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.
Editor's note: Ladies and gents, meet Nick Solares, aka the Beef Aficionado. He's the newest contributor to AHT, so give him a warm welcome, whydoncha? He'll be joining us weekly with his adventures in burgery. This is the first of many posts to come. —The Mgmt.
It is no accident that I picked a decidedly downmarket and untrendy restaurant to review for my initial posting on A Hamburger Today. I think that it speaks to the way I feel about burgers; they should be unpretentious and low-brow, a culinary delight for the everyman.
I have yet to be impressed by a chef-designed truffle, foie gras, and Kobe beef short rib–stuffed “gourmet” burger served on date nut bread with a 50-year-old balsamic vinegar reduction and caviar—at least not to the degree in which a simple $5 cheeseburger might stir me.
I have a basic rule or tenant when it comes to burgers: Individually the ingredients should not be as great as the sum of their parts. If they are, just make something else. I don’t think there is any great achievement in making a delicious sandwich out of ingredients that cost as much as a prime steak. But take some fresh ground chuck, American cheese, and a generic white bun—ingredients that in and of themselves are not that compelling—and combine them to make an extraordinary burger. That is something that impresses both my palate and my egalitarian sensibilities.
Joe Junior, a restaurant that typifies the term “greasy spoon,” located somewhat improbably on the corner of a historically landmarked block in Gramercy, impresses me thusly.
Says Nick from Beef Aficionado, who snapped the photo above: "Looks like a new burger spot called Black Iron Burger Shop will be opening in June on 5th Street between avenues A and B. Very classic looking."
I'm just guessing here, but I'm going to guess that the burgers here will be grilled. How can you name a place that and not grill them?
Mr. Cutlets discloses his top ten burgers in New York City to the New York Daily News, and his No. 1 pick isn't even in the city. It's Hildebrandt's in Williston Park, out on Long Island. The rest of his list, however (with the exception of White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey), is within easy ranging for straphangers. AHT asked Mr. Cutlets about his top ten oh so long ago, and it's interesting to note how his list has changed in that time. (As it should; no top burger list should be static.) The head-to-head, after the jump.
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.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time dwelling on Action Burger. If you remember the Lucky Burger [AHT review] that opened and then closed on Avenue A in the East Village, the former owner there is affiliated with Action Burger. And, judging by taste and texture, the same burger from Avenue A has popped up across the river here in Williamsburg (on Grand between Union and Lorimer). I'm guessing the patties are "cold smoked" and marinated overnight the same way they were at Lucky. The result is an odd smokey flavor and a tough patty.
The now-celebrated burger at this Lower East Side joint was on the chopping block, with chef Josh Shuffman wanting to kill it and co-owner Adam Cohn rejiggering it. Says Cohn: "Not only were customers few but back then our burger was even more idiosyncratic: topped exclusively with a whole roasted poblano pepper, Monterrey jack cheese and aioli. It was for the few, not the many. Shuffman had it in for the burger and I had to fight a valiant rear-guard action in its defense."
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
New York magazine is reporting that the folks behind the Abitino's pizza mini chain are opening today the first of what they hope is a burger mini chain in City Burger. Like everyone and their brother these days, City Burger is using Pat LaFrieda beef.
CITY BURGER
Address: 1410 Broadway, New York NY 10018 (at 39th Street; map) Phone: 212-997-7770
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."
Josh "Mr. Cutlets" Ozersky, editor of New York magazine's Grub Street and author of upcoming book The Hamburger: A History, says you can find the perfect burger at Veselka, in New York City's East Village:
VESELKA
Address: 144 Second Avenue, New York NY 10003 Phone: 212-228-9682 Website:veselka.com
According to Page Six in the New York Post today: "Danny Meyer just signed a lease to open its first branch at 366 Columbus Avenue (at 77th Street), which formerly housed Cajun eatery Jacques-Imo's NYC. Unlike the original open-air serving stand with the endless lines of customers in Madison Square Park, the new location will serve its brown bag fare in year-round comfort." But will it still be a "shack"?
