Entries tagged with 'reviews'
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 25, 2008 at 10:45 AM
The Bonbonniere cheeseburger special.
La Bonbonniere. Yeah, I had to look it up, too. It's a wedding favor—a crystal or porcelain trinket box that traditionally held a few sugar cubes back in the day when sugar was expensive and symbolized wealth.
Is La Bonbonniere a box? You could say that. Does it or its contents symbolize wealth? Not these days. It's a typical greasy spoon coffee shop with formica counters and padded vinyl stools.
Meg Hourihan first tipped me to its burger, saying, "I think what makes it so perfect is they put cheese on both side of the bun, so the juicy, flavorful meat is sandwiched between bread and cheese. I used to live nearby and went there often. Now it's not so convenient, so I don't just drop in for lunch. I really miss that burger." Meg and I made vague plans to visit but never did, so I finally went on my own yesterday.
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Posted by Nick Solares, September 23, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Shopsin's General Store
Stall 16, Essex Street Market, 120 Essex Street, New York NY 10002 (b/n Delancey Street and Rivington Street; map); 212-924-5160; shopsins.com
The Short Order: Amazingly authentic sliders that rival the nation's best, but Shopsin himself is the real star of the show
Want Fries with That? Comes with chips, fries are extra and untested by the reviewer
Price: sliders $9; burgers $7
Notes: Open Tues. through Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"That's you?...You're wrong!" bellowed Kenny Shopsin when he discovered that I, occasional but passionate (and accepted, at least at the time of writing) patron of Shopsin's General Store, and the writer of Beef Aficionado who last year heaped lavish praise upon his sliders, were one and the same. It wasn't enough that I called his sliders the finest I have had in New York City and the closest one can get to White Manna, the appropriately named holy grail of sliderism in Hackensack, New Jersey, without actually leaving Manhattan.
"I see what they are doing," he said. referring to a video I had posted on White Manna. "They steam the onions; my sliders are better, I grill them," he stated definitively, as if that was the end of the discussion, which it actually turned out to be. "You'll see—try mine again and you'll eat your words."
I retorted that when it came to burgers I didn't mind eating my words one bit, and put in my order. I could have posited that the gooey, oozing onions on the sliders at White Manna add a particularly pleasing textural component—not to mention a sweetness that his onions lack by virtue of all the sugars being caramelized—but Shopsin had moved on, laying out a perfectly reasoned but expletive-filled diatribe against the city parking system. Of course, Shopsin's onions, like Shopsin himself, have their own particular charms. And while I still give the White Manna slider the slight edge, the ones at Shopsin's have one thing that Manna does not have: Shopsin himself.
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Posted by Matt Jacobs, September 19, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Editor's Note: We're happy to welcome back former AHT East Coast editor (and, of course, highly qualified burger fiend) Matt Jacobs! Here's the first of his monthly New York burger reviews.
Photographs by Robyn Lee
Rare Bar & Grill
228 Bleecker Street, New York NY 10014 (at 6th Avenue; map; another location at 303 Lexington Avenue)
212-691-7273; rarebarandgrill.com
The Short Order: Fantastically beefy steakhouse burgers with a slightly wimpy bun. Meat-o-philes can skip the condiments and should take notice
Want Fries with That? The sweet potato fries were good and the cottage fries were okay, but they're not a necessity
Notes: Mon.-Wed., 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri., 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Sat., 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Oh, hello there reader. If the clamoring for my return in the Serious Eats office is any indication, you were waiting with bated breath for this day. There is likely a party room decked out with red and yellow streamers, hamburger piñatas, and diced onion confetti waiting for me. While I appreciate the effort, I'd rather get straight to work. Let's talk meat.
Rare Bar & Grill has long been a formidable contender for top burger honors and has been on our hit list since it got noticed back in 2006. Rare straddles the line between fancypants and working-man burger, offering high-quality cuts (Ribeye, New York Strip) with high-quality toppings (truffle butter) at high-quality prices ($21, $26 with the truffle butter). On the other end of the burger spectrum is the simple Rare Classic ($9), made with an eight ounce patty of freshly ground chuck. This could have been a showdown between the hoity-toity and the hoi polloi, but we focused on the burger you're most likely to purchase—the Rare Classic.
Start with Mini Burgers
But before getting to the main course, we whetted our palates with the Burger Trio starter ($15) consisting of three mini burgers of the chef's choosing. One was covered in cheddar and the other two were topped with Swiss, mushrooms, sautéed onions, and apple-smoked bacon. These were served on a sweet brioche bun and accompanied by onion rings.
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Posted by Nick Solares, September 16, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Black Iron Burger Shop
540 East 5th Street, New York NY 10009 (b/n Avenue A and Avenue B; map); 212-677-6067; blackironburger.com
The Short Order: Potentially excellent burgers hampered by over cooking and a poor bun choice
Want Fries with That? Absolutely—they're golden, crispy and delicious. Don't miss the shakes either
Price: cheeseburger $7; fries/rings $4, milkshake $6.
Notes: Open 7 days a week, 6 p.m. - late night (call ahead, closing times appear to vary)
My father, a dapper and suave dresser, once told me that a gentleman should take a long time to dress, meticulously preening his tie and breast pocket handkerchief until they are absolutely perfect and then ruffling them impetuously to make them appear as if they only took a few moments to assemble. This sort of describes Black Iron Burger, whose opening was greatly anticipated here at AHT and across the blogosphere.
While, Black Iron Burger looks like the owners just stuck a griddle into an existing, possibly decades-old bar, the reality is that not much of what you see upon entering the place actually existed before the multi-month renovation began. Or if it existed, it was buried under years of prior renovations that had to be stripped away.
