Posted by Robyn Lee, November 20, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Sidecar
560 5th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (b/n 15th Street and 16th Street; map); 718-369-0077; sidecarbrooklyn.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A juicy, satisfying burger. Want Fries with That? Comes with great skinny fries. Prices: Cheeseburger, $12; extra toppings +$2
I checked out Sidecar in Park Slope due to a recommendation from AHT reader Dan Federman. He did not recommend that I pair the burger with fried chicken though; I take the blame for that and the subsequent discomfort it wrought on my dining companion's digestive system.
The 7-ounce (or 6-ounce; I got two different answers) grilled cheeseburger is made with grass-fed beef and comes with lettuce, onion, and tomato on the side, We got ours medium rare with American cheese and added sautéed onions for another $2.
Note: Serious Eats reader Mary Phillips-Sandy and her boyfriend/photographer Bryan Bruchman were nice enough to contribute a review to AHT. This is a welcome addition to our nonexistent coverage of Maine. Thanks, guys!
89 Congress St., Portland, ME 04101 (map); 207-773-1116 Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Perfectly-cooked local beef compensates for boring buns and lack of salt. Want Fries with That? Yes. Rosemary-flecked potato wedges are totally addictive. Prices: $9, with or without cheese and bacon
Portland, Maine, is as food-obsessed as the national media makes it out to be, and many discerning locals will tell you that the burger at the Blue Spoon is the best in town. Only one way to find out if it's true.
Although the Blue Spoon has a well-curated menu that features a variety of fresh, local ingredients, I noticed burgers on several tables during a recent lunchtime visit. The tiny kitchen is partially open, so you can enjoy the hot beefy aromas while you wait for your order.
And it's an order worth waiting for. The beef is free-range, grass-fed sirloin from Highland Cattle raised in Orland, Maine, at A Wee Bit Farm. It's lean, juicy and rich without being greasy. My medium-rare was perfectly pink inside, with thick grill marks and a nice exterior char; the bun (a plain seedless number) was unremarkable and a bit bulky for my taste, but it's crusty enough to prevent burger-sog as those juices run out.
Posted by Damon Gambuto, November 18, 2009 at 1:45 PM
[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]
The Oaks Gourmet
1915 N. Bronson Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90068(map); 323-871-8894; theoaksgourmet.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Expensive ingredients can't save this gourmet shop of horrors burger. Want Fries with That? Not offered. Comes with Peppedew Coleslaw, which I could have done without. Prices: The Dry Age Burger, $11.50 Notes: A sampling of some of the other sandwiches didn't offer up any viable alternatives to this weak burger.
The Oaks Gourmet is the kind of place that most of us walk into and think, "This place could be trouble." The shelves are stacked with all manner of tempting, gastronomic wallet-emptiers that seem at once copious luxury and soulful necessity. You can feel week's worth of responsible, personal finance decisions about your food and drink—brown-bag lunches, home brewed coffee—evanescing into the rarefied air as newfound necessities present themselves in the form of artisanal chutneys and truffle-infused salt.
For the lucky few, places like The Oaks Gourmet can serve as supermarkets, but for the rest of us, it's an exercise in aspirational lifestyle consumption. It is that place at the end of the rainbow where we imagine ourselves shopping if freed from the fetters of our limited disposal incomes and delivered to day-to-day pursuit of our taste's refinement. We could wile away the hours conferring with Martha Stewart's florist and consulting with the food-world's rainmakers. What going to a place like this affords us is a holiday from a life of dedicated to affordability. Certainly, there are very real delights to be had among all this unprincipled pleasure, but much of what the experience becomes is an exercise in identification. They are selling us a twisted, commercial-age version of an old cliché: we are what we eat. Of course, I ordered a pricey burger.
Posted by Damon Gambuto, November 17, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Note: Today our Top 5 burgers series continues with our LA correspondent, Damon Gambuto.
Burger from Comme Ça. [Photographs: Damon Gambuto, unless otherwise noted]
Before you dig into, what will doubtless be, my most controversial post, you should know that I am against lists on principle. They are useful, cause all manner of efficiency, and remind me of how little I accomplish. That said, after all this burger reviewing it would be irresponsible of me not to have an answer to the question I've been asked most in the last year of my life: What are the best burgers in Los Angeles?
My usual gambit is to reply to this question with a question: What kind of burger do you like? (I'm nothing if not evasive, but this response is, at the very least, an earnest evasion.) I want to direct people to a burger that will satisfy their desire, not mine. Do you want a hearty pub burger? A chef-ified art piece? Perhaps you're like me and have a weakness for the sloppy, Southern California style? The type of burger you prefer matters. But I realize the question is what do I prefer. So in what can only be deemed a very particular order, here are the five that matter most to me.