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.
Address: 35 Downing Street, New York NY 10014 (Greenwich Village, b/n Downing and Bedford; map) Getting There: 1 train to Houston Street; B/C/D/E/F/V to West 4th Street Phone: 212-337-0404 Cost: $14.50, comes with fries Website:blueribbonrestaurants.com The Skinny: Very good thick and expansive burger with potential for greatness, were it cooked to order and more juicy. Excellent custom house-made bun. Want Fries with That? Yes. Even if they didn't come standard with this burger, they're hand-cut and quite good, with a crisp salty exterior and fluffy moist interior.
According to Eater, the heat lamps are finally on at Shake Shack. Sweet deal, but it's kind of a bad news, good news thing (but mostly good). The bad: The heating technology will encourage more people to visit. The good news ...
The recent cold spell here in New York City had me wondering what effect below-freezing temperatures would have on the infamously long line at the Shake Shack, which just this year began operating year-round. But if I was going to stand around and wait for a burger in bone-chilling weather—and then eat it outdoors in the park (the Shake Shack offers only outdoor seating)—I needed a strategy. I'll share it with you—along with some winter Shack observations—after the jump.
Time Out New York runs down its top 10 burgers of 2008, and, interestingly, the herd is full of a bunch of new joints. Not a tired old standby on the list at all: Market Table, Telepan, Prune, Back Forty, Shorty's 32, 67 Burger, BLT Burger, Primehouse, Resto, Stand.
But the patties, beefy and salty and made with meat from the fashionable and estimable Pat LaFrieda Wholesale Meats (you may know its meat from such fine sandwiches as the Shackburger and the hamburger at Market Table), had a crisp, grill-charred exterior and a moist, medium-rare middle that dripped fatty juice in the nooks and crannies of the Thomas’ sandwich-size English muffins that held them.
Burgers ($12) at Seymour Burton — which occasionally flirt with greatness — are served, default, with Cheddar cheese and raw onions (and a side of fries), a decision that Josh Shuffman, the chef de cuisine, who has handled the day-to-day cooking since September, said was “the most and the least we needed to do for a burger.”
Seymour Burton
Address: 511 East Fifth Street, New York NY 10009 (East Village, at Avenue A) Phone: 212-260-1333
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 10, 2008 at 10:30 AM
I'm probably going to get ripped by some of you out there who will say the following "burger" is not a burger, but I'm going to mention it anyway 'cause it's interesting.
The owners have plans to snowball the concept into a nationwide chain, so within a few years there could be one opening near you. The next one is slated to open on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood later this year.
But don't look to the place as a diet panacea. Says Zach, "The food is not healthy, just healthier. 30 percent fewer calories than McDonald’s is still pretty fattening."
Zen Burger
Address: 465 Lexington Avenue, New York NY 10017 (map) Phone: 212-661-6080 Website:zenburger.com
Grub Street reports under the headline "Shake Shocker: No Lunch Line on Opening Day" that there was no line at the Shake Shack today, despite this being the first day of its winter operation. I hope that's mock shock on Grub Street's part, because it's absolutely freezing today and nobody in his right mind would queue up for anything in this weather.
It also points to something larger I've thought about since it was reported that the Shack would remain open all year. In doing so, I think the Shake Shack loses part of its charm and appeal. Sure, the burgers will still be great, but part of what was so fun about the place was that annual opening on the first day of spring and all the stupid hype that surrounded it.
When I told Adam I was stuck in jury duty, he said it might be a good opportunity to taste-test a burger I wouldn't otherwise encounter. So when I saw five or six signs proclaiming "Teriyaki Burger!" I felt I had to try it.