Irrespective of the time it took, the results are impressive. Black Iron Burger appears to have been open for decades, with its dark, worn wood interior complete with exposed rafters and brick. Tarnished mirrors hang behind the bar and on the adjacent wall, and the reflections of the warm lighting are amplified by the glass casting a golden hue over the room. Bottles of Heinz ketchup, Gilden's mustard, and Grey Poupon line the walls along narrow shelves, tall tables, and stools dominate the relatively cramped room.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, September 11, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Serious Eats intern-turned-obsessive-Chinatown-documentarian Gordon Mark reminds us that sometimes what we're looking for might be right before our eyes. His buddy Herman tipped him to the burger at the Antique Cafe, a coffee shop just a couple doors down from the AHT-Serious Eats office. "Best burger I've ever eaten," Herman said.
Then Gordon grabbed one and concurred, even starting his own food blog and documenting it on what he's calling Gordon Eats:
But what did it for me was the burger patty. It was quite a substantial chunk of meat. Also the cheese didn’t overpower the burger. Nice. I would get it more often if it wasn’t so expensive. It comes with salad and fries and costs almost $10 (9 dollars and 60 something cents).
This will be my lunch today. Look for another post on this place later today.
Antique Cafe
234 West 27th Street, New York NY 100001 (b/n Seventh and Eighth avenues; map)
212-243-2326
antiquecafeny.com
Posted by Robyn Lee, September 8, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Former AHT East Coast editor Matt Jacobs reviews three burger joints in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Nothing's perfect, but at least the veteran Bonnie's Grill gets 7/10 and newcomer Brooklyn Flipsters scores a 6/10, with the potential to get better. Other newcomer Corner Burger sadly only gets a 3/10.
Related
Openings: Corner Burger in Park Slope
Five Guys Park Slope, Opening Day
Posted by Nick Solares, September 2, 2008 at 10:00 AM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
Pie 'N Burger
913 East California Boulevard, Pasadena CA 91106 (b/n South Lake Ave and South Mentor Ave; map); 626-795-1123; pienburger.com
The Short Order:Classic So Cal-style griddle-cooked burgers replete with Thousand Island dressing. While there is nothing unique about the recipe, the execution is unmatched. It's the author's favorite example of the breed
Want Fries with That? Absolutely—they're golden, crispy and delicious
Price: hamburger $6.25; cheeseburger $6.75
Notes: Open Mon.-Fri., 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat., 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun., 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Last week I reported on the venerable Apple Pan restaurant and its justifiably hyped burger offerings. An equally compelling burger—albeit with far less star power (you probably won't see Jack Nicholson or any other celebrity dining here)&madsh;can be found in Pasadena at the decades-old Pie 'N Burger. I have to thank George Motz for featuring Pie 'N Burger in his book Hamburger America. I would have definitely made it to the Apple Pan irrespective of his book, as it is world famous, but a hidden gem like Pie 'N Burger would have likely slipped under the radar, overshadowed by L.A.'s more celebrated burger joints but for Motz's coverage. And what a shame that would have been, for Pie 'N Burger provided me with one of the seminal burger experiences of my life.
While the Apple Pan benefited from its proximity to the Hollywood movie studios and has served everyone from Clark Gable to Barbara Streisand, Pie 'N Burger has thrived on the back of a different constituency: local college students from USC and Caltech, as well as legions of those salt of the earth-type working people that you only hear about during primary elections.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, August 28, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Marvo's burger, and Jack in the Box's press release version. Practically separated at birth!
Easily enticed by new menu items, Marvo of product review blog The Impulsive Buy tries Jack in the Box's Nacho Cheese Burger. While I was disappointed to find out that it isn't a cheeseburger topped with tortilla chips, but a cheeseburger topped with sliced jalapenos, it's still slightly more interesting than a plain fast food cheeseburger. Marvo gives it the thumbs up:
The jalapenos gave the burger a nice heat, but not enough to think I might have contracted a burning sensation from a drunken starlet. The cheddar cheese sauce added nicely to the burger’s flavor and was as gooey and as radioactive in color as I would expect.
The Nacho Cheese Burger is available at Jack in the Box for $1.29. Marvo warns that it's on the small side, so you may need something else to eat with it. Just don't go for the BBQ Bacon Sirloin Burger.
Posted by Ed Levine, August 28, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Photographs by Robyn Lee
Hundred Acres
38 MacDougal Street, New York, NY (b/n Prince and Houston Streets; map); 212-475-7500; hundredacresnyc.com
The Short Order: Extraordinary dry-aged, coarsely ground, grass-fed and grain-finished burger.
Want Fries with That? Great salty, medium-thick,skin-on fries, crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside.
Price: Hamburger or cheeseburger, $18
There is no shortage of fancy-pants burgers in New York City, ranging from ridiculously overpriced Kobe burgers to burgers filled with foie gras, short ribs, and even fatback. But how does someone distinguish his or her fancy-pants burger from the pack of great burger wanna-bes?
Marc Meyer, chef and co-owner of Hundred Acres (and the co-owner of Cookshop and Five Points), had an additional burden. He felt compelled to come up with a burger that would stand out among all the other fancy-pants burgers in the city and also be different from his excellent Cookshop and Five Points burgers.
He found a farm in Virginia, Deblyn, part of the EcoFriendly Foods co-op, that raises a limited number of animals on grass and finishes them on grain. The co-op then ages the meat for 4 to 8 weeks and sells quarters to Meyer. He coarsely grinds neck and shoulder meat and puts six ounces of it on a Tom Cat bakery brioche-like bun. Meyer then takes a slice of sublime Goot Essa cheddar, adds some Vidalia onion mayo, and a side order of skin-on fries. Does he succeed in fashioning a distinctive fancy-pants burger?
