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Entries tagged with 'openings'

Goodburger Opens in Philadelphia

20080508GoodburgerPA.jpgThe time that we can refer to Goodburger as a "New York City mini chain" has drawn to a close as it opened its first outpost in Philadelphia last Saturday. I guess we can start calling it an East Coast mini chain. This is its fifth location, and early reports on the Roadfood forums indicate that it's off to a good start. A burger ordered medium was "cooked perfectly, with a nice pink streak in the center and was nicely moist with a flame broiled flavor."

Goodburger

1725 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19103
215-569-4777
Goodburger

Openings: Black Iron Burger Shop

20080427-blackiron.jpg

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?

Openings: City Burger

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

Shake Shack Branch Coming to Upper West Side

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"?

New: Seymour Burton

Peter Meehan, in "$25 and Under," on the burgers at Seymour Burton:

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

Five Guys Open in Midtown

20071101fiveguys.jpg

More info at Midtown Lunch, where the photo above comes from.

And, even more at NYC Eats.

Five Guys (Midtown)

Address: 43 West 55th Street, New York NY 10019
Phone: 212-459-9600

Fatburger Coming to Greenwich Village

It's only mentioned in passing, but this Q&A on real estate trade website Globe St. mentions that the California-based Fatburger is coming to Manhattan's Greenwich Village:

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.

Shake Shack II to Open at Shea

From Grub Streets:

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.

[Tip o' the hat to Feisty Foodie for the link.]

Openings: New Pop Burger in Midtown

We mentioned it on AHT in passing a couple weeks ago, but today Grub Street is reporting more details on the new Pop Burger coming to Midtown Manhattan:

... 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.

While AHT founding editor Honey P. liked the Pop Burger we visited, I typically find the burgers there a bit dry and a bit overpriced.

Related: Pop Burger
Address: 14 East 58th Street, New York NY 10022 [
map]

Five Guys Open in Brooklyn Heights

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.

20070702fiveguysext.jpgFive 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.

20070702fiveguysint.jpg
Not too big, but PACKED for lunch 15 minutes before I took this pic.


20070702fiveguysburger.jpg
Ask for a cheeseburger and you automatically get a double. Mine had pickles and mustard. Just look at that glorious heap of goodness.

20070702fiveguysline.jpg
Huge crew, efficient assembly line

20070702fiveguyspeanuts.jpg
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."

That was pretty much our take on the chain when we visited the location in College Point, Queens, back in early May.

ANOTHER Goodburger Opening in Midtown

AHT reader and newcomer to the foodblogging scene "Beef Aficionado" Nick tips us to the fact that yet another Goodburger is opening in Midtown, this one at 45th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. (Nick also hipped us to the impending opening of the Union Square Goodburger late last month.)

This brings the rapidly expanding Manhattan minichain to four stores since the first one opened in October 2005. Is it expanding too fast, though? Says Nick, "Can they possibly maintain quality as they expand? We shall see."

We shall see, indeed.

Five Guys Already Open in NYC

Five Guys, College Point QNSFive Guys
Address: 132-01 14th Avenue, Queens NY 11356 [map]
Phone: 718-767-6500; fax: 718-767-6502
Getting there: LIRR to Flushing Main Street, Q20B bus to 14th Ave. and 130th Street. But really, if you don't live in College Point or have a car, it's a pain.
The short order: D.C. chain's first store in NYC opens in Queens, makes crunchy-crusted burgers that rival Shake Shack's.
Want fries with that? Yes! A resounding yes. As longtime AHT readers know, I'm not the biggest fry guy, but these are definitely worth getting. Freshly cut and twice-fried, they're crisp with a nice, mealy interior. Don't bother getting the "regular" size. Five Guys's M.O. is to put your burger and cup of fries in the bag and then throw in a heaping handful of extra fries on top. The "Cajun" spiced fries are overspiced.

Five Guys, College Point QNS

"If your burger blogging crew ever makes it down to the nation's capital, you've GOTTA try Five Guys."

Over the weeks, months, and, now, years that I've been plugging away at AHT, I've probably gotten more emails like this than for any other burger chain. And in all those months, I've never had the occasion to truck down to D.C. Instead, I've watched as the red states on the Five Guys locator map (right) grew in number and up the East Coast. At one point months and months ago, New York lit up red, but that first Empire State Five Guys was in Schenectady—upstate and still not easily accessible for a nondriving city-dwelling burger dude.

