I stood on the corner of 43rd and Broadway waiting for NYC Food Guy to show up. We had a one o'clock at Brooklyn Diner. Or so I thought. The clock struck 1:20 p.m. Where was this ahole?
Turns out I was the ahole, having completely borked the rendezvous by going to the Times Square location rather than the West 57th Street spot. Oops. We rainchecked for the following week, and I met him at the right spot, where he was holding down a two-person booth under mini plaques inscribed with the names David J. Fiorina and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, among others. He was itching to plow through some burgerage.
Since this is one of Food Dude's favorite New York burgers and he knew his way around the fare, I let him guide me on the order, figuring I'd ape his style. He opted for the cheeseburger deluxe, menu description: "Custom ground beef, Vermont cheddar cheese, smokehouse bacon, frizzled onion rings, and served with french fried potatoes. 'Best Burger in New York, Gael Greene, New York magazine '07'." Food Guy ordered it medium-rare, so I didn't even have to break rank with him on the doneness.
From his report on the place, I knew that the "frizzled onion rings" were actually served on the burger. I already liked this place.
Spitzer’s Corner unabashedly bills itself as a “gastro pub.” A perusal of the menu indicates that it's paying more than lip service to that concept, as it was created by Wayne Nish and includes such esoteric fare as foie gras–stuffed prunes, a duck confit sandwich and a sweetbread po'boy, as well as three different hamburgers.
The room is designed by Asfour Guzy of Blue Ribbon fame and, while I appreciate the Spartan design, some might find it rather austere. The walls, which are lined with wood from floor to ceiling, are supposedly made from recycled pickle barrels. Long communal picnic tables line the interior, and large windows provide plenty of light during the day and a good view of the local fashionista parade at night.
I've been in the Dallas–Fort Worth area the last few days to attend the Pillsbury Bake-Off. The contest itself ended by lunchtime Monday, so I arranged to meet Bill Addison, the talented food writer and restaurant critic at the Dallas Morning News, for another foray into Fort Worth. I had no idea until I got down there that Fort Worth had so much more interesting real food than Dallas. Addison wouldn't come right out and say it, but I think even he would agree with that sentiment.
Anyway, I tried to visit Kincaid'son Sunday evening but arrived too late. So Bill and I made it our first stop on Monday. Kincaid's is about as celebrated a burger place as there is in America. It's lauded in George Motz's terrific new book, and you can find it on many best or top ten burger lists—lists that cover not just Texas but the whole country.
Address: 1410 Broadway, New York NY 10018 (at 39th Street; map) Phone: 212-997-7770 Website: Listed as cityburgerny.com but not operational at this time The Skinny: A very decent burger for the neighborhood. It's still early, and they're working out the kinks. The staff is learning on the job. Irate, impatient customers in a small space is no fun. Want Fries with That? Steak fries are $2.75 or $3.95 with cheese. The beer battered onion rings looked great.
The Fashion District is a great place to be if you're a clothes buyer and one of the last places you want to be if you're looking for a good meal. Within a four block radius of where I work there are five Starbucks, five Pax, two Hale & Hearty Soups, several McDonald's, and countless steam-table, pay-by-the pound delis. That's a lot of repetition and a lack of good choices. City Burger opened Monday, and I've been there twice already.
The rest of the sleek chocolate-toned interior—wine bottles arranged neatly on horizontal racks, intricate floor tiling—is almost too pretty for what the restaurant hawks: big, succulent burgers served in quarter- or half-pound patties (choose from sirloin, kobe, veggie or turkey), tucked into chewy Portuguese muffins. We preferred the lean sirloin to the vaguely metallic-tasting Nebraska-raised “kobe,” and the suggested temperature (burgers emerge medium unless otherwise requested) was well suited to the juicy, grass-fed meat.
ZAITZEFF
Address: 18 Avenue B, New York NY 10009 (b/n 2nd and 3rd; map) Phone: 212-477-7137
Enticed by the Smörgås Burger, optionally topped with Jarlsberg or Ski Queen goat cheese, we chose Smörgås Chef over a handful of restaurants we'd never visited. I should have walked out the door the second I realized the burger on the menu wasn't the one I had my heart set on, but at that point we had our drinks, and it would have meant being late to the awful play we had tickets to that night.