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Posted by JWFROMNJ, August 27, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Editor's Note: A few weeks ago, J. G. Wallace, a former food-service professional, avid cook, devout foodie, and newspaper food writer, contacted AHT about Powers Hamburgers in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "Powers is an often overlooked player on the slider scene," he wrote. "They come very close to Hackensack's White Manna, and I am qualified to say that since I grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey. My wife is from Fort Wayne and we now live 20 miles outside of Fort Wayne. I went to Powers and got some great pics, and enjoyed what many locals call onion burgers with meat. Would you be interested in a write-up?" Of course we were, and here it is. Thank you, J. G.! Burgermeisters, have at it!
Powers Hamburgers
1402 S Harrison Street, Fort Wayne IN 46802; (at West Brackenridge Street; map); 260-422-6620
The Short Order: The approximately 2-ounce sliders are generously topped with grilled onions and optional American cheese (nothing else), and served on a potato roll.
Price: Hamburger, $0.85 (double, $1.60); cheeseburger, $0.95 (double, $1.80)
By J. G. Wallace | What I am about to write may seem like burger blasphemy to some of AHT's readers, but as a New Jersey native, burger fanatic, and obsessive "foodie," I'm prepared to say Powers Hamburgers in Fort Wayne, Indiana compares very well to White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey, both in terms of the actual slider, atmosphere, and overall experience. Is it possible, you ask, for there to be a Nirvana-like hamburger experience in a mid-sized Midwestern city best known to many Americans as the home of M*A*S*H's Major Frank Burns? To be fair, Fort Wayne also hosted the first night baseball game under lights, was the former home of the Detroit Pistons—then called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons—and once had a mayor named Harry Baals (you can't make this stuff up).
More Than 60 Years of History
Before you say it's not possible for a Hoosier slider shack to be compared to one of America's best and most famous burgers, just talk a walk with me to 1402 South Harrison Street in downtown Fort Wayne. It's in the old downtown business district, across the street from the U.S. District Federal Courthouse. Over the years many businesses have moved away from the center city as the city expanded, but Powers Hamburgers has stood steadfast since 1940. The small white Art Deco style building with black trim and black and white awnings hasn't changed much since it opened. The Powers Hamburger story begins in that same period of burger history that spawned places like White Manna, along with White Mana in Jersey City, White Castle, and the slider in general.
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Robb Walsh of the Houston Press praises Five Guys' burger, pointing out "the big stack of fresh crispy vegetables they pile on it" and the throughtful construction. He wasn't a fan of the fries though, which he said were overcooked.
Posted by Robyn Lee, August 26, 2008 at 4:45 PM
L'Hippo's burger looks better than it tastes. Photograph taken by David Lebovitz
When Paris-based chef and blogger David Lebovitz had a burger craving in the land of cheese and baguettes, where burgers tend to be "wildly overpriced and nothing more than a glorified, microwaved sandwich," he looked towards French chain restaurant Hippoppotamus. Despite the promising appearance and approval from a Parisian neighbor, the burger wasn't all that.
My friend and I rated the burger at l'Hippo a tepid 6 out of 10. Even though we ordered the same basic burger, her patty was a good bit...okay...a lot larger than mine [...] and the bun was stale, not fresh and toasty-brown..
But David doesn't mean to complain that much; "Because sometimes, a guy's just gotta have a burger." Besides, he seems to have accepted his fate of not being able to easily find a great burger in Paris.
Related: 'New York Times' on the Latest Culinary Fad in Paris: Burgers
Posted by Nick Solares, August 26, 2008 at 10:00 AM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
Apple Pan
10801 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90064 (map); 310-475-3585
The Short Order: Plump, succulent, and tender quarter pound burgers made with toasted, squishy buns are generously topped with lettuce, cheese, pickles, and mayonnaise. They're arguably the finest example of the California-style burger
Want Fries with That? Crispy and delicious, they're worth getting
Notes: Closed on Mondays. Tue.-Thu. and Sun., 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Back in 2005 Hamburger Hadley reported on the the venerable Apple Pan in West Los Angeles. It has since been featured in George Motz's Hamburger America—rumor has it that the idea for Motz's film and subsequent book originated at Apple Pan's counter over a burger. As the newest member of the AHT staff, I considered it a rite of passage to make Apple Pan a destination when I recently visited Los Angeles.
An Eatery That Takes You Back in Time
Nothing has changed since Hadley's visit—the Apple Pan remains exactly as he described. In fact, I doubt that much has changed at the Apple Pan since it opened back in 1947. At that time the Apple Pan was surrounded by the citrus groves and family farms that blanketed the undulating terrain of what was then rural West Los Angeles. A riding stable used to be located just across the street—a lady that I struck up conversation with at the counter remembers taking lessons there as a child and then heading over to the Apple Pan for burgers. She confirmed that absolutely nothing has changed at the simple ranch-style building in the ensuing years. On the other hand, almost everything else in the vicinity has transformed from rural to urban—the massive Westwood Pavilion Mall located across the street towers above the Apple Pan and rows of houses have replaced the rows of orchards.
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Joan Reminick of Newsday reviews Bobby's Burger Palace in Lake Grove, New York, giving it one and a half stars. She recommends the dark chocolate malted shake over the burgers and doesn't think much of the fries.
Posted by kenjialtci, August 25, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Editor's note: Kenji Alt is a food writer for Cook's Illustrated magazine who takes a special interest in burgers. He is also a madman. You might remember his post on The Blumenburger, where he followed Heston Blumenthal's burger recipe, which takes 30 hours, 4 minutes and requires 32 ingredients. He's back, this time with an epic feat that took only 8 hours but seems far more grueling in our book. I mean twelve burgers?
Don’t get me wrong. I love living in Boston, and the city’s got a lot to offer, but among those things, there are a few key items that are missing (particularly for a former New Yorker): delis, decent bagels, pizza (I’d settle for even vaguely edible pizza), good hot dogs, and great griddled burgers. Now there are a lot of locals who will disagree with me and point to any number of restaurants that serve acceptable but unremarkable chopped-meat sandwiches. I’ve yet to find one that I don’t take major issue with.
