Hello, today I would like to update my list of the top ten hamburgers in New York City. I have spent a considerable amount of my free time conducting qualitative studies, my aspiration to be a food critic does require some real work once in a while. I have been working on this list over the past year which has involved mostly trying these fantastic selections out (all for the best readers in the world), and have compiled this controversial list. (No two food critics have the same list, let alone the same number one, so debates can become rather heated) I am currently in a state of happiness while being totally full, (I just finished eating the number 4 selection a couple of hours ago), so here we go:
(The following opinions are only mine and cannot be replicated or duplicated without the express written consent of blind blog):
(This list is in random order, not number 1 through 7 from best to worst, and please forgive me for any misspelled words.)
1. Primehouse: They make a great hamburger for lunch or brunch composed of rib eye steak and ground chuck. The beef is very high quality, seasoned properly, with excellent homemade thick cut steak fries.
2. Rare bar and grill: I like this restaurant, and they make an incredible, incredibly expensive, t-bone burger which is out of this world: a hamburger consisting of a blend of sirloin & strip steak, flambéed in tequila, wrapped in apple smoked bacon, topped with cheddar & crispy onions, can you ask for anything more than that?
3. Shake shack: What can I say; I went from the expensive to the affordable. I prefer the newest location on Columbus Avenue where there is much less of a line (near my old internship, hint hint). My favorite is the double burger, which is seasoned just enough to enhance the flavor of the beef, and cooked the way I like. On another note, how about those shakes: they are to die for (literally?).
4. Minetta tavern: When I think about this restaurant, it's all about their black label hamburger ($26 for a hamburger, really? You have to taste it to believe it!) It starts with a patty created from a combination of four cuts of dry aged beef, (the guesses so far are brisket, short rib, strip steak, and rib eye), topped with sweet caramelized onions and placed on a homemade soft bun from their bakery. The charred outside, excellent seasoning and collection of flavors is top notch!
5. Rue 57: This place is very touristy, but their burger is one of the best. I am not sure how they season it but it is served with a mouth watering crispy outside, delicate inside, and just a hint of some mysterious and excellent flavor. Oh yeah, and the fries (crispy pommes frites, shoe string fries from France) aren't bad either.
6. Ottomanelli's: This restaurant might not receive any national attention but it is a local favorite of mine. I consider it to be the best burger in the immediate area (no, not J.G. Melon’s, this is far superior). This restaurant is quality through and through; you can't go wrong with any dish here, although I am not telling you to travel from outside of Manhattan to eat there.
7. Rub bbq: Warning: this restaurant only serves hamburgers three hours a week, Mondays from 6-9 pm, so if interested please arrive as early as possible. This extremely delicious hamburger is smashed then cooked in a skillet at 600 degrees until it is beautifully charred, it is only five ounces and comes with no fries but the taste is exceptional. (By the way, each week there is a special burger of the week which is chosen to highlight the taste from a particular region or a style of preparation, my first time at Rub the flavor was “bacon egg and cheese”)
8. Union square cafe: I can already anticipate the negative comments about this one, and some of you will undoubtedly disagree with this pick. However, it is always rated as one of the top restaurants in the city, and their burger does not disappoint. As usual, I order mine medium well, and I find that especially the smoky crisp outer layer represents a fantastic taste. (Their fried calamari is quite excellent as well.)
9. Peter Luger's: My opinion is biased here, and I haven't tried this burger yet, but everyone puts it on their top ten lists. In addition, if the beef used for the burger is anything like their steak, then we have nothing to worry about.
10. McDonalds: The legendary quarter pounder combined with an order of crispy salted fries is... (Just kidding, but did I fool you?) (Actually their fries are kind of tasty, but I would avoid fast food at all costs after having personally tried 7 out of 8 of these hamburgers before).
A few popular places didn't make my list, and I am still anxious to try out other fine hamburger establishments (Little owl, Spotted Pig, and coming soon: a shake shack in my neighborhood!). Please leave your comments below so that I know what you think about my first list, I have a feeling that it will be very controversial.