1. Comme Ça
This super thick and seemingly preternaturally juicy patty makes this sexy beast of a burger one you could fairly describe as pub-style, but that wouldn't begin to capture the beauty of this creation. Chef Michael David's burger is held together by an artisanal bun that may be the best I've ever come across. Order it with just a straight forward cheddar and enjoy the mythical power of three: meat, cheese, and bun combining to form near burger perfection. [Review] 8479 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood CA 90069 (map); 323-782-1104; commecarestaurant.com
61 West 8th St, New York 10011 (b/n 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street; map); 212-477-1850 Cooking Method: Grilled, baby, grilled. Short Order: This grass fed new comer offers a distinct and unique interpretation of America's favorite sandwich. A worthy entrant in the NYC burger sweepstakes. Want Fries with That? Absolutely! the golden and crispy fries have crunch and succulence. Price: Hamburger $10, Deluxe $14. Add $2 for cheese except American, which is free!
Despite the numerous burger spots that have opened in the last year and New York City's seemingly endless appetite for America's favorite sandwich, opening a burger restaurant is anything but a sure thing. Even if your hamburger is very good, it can be a tough market. Take City Burger: It shuttered within a year of opening despite being the first to sell the vaunted Black Label blend from Pat La Frieda. Although a wave of publicity swirled around the place as a result of the special blend, many positive reviews and being featured on Nightline were not enough to keep it viable.
I feel for those entering the crucible that the burger marketplace has become, especially because doing so these days tends to make one's competition some of the city's most adroit and powerful restaurateurs—restaurateurs such as Danny Meyer and his Shake Shack Juggernaut, or Steve Hanson's newly minted Bill's Bar and Burger.
Patty and Bun (P&B) opened just over a week ago on West 8th Street with none of the hoopla that may surround other burger joint openings in the city—Bill's Bar and Burger, to cite the most obvious and recent example. But P&B, which bills itself as an "American Tavern," is as compelling, albeit in a different way. While Bills had the weight of the BR Guest empire behind it (replete with a publicity department and a kitchen full of chefs) and produces a classic burger using tried and true technique and ingredients—griddle cooked smash burgers using La Frieda beef—P&B has shrewdly taken a different approach. By offering grilled beef that is, as the menu describes it, "pastured" (read, grass fed), on homemade buns, P&B appeals to a different constituency. If you are a locavore concerned with the environmental impact of corn fed beef, P&B makes a burger that will satisfy your palate and your conscience.
Posted by Daniel Zemans, November 12, 2009 at 10:45 AM
[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]
Hackney's
733 S. Dearborn, Chicago IL 60605 (map); 312-461-1116; hackneys.net or hackneysprintersrow.com Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: Decent burgers that are cooked properly, but underseasoned and devoid of charring. Want Fries With That? Mediocre fries should be skipped in favor of homemade chips. Price: Burgers start at $8.95; buffalo burgers start at $10.95
When I submitted the list of my top 5 favorite burgers in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, I included Hackney's, but offered the disclaimer that it had been years since I'd been there and suspected I might change my mind after trying it again. It turns out that my fears were well founded. That's not to say Hackney's makes a bad burger—for a bar, the burger is pretty good. But as a burger destination, this once great (at least in my head) institution is one that can be skipped.
Hackney's started on Jack and Bebe Hackney's back porch in Glenview in the 1920s, where beer were served during Prohibition along with burgers (according to the main Hackney's website) or corned beef (per the Hackney's Printers' Row site). Jim Masterson, Jack and Bebe's nephew, took over the place in 1939 and Hackney's has remained in the family ever since. Today, there are six location spread around the Chicago area. I went to Hackney's newest restaurant, the Printers' Row location that opened in 2001, which is also the only Hackney's actually in Chicago.
Posted by Damon Gambuto, November 11, 2009 at 2:30 PM
[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]
Brite Spot
1918 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA (map); 310-798-9183; clearwaterst.com Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: An undeveloped diner burger that doesn't live up to its good looks. Want Fries with That? No thanks. A little to greasy even for my high tolerance. Prices: Classic Burger with side, $9.95 Notes: A lot of the food other than the burger is passable, but the real treat is the hipster people-watching. After 10 p.m. the DJ starts spinning and out they come.
When I first got to Los Angeles, Brite Spot is exactly the kind of place I would have chosen to pass my time: a restored classic diner with an ironic look and name (its official moniker seems to be "Brite Spot Family Restaurants") and a menu that offers modest updates on classics. Besides all that, it has the cool kids—the restaurant is, quite self consciously, a space designed to make hipsters feel hip. The interior mixes classic diner booths and counters with an explosion of curated kitsch. It's the kind of place that afforded me, just by dint of my patronage, a temporary hall pass to a state of being.
Of course, things have changed. More to the point, I have changed. The sweet bird of my youth has long since taken flight: My mod clothing has (mostly) been traded in for mid-century furnishings, and my interest in cool vanquished by a fulsome desire for comfort. But as nothing comforts quite like my favorite food, now when I walk into a place like Brite Spot, wistful memories of a bygone thirst for trend play background to an expansive middle-aged hunger for burgers.