R. F. O’Sullivan is too damn big to eat with your hands. (Why don’t Boston burger joints understand the concept that bigger is not necessarily better?) Once you get past the atmosphere, Bartley’s Burger Cottage patties, while juicy and greasy, are underseasoned, mealy, and frankly, bland. And despite (or because of) UBurger's spurious claim that their burgers are made of fresh ground beef (don’t believe it—they buy preground chuck just like most other places and mix it together with a nominal amount of house-ground stuff), they cook up with that rubbery feel that only an overcompressed, overworked patty gets.
Yes, I have ground beef envy. New Yorkers have been blessed by a burger renaissance, and every couple of weeks, when my slight burger pangs become uncontrollable fits of sandwiched chopped-cow lust, I’m moved to take the 200-mile trip to the city. (Of course, my New Yorker fiancé believes me when I tell her that I’m coming down just to visit her.)
Like an alcoholic who gets wasted the night before jumping on the wagon, I decided to try to cure my burger cupidity by going on a daylong feeding frenzy. A burger bender, if you will: 12 burgers in 8 hours.
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Posted by Nick Solares, August 19, 2008 at 10:00 AM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
Bobby's Burger Palace
355 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove NY 11755 (map); 631-382-9590; bobbysburgerpalace.com
Price: Palace Classic Burger, $6.50; all other burger variations, $7.50; fries, $2.50; onion rings, $3; milkshakes, $5
Peoria, Illinois, is often considered the most average city in America, its population perfectly representing mainstream Midwestern and, by extension, American values. The oft-posed refrain "Will it play in Peoria?" actually dates back to the Vaudeville era but has now become synonymous with marketers looking to appeal to a broad section of the American population. It thus speaks volumes that celebrity chef Bobby Flay decided to open the first of his intended national burger chain in the upscale digs of the Smith Haven Mall on Long Island, in Lake Grove, New York. Bobby's Burger Palace (BBP) opened in July and conceptually, at least, it is an amalgam of both a fast food joint and a diner-style restaurant, it is a balance that is perhaps difficult to achieve and the potential for schizophrenia is distinct.
While BBP is situated within the confines of the mall, adjacent to the food court, it is only accessible from the building's exterior, there is no entrance leading from inside the mall itself. There is a distinct paucity of signage in the mall indicating where BBP actually is, the floor plan still indicates that the restaurant is "coming soon" and I found no other mention of the spot elsewhere. When I did finally find the restaurant I was impressed both by the clean, uncluttered modern design and the large crowd that was amassed at the entrance way. I got there around 1 p.m. during a Friday lunch hour.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, August 14, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Fun Factoid
According to Wikipedia, "In the AMC Television series Mad Men, the employees of the Sterling Cooper advertising agency frequent P.J. Clarke's."
I've been to P. J. Clarke's a number of times—the original in Midtown East and the one near Lincoln Center (but not the one downtown). But the thing I always have to remind myself before I go is that, even though P. J. Clarke's is a pub, it does not serve a "pub burger."
What I mean is that P. J. Clarke's burger is not a gargantuan ten-ounce slightly flattened-softball-shape burger. You don't need a snake jaw to eat it, unlike so many of the sandwiches served at bars known for their burgers (I'm thinking Donovan's, Molly's, etc.).
Instead, you get what I'm guessing is closer to a five- or six-ounce patty, perfectly cooked to temperature, perfectly seasoned (OK, maybe just a bit too salty), and with just the right amount of char on it to give the surface some crunchy, chewy bits to play against the soft, juicy interior.
This is one great burger.
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Posted by Nick Solares, August 12, 2008 at 10:00 AM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
Blue 9
92 Third Avenue, New York NY 10003 (b/n 12th and 13th streets; map); 212-979-0053
Price: Blue 9 burger, $4.62; cheeseburger, $3.55; hamburger, $3.15; fries, $2
Notes: Open late! Sun.–Mon., 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Fri.–Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 a.m.
People often ask me what the best burger in New York is. It's a question I don't feel comfortable answering for a number of reasons, but most important because I haven't tried every burger in New York City.
And that is the problem I have with those "top" burger lists that seem to be bandied about with such frequency these days. There is an implied supposition that the author has indeed tried all of the burgers in the city, which of course is impossible.
You might think that the ratings derived from the mass consensus of the Zagat reader survey or of various online opinion sites or "guides" would be a bit more balanced, but I tend to find them unreliable at best. For one, I have found that in the case of the latter, people tend to post reviews out of anger derived from a negative experience. There is also the problem of context and sensibility. If you are reading this blog, you probably have a fairly evolved concept of hamburgers and can separate a great burger from its less-than-salubrious surroundings.
I always find it humorous when I read a negative review of a burger spot and the service and decor are discussed in great detail but there is nary a mention of the burger itself. Even funnier are those reviews that complain about the burger being overcooked and dried out, and then it turns out that the author was referring to a turkey or veggie burger.
So when people ask me what the best burger in New York is, I tell them that I couldn't possibly know but I can tell them my favorites. One of my favorites, and it is very high on my list—sometimes in the top spot—is Blue 9.
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Posted by Nick Solares, August 7, 2008 at 12:20 PM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
Veselka
144 Second Avenue, New York NY 10003 (at 9th Street; map); 212-228-9682; veselka.com
The Short Order: Grilled, eight-ounce burgers are perfectly balanced, beefy, and smokey. An unexpectedly well-crafted burger from a joint better known for Eastern European dishes
Want Fries with That? The skin-on fries that accompany the deluxe burger are tasty, with a crisp, crunchy exterior. I didn't request it, but they came out well-done, which I prefer
Price: Cheeseburger, $6.50; cheeseburger deluxe, $8.25
Tom Birchard is a passionate burger man, which is curious, considering that he owns Veselka, the East Village Ukranian restaurant. You might not expect to find a great hamburger in a place better known for borscht, kielbasa, and pierogies. But just as Veselka has evolved from a small corner newspaper stand to the restaurant it is today, so too has the burger, reaching its current state through what Birchard describes as "a lot of trial and error."
