seed buns do seem like the platonic ideal of hamburger bun-ness. But there are many seedless buns on burgers I like. Seedless potato rolls are perfect for the Shake Shack burger. The choice of ciabatta for the smaller burger at DuMont burger is inspired. The English muffin as a burger bracket has always struck me as a pointless East Coast affectation, but it serves Gabrielle Hamilton’s lamburger [at Prune] well. Before eating at Royale, I would have said “absolutely no brioche” because every hamburger I’d eaten on a brioche bun up to that point was way too rich. Not theirs. Plus it had sesame seeds. So I’m waffling, but ultimately going sesame. Final answer.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
All of the above. Didn’t George Motz teach us that burgers can be steamed and deep-fried, too? Is there even a verb for what they do to the burgers at Louis’ Lunch in New Haven? I find grilling and broiling to be the surest approaches to properly cooked patties, but I have no allegiance to any one style.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Medium-rare. Bonus points if the thing gets a chance to rest for a few minutes before it’s served, though I can’t think of a single restaurant where that happens.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 6, 2006 at 12:27 PM
Ladies and gentlemen, last week we introduced you to AHT's Matty Jacobs. This week, it's time you got to know "Hamburglar" Hadley Tomicki a little better. Without further ado, let's get Grillin' —Ed.
Name: Hadley "Hamburglar" Tomicki
Location: Los Angeles
Occupation: Editor lataco.com, educator, and actor
How often do you eat burgers?
Less and less it seems these days after opening up to the taco lifestyle, maybe once or twice a month.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
Fatburger on a very classy date, unless you count the Runza I had in Nebraska the other week.
American, cheddar, other?
I like Gruyère, cheddar, even blue cheese. Typically sharp cheeses for me on my burger.
Ketchup or mustard?
Both. But if George W. Bush instituted a draconian one-condiment doctrine, I'd choose the ketchup.
Sesame-seed or plain?
Sesame, please.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Grilled—with lots of char marks.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Medium, possibly medium-rare, if you’ve got a good rep.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, October 30, 2006 at 10:32 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, the subject of today's Grilled Q&A is someone who should be familiar to regular readers of this site. I'm never quite sure what to call Mr. Jacobs. When I met him, he was introduced to me as "Matty," but he's also known as "Matt." But his burger knowledge and indispensable advice soon led me to call him "Hamburger Matty." It's time you got to know him a little better, so without further ado, let's get Grillin' —Ed.
Name: "Hamburger" Matty Jacobs
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Occupation: Web development
How often do you eat burgers?
I try to keep it to one a week, but that rarely happens. My body may say otherwise, but my brain demands two a week.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
Viand Cafe on 62nd and Madison. I work on the Upper East Side and the burger situation is dire, especially with the recent departure
of Soup Burg. As I'm always looking for a solid burger, I took up a friend's recomendation and gave Viand a shot. While it wasn't remarkable, I would go back. It's tough to compete with a decent burger and an entertaining diner staff. Still, if I'm looking for the best burger, I'd go across the street and grab one from Tony Dragonas.
American, cheddar, other?
American. Before I began writing for AHT, I might have said cheddar, but the burger world has shown me the way. American just melts better.
Ketchup or mustard?
Ketchup. Mustard is for hot dogs.
Sesame seed or plain?
I like a little decoration, but I don't care much either way.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
The purist will say griddled, and in the end I'll agree, but I do love a grilled burger. Direct fire and ground beef make for a delicious combination.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Medium-rare. A little pink lets you taste the meat. Whoever says well-done must work for the FDA or have a personal injury lawyer in the family.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 16, 2006 at 9:00 AM
Photograph by Jonathan Lurie, courtesy of Off the Broiler.
Name: Jason Perlow
Location: Tenafly, New Jersey
Occupation: technologist, foodblogger, and Internet food-discussion pioneer
How often do you eat burgers?
Several times a month, although my wife tries to keep it down to once a week—she doesn't like it when I eat too much meat.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
I had a really good, old-school twin burger platter at Holsten's in Bloomfield, New Jersey, recently. Its an old-time ice cream parlor, soda shop, and luncheonette-type place that dates back to the late 1930s, and not a damn thing has ever changed about it. Toasted, soft burger bun, with American cheese melted on each side, cooked on a grill, just the right meat-to-bun ratio, with slices of crisp bacon, and cooked perfectly medium-rare. Very simple and straightforward, but that's exactly what you want sometimes.