No, the burger on the menu was simply a burger, and no Ski Queen cheese was offered. It hardly mattered to me, as I happily asked for Jarlsburg. We also ordered Swedish meatballs and a herring plate, but that's only worth mentioning because later Mike asked if we were eating Polish food. He knows I love him because I thought really hard about whether or not to share that with the world. And you know I love you because I decided to share it.
Address: 30 Water Street, New York NY 10004 (b/n Broad Street and Coenties Slip; map) Phone: 212-425-1000 Website:burgershoppenyc.com The Skinny: The space is beautiful—all 1930s retro charm on the burger-parlor ground floor with a cozy, well-worn bar on the second floor, but, on first taste, the fare doesn't live up to the fineries. Want Fries with That? No. And don't bother with the onion rings, either.
The Burger Shoppe opened in the Financial District earlier this month to not a small amount of anticipation. With little in the way of spectacular eats around Wall Street, hopes were high that this newcomer would be, as Eater put it, the FiDi version of the Shake Shack. And shortly after opening, the reports started to stream in.
NYC Nosh says: "... the food does offer a kind of nostalgic, caloric satisfaction."
Hype never moves me the way it should. In fact, it turns me off. I refused to see Pulp Fiction for three years after its initial release for that very reason, and even then wasn't that impressed. But when multiple trusty sources of mine collude to recommend a burger, I feel I owe it to myself to at least give it a try.
It is a well-accepted fact that if you live in the Boston area long enough, you're going to have a buddy named Sully. With that in mind, I'd like you to meet mine:
Located in Somerville, Massachusetts, next door to my friend Pete, O'Sullivan's serves up some amazing burgers. They're thick, they're tall, and they take a long time to cook. I would suggest showing up at O'Sullivan's about a half an hour less hungry than you think you are. That's complicated math, but trust me, it's worth figuring out. You're going to wait, and it's worth it. So, sit down and relax, pally.
Brace yourselves: My new favorite burger lives in the Bronx. At a pizza place, no less.
Coals is a cozy hangout near the Fordham campus. The restaurant is part bar, part table-service, part rec room, and they specialize in pizza. Grilled pizza, even! The pizzas look gorgeous, and it was difficult to stay focused, but I was chasing a burger and nothing else would do. The Coals Burger is only served after 5 p.m., which was something I almost
didn't find out until it was too late. And had I missed out on this burger, you would
have heard my howl of disappointment from every borough.
COALS
Address: 1888 Eastchester Road, Bronx NY 10461 (map) Phone: 718-823-7002
When we walked in, the place was full, if not packed. The Wizard of Oz was playing on a widescreen TV above the bar, and the crowd seemed happy. Four middle-aged ladies told us they'd been sitting at their table too long and that we should take it. This place was absolutely oozing good vibes.
I ordered my burger and was given a choice of cheddar or asiago. And I ask you, who can choose cheddar when faced with asiago? Maybe you, but not me. I tried to make Mike order a pizza, as I was feeling self-conscious about ignoring the house specialty, but he chose an asiago burger as well. The waiter told us everyone was getting burgers that night. I tried to be a good reporter and ask him why that was.
He shrugged and said, "Because they're good." Duh.
Welcome to the world, Jimmy's Burger Shack. I'm Lauren, and I'm also new here. Hopefully, I'm doing a little better than you are.
For one thing, you're a lot sturdier than a shack (right).
We all know that combining burgers and the word "shack" brings drool to the corners of many a New Yorker's mouth, but that doesn't mean you should sling it around like that.
Small potatoes, I know; on to the food! Jimmy's serves mini burgers (beef, turkey, or veggie) on pillowy potato rolls. The mini burger, of which I was previously unaware, occupies the space on the burger spectrum between "slider" and "burger," hovering around the size of a slider but adorned like a full-sized burger. I'm making this up, but it's true.
My thoughts on the burgers themselves is that they're too big for the buns, and that if they were made smaller, they'd be too expensive at that price. Typically I am all about putting everything you can grab on a burger, but not on a mini. If you're going to be toppings mad, do it with a reasonable playing field. And I'm really sorry for eating Ed's grilled onion burger, both because he missed out and because I don't care that much for onions. They're OK if they're cooked, but not something I'd seek out most of the time. Out of two bleu cheesed mini burgers I ended up eating, neither one was worth ordering again. Why then, you ask, did I? I didn't! I ordered a regular burger with no cheese, and it came back bleu. Bleargh!