The story of Veselka ("rainbow" in Ukranian), is one of those quintessentially American tales. Wolodymyr Darmochwal and his family fled Ukraine in the wake of WWII, surviving a German refugee camp and arriving in the U.S. in 1944. Within a decade he was able to open a small newsstand on the corner of Second Avenue and 9th Street in the East Village. By 1962 Veselka subsumed the neighboring luncheonette and started serving Ukrainian comfort food. By 1996 it had expanded further east taking over another adjoining space and creating the open restaurant of today.
Veselka is one of the last of the Slavic restaurants that once proliferated in the East Village. Other neighborhoods had the diner, with a generic "American" menu as the budget mainstay of choice, but the East Village had such venerable institutions as Leshko's and Kiev, all serving up a distinctive Eastern European menu. While there remain a couple of greasy spoon Slavic joints further up Second Avenue, Veselka is the most venerable restaurant of its type left. It is heartening that, in a city increasingly being taken over by chain stores, Veselka is still run by the same family. Birchard is Darmochwal's son-in-law, and both of Birchard's sons, Jason and Todd, work there. Even the founder's son, Mykola Darmochwal, is still involved, having recently rationalized the accounting and computer systems.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, August 6, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Grub Street editor Josh "Mister Cutlets" Ozersky pits two new New York fancy-pants burgers head to head to see which is better—Lever House (390 Park Avenue, New York NY 10022; map) or Sheridan Square (138 Seventh Avenue South, New York NY 10014; map). Having only read about them, I can say my own stomach leans toward Ozerksy's conclusion:
Verdict: Lever House's is more composed and masterful, a burger for the ages. But for a visceral, messy, primordially gratifying burger experience, the Juicy Lucy delivers the goods. New York is big enough for both of these, the Carnegie Hall and the Bowery Ballroom of burgers.
The Juicy Lucy at Sheridan Square being a cheese-stuffed burger, of course.
Related: All "Jucy Lucy" posts on AHT
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 5, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Photograph at top left by Raphael
Today, as part of an image makeover, Ruby Tuesday is going to blow up the last of its old-style locations at 3 p.m. ET (you can watch, live, online at rubytuesday.com). We figured this was as good a time as ever to go over the burger there.
You see, a number of A Hamburger Today readers have written in steadily over the lifespan of this blog swearing that Ruby Tuesday, surprisingly, had an excellent burger. And indeed, a recent commenter on Serious Eats notes that it was originally founded as an upscale burger restaurant.
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Posted by Nick Solares, July 22, 2008 at 10:30 AM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
J. G. Melon has been mentioned quite a bit on A Hamburger Today and Serious Eats:New York lately. I listed it as one of the definitive burgers on Third Avenue as I made the case for that Manhattan street to be dubbed "Hamburger Alley." Bobby Flay named it as his favorite burger in an interview on SE:NY. And just last week Alan Richman ignobly removed it from his top burger list because of the "meatheads" who work there. The J. G. Melon burger is often listed on any legitimate survey of New York City's best burgers, and George Motz intended to feature it in his book Hamburger America, but no one at the bar would return his call. When I asked the manager about the latter situation, he was unaware of it but commented that they were probably too busy making burgers.
J. G. Melon is one of those bars that looks like it's been there forever but actually dates back to 1972. Not that that makes it a spring chicken (or should that be spring calf?) but the well-worn, kitschy decor (replete with numerous watermelon effigies) and tin ceiling all look decades older. The building itself is dark green, not unlike a watermelon, in fact, and the ceiling is red (but does not have any pits painted on). The front room that houses the bar and the kitchen is softly lighted with orange and yellow hues and leads to a rear dining room that is far darker. The kitchen is literally a shack, and despite its diminutive proportions, as many as three cooks work feverishly inside it, cranking out hundreds of burgers a day.
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Posted by Nick Solares, July 17, 2008 at 4:15 PM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
Fred 62
1850 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90027 (at Russell Avenue; map); 323-667 0062; fred62.com
The Short Order: The Jucy Lucy here is not modeled on the famous cheese-stuffed burger at Matt's Bar in Minneapolis but on the burgers at In-N-Out. The Jucy Lucy here, though, is like an In-N-Out burger on steroids. And tastes even better
Want Fries with That? They come with, but if they didn't, you could skip them. They're not as crisp or flavorful as they need to be
Price: $9.63 for the Jucy Lucy
Fred 62 is named after its owners, both named Fred, both born in, you guessed it, 1962. Back in 1997, designer Fred Sutherland and chef Fred Eric collaborated to create what they call a "retro-kitsch diner" in the burgeoning Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angles. There is a distinct possibility that such ambitions can result in a trite, tiresome, and contrived restaurant that focuses too much on the kitsch and not enough on the food. Fortunately Fred 62 avoids most of the culinary pitfalls and turns out some inventive twists on classic diner fare.
The decor is an interesting mix of traditional diner trappings (a long counter divides the room, replete with classic soda fountains), along with a cheeky, low-brow slant (the servers all have racing stripes to match those of the leather booths that resemble cars seats). The building is painted in shades of green, orange, and yellow, giving it a rather gaudy and cartoonish look. Like I said, low-brow. Aesthetic misgivings aside, I was here to eat what the menu modestly bills, as "the worlds greatest hamburger sandwich."