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
I order burgers with American cheese for the most part, only because I believe it's the ideal melting cheese on a burger. It's used more than anything else for a very good reason. However, I have in no way an exclusive relationship with processed cheese slices—I love a good cheddar burger or Monterey Jack or a good Swiss or even a blue-cheese burger from time to time. I've even had burgers with melted port-wine cheesefood on the top, and it works phenomenally well. And pizza burgers with mozzarella kick ass.
Ketchup or mustard?
Both, if I'm making them at home. And sometimes mayo, too, depending on my mood. Mayo and Dijon mustard mixed together with a bit of horseradish is great, applied liberally to a toasted bun with a totally plain broiled burger, medium-rare, with nothing else on it—the mustard and mayo and horseradish combined with the juices make an incredible natural sauce. Try it sometime.
Sesame-seed or plain?
I like sesame seeds. But I love a good kaiser roll with poppy seeds or onion roll, if we're talking about a platform for a large burger. You can't beat a nice rye for a patty melt, either, which I think is a perfectly valid type of burger. The toasted English muffin is totally underrated as a burger platform, too.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
I think all preparations are equally valid because there are different genres of burgers. At a summer cookout, a backyard burger formed by hand has to be grilled. The classic fast-food or diner burger has to be griddled, and the steakhouse or pub burger needs to be broiled. But each of these burgers has to have a different meat composition, fat makeup, and quantity of meat for each to work under the right circumstances.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Medium-rare, if I have the choice.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 2, 2006 at 1:00 PM
Ladies and gentlemen, if you are a longtime reader of AHT, this week's Grilled interview subject needs no introduction. George Motz is a filmmaker best known around this site as the auteur behind burger biopic Hamburger America. He's currently researching a book on our favorite sandwich treat. Without further ado, let's get Grillin' ... —Ed.
George Motz serves as grill cook at the Gothamist-AHT QBQ BBQ at Water Taxi Beach on June 24, 2006. At the event, Mr. Motz assisted Harry's LIC in creating homages to several regional American burgers, one of which was the Guber Burger, a tip of the toque to the Wheel Inn Drive-In in Sedalia, Missouri. || IMG_2990, blogged to AHT from the Flickr photostream of gothamistllc.
Name: George Motz
Location: Brooklyn
Occupation: Filmmaker
How often do you eat burgers?
At least twice a week, but on burger outings, I can put away up to 15 in four days (research...).
Where did you eat your most recent one?
[At the time of this interview] at the Yankee Doodle in New Haven, Connecticut. I had a Dandy Double Doodle and a single with cheese.
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
I prefer American and mild cheddar but usually eat burgers without cheese. The only time I get cheese on a burger is when it's what the locals are ordering. For example, if you go to Nick's in Brookings, South Dakota, you'll hear very few people ordering cheeseburgers, but at the Shady Glen in Manchester, Connecticut, the burgers would be nothing without the cheese "sculpture" they create on the grill.
Ketchup or mustard?
Always mustard, never ketchup! Usually, a pickle and mustard is all I need. Mustard enhances the beefiness of the burger. Ketchup hides it.
Sesame seed or plain?
Doesn't matter as long as the bun is white and squishy and proportionate to the burger.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Griddled is the best way to enjoy a burger. A patty cooking in its own juices creates the most flavor.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Medium for good beef, medium-rare for sushi-grade chopped beef.
Would you do us the favor of describing your perfect burger? Price and
ingredients are no object.
Fresh ground chuck shoulder with some sirloin and strip steak bits thrown into the grind, ground twice; griddled at super-high heat; and served on a buttered, toasted white squishy bun with pickles and mustard; consumed standing—with a Budweiser.
What's your favorite fast-food burger?
Without a doubt, Steak n Shake because they use fresh-ground beef and smash it flat on the grill. And they toast their buns.
What topping or condiment, in your opinion, should never grace a burger?
KETCHUP!!
What's the most unusual burger you've ever eaten? (Or most unusual burger
experience you've had?)
I was in San Diego, California, last December and had this huge burger with gyro meat on it at Western Steakburger. The taste was out of this world, but I had to pull over 20 minutes later because I was having
one of those 10,000-calorie hallucinations.
Overrated burger:
In-N-Out. They make a good burger and we all appreciate the fact that the burgers are not frozen, but come on. There are so many other top-notch burgers in LA. If you go to Pie 'N Burger in Pasadena, you can eat the same double double that tastes 10 times better.