So when news hit that a 5G would open in Brooklyn Heights on Montague Street, I was jazzed. Finally, a Five Guys branch I could try that would involve only a quick subway ride. (Word is that the Montague Street Five Guys will open June 2.)

But did you know there's already a Five Guys in New York City? On Wednesday, I consulted the chain's store locator map for the Montague Street number and saw a Queens location. WTF!?! When did THAT open?

Continue reading »

Openings: Goodburger, Bay Burger, Prime Burger

When it rains, it pours. Lots of openings just ahead of BuRgER sEaSoN!!

GOODBURGER
This New York City–based minichain is breeding like rabbits. Word from AHT reader Nick (along with the photo at right) is that a new location is opening on Broadway between 17th and 18th streets. Two other locations already: Second Avenue and 43rd Street, Lexington Avenue and 56th Street. As you may remember, when the first Goodburger opened in late 2005, it hired away a couple grill jockeys from famed Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien hotel. Related: Goodburger Scouting Run


BAY BURGER
Speaking of Burger Joint alumni, Bay Burger, which is set to open in Sag Harbor, New York, later this month, is the creation of husband-and-wife team Liza and Joe Tremblay. Joe's a former Burger Joint grillman and manager at NYC minichain 'Wichcraft, both of which bode well for this new venture of his. (Burger Joint's one of AHT's favorites, and 'Wichcraft knows how to get the meat-bread-toppings balance right on a sandwich.) Word is the concept is clean, unprentious, and casual and seeks to appeal to the summer Hamptons crowd as well as the year-round locals.

Address: 1742 Sag Harbor Turnpike, Sag Harbor NY 11963
Phone: 631-899-3915


Prime Burger
From the Andrea Strong Buzz: "Burgers, all $15, are listed on blackboard menus, and are ground from USDA Prime and served with Rick’s Picks Curried Green Tomato pickles. The menu includes a Classic Burger with lettuce tomato and Bermuda onions, an Artisanal Cheeseburger, topped with your choice of Vermont Cheddar, Hawthorne Valley Farm Garlic Edamer, or Blue Stilton, and the Peppered Bacon Burger, topped with a house-cured peppered slab bacon."

Address: 56 Ninth Avenue, New York NY 10011 (b/n 14th/15th streets)
Phone: 212-242-9040

BOO YAH! Five Guys, Fatburger Coming to NYC

20070228fiveguys.jpg
A burger from the Five Guys in Philadelphia. Photograph from "Hamburger" Matty's Flickr photostream

From the New York Post today:

[Five Guys] N.Y.C. prognosis: High-five! The first city location will open in College Point, Queens, next month, with stores to follow in Manhattan within two years.
[Fatburger] N.Y.C. prognosis: Fatties rejoice! The chain plans to open three stores in Manhattan in the next 12 months. One in Greenwich Village, one in Harlem and one in Midtown. Rapper Pharrell Williams (inset) is a partner in the venture.

The big question is whether these companies, as good as they are elsewhere, can maintain their high quality in New York City. With a few exceptions, fast food chains in the Big Apple tend to devolve to dirtiness and surliness pretty quickly.

Chain Reaction [New York Post; via AHT reader Fred S.]

New Burger Joint in Park Slope, Brooklyn

AHT reader Franz H. writes:

So, I live in Park Slope and was walking past what used to be Bar Minnow on Seventh Ave and 9th Street, and I noticed there was a new awning going up. It's bright yellow and it said Brooklyn Burger Bar, any info on that at all?

Also, it's interesting to me that no one in NYC really talks about Buffalo wings. I believe wings are right up there with burgers and pizza as great comfort food. Do you have any favorites around the city? They best I've found so far are at Acme and Scruffy Duffy's.

Thanks for your time,
Franz H.
P.S. Is it true you are a fellow Syracuse alum?

Franz,
This is the first I've heard of the surf of Bar Minnow growing legs and moving to the turf of Brooklyn Burger Bar, so no great info from me, but thanks for the tip. I'm in the neighborhood, so I'll check it out when it opens.

As far as wings, I'm not a huge connoisseur, so I haven't had all that many around the city. My wing-nut friends in the Slope like Bonnie's, though, but I'm sure you've already tried and dismissed, as you don't mention them here.