I won't keep you in suspense. I don't think it is the world's greatest hamburger, but it is nonetheless very good—certainly one of the best burgers I have had in L.A. The burger in question is called the Jucy Lucy, but it is nothing like the one that has been reported on here at AHT extensively, which is actually filled with cheese before cooking. Fred 62's Jucy Lucy might not be filled with cheese, but it does at least live up to its name.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, July 16, 2008 at 4:15 PM
- Shake Shack
- Big Nick's Burger & Pizza Joint
- Blue Smoke
- Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien
- Peter Luger
And you gotta love Richman for some of his inspired wandering within his blurbs. On Big Nick's:
Thank goodness for the internet. For almost two decades I’ve been sitting in the same scarred booth at Big Nick’s, under a medley of obscure celebrity photos, secretly harboring a crush on Vicki Darnell, an impressively endowed starlet. I never knew anything about her until now—I just Googled her and learned that she played the role of Sugar in the 1990 classic Frankenhooker. (If you see this, Vicki, dinner at Big Nick’s is on me.) I love this place, New York City’s signature dive. The half-pound burger is surprisingly good: Well-seasoned beef is cooked on an indoor grill and served on a so-so bun. Order it with a milkshake, the real thing at Big Nick’s. If you’re used to the fake ones at fast-food joints, you might mistakenly complain that this one is too thin.
Google Vicki Darnell for yourself: http://www.google.com/search?q=Vicki+Darnell
Related
"2 for 1 Burgers": Blue Smoke on the Cheap
AHT Shake Shack coverage
Posted by Nick Solares, July 15, 2008 at 3:00 PM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
"They lined us all up in front of a hundred yards of prime rib—magnificent meat, beautifully marbled. Then they started throwing it in these big cauldrons, all of it—boiling. I looked in, an' it was turning gray.... I couldn't f****** believe that one...."
Ted's Restaurant
1044 Broad Street, Meriden CT 06450; map); 203-237-6660; steamedcheeseburger.com
The Short Order: The cheeseburgers are steamed here. Yes, steamed. In little trays in a custom-made cabinet. Unfortunately, the novelty doesn't make up for the dry beef, as all the juice are poured out of the tray and discarded
Want Fries with That? Yes. The homefries here are amazing ($1.75)
Price: Steamed cheeseburger, $4.25; steamed hamburger, $3.25
Fans of Francis Ford Coppola's seminal 1979 film Apocalypse Now will recognize the quote above from the character Chef (Frederic Forrest) as he explains to Willard (Martin Sheen) why he quit working in the Army mess hall.
I had a similar experience walking in to Ted's. I couldn't believe what they were doing to their beef.
Ted's is a famed burger stand that I want to love, but I simply cannot overcome my aversion to their specialty. Said specialty is the steamed cheeseburger, a culinary curiosity that is indigenous and exclusive to central Connecticut. Although Ted's is not the creator of the steamed "cheeseburg," as they are known locally (that honor goes to the now defunct Jack's Lunch in nearby Middletown), they have been serving them since 1959.
Upon entering the diminutive roadside burger shop, you see a long counter, behind which you see huge piles of fresh ground chuck with a beautiful red hue and what looks like a generous flecking of fat. A burly counterman scoops up beef and loosely packs it into small trays so that it remains somewhat flaky. He fills separate trays with generous slabs of a pale-white cheese and then slides them all into custom-made breadbox-size contraption: the steam cabinet.
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Posted by Jenn Sit, July 14, 2008 at 6:00 PM
On Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, tucked away along a strip of golf resorts, hotels, and overpriced seafood restaurants is Harold's, an old-school diner car that serves up a big, mean burger to locals and in-the-know tourists.
If you blink, you'll miss it—and we did. The first time we cruised down the parkway looking for this joint, we were stumped, grumpy, and ended up at a pizza place that helped lift our spirits. The second time around, the burger gods must have been taken pity on us. We pulled into a random gas station, and, lo and behold, there was Harold's on the other side, our burger beacon of hope that momentarily distracted us from our pricey gas woes.
I shouted with glee and ran to the diner, never suspecting that I'd be meeting my biggest burger adversary to date: The Big H, the monster of all burgers.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, July 9, 2008 at 10:00 AM
The Pinesburger is the specialty at this charming little roadside tavern about three miles north of Ithaca on Route 89 (also known as Taughannock Boulevard).
The Pinesburger comes on Ithaca Bakery French bread—the same stuff that the famous Hot Truck French bread pizzas are served on (and what seems to be the ubiquitous bread choice for sandwiches in the area). It's topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and your choice of Thousand Island or mayo. I went for Thousand Island, as it seemed to be the thing to do.
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Posted by Nick Solares, July 8, 2008 at 10:00 AM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
From left: Clyde's burger, Mr. Smith's.
I spent a weekend in the nation's capital and had time to tuck in to a few burgers on my visit. Because of their proximity, both geographic and aesthetic, I'm covering two burgers together in this post, having already covered Ben's Chili Bowl here because I think it merits special attention.
Clyde's
My first burger of the trip was at Clyde's, a local chain. I generally avoid chains, but Clyde's looked genuinely historical. Indeed, the Georgetown location I dined at is the original and dates to 1963. I had originally planned on eating at Mr. Smith's just up the road but found it so packed I beat a hasty retreat. Clyde's made for a convenient alternative.
There is a collegial, saloon feel to Clyde's and despite appearing to be a straightforward bar and grill, it actually has higher culinary aspirations, offering fare that while not quite in the "gastropub" realm is certainly more inventive, some might say effete, than your average bar.
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Posted by Nick Solares, July 5, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Editor's note: Happy 4th of July weekend! How 'bout a burger from the ever-widening seat of American government? If you're in the nation's capital for the holiday, use this as a guide for checking out Ben's Chili Bowl —The Mgmt.
It is 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning and the jukebox at Ben's Chili Bowl is cranking out "Super Freak" on 11. The long counter that flanks the entire side of the main room is jam-packed with diners tucking in to stacks of fluffy pancakes, heaping bowls of chili, Ben's famous half smoke sausages and of course chiliburgers. They are all in tune with the music, rocking or bobbing or swiveling on their stools in time to the beat as they feast on the generous portions before them. The open kitchen on the other side of the counter also seems to be in time with the beat as an enormous cadre of cooks and waitresses turn out a dizzying number of plates to a packed dining room to the funky verbal gyrations of Rick James.