And, look, I knew what I was getting into. I'd never eaten at (or even seen) a Samurai Sam's before, but the area around the Kew Gardens courthouse wasn't exactly throbbing with burgertunities, and I figured a sign is a sign, right? At any rate, how could I not try it? This is the same impulse that forces me to order tacos at Le Croissant Cafe because they have a tiny "we serve Mexican food!" sign in the window. My sense of adventure has a stubborn way of manifesting itself at the most inopportune times.
Every person before and after me ordered either a Teriyaki or Yakitori Bowl. I walked up to the counter and smugly asked for the Teriyaki Burger. The cashier asked if I wanted it with cheese. I said no when what I should have said was "nevermind, I'm leaving." Cheese plus teriyaki sauce? My mind was already reeling, but I forged ahead.
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!
What we’re looking for mostly is a high-traffic environment where we can have good exposure and work with a relatively small footprint. Big-box centers with outparcels where we can get good exposures and get an endcap seem to be the dominant type of location that we’re looking at currently. That gets the traffic and gives us the visibility. Quite often those centers are built side by side with lifestyle centers. If we had to choose we would go with the way I just described. That’s not to say we can’t be successful in other venues. The other location that we think works well in urban settings is storefront retail where there is sufficient traffic driven by adjacent retail and nearby parking, or alternatively very high density, as would be the case in the Village.
Of course, if you can't wait for that location, there's always the Jersey City one, at 286 Washington Street.
Market Table, the new market-cum-restaurant from Little Owl's Joey Campanaro and Mike Price, is now open, and, based on one thoroughly enjoyable lunch shared with Serious Eats's Alaina Browne, is certainly worthy of attention. The burger, supposedly made with a mix of meat similar if not identical to the Shake Shack, is absolutely killer, though because it's charcoal-grilled and because its accompaniments—everything from the condiments, toppings, and bun—are completely different from Shake Shack's, you can't make a direct comparison.
Market Table's burger comes with gorgonzola cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions, which are the holy trinity of burger toppings, as far as I'm concerned. The house-made roll has just a little bit of crunch on the outside, and it may be the best hamburger bun in New York at the moment.
Ed brought back a half of a burger to the Serious Eats/AHT office on Friday, and, even though it was cold and a little worse for the trip back, it did taste damn good, even with the froufrou toppings.
The gimmick behind Market Table is that it's also a market, so you can buy the same meat that they make the burgers with. Ed picked up some of that, too. It was $18 for four pre-made patties that seemed to be about a third-pound in weight.
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 18, 2007 at 3:15 PM
Sure, you've named a dog or two in your life. You may have even named a little bouncing bundle of joy. If you're loaded, you've probably christened a boat, using one of those silly nautical puns. But have you named a burger joint? Probably not.
Now you've got a chance to name two different places, complete with prizes.
The patty had plenty of flavor and juice but just needed a little more fire. Despite some nice grill marks the surface was just a little light in color.The rest of the ingredients were wonderfully fresh however. With the line at Shake Shack being so absolutely incomprehensibly long these days (It is a great burger but I wouldn't wait for Kobe beef as long as some people wait for a burger) Goodburger is a viable alternative in the area. And I would argue that it is a comparable, albeit different burger vis a vis the Shack. Many I am sure will prefer the flame grilling cooking method, and I doubt the line will be as long.
Angus Deluxe: A six-ounce patty, with American cheese, sliced red onions and tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, mayo, and pickles.
So, yesterday "Hamburger Matty" and I took the bait and visited the McDonald's at 46th Street and Broadway in Times Square at the invitation of some McD's PR folks. We were there to try the chain's new Angus Third Pounder burgers—the Angus Deluxe,Angus Mushroom and Swiss, and Angus Bacon and Cheese. Did we drink the Kool-Aid?