Syracuse: Nope. That's Seltzerboy from sister site Slice. He's an Orangeman. I'm a Jay-Jay-Jay-Jay Jayhawk, up at Lawrence on the Kaw.

Sinsearly,
Adam

Stand: Not Opening Today

New Manhattan burger joint Stand was supposed to be open today. A tipster sent us this via email: "I went inside and spoke with someone, clearly they're not opening for lunch today. He said hopefully Sunday or Monday—for dinner. It will be dinner only all next week, he said, so they can work out the kinks before they open for lunch."

Brgr: Frst Rmblngs

Some initial reports from recently opened Brgr ...

New York magazine: No real critique, just background: "One-third pound natural Angus, sourced from boutique beefery Montana Legend, seasoned with house-blend spice mix and griddled or charbroiled to temperature." [link]

The Homesick Texan: "I stopped by Brgr on Seventh Avenue this evening. I ordered a medium-rare cheeseburger, and it came out way overdone. Small 100% Angus beef patty was overwhelmed by veggies. A snack, not a meal. Expensive." [link]

Eat for Victory: "It reminded me of a guy who looks hot from down the block, but not so good up close. The place is slick and overtly trendy, and the menu is appealing, but the details are all messed up." [link]

Any other reports, folks?


BRGR
Address: 287 Seventh Ave. (26th Street), New York NY 10001 [map]
Phone: 212-488-7500

Photograph from Homesick Texan, via Flickr

Openings: 67 Burger

2006112767Burger.jpgFrom Friend of AHT Balgavy:

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I played a bunch of new games I got, and I think this year's board game party should be a blast. Werewolf is a popular party game that turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected.

Anyway, just sending you a note to tell you a new place in Fort Greene, 67 Burger, is now open till 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. No
mini burgers, but they do have a kids hamburger which includes fries. The burger I picked up last night was really good. The spicy curly fries were just like Arby's but much too expensive (almost $4).

Thanks for the tip, Mr. Balgavy! You're the second person AHT has heard about 67 Burger from. Does anyone else have anything to report? If the burgers there are as cool as the burger diagram (left) from the joint's website ...

Openings: BLT Burger

BLT Burger, Exterior ShotBLT BURGER
Address: 470 Sixth Ave., New York NY 10001 [map]
Getting There: F/V trains to 14th Street
Cost: $7 for burger with lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles; cheese, ¢50 extra; cash and credit accepted
Short Order: A respectable fast-food style burger; beefy flavor, pleasantly salty taste
You Want Fries With That? Beats me. They offer hand-cut fries made from Idaho potatoes, but I opted for the Vidalia onion rings, which could use some work—a little too much batter



Eater put it on its BurgerWatch. Friends IMed me about it. But when an AHT reader wrote, asking if we had any reports on BLT Burger, I was duty bound to act. I hightailed it down to Sixth Avenue and 12th Street for some quick B-search™

Continue reading »

Brgr: A New NYC Burger Joint for the Fall

This morning's Strong Buzz newsletter brought us information on an addition to the NYC burger landscape:

Some of you may remember Chris Russell from his days at Moomba, then Tantra, which became Sage and then closed. Chris is a good guy, but his restaurants post-Moomba sadly quickly shuttered. His latest project, set to open in November, focuses on a simple food group that has a more of a proven track record than celebrity-dusted tuna tartare—the hamburger. His joint, called brgr, will serve fresh made-to-order burgers — beef, turkey and veggie — all from all-natural, locally supplied meat and produce. You choose whether your burger is charbroiled or hot off the griddle. Beer and wine will be served, along with hand-cut fries, beer-battered onion rings and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Rockwell Group is designing the two-story space, which has 60 seats and is designed to put guests inside the kitchen, offering an all-access view to burger prep and cooking. Brgr will be located at 287 Seventh Avenue (btwn 26 & 27).

If the description proves to be true, I'll be there the first day it's open. I love exposed kitchens.

Openings: Burgers and Cupcakes

I hate lines and I hate crowds.* I haven't yet visited the Shake Shack this year because of the throngs of idiots willing to wait an hour and a half for a burger. And I've never understood why on earth New Yorkers would wait in a ridiculous line for a rotten CUPCAKE, of all things (non-New Yorkers, click here for an explanation—and be prepared to feel smugly superior: Magnolia Bakery line). Gargh.