Brite Spot's burger options are relatively straight-forward, but in a nod to its varied clientele, full of patty options. Certainly Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals has stirred the beef (burger) debate anew, but I'm still hard-pressed not to assert my carnivore's answer: It's the factory, not the farming, that's the problem.
902 W Saint Georges Avenue, Linden, NJ 07036; map); 908-486-9596 Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: While the famous Texas Weiners are the principle draw here the burger should not be over looked. Fresh grilled beef evocative of backyard grill outs, Try it with the chili sauce for an extra kick. Price: Hamburger, $3; Cheeseburger, $3.40; Chili Cheeseburger
When Bobby Flay was interviewed at Serious Eats: New York last year, he was asked if he knew of any restaurants that qualified as "undiscovered gems." He retorted, "Nothing is undiscovered, the Internet has ruined that."
I can sympathize with the notion. It certainly seems that with the narrow casting afforded by the internet, sites can leave no stone unturned in the exploration of the subject matter that they cover. At least that's what we try to do here at AHT. But if I have learned one thing about hamburgers it is that they can be found in unexpected places, and maybe discovering gems is an incidental pursuit.
Speaking of gems, I was recently on my way to check out the state of White Diamond in Linden, New Jersey, when I noticed a sign on the side of a building on West St. Georges Street promising chili dogs and burgers. I had driven up and down this particular stretch of road in pursuit of sliders many times, but somehow Father & Son Chili Dogs and Burgers had thus far eluded me. It turns out that the place dates back to 1941 (although at a different location) and remains family-owned. In fact the business passed from father to son and then to granddaughter. I guess "Father, Son & Granddaughter" doesn't have quite the same ring as "Father & Son."
Note: When Serious Eats reader Lee Anne Shaffer recently took a trip to Taipei, Taiwan, to visit family, she did a bit of burger scouting in hopes of finding something worth reporting on AHT. Alas, while Taipei is known for being a gastronomic wonderland, it's probably best to avoid the burgers. Today, Lee Anne recaps her "Tragic Taiwanese Hamburger Tour."
[Photographs: Lee Anne Shaffer]
Leave them on the plane—your dissertation on the integrity of the unadorned burger; your valiant, passionately-spun argument in support of the smashed patty; those blueprints which painstakingly depict the quintessential slider; that lyrical ballad in three parts extolling the glorious golden chuck proportion: 87/13. They have no place here, where natives escort their hottest dates to McDonald's and any grain conglomerate can pass for a bun.
Taiwan is similar to the rest of Asia in that it isn't known for its burgers. Pick up any decent guidebook to Taipei and you'll be directed instead to try Taiwanese street food: flaky scallion pancakes fresh off the griddle, oil-flecked bowls of beef broth ramen, vermicelli studded plumply with deliquescent oysters, pork-filled soup dumplings encased in exquisitely tender skin. In fact, several weeks ago I was in the process of reacquainting myself with these particular pleasures when, amid the human swarm of Taipei's Shiling Night Market, I stumbled upon a graphically colorful, sesame-flecked three-foot hamburger.
The three-foot hamburger was actually advertising the availability of a 3-inch "mini-burger." Curiosity reared its familiar head, and thus commenced the following Brief, Tragic Taiwanese Hamburger Tour.
Posted by Damon Gambuto, November 4, 2009 at 2:00 PM
[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]
Hudson House
514 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach CA 90277 (map); 310-798-9183; hudsonhousebar.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A high-quality specialty burger that puts the gastro in this pub. Want Fries with That? Yes, please. Very nicely rendered shoestrings. Prices: Hudson Pretzel Burger, $10; add $2 for fries Notes: If you are looking to sample the menu, Taco Tuesdays offer a super deal of $1 street-style tacos to accompany your burger.
The Beach Cities are a collection of communities that dot the coastline just south of Los Angeles and represent that hard to find love-of-ease that can easily grow difficult. They have that Southern Californian temperament that thinks appointments are mere suggestions as to where one might find oneself. That is to say, folks down there make Angelenos seem punctual and serious. Of course, this is both a wild generalization and said with a deep and abiding affection.
When I first moved to Los Angeles I found myself spending my weekends away from my hardened, Hollywood peers in favor of languid afternoons in the Beach Cities working on my surfing skills, sangria recipe, and tan. I could barely believe just how nice life seemed down there. A friend rented a room that opened up onto a patio that was a few paces from the sand. It was all that I'd dreamed Los Angeles to be and, of course, isn't.
Redondo Beach sits on the southern end of this swath of sand and sea. While it offers the pleasures of the beach, I can't remember ever heading down to there for any special meals. That said, one of the most dramatic views of the ocean I've come across while dining is at the chain Mexican food restaurant El Torito on the pier that anchors its beach. That's the irony of the community in general. The lifestyle is so pleasant by dint of the location, there hasn't been much added to it, at least in the way of food, to make it special. A new gastropub called Hudson House is taking a shot at changing that one burger at a time.