Editor's note: A short time ago, Serious Eater Lemons contacted me about contributing some burger intel to A Hamburger Today/Serious Eats. "Sure thing!" I said. Here's the result. For more on St. Louis–area food, check out Lemons's blog: St. Louis Eats and Drinks. Enjoy! —Adam
The secret at Carl’s Drive Inn is speed. Owner Frank Cunetto knows his burgers are at their best fresh off the grill. These flat-grilled babies, available as singles, doubles or triples, arrive crisp around the edges and dressed to order. (Doubles offer the perfect ratio of meat to bun, I’d say.)
Cunetto is a stickler for how much fat and moisture is in his meat, and in the infrequent times he’s not manning the grill is happy to tell you why. He also makes his own root beer, which arrives, of course, in frosty mugs.
Update: Word is the bun has changed. I'm heading in later today to try it with the new bun. If this is true, Stand could well rank in my top 10 burger list. 1/19/2008
STAND Address: 24 East 12th Street, New York NY 10003 Phone: 212-488-5900 URL: standburger.com The Short Order: It coulda been a contender, but its gnarly baguette-tough bun inspires a new piece of burger phraseology here at AHT: The Backslider Want Fries with That? Beats me. They look great in Bruni's post on the place, but I had the onion rings, which were rockin'.
These photos are from Stand on East 12th Street and University Place near Union Square in New York. I finally went today for the first time.*
To many New Yorkers, and certainly to foodbloggers, this burger is old news. I know it. Mea culpa. Stand opened ages ago. But, somehow, earlier this year, I lost my burger-blogging mojo.
I think I have it back. But not because of this burger.
Sure, it was good. I'll give it that.
Seven ounces of great-tasting, beefy flavored meat. Nice interplay of Dijon, red onion, and sweet homemade ketchup. And the lettuce, tomato, sliced pickle were certainly fresh enough.
Moreover, you couldn't ask for a more beautiful-looking meal—the large photos above are two of the best burger photos I've ever taken.
But this burger's bun is UNFORGIVABLE.
The baguette-like conveyance that sandwiches the meat, cheese, and toppings is far too chewy. As with the worst overstuffed deli sandwiches, burger & co. squirt out the back end when you apply the tooth pressure required to bite through this gnarly bun.
From this day forward, and unless and until I can think of something better, all such burgers marked by this nasty trait will be known as "backsliders."
It's a shame, too, because this could be a great burger given a new bun.
* This is a damn shame because, according to Josh "Mr. Cutlets" Ozersky, I missed this burger when it was a 70-30 mixture of beef-to-fat. Dammit!
This is the second of two belated Kansas posts from December 2005. The first can be found here: Bobo's Drive-In.
THE COZY INN Location: 108 North 7th Street, Salina KS 67401 [map] Phone: 785-825-2699 Website: cozyburger.com Cost: 75¢ each The Short Order: Sliders here are juicy, steamy, and mega-oniony. Don't act a fool and ask for cheese; Cozy don't play that. And, oooh, that smell — it will saturate your clothes. Bonus: Plenty of cool Cozy merch available You Want Fries With That? You can't always get what you want. Grab a bag of chips as a side; Cozy doesn't do fries
One hundred fifty miles east of Salina, Kansas, and the onion smell lingered on. Like the smoke from a dive bar in which cigarettes are still legal, the pungent fumes clung to my clothes and hair. Nearly three hours' road time behind me, the lights of my hometown on the horizon, and tears began to pool in my eyes: Did I already miss that cozy little burger joint out west or ... "J.B., CLOSE THAT DAMN BAG! I CAN'T TAKE THAT AROMA!"
My traveling companion, J.B., had just opened the gallon-size zip-top bag (right) containing a souvenir of our trip to The Cozy Inn. Despite being locked tight inside the sealed plastic, the commemorative T-shirt had nevertheless absorbed a concentrated dose of the Cozy's signature smell. (To re-create this odor at home: Go to your spice drawer, open the bottle of dried minced onions you never use, and snort the contents.)
While it may sound unappetizing, I think it's precisely that smell that beckons burger lovers both near and far to the Cozy Inn, filling their nostrils and noggins with a healthy dose of nostalgia. Need evidence? Look no further than the three-ring binder full of testimonials from devotees. It's kept on the counter, letters slipped into plastic sleeves for their own protection: Yeah, you read that right: 1929. This place has been a Salina institution since 1922. Check out the neon sign in the photo at right: 83 years (as of December 2005) and counting — the sign's neon gets reworked each year.