Let's just say the Angus burgers were the best burgers on the menu. The patties were thicker, exhibited some nice exterior searing, had some noticeable juiciness, and were augmented with some nice-looking, good-tasting, fresh and crisp toppings. The Deluxe actually tasted like a hamburger and not a dry facsimile of one. That said, they have McDonald's DNA through and through, and somehow manage to retain that signature taste that almost everyone is familiar with—there's just more of it. Sort of like a bigger, better cooked Quarter Pounder; if you can't get behind the taste of the chain's standard fare, the Angus isn't likely to get you in the door. And it's not until you isolate the meat from the toppings that you'll notice a difference in flavor and texture. The Angus patty was slightly more tangy—and I mean slightly. It's a minor upgrade in beefiness that I'm afraid was lost beneath all the toppings. The texture was more pleasing than that of Quarter Pounder—looser and not as tough.
The greatest hamburger mystery of our time has been solved: We have it from a high-level source near the situation that the location of the long-awaited sequel to Shake Shack is Citi Field, better known as the new Shea Stadium.
... come September a new outpost — three times the size of the current location — will take over all three stories of a building at 14 East 58th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, with the first floor dedicated to counter service; the second floor serving as a lounge decked out with speakers, projectors, a bar, a D.J. booth, and raw-oak paneling; and the third floor acting as a private party space with pool table.
A big thanks to all you readers who made it out to the Gothamist–AHT Beach Burger Bash on Saturday. All of us here at A Hamburger Today and Serious Eats had a sin-sear-ly great time meeting you, eating burgers, and working burger-line detail.
With some volunteer help from the sponsoring blogs, Harry Hawk and the Water Taxi Beach crew formed a burger assembly line, with the evening's burgers built upon a base consisting of a four-ouce freshly ground patty cooked expertly on an ultrahot griddle. The patties were added to the griddle with an ice cream scoop, cooking for a minute or two as medium-size meatballs before getting the smash treatment with the back of a spatula. This helped create a crisp exterior crust while still leaving the coarsely ground meat loosely packed. To this base, different items were added to form the regional American burgers enjoyed by the 140-some people in attendance. Those burgers were ...
Friend of AHT Zach Brooks highlights what he believes to be the best burger cart in Midtown Manhattan. Zach should know—he's the dude who does Midtown Lunch, the ultra-useful blog that directs Midtown desk jockeys to the best hidden spots in what's often thought to be a food wasteland.
He cooks the burger perfectly medium rare, and I have heard more than one person say that if they had fries at this cart, the Burger Joint would be out of business (it’s a very short walk away). The burger does have a great flavor, and I think most of that is due to the fact that John cooks them on the same griddle where he cooks the sausage, and finishes them off on the same griddle where he cooks the steak, chicken and gyro.
The burgers at Carnegie John's are $3.50, $4 for a cheeseburger.
Carnegie John's Address: 56th Street and Seventh Avenue
I just tried the sliders at Shopsin’s in the Essex Street Market. It was really very good. Not quite White Manna quality but close. They don’t grill the potato roll à la Manna, but the cheese is from Saxelby Cheesemongers next door and is superb. The beef was juicy and moist despite being cooked through, and the patty was bigger than Manna or Sassy's Sliders. Three for $9 is probably a bit steep for sliders anywhere other than New York City.
Remember last week when we told you about our upcoming Gothamist-AHT Beach Burger Bash at Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City? And how we let you vote on the burgers that we'd serve?
Well, the results are in, and here are the burgers that will be available ...
New York magazine looks back at a year in burger-joint openings in the Big Apple. Resto takes top honors. Also on the list: Prune, Five Guys, Stand, Brgr, BLT Burger, The Stoned Crow, and Borough Food & Drink.
The Rare B.E.T.: Winner of last night's burger recipe contest that Ed and I judged at.
Last night, Serious Eats overlord Ed Levine and I had a tough assignment—judging at a burger-recipe competition. Called "Between the Buns," the contest was hosted by Rare Bar & Grill in New York City. It was a promotion in which the joint's customers submitted a recipe for Rare to cook and send out to the panel of five judges (also on the panel were Sopranos star Jerry Adler, food writer Andrea Strong, and Jeanine Ramirez, Brooklyn reporter for local cable news station NY1).