Posted by Nick Solares, November 3, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Table 8
Cooper Square Hotel, 25 Cooper Square, New York NY (at East 5th Street; map); 212-475-5700; table8restaurants.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A haute burger that seems to have improved after a Eastward migration. Want Fries with That? Come with, potentially very good, marred by old cooking oil. Price:8 oz. Burger, $14
It has been a rough start for Table 8. West Coast celebrity chef Govind Armstrong's Big Apple debut restaurant certainly had some buzz around it when opened in the modern (but oddly anachronistic) Cooper Square Hotel. But the local critics did not take kindly to venture.
Adam Platt of New York Magazine cut to the heart of the problem when he noted that "Armstrong doesn't hesitate to use two (or even three) ingredients when one will do." Frank Bruni of the New York Times concurred, finding the dishes "overworked and overdressed", awarding the place the "bagel"—zero stars. I gave the place a C in my review for Serious Eats: New York, which is about as low a score as we award, barring food poisoning or assault by a member of staff. And that may not be so out of the question—one of the owners was a arrested for murder last week.
But the place seems to soldier on, at least for the time being. As I noted in my review, "given its location in a swank hotel, Table 8 will have an audience that, if not exactly captive, is at least embedded." If Table 8 were a freestanding restaurant I suspect it would have closed by now or gone the way of its West Coast originator—turned into a burger bar, called 8 oz. While Damon Gambuto, our man out West, found the burger there "good—but not great," Adam Platt proffered that the lunchtime 8 oz. Burger offered here in New York City "is a worthy entry in the city's haute-burger sweepstakes." Could the 8 oz Burger be transformed by making an East Coast journey? Can it really rank amongst the city's best? Yes and no.
264 W 23rd Street, New York NY 10011 (map); 212-242-4900; another location on 52nd Street Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: A little more than what I want to pay for a tasty fast food-style burger. Want Fries with That? Crinkle cut, crispy, and salted; if you want fried carbs, go for it. Price: Cheeseburger, $6; fries, $3; combo w/ shake: $13
The Serious Eats office is on a somewhat food desolate stretch of Eight Avenue a couple of blocks south of Madison Square Garden. But if I'm willing to walk 15 minutes, I can reach many tasty food destinations—like Koreatown, Chelsea Market, or Shake Shack in Madison Square Park.
And that's pretty much what I thought of after eating at Lucky's Famous Burgers, which opened about a month ago and is three avenues away from Madison Square Park. It wasn't bad, but if I want a fast food-style burger, I'd rather spend the extra ten minutes or so walking to Shake Shack than eat at Lucky's for the same price. Take a look at the burger after the jump.
Posted by Daniel Zemans, October 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]
Prairie Grass Cafe
601 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook IL 60062 (map); 847-205-4433; prairiegrasscafe.com Cooking Method: Top Sirloin Burger, broiled; Stack Burgers, grilled Short Order: The Top Sirloin Burger, billed by Chicago Magazine as the best in Chicago, is very good, but not even the best burger in the restaurant. Want Fries With That? Sure, but neither the steak fries nor the regular fries are on the same level as the burgers Price: Top Sirloin Burger, $15; Stack Burgers, $6, $8, or $11 depending on the number of patties.
When Chicago Magazine named Prairie Grass Café, a contemporary American restaurant in the northern suburbs of Chicago, as the home of Chicagoland's best burger, I knew I was duty-bound to check it out.
Prairie Grass is powered by two chefs, Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris, who worked together for years at the Ritz-Carlton (he was the Executive Chef for thirteen years). Rounding out the executive team at Prairie Grass is Stegner's husband, Rohit Nambiar, who is the General Manager, and her mother, Elizabeth Stegner, who makes the restaurant's popular pies.
Prairie Grass is decidedly not a burger joint; it is an upscale (in quality and style, not price) restaurant featuring American cuisine with a heavy emphasis on utilizing local farms and sustainable agriculture. Located in the northern suburb of Northbrook right off of I-94, Prairie Grass is not inconveniently located, but it's far enough out of the way that city dwellers have to go out of their way to eat there. Judging from the crowds that have routinely showed up at Prairie Grass since it opened five years ago, the location has not been a hindrance in the least.
Posted by Damon Gambuto, October 28, 2009 at 2:15 PM
[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]
Zeke's
7100 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood CA 90046 (map); 323-850-9353; zekessmokehouse.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A simple and beautifully charred burger that is reminiscent of your dreams of a backyard barbecue. Want Fries with That? No; I'd go with one of the homemade, traditional BBQ sides. Potato salad, perhaps. Prices: Zekeburger with cheddar, $10.95 Notes: While I still think LA is a long way from making a claim to being any kind of barbecue capitol, the guy's at Zeke's have fared well in many a competition.
I first headed to Zeke's Smokehouse about six years ago when it opened to a slew of favorable reviews. I jumped in my car on a quiet Los Angeles Sunday afternoon and headed to the even quieter community of Montrose. This bastion of suburban tranquility sits about twenty minutes northeast of the city, and my visit there was a small education in the virtues of suburbia and its obsessions. In this case, two lifelong restaurant men devoted their idle, middle-aged hours to meat, experimenting for two years on their barbecue until finally settling on a deep, smokey recipe. It's the kind of thing you can imagine two obsessive dads making a weekend project of for years.