Take care
Dan
Showing posts with label best burger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best burger. Show all posts
Friday, July 2, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
red meat overdose: my review of Burger Joint
Hi everyone, my recent diet has included way too much red meat so I am going back to a more moderate and healthy regimen. However, I figured if I was going to be “bad”, I might as well try out another restaurant which my friend said makes excellent hamburgers. That is the story behind my new food review:
Burger Joint
119 W. 56th St. (inside Le Parker Meridien, really? Yes!)
New York NY
4 stars out of 5
I would have never thought that this crowded restaurant for an inexpensive but tasty meal would be located inside of a fancy New York City hotel, but I was incorrect. It was extremely hard to even find it: the burger joint is hidden behind curtains in a hallway leading from the lobby. The menu is very simple: “if you don’t see it, we don’t have it!” This is the exact message on their menu and they mean it: the list of available food and drinks are short but cover all the bases, which are hamburgers, fries, and shakes. Therefore, I decided to be old-fashioned and simply ordered a plain hamburger (yes plain, no lettuce, tomato, etc.) and a chocolate shake. While waiting for my meal, I found the last available seat in the cramped dining area. The burger joint’s ambiance was laid back: people from all over the city gathered together, a variety of music was playing, and it felt very comfortable. When the food arrived, my mouth was watering and I felt relieved that it did not disappoint me. I bit into the hamburger and was reminded of old summer time barbecues, sitting on the grass and feeling the warmth of the sun. By this I mean that the hamburger was well cooked, delicious, and consisted of a patty of high quality beef (it had a distinctive grilled flavor). I wouldn’t call it a “top ten” burger, but I was very satisfied and it met my expectations. The shake was thick rich, and sweet, it did not meet the excellence of Shake Shack but was still a real treat.
The burger joint is a place that I would recommend to try out once. It’s atmosphere was unique and the food was of a superior quality. Please do not be dismayed by my comparisons of this to other establishments, it is simply my mental way of ranking restaurants in order to determine their merits. I would be curious to hear your feedback about my review, or of this restaurant, please leave your comments below. Until next time… I will try to eat better and I look forward to hearing from my great readers.
Dan
Burger Joint
119 W. 56th St. (inside Le Parker Meridien, really? Yes!)
New York NY
4 stars out of 5
I would have never thought that this crowded restaurant for an inexpensive but tasty meal would be located inside of a fancy New York City hotel, but I was incorrect. It was extremely hard to even find it: the burger joint is hidden behind curtains in a hallway leading from the lobby. The menu is very simple: “if you don’t see it, we don’t have it!” This is the exact message on their menu and they mean it: the list of available food and drinks are short but cover all the bases, which are hamburgers, fries, and shakes. Therefore, I decided to be old-fashioned and simply ordered a plain hamburger (yes plain, no lettuce, tomato, etc.) and a chocolate shake. While waiting for my meal, I found the last available seat in the cramped dining area. The burger joint’s ambiance was laid back: people from all over the city gathered together, a variety of music was playing, and it felt very comfortable. When the food arrived, my mouth was watering and I felt relieved that it did not disappoint me. I bit into the hamburger and was reminded of old summer time barbecues, sitting on the grass and feeling the warmth of the sun. By this I mean that the hamburger was well cooked, delicious, and consisted of a patty of high quality beef (it had a distinctive grilled flavor). I wouldn’t call it a “top ten” burger, but I was very satisfied and it met my expectations. The shake was thick rich, and sweet, it did not meet the excellence of Shake Shack but was still a real treat.
The burger joint is a place that I would recommend to try out once. It’s atmosphere was unique and the food was of a superior quality. Please do not be dismayed by my comparisons of this to other establishments, it is simply my mental way of ranking restaurants in order to determine their merits. I would be curious to hear your feedback about my review, or of this restaurant, please leave your comments below. Until next time… I will try to eat better and I look forward to hearing from my great readers.
Dan
Saturday, July 11, 2009
My top hamburgers in New York City in random order
Hey, well today I thought I would share some of the findings from the qualitative research that I have been doing lately. This is a very scientific study, you see, to determine the top hamburgers in my town. This is basically my opinion, but I wouldn't mislead you (or would I?). Here is a list of places I have tried which I believe to be tops:
(This list is in random order, not number 1 through 7 from best to worst, and please forgive me for any misspelled words.)
1. Primehouse: I went here recently, they make a great hamburger for lunch or brunch, the beef is very high quality, seasoned properly, with excellent fries.
2. Rare bar and grill: I like this restaurant, and they make an incredible, incredibly expensive, t-bone burger which is so good.
3. Shake shack: What can I say, I went from the expensive to the affordable. I prefer the newest location on columbus avenue (near my old internship, hint hint). Their burgers are nicely seasoned and their shakes are to die for (literally?).