Four finalists were winnowed down from 400 applicants. All burgers were thick eight-ounce patties. They were ...
Los Angeles burger haven In-N-Out is rumored to be planning a New York debut, but burgers have already taken the city by storm.
Where those rumors surfaced, AHT doesn't know, but this would be insane. In-N-Out could build a warehouse-sized location in New York City and it still would be packed.
The nearest Whataburger: 13880 US Highway 19 S, Thomasville GA 31792; 229-551-9377. The nearest In-N-Out: As the crow flies, it would be in Tucson, Arizona, but as a human flies, via a jet, it's in Phoenix, about 21.2 miles from Sky Harbor Int'l Airport: 21001 North Tatum Boulevard, Phoenix AZ 85050
The Shake Shack, as it is famously and whimsically called, has now become an urban attraction of such renown that you could probably raise, slaughter and cook your own cow in the time it takes to get a burger and fries there. The last time I visited, I was offered one of those plastic gizmos that look like stun guns and was told it would throb when my order was ready. I stared disconsolately at it for 30 minutes before it made a peep, by which time I was nearly ready to give up.
Like many Brown Zoners, my feelings for the Shake Shack have progressed from enthusiasm and pride to distant affection and veiled dislike. I resent that it has relegated my adored Madison Square Park to being a backdrop to a fry joint.
The Shake Shack; southeast corner of Madison Square Park, 23rd Street and Madison Avenue
I missed this last week, but apparently The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Who Is Once Again Known as Prince had Pop Burgers served at a performance in the oh-so-tony Hamptons on Friday. Also from the same "We Hear ..." item in the New York Post was an aside that Pop Burger, the mini-burger burger joint in Chelsea, will be opening a location at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street in September. Seems like a gratuitous mention to me.Pop Burger; 58-60 Ninth Avenue, New York NY 10011; 212-414-8686
After the success of our Gothamist-A Hamburger Today QBQ BBQ last year (that's Quality Before Quantity), we've decided to team up with Gothamist again this year for another burger bash at Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City. At last year's event, chef Harry Hawk served up four regional burgers from around the nation.
We're doing something similar this year, but this time you get to choose which burgers will be served, with the top three vote-getters across Gothamist and A Hamburger Today/Serious Eats making the menu. Some are regional specialties, and some are original Water Taxi Beach creations. I'll get to the candidate burgers in a bit, but first the nitty-gritty details.
But before the details, can I tell you that later in the evening, Grandmaster Flash will be spinning at WTB? OK, the deets:
Date: Saturday, July 28 Time: 5 p.m. Place: Water Taxi Beach (map) Cost: $13.50 for 3 burgers Payment:Tickets are available through TicketWeb Important Details: Please be sure to bring your ID when you come; no one is permitted on the beach without an ID or an of-age legal guardian Quality Before Quantity: Because the griddle is small and we're cooking these burgers the right way, we're emphasizing quality. If last year's event is any indication, the lines will get long. But with good company, the wait seems to fly by Getting There: Water Taxis depart from East 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan on a varied schedule (visit nywatertaxi.com). Subway riders should take the No. 7 train to Vernon Avenue/Jackson. Walk along Vernon Avenue to Borden Avenue, turn right. Look for signs for Water Taxi Beach. For more travel options, visit the beach's site
Instead of four burgers, we're serving three this year. What will they be? Here are the candidates that you get to choose from:
The Motz Burger: A four-ounce fresh-not-frozen burger served with Schnäck sauce and pickles. This burger hails from Long Island City and was invented by burger expert and filmmaker George "Hamburger America" Motz.
The Onion Burger: Popular in El Reno, Oklahoma, the Onion Burger was born of frugality. Throw a half an onion on the griddle, add to that a ball of ground beef, and smash it all together with the back of a spatula. You've essentially extended your meat by mixing in onions. The onions caramelize as they cook embedded in the beef, giving you a sweet, crusty oniony patty.