I remember eating my meal in the self-consciously homey restaurant that looked as though it was built to launch a franchise. I watched families enjoying the waning hours of the weekend's freedom. It all seemed a good life, if wholly separate from the one I was living.
While my age has trundled perilously close too the swollen midsection of my life (and body), I am, in most ways, still miles away from Zeke's suburban idyll. Happily, the owners have opened a second outpost in West Hollywood. I know that the barbecue is first rate, so this time seconds would be a burger.
117 Second Avenue, New York NY 10003 (at 7th Street; map); 212-777-1086 Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Doesn't taste like a regular burger, but it's damn tasty. Want Fries with That? Comes with satisfyingly crispy fries. Price: Burger and fries, $7
One night while walking down Second Avenue, my eyes caught sight of something at 7th Street that compelled me to stop and clumsily whip out my brick-like camera. The sign outside of Song 7.2 proclaimed to have "THE BEST BURGER IN NYC." Song 7.2 is a Korean restaurant/bar. Home to New York City's best burger? Really?
While I would usually ignore such claims, curiosity got the best of me, and confirming or debunking the claim would only set me back $7. Hey, I love Korean food; this could be interesting.
I love sliders. And by that I mean small griddle steamed hamburgers made of 100 percent beef served on white squishy buns or potato rolls, not a burger or sandwich that happens to be small.
The term has been devalued as of late, with "sliders" incorporating everything from seafood, pork, and even vegetables. (Just last week I ate a "slider" from the Kogi Truck in Los Angeles that consisted of morsels of short rib in a kimchi/cabbage melange served on a potato roll—no patty anywhere in sight.) I have devoted much space in this column to reporting on the declining state of sliders in New Jersey, where a handful of vintage slider emporiums continue to ply their trade, unaware of the fact that they are hopeless anachronisms.
Surely the slider, despite the adoption of the name to describe almost any small food thing in a bun, is so antiquated that no one would open a new slider restaurant in this day and age. Don't the economies of scale make selling sliders not economically viable compared to larger burgers? Well, I am happy to report that that is not the case.
Last week I brought word of a new White Diamond in Rahway, New Jersey. This week I paid them a visit, as well as tried the newly opened Mark that is serving sliders right here in New York City.
White Diamond
White Diamond
745 East Hazelwood Avenue, Rahway NJ 07065; map); 732-388-1860 Cooking Method: Steam griddled Short Order: Classic sliders from the owners of the original White Diamond. Want Fries with That? Sure, salty crinkle cut. Price: Hamburger, $1.30; cheeseburger, $1.40; fries, $2.25 Notes: Open Mon. to Sat., 6 a.m - 8 pm.; Sun., 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.
White Diamond in Rahway is wholly owned by the Tammy and Kevin Collins, who are also part owners of the original White Diamond of Clark that dates back to 1947. The Collins family has been in the hamburger business for almost four decades. That's a lot of burger knowledge, and it is used to good effect at their latest venture.
The burgers served at the Rahway location are every bit as good as the ones at the original location—perhaps even be better. The ingredients are all from the same purveyors that supply the original location. The fresh, never frozen, beef is delivered daily, as is the bread. And the cooking technique is identical: small pucks of beef are placed on the griddle and then pressed until completely flat; onions are added, the burger is flipped, and cheese and the bun are laid on top.
Note: Today's guest post comes from fellow burger blogger Rev. Dave Ciancio of Burger Conquest, which, after 137 burgers, recently celebrated its first birthday on October 17! Although based in New York City, Rev brings us a review of a burger chain in Amsterdam, for AHT's first post about a tasty burger in the city (Adam has previously posted about a not so tasty burger from an automat in Amsterdam.)
Elandsgracht 130, 1016 VB Amsterdam (map); 020 423 6225; burgermeester.eu Cooking Method: Flat top griddle Short Order: Q: How do you say "burgers taste better with cows starring at me" in Dutch?
A: "CRISPY PANCETTA" Want Fries with That? No fries available here. Price: Biefburger, €6.50
One of the perks of my job (I manage rock bands) is traveling, and on the one-year anniversary of Burger Conquest, I was in Amsterdam. After a little bit of research, I was pointed in the direction of Burgermeester, a Dutch burger chain with three locations, one of which was a convenient 4 blocks from our hotel in Leidseplein.
The Burgermeester concept is simple but smart: hand-made burgers made fresh with only the best ingredients, prepared on the spot and served on freshly baked bread with homemade sauces. All burgers come in two sizes: regular and mini. You can also choose beef, chicken, tuna, lamb, rabbit, eggplant, or veggie patties. Not sure what to get? Try out a Mini Trio. All burgers automatically come with lettuce, onion, pickles, tomato, mayo, and Burgermeester sauce.