Despite an outsize sense of history, the burgers themselves are anything but large. The Cozy specializes in sliders. And though they come with a heaping throw of onions (no exceptions), they absolutely do not come with cheese. A word to those who are weak of stomach: This is not your restaurant. If nowhere else, Cozy's sliders have earned the right to be called belly bombers or gut busters.
While the strong onion dosage is a selling point, it can at times overwhelm these tiny hamburgers. And the water content of the aromatic slices can sometimes further mush-ify the small buns that are already moist with steam, having been placed atop the patties as they cook on the diminutive 18-by-36-inch cast-iron grill. About the grill: It was replaced at some point during the 1940s but the demanding clientele had a conniption and the owner quickly reinstalled the original.
As of publication, single burgers cost 75¢ but a patron with a good appetite should start with a half dozen. Or, if you're there with kids in tow, as were many of Salina's natives the evening AHT visited, you'd do well to order a sack of 30 for the family. It's never too early to start instilling a good measure of oniony nostalgia in today's youth.
You don't scarf down DuMont's burgers. These are fine-dining hamburgers: rich, whole-meal burgers whose high-quality construction is their main selling point. They are a brand apart from those served at many of New York's more celebrated burger stands, shacks and joints.
For my money, the Mini bests its big brother: its sturdier bun stands up better to the juiciness of a rare burger and its more manageable size means that you walk, not waddle, out of the restaurant.
Earlier this week AOL Cityguide names it as one of America's best burgers, today there's a review in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
... But first, put aside any haute cuisine aspirations, because what Jack's offers is honest and simple. In fact, everything about Jack's is simple, from the no-frills 48-seat pine-paneled dining room with resin-covered tables imprinted with the Jack's logo and walls outfitted with snapshots of vintage South Florida dating back to 1908, to the brief menu. ...
His restaurants, still going strong and wildly popular after 34 years, offer moist hand-pressed burgers with good beefy flavors made from inside round and brisket -- cut and ground twice daily on premises. But don't think we're talking fast-food burger pucks here. These patties aren't exactly thick, but they're not thin either. What you get is an extra-wide expertly grilled hunk of meat that's barely graspable with one hand by the time they make it to their final resting spot -- an oversize, lightly grilled, squishy, soft bun. Of course, a burger like this needs a partner. You'll want at least one order of always freshly cooked, crisp, golden brown fries with steamy, fluffy white spud interiors ($1.35).
JACK'S OLD FASHION HAMBURGERS Location: 4201 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale FL 33308 [map] Phone: 965-565-9960 Payment: Cash only
He may like many of the things at Tony Liu's West Village hotspot August, giving it two stars, but New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni bashes the burger there:
August has its limits and disappointments. Some dishes were merely pleasant, and a few were unappealing, including a stringy casserole of salt cod and an overcooked and strangely sour hamburger. Desserts were uneven. Make sure to avoid a grainy, funky "chestnut truffle honey mousse."
AUGUST Location: 359 Bleecker Street, New York NY 10014 [map] Phone: 212-929-4774
Some men have grilled hamburgers all their lives. I imagine some have cooked tens of thousands of burgers and could probably flip a burger at the perfect moment while finishing the tie-breaking game of a best-of-seven chess match with Bobby Fischer. Unfortunately for our nameless hero, his skills are for naught without the right meat. A lump of day-old ground chuck will never compare to the prime beef used at Peter Luger.
For the last 22 years, Peter Luger has been named the top New York steakhouse, and I've got to agree. A year and a half ago, I went for the first time and shared a huge cut of prime-aged porterhouse. To this day, I can still taste the steak as well as Luger's orgasm-inducing bacon. The thought of the porterhouse in burger form was nearly too much for me. All of that delicious meat, nicely ground, broiled, and placed between a sesame-seed bun sounded like heaven, and I didn't want to tarnish my vision. Two weeks ago, I decided to chance it and turn my dream into reality.
Going for a burger at Peter Luger can be a challenge, as it is only served on the lunch menu (lunch served until 3 p.m.). Thankfully, Luger's serves the full lunch menu on weekends, so I didn't need to take a day off work to visit. Peter Luger Steakhouse has been around since 1887, and I don't think they've done much decorating since. The rooms are covered in wood and have a rustic flavor—perfect for enjoying a piece of meat. There are no exotic floral arrangements or architectural flourishes to distract from your mission. It's just you, your friends, an uncovered wood table, and your meat of choice.