Underrated burger:
Casino El Camino in Austin, Texas, gets a bad rap because of the wait, but I'd gladly wait three times longer.
For some crazy reason, you're going vegetarian. Where do you go for your final burger?
Sorry. Not going vegetarian. Give me meat or give me death!
###
BURGER JOINTS REFERENCED
Yankee Doodle: 258 Elm Street, New Haven CT 06511; thedoodle.com
Nick's: 427 Main Ave., Brookings SD 57006; nickshamburgers.com
The Shady Glen: 840 Middle Tpke E., Manchester CT 06040
Steak n Shake: Various locations, Midwest and Southern U.S.; steaknshake.com
Western Steakburger: 2730 University Ave., San Diego CA 92104
In-N-Out Burger: Various locations in California, Nevada, Arizona; in-n-out.com
Pie 'N Burger: 913 E. California Blvd., Pasadena CA 91106; pienburger.com
626.795.1123
Casino el Camino: 517 E. 6th Street, Austin TX 78701; casinoelcamino.net
FURTHER READING
Hamburger America [Official website of Mr. Motz's burgermentary]
George Motz's Top 15 Burgers Nationwide [AHT Archives]
Other Grilled interviews [AHT Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 18, 2006 at 7:00 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, we have for you another edition of Grilled, in which we interrogate a known burger lover and brief you on the results of our intensive questioning. This week's subject is Celia Cheng, editor and publisher of Cravings, a monthly web-based food magazine. I met Ms. Cheng when she interviewed me for a feature on her site. After a short time talking, it became clear that her own cravings often ran toward burgers—specifically bacon cheeseburgers. And so we hauled her in for intelligence gathering. Without further ado, let's get Grillin' ... —Ed.]
Name: Celia Cheng
Location: New York City
Occupation: Editor of Cravings
How often do you eat burgers?
Once a week.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
Broome Street Bar.
Cheese: American, Cheddar, other?
Cheddar.
Ketchup or mustard?
Ketchup!
Sesame seed or plain?
Definitely sesame—everything tastes better with sesame :)
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Grilled.
And how would you like that done, miss?
Medium RARE!
Would you do us the favor of describing your perfect burger? Price and ingredients are no object.
For the patty, raw egg, bread crumbs, a dash of Worcester sauce, pepper, and salt should be mixed in with the ground beef to give it the right texture and flavor. Then the patty should be brushed with butter and grilled to a crisp on the outside, but perfectly pink and juicy on the inside. I love burgers on toasted English muffin because the pockets soak up the juices, but I guess since I'm adding bacon and avocado to this one, let's go with a sesame bun so it can hold more. Add: cheddar cheese (if we were going with the English Muffin, then Cheez Whiz instead), crisp bacon, and avocado. Oh, and of course lettuce and tomato. Assess taste, and add ketchup accordingly.
What's your favorite fast-food burger?
BK Whopper Junior with cheese.
What topping or condiment, in your opinion, should never grace a burger?
I think anything can work because everyone has a different palate. I'm sure even ice cream or natto (Japanese fermented soybeans) on a burger could taste great. [Natto I'll buy. But ice cream?!?!? —Ed.]
What's the most unusual burger you've ever eaten? (Or most unusual burger experience you've had?)
Egg burger. This is not unusual to me since I grew up eating it in Taiwan. It's an Asian rendition of a burger and is a popular breakfast food. The patty uses pork instead of beef and is tenderized and mixed with carrots, onions, salt, and pepper. The thin patty is griddled, then placed on a sesame bun. Lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayo (Chinese mayo is lighter and sweeter than American mayo), onions, salt, and pepper are added. The most important ingredient that tops this off as the world's best breakfast is a fried egg.
The hamburger is a dish with which many people have strong childhood associations. Do you recall your first experience with this tasty treat?
Yes! I still have extremely fond memories of the "terry burger" from Orange Julius in Hawaii. Terry being short for teriyaki of course. OJ no longer serves burgers in Hawaii, unfortunately. To date, I have not yet found a terry burger that compares. Not even in Japan. The teriyaki burger at McDonald's in Japan is awful and though the teriyaki chicken burger from Mos Burger is good, the regular teriyaki burger is still not as good as my childhood terry! Bring it back, Orange Julius!
What’s the most overrated burger in your city? Most underrated?
Overrated: Jackson Hole. Underrated: Tony's (street vendor on 62nd and Madison).
For some crazy reason, you're going vegetarian. Where do you go for your final burger?