The Pimento Burger:Pimento cheese is big across the South, usually as a spread eaten on celery stalks or as a filling between two pieces of white bread. But in Columbia, South Carolina, they use it as both cheese and condiment on the burgers. Pimento cheese, for all you Yankees here in New York City, is a mixture of grated cheddar, chopped pimento, mayo, hot sauce, and black pepper. (Horseradish, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce are three common options.)
The Guber Burger: We served this one at last year's bash, and it seemed to be a hit, so we're putting it on the ballot in 2007. Made locally famous by The Wheel Inn in Sedalia, Missouri, the guber burger features a heaping dollop of peanut butter applied to the burger right as the hot patty comes off the griddle.
The Nut Burger: George Motz discovered this candidate in while researching his upcoming burger book. It was, he said, "like eating sundae topping on a burger. It's coarsely ground peanuts mixed with mayo, topping a burger. It's great!" (Related:The Nut Burger on AHT.)
The Butter Burger: A regional delight originating in—where else?—Wisconsin, the Butter Burger takes a very liberal dosing of butter after coming off the griddle. Those of you who have visited the Midwest recently may have had one at the rapidly expanding Culver's chain, where it's a specialty. (Related: Video of Solly's Grille butter burgers)
The Hammmburger: A burger topped with Jubilat Polish slab bacon—essentially Canadian ham, hence the extra mmmeaty name of this burger. This one is the creation of Water Taxi Beach's Harry Hawk.
Vote now! Polls close Friday, July 20 at 6 p.m. One vote per person.
Special thanks to Six Apart, who have donated a keg of Orlio Common Ale for sponsoring the event.
That translates to freshly ground hamburgers, grilled Jubilat hot dogs from Brooklyn, house-smoked pulled pork, and freshly cut french fries. Hawk is waiting on the food-service truck that will make his latest fast-food dream come to fruition but says he expects it to happen fairly soon.
We've long been fans of Schnäck and we love the Motz Burger at Water Taxi Beach, so if Hawk manages to get his plan off the ground, we'll be burgerin' under the bridge soon.
Friend of AHT George "Hamburger America" Motz sent us the following photos and observations on the recently opened Five Guys in Brooklyn Heights. He went yesterday. —The Mgmt.
Five Guys Address: 138 Montague Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 Phone: 718-797-9380 Fax: 718-797-9381 Notes: "We are getting the sign next week," the owner told me. Kind of an odd, but super busy location two blocks from the courthouse on Montague Street.
Not too big, but PACKED for lunch 15 minutes before I took this pic.
Ask for a cheeseburger and you automatically get a double. Mine had pickles and mustard. Just look at that glorious heap of goodness.
Huge crew, efficient assembly line
I forgot about their peanut thing. They encourage you to grab a handful of free peanuts at the door and toss the shells on the floor.
I like Brooklyn Heights Blog's take on it: "The competitive advantage that FGBF has over other burger chains is that it appears they may have some sort of "screening process" for their employees. The lovely ladies who took my order were helpful and patient and the kitchen crew were working together like a well oiled machine."
News Attack of the Clone:A Utah burger joint is in the doghouse with In-N-Out: "The company in question is Chadder's, an American Fo1rk burger restaurant that opened in May with a menu that is so similar to In-N-Out that some customers have contacted the Orange County chain to inquire if the two brands were related, according to the suit." [via FoAHT Karen N.]
It must be expected that basic food prices must double in the next five to ten years. This would take them back to half their historic average. It must also be expected that some key foodstuffs will become temporarily unavailable. Both events are easy to foresee, and both will be 'huge surprises.' Consider the staple food of fat northern hemisphere dwellers—the humble hamburger; the bun is grain and the meat is simply an inefficient method of grain conversion on legs. Our forecasts of both much higher food prices and shortages will lead to a significant price increase in the hamburger.
Fred says, "You know what that means: Wolf down as many burgers as you can while you can still afford it!"