My girlfriend and I both ordered our burgers with American cheese and cooked medium-rare. They arrived ten minutes later with a slice of raw onion and a side of fries. I was immediately excited by the sesame-seed bun—crispy on the outside but fluffy and soft in the middle, my ideal burger delivery device. The raw onions aren't something I'd typically put on a burger, but I imagined myself as a famished working-class Brooklynite visiting Peter Luger in the late-nineteenth century and knew my fictional self wouldn't throw aside a ring of raw onion.
Finally, it was time to taste the burger. Thus far, my dream of the perfect burger was in line with reality. Then, I took a bite. First contact was delicious. The meat had a strong flavor and a smooth texture despite the coarse grind. I took a few more bites and approached the center. Uh oh. The middle of my burger was bright red and nowhere near the pink I was hoping to see. In the dead center it was nearly raw.
Like so many others, I had discovered the downfall of the Luger burger—the chefs don't know how to properly cook a hamburger. Frank Bruni discovered this in February of 2005, Andrea Strong in October of last year, and Josh "Mister Cutlets" Ozersky mentioned this phenomenon before anything else when I mentioned my visit to him.
Well, did this ruin the burger? For me, no. About 80 percent of my burger was cooked to my liking and tasted divine. Yes, the middle was undercooked and lacked all flavor as a result, but I was able to overlook this. My concern is that Peter Luger's inconsistency could be much worse. Bruni wrote:
None of the burgers hit their marks. Mine arrived medium to medium-well. The one that was supposed to be medium was much more done than that. The one that was supposed to be rare verged on raw. Its center was scarily cold.
This type of inconsistency makes it tough to say this is a top burger in the city. The meat is top notch, the accoutrements were perfect, and the ambiance is spot-on, but the possibility of getting a raw, cold center is not acceptible. Of course, if the joint could iron out the inconsistencies in the kitchen, this could possibly be the best burger in the city, which is why I think it's worth giving it a shot. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
PETER LUGER STEAKHOUSE Website:www.peterluger.com Phone: 718-387-7400 Location: 178 Broadway, Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY 11211 [map] Price: $7.95 for a burger (cheese is $1.50, fries are $1.95, and bacon is $2.50)
THE GOOD FORK Phone: 718-643-6636 Location: 391 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (Red Hook; map) Getting There: A/C/F train to Borough Hall, transfer to B61 bus from Jay and Willoughby streets to Van Brunt and Coffey streets; F/G train to Smith/9th Street, transfer to B77 bus to Van Dyke and Van Brunt streets. But really, just take a car there Cost: $9.50 (comes with onion rings) Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard The Skinny: The burgers are top-tier — as is almost everything else You Want Fries With That? Not an option. Comes with tempura onion rings instead
If PETA practiced pub bombings, then last night's meeting of some of New York City's biggest burger boosters would have proved a juicy target.
Indeed, the gathering had more than its share of underworld intrigue: It was held in the desolate waterfront neighborhood of Red Hook, in an empty restaurant, and was organized by a man whose very nickname suggests what he'd do to you if he caught you serving him a tofu burger. It began with an electronic comminqué from Mister Cutlets himself, subject line: "RUN, DON'T WALK!" To The Good Fork, that is, "and eat the burger. I will go with you. Top three burger in NYC right now. I mean it!" Mister Cutlets has ... certain connections, and soon our planned tête-à-tête grew to a full-on burgerworld sit-down, as his recommendations, well, you just can't refuse them.
The cartel arrived shortly after opening time and took up about a third of the seating in the cozy little joint. The Good Fork is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Ben Schneider (an actor and carpenter; he built the place) and Sohui Kim (who has cooked at Annisa, Blue Hill, and the Sony Club). Mr. Schneider works the front of the house, which he's crafted into a space that feels like a cross between a train car from rail's golden era and a quaint 1930s roadside burger stand (if that doesn't make any sense, see AHT's photos of the White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey). Ms. Kim works the back of the house, which, in the few short weeks the place has been open, she's shaped into an operation that turns out some amazing food.
All our appetizers were good, and we ordered almost every one of them: dumplings, hot wings, crispy veal sweetbreads, gumbo, and crab cake. The dumplings and crab cake were standouts in my book, and as I gather intel from those assembled, I'll post their thoughts on the firsts as well.