137 Avenue C, New York NY 10009 (map);212-529-0005; thesunburntcow.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: The meat is okay, but...ooh, there's a fried egg on it! Want Fries with That? They come with medium-cut fries. Not memorably great, but perfectly fine as crispy, salted carb sticks. Price: All burgers, $10
Fried eggs enhance the deliciousness of many typically egg-less, but already delicious foods. Shove it on a hot dog! Plop it on a pizza! Add it to beef noodle soup! Put it on rice! And please, put it on a burger.
Fried eggs aren't the most rare burger topping, but they're not as prevalent as other ones that I find less worthy, such as bacon (yeah, I'm not a fan of bacon on my burgers; please don't hate me). What is this monstrosity? Australia and New Zealand know what I'm talking about: The humble fried egg is just one component of what they call "the lot," the mass of burger toppings that usually consists of tomato, lettuce, onion, fried egg, beet, bacon, pineapple, and cheese. While I usually shy away from too many toppings, we're not talking about mozarella sticks, marinara sauce, and pepperoni here. "The lot" is a more harmonious group of toppings.
I had my first taste of the Australian burger last week when a friend and I went to The Sunburnt Cow to split a burger and veggie burger with the lot.
Posted by Daniel Zemans, October 22, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Note: Last week AHT contributor Nick Solares shared his top 5 burgers in New York City. This week our Chicago correspondent Daniel Zemans weighs in with his five favorite burgers.
Burger from Primehouse. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
I offer my Top 5 burgers in Chicago list with two disclaimers. First, I have a long ways to go before I would feel qualified to argue that my favorites are also the best—off the top of my head, I know I still need to try burgers from Naha, Hot Chocolate, Custom House, Grafton, and C-House. Second, my list is going to be skewed heavily towards half-pound beasts, which will necessarily exclude outstanding places that sell thinner patties. There are times when thin is in for me, but if I have to pick my favorites, fat is where it's at.
1. David Burke's Primehouse: When Adam wrote his opus on burger styles and noted that most of the AHT staff does not appreciate steakhouse burgers, I wanted to fly them all to Chicago to eat here so they would see the light. From the dry aged beef to shallot and spinach on top to the bacon mayo on the potato bun, this burger is just perfect in every way. [Review] 616 N. Rush Street, Chicago IL 60611 (map); 312-660-6000; jameshotels.com
Posted by Damon Gambuto, October 21, 2009 at 2:00 PM
[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]
Marked5
Location varies; check their Twitter feed or website for the latest updates. Cooking Method: Griddled Want Fries with That? Shrimp chips are all that's on offer, and while pretty and pastel-colored they aren't anything special. Price: Torakku Beef Burger, $5
What exactly is it that makes food from a truck so appealing? The value of this not-so-recent, yet decidedly persistent proliferation of food trucks (or, perhaps better termed, "food truck culture") has been a source of much contention between my friends and me. I have yet to be convinced of the value of these new mobile eateries beyond their original purpose: getting food to hungry folks without any convenient, local, and affordable options.
Of course, the recent trend is trying to be much more than simple convenience. The nouveau Los Angeles food trucks have become light bulbs to the moths that make up our local foodie scene. It's as if, by dint of its inherent inaccessibility, this new wave of food truckery has turned scarcity into demand. From my vantage, it seems like an exercise in a collective, cognitive dissonance. Customers line up for an hour to try a Kogi taco only to find it a mediocre exercise in fusion cuisine. Rationalization kicks in and the calculus becomes, "I wouldn't go through so much trouble to track down food that's just okay, so it must have been awesome."
While I too love devising elaborate schemes to feed myself yummy food, I'm okay with the fact that a lot of them turn out to be long roads to ordinary meals. I love a gastronomic adventure, but just because something is hard to find doesn't mean I have to like it.
Of course, the age of Twitter has meant that the tech-savvy food trucker is (usually) easy to track down. Thus, when someone encouraged me to try the fusion burgers of Marked5, I put aside my prejudice and checked their feed.
In my recent Guide To Sliders in Northern New Jersey I listed two restaurants that I believed to still serve the genuine article but had not been able to try, though not through a lack of effort on my part. I had visited both on a number of occasions as I hunted sliders in Jersey, but always arrived too late; they both close in mid afternoon. I finally made it to both.
Fern's White Diamond
Fern's White Diamond
1208 1/2 E Grand Street, Elizabeth NJ 07201 (map); 908-352-8555 Cooking Method: Steamed griddled Short Order: Classic preparation does not help the stale beef Want Fries with That?Not especially. Serviceable though frozen Price: Two hamburgers and fries, $4.95
Fern's started life as a general store called Cosmo's back in the 1960s. It reportedly sold sandwiches and groceries and later added a lunch counter. In 1980 it became part of the White Diamond chain, adding a griddle to the kitchen and hamburgers to the menu. The restaurant eventually doubled in size, taking over the adjacent store. Today the restaurant is called Fern's White Diamond and is a diner with burgers only being a small part of a broader menu.