I can think of only one thing worse than standing in either of these lines: Standing in a perfect storm of lines. A burger-PLUS-cupcake line.

Florence Fabricant reports:

Burgers and Cupcakes: Mitchel London has changed his cafe, Mitchel London Foods, into this new spot that serves, yes, only hamburgers and cupcakes from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is a breakfast menu Monday through Saturday (the catering company in this location is still Mitchel London Foods): 458 Ninth Avenue (36th Street), (212) 643-1200.

Mitchel London is either evil, genius incarnate, or, better yet, an EVIL genius. Hand over fist, my friend. Hand over fist.

Off the Menu [New York Times]

* I probably shouldn't live in New York City. I know. Spare me the comments and e-mails, people.

Openings: Water Taxi Beach, Queens


Photo by Yumyumbindi, via Flickr

A Hamburger Today recently learned that Harry's LIC Bar & Grill at Water Taxi Beach will open for the season on Friday, May 26, at 4 p.m. The big news this year is that Harry "Hey Chef" Hawk has been down in the skunk works with George "Hamburger America" Motz doing some R&D on a special "Motz Burger." (FYI: It's pronounced Moatz, so don't expect mozzarella on this limited-edition sandwich.)

According to Mr. Hawk, the Motz Burger is all of the following:
1/4 pound fresh ground beef (ground daily before opening).
Served on a four-inch white hamburger bun from Petchers.
Seasoned with kosher salt and coarse-ground black pepper (freshly ground, of course).
Topped with American cheese (comes standard).
Splashed with Schnäck Sauce.

Tomato will be available but is not recommend by Mr. Motz, and as for lettuce, "We don't serve lettuce," Mr. Hawk says. Mr. Hawk also says the burger will be grilled on a gas grill and the bun will be warmed or toasted. He is not yet sure how they'll temp the burger but for now they're thinking rare, medium, and well. Note that this is one of the joint's limited-supply items, so you'll have to get your greasy, sandy hands on one before the daily supply runs out.

Water Taxi Beach was voted best place to pretend you're in Miami by New York magazine, which describes it as a "5,000-square-foot beach that New York Water Taxi created last year by dumping 400 tons of fine white New Jersey sand on a Long Island City pier."

WATER TAXI BEACH
Location: Hunter's Point Ferry Landing, Long Island City, NY [map]

Culver's to Tap Urban Market

Butterburger, Culver's

Culver's, the Wisconsin-based restaurant chain best known for its ButterBurgers and frozen custard, is targeting urban neighborhoods with a smaller version of its current locations.

According to CattleNetwork.com (yeah, we laughed too), the chain will open its smaller-capacity locations in Chicago, Denver, and Dallas.

What, no ButterBurger love for New York City? Aren't we "urban"?

Culver's [Official Website]
Burger Chain Culver's Targets Urban Neighborhoods [CattleNetwork.com]
Culver's Photo Gallery [Slice's Flickr Stream]

Fatburger Opens in Bay Area

Hard to believe that Fatburger, which has locations in West Nyack, New York, and Jersey City, New Jersey, only recently opened in the Bay Area. But it's true. The joint's in Pleasant Hill:

E-40, you see, is one of the co-owners of the restaurant. Another is Chester McGlockton, a 13-year NFL veteran and former defensive tackle with the Oakland Raiders. The Pleasant Hill store is the first of five franchises that this investment team plans to open in the Bay Area over the next two to three years. Hopefully, the next one will be in my driveway.

It makes sense that E-40 is onboard for this venture. Fatburger is the unofficial hip-hop hamburger, forever immortalized in the great Ice Cube song "It was a Good Day."

FATBURGER (PLEASANT HILL, CALIFORNIA)
Location: 100 Crescent Drive, Pleasant Hill CA 94523 [map]
Phone: 925-680-7600

True confessions from a cheeseburger-lovin' Fat-head [InsideBayArea.com]

A Thomas Keller Burger Joint in Napa Valley

Looks like Napa Valley might be blessed with a Thomas Keller burger joint. Thanks to a tip from megnut, we've got this tidbit from the April issue of Food and Wine:

Rumor has it that Keller, who is a huge devotee of the West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger, will also be launching a burger joint of his own in the Napa area. In-N-Out doesn't serve wine (the bottle in the above photo is just a prop), but Keller's new place will—and it will be featuring half-bottles like the French Laundry's first and currently only house label, a chocolaty Cabernet Sauvignon called Modicum.