I would like to state that I would rather kill myself before I went vegetarian. But to answer your question, in NYC, I'd go to DuMont Burger. If in Hawaii or Tokyo, Kua Aina.
###
BURGER JOINTS REFERENCED
Broome Street Bar: 363 West Broadway, New York City;
broomestreetbar.citysearch.com
Burger King: Various locations worldwide;
burgerking.com
McDonald's: Various locations worldwide;
mcdonalds.com
MOS Burger: Various locations, Japan;
mos.co.jp
Jackson Hole: Various locations, New York City;
jacksonholeburgers.com
Tony Dragonas street cart: Southwest corner of East 62nd Street and Madison Avenue, New York City;
A Guy in New York on Dragonas
DuMont Burger: 314 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn NY (Williamsburg);
AHT review
Kua Aina: Various locations in Hawaii and Tokyo;
'Ono Kine Grindz on Kua Aina
FURTHER READING
Cravings [Ms. Cheng's web-based food magazine]
Other Grilled interviews [AHT Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 11, 2006 at 9:00 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you yet another installment of Grilled. Today's interview is with Frank Bruni, restaurant critic for the New York Times and, as of early this year, proprietor of foodblog Diner's Journal. Prior to that, Mr. Bruni served as the newspaper's Rome bureau chief, which was in turn preceded by three and a half years as a reporter for the Times in the paper's D.C. bureau. As regular readers of Mr. Bruni's blog, it soon became clear to the editors of AHT that he'd make a perfect subject for this column. And so, without further ado, let's get Grillin' ... —Ed.
Name: Frank Bruni
Location: New York City
Occupation: New York Times restaurant critic; also blogs for the Times on Diner's Journal
How often do you eat burgers?
Not nearly as often as I'd like. I'm guessing I average two a week. It'd be more if I didn't have so much poussin, branzino, and braised short ribs in my sights.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
After watching an unbelievably thrilling match between Nadal and Youzhny, I had what was advertised as a half-pound Angus cheeseburger at the U.S. Open [last Wednesday]. It was overcooked, but I was hungry, and as we all know, hunger casts all food in a rosy light. I liked it better than the "waffle fries" I also ordered and ate. I don't believe fries should be waffled. Before that, at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. They have a duo of tiny burgers made with beef and foie gras. And, shock of shocks, they DON'T call them sliders! [Not even les sliders? —Ed.]
American, cheddar, or other?
I've never been able to commit to one. When it comes to burgers, I'm a fan of cheddar, anything like Swiss, and maybe especially, in certain moods, blue cheese. I'm more definite on cheeses I don't like on burgers, and American is one. Mozzarella is another.
Ketchup or mustard?
I'm a ketchup guy, all the way.
Sesame-seed or plain?
No strong feelings, though slightly partial to sesame. In the end, though, it's the fluffiness and size of the bun—present, but not overwhelming—that really matters to me.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Grilled.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Somewhere between rare and medium-rare, though most servers look at me, understandably, like a troublemaker when I ask for that. So I usually choose one or the other, depending on my mood.
Would you do us the favor of describing your perfect burger? (Price and ingredients are no object.)
I like thicker, pub-style burgers, so I'm thinking about eight ounces—more gets too sloppy—of ground chuck. I want some fat content in the beef. Let's have that patty grilled, with stripes and a char on it. Not quite rare, but almost. Let's say Swiss cheese, but not too much of it. Ripe, quality tomatoes, sliced thin, and, again, not too many slices. A leaf or two of lettuce—any of several kinds are OK. No onions: They run away with the show. Ketchup. On a really, really soft bun that gives you enough to grab onto and to save yourself from getting too, too dirty.
What's your favorite fast-food burger?
The thing about burgers is that they're beautiful so many ways. So you'll see that my choice here violates just about everything I've said above. If I can count it as fast food, I'd choose one of the larger, thicker varieties of the "butter burgers" at Culver's, a chain mostly in the Midwest. The patty is flat and, if memory serves me, griddled, but it has real beef flavor and a great sear. If Culver's is too specialized and regional, I'll pick the Hardee's Thickburger.
What topping or condiment, in your opinion, should never grace a burger?
There are many. But I'll start with avocado. The avocado is a wondrous, gorgeous, sexy thing. And maybe that's why I don't want it crowding my wondrous, gorgeous, sexy burger. Two divas in too little space.
What's the most unusual burger you've ever eaten? (Or most unusual burger experience you've had?)