The good news is that the burgers are prepared in the classic griddle-steamed method—the patty is mashed down on the griddle with onions, then the cheese and bun top it when it is flipped. The bad news it that when I visited the beef was hardly fresh. It looked brown even before hitting the griddle—oxidization had set in—and tasted muted and stale. I had but one bite before stuffing a napkin over it and the equally unappetizing fries, paying by bill, and beating a hasty retreat.
901 N 2nd Street, Philadelphia PA 19123 (map); 215-238-0630; standardtap.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Good burger, but I'm still on the hunt for a better one. Want Fries with That? They come with tasty skinny fries; you'll probably want to eat them all. Price: Standard Burger, $10
My search for a good burger in Philadelphia hasn't gone too well. Admittedly, I've only been to five places—Good Dog, Monk's, Royale Tavern, National Mechanics, and SquareBurger—and while none of them was bad, none was so good as to inspire spasms of delight.
During my last visit to Philadelphia, I made my first trip into Northern Liberties to eat dinner at Standard Tap, highly recommended by many AHT readers. Alas, still no delight spasms, but it was so far the best burger I've had in the city, and if the weather's nice you can take advantage of the pleasant second story patio seating like I did. Innards shot after the jump.
The Bill's Classic with American Cheese is phenomenal. Liberally seasoned with salt, sear-crusted to perfection, and just juicy enough, it's good enough to eat plain—though it does come with pickle, tomato, and lettuce. $5.95. [Photographs: Adam Kuban]
Bill's Bar and Burger opens to the public today, but A Hamburger Today got a sneak peek and tasting yesterday. Of course, mileage may vary once the place has to deal with the strain of burger-hungry Meatpacking magpies, but based on yesterday's round of burgers, the place is killer. Dare I say it ... dare I? If the burger quality holds up at Bill's Bar and Burger, then the Shake Shack, long my gold standard for this type of burger, will have a serious—and I mean SERIOUS—rival for my top-of-the-pops favorite burger in NYC. Like neck-and-neck. Like Spy vs. Spy.Like trying to choose which is cooler, Lion Force Voltron or Vehicle Voltron.More pics and analysis, after the jump.
5 East 51st Street, New York NY 10022 (b/n Madison and 5th; map); 212-759 4730; primeburger.com Cooking Method: Broiled Short Order: Order correctly and you can get one of New York's great burgers in a unique setting. Want Fries with That? No; they're not fresh or crisp. Price: Hamburger, $5.25; cheeseburger, $5.95 Notes: Specify that you want your burger salted and made from scratch.
I walked into Prime Burger the other day around 1:30 p.m., and my heart sank. It was half-full. "This is not right," I thought to myself. We're talking about Prime Burger, the last remaining old-fashioned burger joint in New York City.
How old-fashioned? It's been around since 1938, when it was called Hamburg Heaven. Back then it was open 24 hours and it catered to movie stars and politicians. Its location across the street from St. Patrick's Cathedral led its owners to proclaim on its menu, "The Gates of Heaven Never Close." Don't you love that? Hamburg Heaven's customers did too, but the good folks at St. Patrick's didn't, so the line was removed from the menu. Although it's no a 24 hour restaurant, it's still open for breakfast, when they serve a unique breakfast combination, the Breakfast Delight ($5.50): a burger, fried egg, and hot buttered toast.
But nostalgia is not the only reason we must all band together to make sure Prime Burger stays around at least another 70 years. If you order right you can also get one of the greatest classic, small, perfectly sized burgers to be had anywhere. But ordering right is key.
Posted by Damon Gambuto, October 14, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Just a few of the burgers eaten over the past year. [Photographs: Damon Gambuto]
Perhaps it's my irrepressible narcissism, but I feel as though we're living though a burger boom. It could just be the medium-rare-rose colored glasses of a burger reviewer, but everywhere I look I see attentions turning toward my favorite sandwich. Daytime television shows, magazine covers, and chefs of all varieties have featured the humble hamburger on their menus. Whether fancypants or fast food-style, the burger is back and in many ways better than ever. America, it seems, has rediscovered its favorite meal, and I couldn't be more pleased.
Of course, when considering one in four Americans eats fast food each day (and there's usually a burger involved), it might be an overstatement to claim that this is some sort of burger comeback. Maybe it's a burger renaissance. Whatever we call it, it couldn't have come at a better time for me. I can hardly believe it, but October 10 marked my one year anniversary reviewing burgers here at AHT. It's gone by faster than summer vacation and was twice as fun.
Like my colleague and friend Nick Solares did before me, I decided to celebrate my anniversary by taking a look back at the year in burgers that was. There have been fifty plus patties that made it into my belly and then onto the (web)pages of AHT (plus many more that I didn't write about). It was a tour of the diversity and possibility of my adopted hometown. I (re)discovered the landscape of Los Angeles as a flatland of burger agony and ecstasy. Here is are some quick bites of my own personal year of the burger.