In addition to the burger joint, he'll also be opening a butcher shop in Napa. Sounds amazing. Keller is the chef at some of America's top restaurants (French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon) and obviously a burger enthusiast.

We'll keep you posted on developments as they arise, but please let us know if you hear anything.

B Minus 20

On March 21, we will have ignition. We will have lift-off. And the Shake Shack will rocket into the burgersphere for another nine-month meatrific mission. Here's the countdown clock from the joint's site:




[Via A Full Belly]

Opening: Joe's Best Burger

Dear AHTAn AHT reader, Jack, e-mailed us yesterday with a tip. His subject line, "In-N-Out Burger clone opened today on Main Street in Flushing... " The e-mail body:

...it’s called Joe’s Best Burger, located one store down from the northeast corner of Main Street at Roosevelt, and appears to be a new brand, as a (brief) Web search only turned up its not-yet-functioning website. (I’ve never heard of it before.)

It has the In-N-Out formula down cold, and might be worth a trip for In-N-Out lovers.

I just posted a more complete description on Chowhound's Outer Borough site.

Thanks, Jack!

Opening: Dumont Burger

DuMontAHT tipster and friend Janelle informs us that Williamsburg hipster hangout DuMont will open a new take-out burger stand very soon. No word on whether it will feature the same burger served in the sit-down joint at Union Street and DeVoe or something new.

According to Community Board minutes, the new place will be located at 314 Bedford, between South 2nd and South 3rd streets. From Janelle:

I met the architect—he works with a restaurateur and a third guy, and they open clubs and restaurants. Anyhoo, he designed DuMont Burger, and they're opening soon. Apparently New York did a photoshoot last saturday, but I haven't heard a peep about the opening anywhere else.

Thanks for the tip, Janelle!

photograph from the DuMont website.

Hey, You Got Your Pizza in My Burger!

New York magazine is reporting on a new, Burger Joint–inspired burger place:

If Good Burger, a newfangled Turtle Bay soda fountain of sorts, seems familiar, it may be because owner Nick Tsoulos of the Patsy’s pizza-chain family took the Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien hotel as his model. Although he stopped short of draping the place behind a giant curtain, he did manage to lure away a couple of prized patty flippers from that once semi-secret but now famous burgery.

For more on New York City pizza, check out Slice, "America's Favorite Pizza Weblog."

GOOD BURGER
Location: 800 Second Avenue (at 43rd St.)
Phone: 212-922-1700

Openings & Buzz [New York]

Thanks to our Queens Correspondent for tipping us to this story.

New Schnäck Location at the Brooklyn Lyceum

The Brooklyn Lyceum
Brooklyn Lyceum's Schnäck

Schnack MenuA new expansion to tell you about. Schnäck has opened a branch inside the Brooklyn Lyceum.

The Brooklyn Lyceum is at Fourth Avenue and President Street, just outside the Union Street station on the R line, which happens to be my subway stop. I've been complaining to friends for a while now that my part of Park Slope is woefully devoid of places to get cheap and fast take-out, so this outpost of the Red Hook burger/dog/sausage joint is a welcome new neighbor.

The gentleman manning the grill said that the Lyceum Schnäck would be open seven days a week and that when there weren't events at the Lyceum (which hosts live music, theater performances, and film screenings), they'll probably just turn on the TVs to whatever game or what-not is showing.

The next thing that will be expanding in the neighborhood will be my waistline.

SCHNACK, BROOKLYN LYCEUM
Location:

[Thanks to Youthlarge for the ticket to the Calla album release show, which was the impetus for the Schnäck discovery. Youthlarge, by the way, will be coming on board AHT as a contributor, giving us a much-needed infusion of new blood in this enterprise. We look forward to good things from this one.]

New In-N-Out Opens in Oakland

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

Today has turned into a bit of an In-N-Out day, huh? Let's add to the dogpile...

The folks on Oakland, California, community website Oaklog are reporting that there's a new In-N-Out that just opened "near the Oakland Airport and the Colisseum. It's right off 880, at Hegenberger ... "

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