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Posted by Nick Solares, July 3, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Editor's note: We couldn't think of a better burger to report on this Thursday, a day before the 4th of July, than the one at All American Drive-In in Massapequa, New York. Hum a Sousa march to yourself while you read Nick Solares's review. —The Mgmt.
All American Drive-In
4286 Merrick Road, Massapequa NY 11758 (map); allamericanhamburger.us
The Short Order: All American's flavor will be familiar to anyone who has eaten under the Golden Arches, but it's the freshness of the product that sets it apart. Though the Double Double (two patties, two slices of cheese) provides the perfect beef-to-bun ratio, the cheeseburger is a study in simplicity, with a soft, fresh pillowy bun that leaves a dusting of flour on fingers. If getting a quarter-pounder, be sure to get cheese on it
Want Fries with That? Yes. They're crisp and golden and actually taste of potatoes ($1.15). The onion ringsare skippable
Price: Hamburger, $1.05; cheeseburger, $1.25; QP, $2.15; QPC, $2.55; Double Header, $2; Double Double, $2.40
Despite the fact that All American Drive-In has but one location, the burgers they serve will be instantly familiar to millions, perhaps even billions of people.
You see the three burgers on offer at this timeless little drive-in in exotic Massapequa, New York, are virtually identical to McDonald's early menu. Before Big Macs and breakfast burritos, before other chains started offering to do things your way, All American was churning out burgers "their way"—pickles, ketchup, finely diced onions—at a dizzying rate to the swarms of hungry suburbanites that flock here.
You want choice? OK, you can order your burgers with or without cheese.
I often wonder if one can be nostalgic for an era that one never lived in. Is there such a word in the English language? I certainly get the feeling of nostalgia when I dine at All American. The diminutive portion sizes, the immediacy of service, the taste of the food itself all evoke in me a bygone era, unfettered by the notions of super-sizing and conversely by any need to pay lip service to a balanced diet. There is nothing remotely green on any of the burgers here, the closest vegetable aside from the onion would be, using the Ronald Reagan nutritional standard, the ketchup that is de riguer.
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Posted by Nick Solares, July 1, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Editor's note: As we rocket toward the Fourth of July, what better way to celebrate what's essentially America's national dish than with a visit to where it all supposedly began—Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut. Leave it to Nick "Beef Aficionado" Solares to cover the joint the way it needs to be covered. —The Mgmt.
Louis' Lunch
261-263 Crown Street, New Haven CT 06510 (map); 203-562-5507; louislunch.com
Short Order: One of the nation's most important hamburger institutions, Louis' Lunch lays claim to having invented the dish we love so much. Cooked in a unique vertical broiler, the lean mix of beef is flavorful if not particularly juicy. In fact, the burger here is known more for its isn'ts than anything else. It isn't served on a bun but on slices of Pepperidge Farm white bread. It isn't served with condiments. It isn't going to bend to newfangled burgerworld whims. It is, however, a unique contribution to America's national cuisine
Want Fries with That? Fries? There are no fries here, fool. You can get chips, though. Other items on offer are homemade pies, potato salad, and soup. Drink a Foxon Park soda with it; the root beer is amazing
Price: $4.50
Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, has been making its hamburger sandwich since 1900, making it the longest continuously operating hamburger restaurant in America and claimant to be the creator of the venerable sandwich.
And while the world has largely adopted the plain white bun as the bread of choice for a burger, Louis' Lunch continues to serve them in its own distinct manner, vertically broiled, served on white bread, and sliced in half with the only permissible additions being onion, tomato and a cheese spread. The spread is necessary because the unique vertical broilers that Louis' Lunch uses would not be able to accommodate regular cheese.
Don't even think about putting ketchup on a burger at Louis'; there is a sign admonishing against even asking for it, because as Jeff Lassen, fourth-generation owner, says, "We want you to taste the meat."
Let's examine the recipe and its origins. The claim regarding the creation of the first burger is that one day in 1900, founder Louis Lassen had some leftover meat that he had ground up when a customer in a hurry rushed up to what was then a tiny lunch wagon and demanded something quick and delicious. According to legend, Louis formed the ground beef into a patty, cooked it, sandwiched it between two slices of bread, and sent the customer on his way.
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Posted by Nick Solares, June 24, 2008 at 10:00 AM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
The Shake Shack
Southeast corner of Madison Square Park (corner of 23rd Street and Madison Avenue; map); shakeshacknyc.com
The Short Order: One of the best burgers in the Big Apple. Inspired by West Coast-style burgers but with a unique New York spin. These days there's almost always a long, long line. The signature Shackburger is very good, but the plain cheeseburger is even better, as it allows the great flavor and texture of the sirloin-brisket beef mixture to stand alone
Want Fries with That? No. They blow. They're frozen, pre-fab, and OreIda-like. Get a tasty shake or frozen custard instead
Price: Shackburger, $4.75; cheeseburger, $4; double cheeseburger, $6.50
I was sitting in Los Angeles's famous Apple Pan restaurant a few weeks back talking with a lady who was curious as to why someone might be taking pictures of hamburgers. We got to talking about burgers, blogging, and A Hamburger Today, and when she found out that I lived in New York, she immediately asked about the Shake Shack. As I finished expounding my thoughts on the place, I heard a polite "excuse me, did you just mention Shake Shack?"
It turns out the gentleman asking the question was a friend of none other than George Motz, author and director of Hamburger America, the book and the film. It's a small world, and Shake Shack has managed to become virtually synonymous with hamburgers in New York. Even if they can't quite put their finger on the name, out-of-towners will often effuse about the great burgers they had in the park.