Wow. This tests my memory. I once dated someone who was constantly making turkey burgers with a center cavity combining some kind of cheese, I think Jack cheese, and crushed Doritos. Or was it Fritos? Either way, I should have ended the relationship much, much sooner than I did.
What's the most overrated burger you've tried? Most underrated?
Most overrated burger? I'm told I had a freak experience on an off day, but the Peter Luger burger, served only at lunch, didn't do it for me. I also had a very bad experience with the Better Burger chain in Manhattan, but then I hadn't heard all that many people sing its praises.
As for the most underrated burger, maybe Houston's. But it's not that it's exactly underrated: People who've had it like it. It's just that a lot of people don't think to go to Houston's. And the burger there is quite pricey, maybe too pricey for the environment.
You've written a fair number of burger stories for the Times in recent months and have published blog post after blog post about them on Diner's Journal. Seriously, Frank, what is your deal with burgers?
I don't think I've written many—or maybe any—burger stories in the actual paper, other than my fast-food trip across the country. [Sorry, my bad —Ed.] But you're right that I've done a lot of blog posts about burgers.
That's driven by two things: I like having an excuse to eat burgers, and I think burgers are good Internet/blog material—they're accessible; many people have experiences with and strong feelings about them; and so the subject of burgers often fosters an interesting, fun dialogue.
###
BURGER JOINTS REFERENCED
U.S. Open burger: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows (Queens) usopen.org
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon: 57 East 57th Street, New York NY 10022
Culver's: Various locations, mostly in the Midwest; culvers.com
Hardee's: Various locations; hardees.com
Peter Luger Steak House: 178 Broadway, Brooklyn NY 11211; peterluger.com
Better Burger: 1614 Second Ave. (at 84th Street, UES); 587 Ninth Ave. (at 42nd Street, Midtown West); 561 Third Ave. (at 37th Street, Murray Hill); 178 Eighth Ave. (at 19th Street, Chelsea); betterburgernyc.com
Houston's: Various locations nationwide; hillstone.com
FURTHER READING
Peter Luger's Burgers [Frank Bruni, New York Times]
Burger Bound [Diner's Journal]
My Darling, My Hamburger [Diner's Journal]
Fast Food, Slow Line [Diner's Journal]
The Fast and the Furious [Diner's Journal]
The Burger Bandwagon [Diner's Journal]
Another Burger, for Better or Worse [Diner's Journal]
Two Burgers, One Dip and a Happy Carnivore [Diner's Journal]
Tennis, Anyone? [Diner's Journal]
Other Grilled interviews [AHT Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 5, 2006 at 9:00 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, some men make their reputations on the gritty avenues and byways of the inner city, where their exploits earn them "street cred." The subject of today's Grilled column has what we at A Hamburger Today call "meat cred." Josh "Mr. Cutlets" Ozersky has made his figurative bones (while discarding a great many literal ones) in the world of carnivorolgy, dispensing his wisdom along the way in countless newspaper and radio pieces and in his book Meat Me in Manhattan, an essential guide to New York City's best meat emporiums. He has recently taken the job of online food editor at New York magazine, where he continues to share his knowledge of dining with the world. Without further ado, let's get grilling. —Ed.
Name: Josh Ozersky
Location: Meatopia
Occupation: Online food editor, New York magazine
How often do you eat burgers?
As often as possible: Four to five times a week.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
Prime Burger has its charms for me. It's the size and shape I like to see, and ferried quickly to and fro by diner waiters in uniforms. I like sitting in the school desks, and I like the freshness of the meat. But the bun isn't toasted the way I would like it to be, and the burger itself is frequently overdone. So that's that.
Bill Telepan's burgers are still among the best of their kind in town, especially in midday, when the cleanness of the meat, and its digestability, are at a premium.
230 Fifth's romli burger is distinctive and rewarding, but cooked en masse ahead of time, like the Cheeseburker slider at David Burke at Bloomingdales.
I had a thin, greasy, but still pink! cheeseburger at Seventh Avenue Donuts in Park Slope. Those rarely disappoint.
And finally, I had a Motz Burger at the Water Taxi Beach and immediately afterward, homeward bound and grateful to Harry Hawk, stopped in at Schnäck for a single Schnäckie. Though a minute ounce and a half, it was every bit as juicy and flavorful and its fatter big brother, and I paid it the sincerest compliment one can give any hamburger, which was to order another. [The address or locations for the various burger joints mentioned in today's Grilled can be found below. —Ed.]