Shanghai surprise: The blog Shanghaist is putting on a Fourth of July party (on July 1—because it's a Sunday) that will feature a "Best Burger in Shanghai" competition in which attendees can taste and vote on the entrants. Related: The Best Burger in Shanghai
Reviews Robb Walsh hits Blake's BBQ and Burgers in Houston: "The third hamburger I got at Blake's BBQ and Burgers on Jeanetta was just about perfect. When I bit into it, the juicy meat, melted American cheese and white bread of the bun all melded together in my mouth in a delightfully sticky mass. It was sort of like a grilled cheese sandwich with a hamburger in the middle." 2916 Jeanetta
Houston TX 77063; 713-266-6860
I got this message over the weekend. A new burger has made it on to Josh "Mr. Cutlets" Ozersky's Top Four New York City burger list—the one at recently openedBorough Food & Drink.
Listen to the message:
"You better hasten there as soon as it opens." —Mr. Cutlets
For the record: Mr. C. is referring to the length of my outgoing voicemail greeting, which is, admittedly, perhaps a tad too long. (That's what the pound sign's for, though, Cuts!)
If you haven't heard of [Pat] LaFrieda, it may be because you don't own one of Manhattan's better restaurants. He's the third Pat LaFrieda to work at LaFrieda Wholesale Meats (his father, Pat LaFrieda, Jr., still runs the day shift), the supplier for Babbo, Momofuku, BLT Steak, A Voce, the Union Square Cafe, and another 200 establishments. He also grinds the meat for the city's most celebrated hamburgers: Stand, BLT Burger, Shake Shack, and the Spotted Pig all use custom LaFrieda blends that start with chuck and then might (or might not) include sirloin, brisket, boneless short rib, shank, skirt, flat iron, and even hanger. (Brgr's hamburger is ground in Montana.) Each blend is a closely guarded secret, tailored to the techniques and demands of a particular restaurant: Will it be a thin or thick patty? Griddle or grill? Medium or high heat?
After the jump, a breakdown of different burger joints' recipes.
"This burger is a wonder. It's thick, it's perfectly cooked, juicy and covered in cheese and bacon. If eating a burger is a sin, this burger is like going to Vegas with a hooker who you kill, stuff in your trunk, and push off into a canyon."—The Amateur Gourmet
He may have gotten two stars from the New York Times for his cooking, but he gets a big goose egg from AHT for this attack, which appeared on Restaurant Girl:
What trend do you wish would die already? Sliders.
When the griddle is clicking on all cylinders, the Shackburger attains a modicum of flavor and a reasonable compromise between tender and chewy.
FALSE!When the griddle, grillmen and grillwomen, cashiers, and expediters are all firing on all cylinders, the Shack attains more than a modicum of flavor—it is downright delicious. The burger is moist (if not gushing with juices) with a crunchy, crusty, salty exterior and a great bun-to-meat ratio. Unfortunately, when you go at peak hours, it's a rare occurrence that all the meatslinging machinery's in tune. Burgers too often come out overcooked and lukewarm.
It’s not like the food is remotely good enough to justify a standard, one- to two-hour wait. For me that day, it was one hour, 15 minutes - 45 minutes on the ordering line and 30 minutes more at the pickup station.
TRUE! See the photo above, people. If you wait in a line any longer than that indicated, you're an idiot. First, it's questionable that any burger is worth an hour-plus wait in line. Second, if the line is that long, you're probably going to get a subpar Shackburger.
The beef is ground at Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park across the street - gilt by association with one of the city’s finest restaurants. Cooked only one way - medium, which too often means medium-well - it’s topped with cheap American cheese, a mayo-based sauce, lettuce and insipid tomato slices inside a lightly-grilled bun.
TRUE and FALSE!
True: When it's cooked to medium, it's a great burger—but Cuozzo's right, at peak hours, the things get overcooked.
Good question: 
Five Guys 
I got this message over the weekend. A new burger has made it on to 