But you read AHT for the skinny on burgers, so let's cut to the chase, shall we? Burgers here are eight-ounces of freshly ground beef served with lettuce, tomato slices, and beets. You can cheese them with American, blue, cheddar, provolone, or Swiss — double slices are standard, ensuring that the proper proportion of cheese makes it into your cheeseburger. The coarsely ground patty is thick enough to satisfy a hearty eater but not as outrageously large as some of New York's famous pub-style burgers. The whole shebang is served on a springy bun with a crisp-chewy exterior and a soft-firm phyllo-like interior.
Burger orders at the table ranged from medium-rare to medium-well on doneness, something which Mr. Cutlets noted would test the cook's grill skills—with six patties going at once, I suppose there's a lot to watch. Mr. C's fears came to pass a short time later, when three of the six burgers came out overcooked.
The man was devastated. His is a reputation staked on steak, based on burgers, and he felt he had let us down. Profuse apologies were made: "I'm sorry, guys," Mr. C. said, "but you have to trust me, these are great burgers. Send them back! Send them back!"
Minutes later, plump, juicy, perfectly done medium-rare burgers appeared, and everyone who sent them back seemed happy with the do-over. Mine was fine as cooked on first try—medium, which is my M.O. when trying an unfamiliar burger. I prefer medium-rare, but I just don't like the texture of rare hamburger and would rather err on the side of overcooked than under. Looking at the visibly superior re-dos, I knew I had made a mistake in ordering medium and will be going back for a juicy medium-rare. How can I not when Mr. Cutlets chimes in with this assessment:
While I was crestfallen and humilated at the way TGF dropped the ball on my Blue Ribbon Panel—six hamburger experts in an empty restaurant and you overcook three of the burgers??—I will stand up for their sandwich. The meat tastes great, bloody, salty, moist, and robust, and the double slices of American cheese are what God intended to be melted over a hamburger. I know George felt the bun was too big and thick, but it supports the hamburger when it's truly medium-rare, and its phyllo-like structure allows it to collapse in a way that truly thick buns don't. Also I like the taste of the bun itself. (People also complain about David Burke's muffin buns, but they need every bit of heft to absorb all that grease.)
With all the press this place is getting (and more yet to come, I'm sure), I'll need run, not walk, there again soon.
Posted by Matt Jacobs, February 8, 2006 at 2:39 PM
I can't help but be skeptical when I enter a chain restaurant. The food is built with efficiency, not quality, in mind. The interior design is generic at best. The staff has a script when speaking with the customer. It's just hard to believe that something of high quality could result. Of course, there are exceptions. In-n-Out makes an exceptional burger and people rave about Five Guys. With this in mind, Adam and I decided to try Houston's, an upscale national restaurant chain.
To me, Houston's is like a fancy Bennigan's. Their menu isn't very adventurous, and you can just feel the chaininess of it all. Thankfully, the similarities end there. The inside of the restaurant we visited, in Midtown Manhattan, was tastefully decorated, and the quality of the food was far superior to anything served at Bennigan's or Applebee's or any of those chain-monsters. As a word of warning, with high quality comes high prices.
We sat down in a cushy booth and both ordered cheeseburgers. Houston's burgers are made with half a poud of ground chuck roast and served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheddar on a bun as cushy as our booth. The whole package was a bit larger than I like to push into my piehole, but you could squish it down enough to suffice. Upon first glance, the burger looked great but the patty was a little too circular. Yes, I'm being picky, but I like my burger to have some personality. The sandwich had the goods but was a little too perfect. I was growing concerned as even a chain that is up-upscale could overlook the importance of a hand-crafted burger.
I threw caution to the wind and took a bite. Our sources hadn't lied—this was definitely a good burger. The meat was tender and juicy, the condiments played off each other well. The experience was consistent, which is a good sign for me. Oftentimes I'll find myself two-thirds of the way through a burger and I'll just get bored. Either the meat is flavorless or it's too sloppy or any of a few dozen reasons, but it just doesn't work. When I made it to the last bite of the burger, I was still enjoying myself.
Houston's will win no points for originality, but they used top-shelf ingredients and cooked them as requested. It seems simple, but few are able to accomplish this task. This is why I am happy to recommend Houston's as a burger destination. Should you step away from the keyboard and flock to the nearest location? Nah. But it is most definitely a tasty burger.
HOUSTON'S Location: 153 East 53rd Street (at 3rd Ave.), Midtown, NYC (other NYC location) Phone: 212-888-3828 Cost: $14 for cheesburger and fries