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
American! Only American. No man is more xenophobic. Cheddar is too greasy when melted, and about other cheeses, the less said the better. A square of tangerine-colored processed cheese food product is what God intended a hamburger to bear.
Ketchup or mustard?
Neither. Just a little pickle.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
Griddled! Only the flat griddle can give the hamburger the brown, gorgeously irregular rough surface it requires for its intricate interplay of textures—the soft, viscous cheese and the yielding moistness of the meat inside, both inside the crisp-soft complexity of the toasted, enriched white bun. A hot live fire will scorch it, and as the precious fluids drip between the irons, a little bit of love is lost with every drop. An ancient griddle that a thousand hamburgers have cooked on will be seasoned, and thus able to lend their ghostly essences to every new one that is made. Plus, the flat surface will refract the grease heat, essentially cooking the hamburger in its own juice.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Ideally, the interior should be the color of my gums, and the exterior a deep mahogany flecked with specks of black.
Would you do us the favor of describing your perfect burger? Price and ingredients are no object.
See above for doneness, construction, and condiments. The burger itself can be anywhere between five and eight ounces, but its thickness must never vary: As it gets bigger it must expand horizontally. The meat should be an 80-20 or even 75-25 mixture of very fresh ground beef and fat: Chuck will do, but the perfect burger would probably be a mixture of chuck and hangar, for an extra beefiness. It should be aggressively salted, with a little black pepper mixed in. The bun should have an egg wash to make it crispier, and a very thin coating of butter or margarine before it goes onto the grill. It should sit for three-four minutes before I get it. And there should be another one just like it on the way.
What's your favorite fast-food burger?
Among regional chains, Culver's, Fatburger, and Steak 'N Shake, in order. Among national chains, a freshly made Burger King double cheeseburger or a Whopper with cheese, no toppings. And of course, three White Castles and two double cheeseburgers at White Castle.
What topping or condiment, in your opinion, should never grace a burger?
Lettuce and tomato, blue cheese, guacamole—basically everything but the orthodox allowance of ketchup, mustard, pickle, and onion.
What's the most overrated burger in your city. Most underrated?
Overrated is surely the Corner Bistro, a test of blind fealty to the foodie party line. They cook their burgers halfway in the afternoon and then let them sit in gray goo all day until you order it, when it is finished in a broiler and thrown on an untoasted bun. Feh!
The most underrated burger is surely the Chelsea Gallery Restaurant [left], whose hot, broiled, eight-ounce Angus beefburger on a toasted, double-cheesed bun is better than the Bistro's ever was, albeit in a much less attractive surrounding. You'll never make out with a sloshed debutante there, that's for sure. Almost as underrated is Veselka, but since they often overcook the burgers by putting the cheese on only when the burger is done (despite your entreaties), their neglect is slightly justified. But they are still my No. 2 burger in New York, especially with the bacon on it.
For some crazy reason, you're going vegetarian. Where do you go for your final burger?
The Corner Bistro. Afterward I would welcome the hell of salad-eating.
###
BURGER JOINTS REFERENCED
Prime Burger: 5 East 51st Street (b/n Fifth and Mad.), New York City; primeburger.com
Telepan: 72 West 69 Street (b/n CPW and Columbus Ave.), New York City; telepan-ny.com
230 Fifth: 230 Fifth Ave. (at 27th Street), New York City; 230-Fifth.com
Seventh Ave. Donut Shop: 324 Seventh Ave. (Park Slope, at 9th Street); Brooklyn
Harry's at Water Taxi Beach: Water Taxi Beach, Long Island City (Queens); watertaxibeach.com
Schnäck: 122 Union Street (Red Hook); Brooklyn; Schn¨ck
Culver's: Various locations, mostly in the Midwest; culvers.com
Fatburger: Various locations, mostly in California; fatburger.com
Steak 'n Shake: Various locations; mostly in the East, South, and Midwest; steaknshake.com
Burger King: Various locations worldwide; burgerking.com
White Castle: Various locations, mostly in the Northeast; whitecastle.com
Corner Bistro: 331 West 4th Street, New York City; cornerbistro.citysearch.com
Veselka: 144 Second Ave. (at 9th Street) New York City: veselka.com
FURTHER READING
MisterCutlets.com [Josh's official site. Warning: Jovial theme song plays on opening!]
Mr. Cutlets's Top Picks—Citywide, Regionally, and Nationally [AHT Archives]
You Are What You Eat, Mr. Cutlets [Eat, Drink, One Woman]
Other Grilled interviews [AHT archives]