940 Ferry Boulevard, Stratford CT 06614; map); 203-378-6728; dannysdrive-in.com Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: Circa 1935 drive-in serves a decent, but not world beating burger. Want Fries with That? Yes; they're crinkle cut, crispy, and golden. Price: Hamburger Works, $3.35; Cheeseburger Works, $3.70; fries, $2.50 Notes: Second location open in Shelton, Connecticut.
Back in 1965, Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck opened a submarine sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It would eventually grow to become the Subway chain.
What does this have to do with Danny's Drive-In, located in nearby Stratford? Not much, except the toppings that Danny's serves on their burgers are strikingly similar to those that grace a Subway sandwich. Of course, lettuce, tomato, and onion are nothing new on a burger, but the green pepper and white American cheese that Danny's adds to theirs is unusual and leads me to believe that just maybe the founders of Subway ate at Danny's and took notes.
Danny's Drive-In dates back to 1935 and has been a local favorite ever since. Specializing in both hot dogs and hamburgers, Danny's menu offers all manner of toppings on both, such as the legendary Kuhn's chili, jalapeños, BBQ sauce, and bacon. But even the standard burger comes with the "works"—lettuce, tomato, onion, and green pepper. Mayo, ketchup, and mustard are optional.
Lord knows we've given enough shout-outs to Eleven Madison Park lately, but I did want to mention how seriously cute and delicious chef Daniel Humm's lounge lamb burgers are. Made with spectacular and pricey Elysian Farm lamb and served with house-made pickles, these adorable little suckers are wonderfully succulent and just lamb-y enough. Serious eaters might complain (or should I say baah) about the price—$12 for two—but there isn't a better lamb burger in the city.
Posted by Daniel Zemans, October 8, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]
Eat Rite Diner
622 Chouteau, St. Louis MO 63102 (map); 314-621-9621 Cooking Method: Griddled. Short Order: Budget prices, priceless experience. Want Fries With That? No idea—I haven't had the fries there in 10 years. Price: Six sliders with cheese, $6
When planning a recent trip to St. Louis with Nick Solares's review of 11 different New Jersey slider emporiums on my mind, I hatched a crafty plan. I would not call my friends to come pick me up until long enough after my Megabus got into Union Station that I would have time to make my first trip to Eat Rite Diner in about eight years. And since I spent that particular visit at this 24/7/365 joint sleeping (yes, we'll call it sleeping) with my head on the counter, joining the legions of people before and since then who have done the same, this would be my first time actually eating at Eat Rite in 10 years.
Located on Route 66, Eat Rite has remained virtually unchanged since it opened more than 60 years ago even as its surroundings have shifted from a major transcontinental highway to Busch Stadium (two blocks away) and the Purina world headquarters (across the street). The small shop has 13 stools with dark green vinyl seats in various states of disrepair. The countertop is worn down and the tile floors and walls appear to have been around as long as Eat Rite itself. There are two pinball games (one old, one new) and a jukebox—that's it. This place is as bare bones as it gets.
9531 Culver Boulevard, Culver City CA 90232-2618 (map); 310-202-1470; fordsfillingstation.net Cooking Method: Griddled. Short Order: A well-regarded chef fails to bring his talents to bear on his burger. Want Fries with That? Sure. Not standouts, but good enough to embrace your lack of self-discipline. Prices: Pub Burger (with fries), $16. Notes: The "seasonal" option (seasonal toppings) for your burger prep might be a way to enliven an otherwise ordinary fancy-pants burger.
Recently I've found myself sitting down for some of the pricier burgers in town. Despite the power of attributed value, I am not, as a rule, predisposed to prefer a fancy-pants burger. Often times the impulse to add flourish stands in the way of realizing the simple beauty of the sandwich. Then there are also times when the added cost means the added benefit of excellent ingredients and thoughtful preparation. Two of my recent fancy-pants burgers—the first at Rustic Canyon, the other at Comme Ça—were extraordinary.
With these delectable memories still fresh, I decide to make my way toward yet another posh burger. I've been excited to try the burger at Ford's Filling Station for quite some time, as I've visited this American gastropub on a number of occasions and enjoyed a variety of chef Ben Ford's offerings: charcuterie plates that are salty and hearty, flatbreads topped with shrimp and Meyer lemon. The menu, even in its modest scale, always seemed to be chock full of distractions that kept me from the burger. Of course, that could only persist for so long. Recently I headed to downtown Culver City to make amends for all my non-burger meals at Ford's.
253 Grand Street, Brooklyn NY 11211 (map); 718-387-8783; walterfoods.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A satisfying, juicy burger if you're in the neighborhood. Want Fries with That? The burger comes with skinny golden fries. Price: Short Rib Burger, $13
Since I was already at Walter Foods for our fancy pants fried chicken taste test (yup, what a hard job I've got), I figured I may as well get in a burger review as well. Because nothing says "balanced meal" like fried chicken and a burger.
The short rib burger ($13) from Walter Foods is a 7-ounce short rib patty on a brioche roll topped with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a pickle on the side. Check out the innards after the jump.