Upon returning home to New York after an extensive education in L.A. burgers (many, many reviews to come) I needed two things. The first was a bit of exercise, and the second was a frame of reference. Something to put into context what I had sampled on the West Coast and relate it to my hamburger experiences in and around New York.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, June 19, 2008 at 10:00 AM
The "Classic," with onion, lettuce, tomato, sliced pickle, homemade ketchup, Dijon mustard.
I've been wrong before. (Many times before.)
But I'm big enough (no, not from the cheeseburgers) to admit it.
Stand, which I complained about a while ago as having a bun that utterly undermined the burger, has redeemed itself. It now serves its delicious patties on a bun that suits them well. It's been using this new bun for some time, but I'm just now getting around to correcting myself publicly on AHT.
Out: the baguette-texture bun that forced you to use so much jaw power that the innards eventually slid out the back.
In: A softer, brioche-type bun that yields to the bite easily and does a fine job of soaking up the beefy-tasting patty's juice.
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Posted by Nick Solares, June 17, 2008 at 10:00 AM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
As the newest member of the AHT team, I thought it appropriate to follow in Adam's intrepid steps and venture across the Hudson on a pilgrimage to two of America's most historically significant Hamburger establishments. I speak, of course, of White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey, and White Mana in Jersey City, New Jersey. Adam visited both three years ago to the month, and while he raved about the burgers he ate in Hackensack he was less enthused by the Jersey city location. While I have eaten at both places on previous occasions I did so as a civilian, without the responsibility of reviewing the joints and putting them in to the context of the modern burger landscape.
Both establishments are now operated independently of each other and indeed have different owners but they were both founded by Louis Bridges back in 1946. The story goes that the structure that houses the Jersey City location was originally situated at the 1939 World's Fair and was then moved to its current resting place on Tonnele Avenue.
White Mana opened its doors on June 2, 1946, and has been going ever since; it is open 24 hours a day. The only major change, aside from the fact that the burgers cost a little more than the 10¢ they did back then is that during the 1980s, is that the restaurant lost an n in its name as the result of an error at the sign makers. The missing n was never straightened out, and the reconfigured name stuck.
The diner proved such a success that Bridges open three more Mannas in north Jersey in the 1940s, although now only the original and the Hackensack locations remain.
In reverse order to Adam's trip I started in Jersey City and then went north to Hackensack. While I am in complete agreement that the latter is far superior, I am not sure that I would necessarily countenance against visiting the original location in favor of the White Castle nearby as Adam did. I recommend you visit both!
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Posted by Adam Kuban, June 12, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Zaitzeff
Location Visited: 72 Nassau Street, New York NY 10038; map); 212-571-7272; zaitzeffnyc.com. Additional location at 18 Avenue B, New York NY 10009 (Alphabet City)
The Short Order: Everything points to a dry, disappointing burger here—grass-fed sirloin, nonstandard bun, cooked on a griddle under a weight—but the meat is surprisingly, amazingly juicy and hella flavorful. I am still dreaming of this burger
Want Fries with That? Fresh, hand-cut regular and sweet potato fries have potential but are greasy; skip them, especially at these prices
Price: Sirloin QP, $8.25; HP, $13.50. Kobe QP, $9; HP, $15.25. Fries, $4.25
Further Reading From: Hamburger America, NYC Food Guy, Yelp
Wow. That's all I can say. I finally got my ass to Zaitzeff down in the Financial District. That's a great burger, I'll tell you what.
In a Nutshell
Portuguese Roll: This burger's bread looks sorta like a big English muffin, but it's fluffy, not spongy and chewy. And it looks beautiful all toasted like they do here.
Two Kinds of Beef, Two Sizes: You can either get a "Kobe burger" (actually made with American Wagyu beef) or a sirloin burger. Each version comes in quarter-pound and half-pound sizes.
All-Natural Philosophy: Apparently, founder Zach Zaitzeff saw an underserved niche in the Wall Street eats market—meals made with all-natural, sustainorganical goody-goody ingredients. The sirloin is sourced from D'Artagnan and the Kobe comes from Morgan Ranch. Even the ketchup is the Heinz Organic variety.
Griddled Patties: The burgers are made on a tiny flat-top griddle in an impossibly small kitchen area. The cook does up your burgers while keeping an eye on batches of fresh, hand-cut fries simmering in cast-iron pans nearby.
Pricey: As of publication, a quarter-pound sirloin burger runs $8.25 for burger only; half-pound sirloin is $13.50. "Kobe" burger, quarter-pound, $9; half-pound, $15.25. Wall Streeters can afford this, even in a crap economy, I'm sure.
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Posted by Nick Solares, June 10, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I love a good piece of history almost as much as I love a good hamburger, so when I can find a place that has both, well, that is something I truly relish.
Old Town Bar on 18th Street in Manhattan's Flatiron District is as steeped in history as almost any bar you can name. Sure, Pete's Tavern, located just a few blocks away, can lay claim to being the oldest bar in New York (dating back to 1864) and also of having a rich literary history, being universally known as the "tavern O. Henry made famous."
Old Town Bar
45 East 18th Street, New York NY 10003; map); 212-529-6732; oldtownbar.com
The Skinny: Great bar with a great history, but the burger is not great. Have a pint instead.
Want Fries with That? Skin-on fries come with the burger but are limp and often just above room temperature
Price: $10 for cheeseburger and fries
But Old Town itself dates back to 1892, and, while it might lack the literary pedigree of Pete's, it has its own, significant history in the political arena. Located close to the effective seat of political power for more than a century in New York City, namely Tammany Hall, Old Town Bar was allowed to operate as a speakeasy during Prohibition under Tammany's patronage. Tammany Hall moved from 14th Street in 1929 to a new location, and, incidentally, its final resting place on 17th Street, just a stone's throw away from Old Town.
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Posted by Nick Solares, May 28, 2008 at 1:15 PM
If it's Tuesday, it must be time for another review from Nick Solares. Nick is also the publisher of Beef Aficionado, his blog that explores beef beyond burgerdom.