4. Rue 57: This place is very touristy, but their burger is pretty good. Oh yeah, and the fries aren't bad either.
5. Ottomanelli's: A local favorite of mine, best burger in the immediate area. This restaurant is quality through and through, you can't go wrong with any dish here, although I am not telling you to travel from outside of manhattan to try it out.
6. Union square cafe: This is always rated as one of the top restaurants in the city, and their burger does not disappoint. (Their calamari is quite excellent as well.)
7. Peter Luger's: Now, I haven't tried this burger yet, but everyone puts it on their top ten lists. In addition, if the beef used for the burger is anything like their steak, then we have nothing to worry about.
8. Burger king: The wopper is... (just kidding, but did I fool you?)
A few popular places didn't make my list, and I am still anxious to try out other fine hamburger establishments. Let me know what you think about my first list, I have a feeling that it will be very contraversial.
Dan
(This list is in random order, not number 1 through 7 from best to worst, and please forgive me for any misspelled words.)
1. Primehouse: I went here recently, they make a great hamburger for lunch or brunch, the beef is very high quality, seasoned properly, with excellent fries.
2. Rare bar and grill: I like this restaurant, and they make an incredible, incredibly expensive, t-bone burger which is so good.
3. Shake shack: What can I say, I went from the expensive to the affordable. I prefer the newest location on columbus avenue (near my old internship, hint hint). Their burgers are nicely seasoned and their shakes are to die for (literally?).
4. Rue 57: This place is very touristy, but their burger is pretty good. Oh yeah, and the fries aren't bad either.
5. Ottomanelli's: A local favorite of mine, best burger in the immediate area. This restaurant is quality through and through, you can't go wrong with any dish here, although I am not telling you to travel from outside of manhattan to try it out.
6. Union square cafe: This is always rated as one of the top restaurants in the city, and their burger does not disappoint. (Their calamari is quite excellent as well.)
7. Peter Luger's: Now, I haven't tried this burger yet, but everyone puts it on their top ten lists. In addition, if the beef used for the burger is anything like their steak, then we have nothing to worry about.
8. Burger king: The wopper is... (just kidding, but did I fool you?)
A few popular places didn't make my list, and I am still anxious to try out other fine hamburger establishments. Let me know what you think about my first list, I have a feeling that it will be very contraversial.
Dan
Saturday, March 14, 2009
It's time for dan's new food critic review: Dumont Burger
Hello, I have a food critique review which I think will stir up some controversy:
Dumont Burger
314 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn NY
3.8 out of 5 stars
Rule #1 of Dan’s food experiences: “Lower your expectations!”
I will admit that I was expecting an epic meal when I traveled all the way from the upper east side of Manhattan to Dumont’s. After all, it was rated number one in this year’s Zagat survey. Well, I can’t say it is the best burger around, but I certainly had a very nice experience. My friends, on the other hand, were influenced by the hype and, in my opinion, didn’t truly appreciate the hamburgers.
Here is what Zagat’s survey had to say about Dumont’s:
“Williamsburgers can “stop cooking at home” thanks to this “easygoing joint” serving “artful” yet “cheap” New American standards; a “hip crowd” convenes in the “inviting” interior or “Zen-like garden”, or hits the Bedford Avenue mini spin-off for “awesome” burgers and sandwiches.”
This review is somewhat accurate, but it slightly differs from my experience. When I entered this establishment, it felt small and crowded, which was the reality. It is much smaller; at least I imagine it is, then the actual Dumont’s restaurant. After a long wait for a table, I was greeted by a stool and, essentially, a counter to eat off of. I thought we were getting bad seats, (I am totally blind of course so I couldn’t see where everyone else was sitting). However, this is the set up for the entire restaurant, which makes it even worse. There was not much ambiance to speak of, however there was a large party present, therefore I can’t necessarily judge it just on this night. I found the wait staff to be above average, nothing really special but more than adequate.
Now, on to the food: I ordered a hamburger with mushrooms, onions, and gruyere cheese. First of all, let me say that it took a very long time for the food to arrive. Granted, once again, that there was a party which I’m sure occupied the cooks, but this still cost Dumont some points. I must say that the burger was very good: the patty was well-seasoned, the bun tasted homemade and fresh, and the toppings were very tasty. The French fries were very delicious, I suppose I was expecting frozen fries but these were crispy (almost fresh?) and salted perfectly. I tasted my friend’s onion rings, and those too were excellent. The waitress said that they use secret seasonings and hoi sin sauce with the beef that is formed into patties, and she might be correct. The hamburger definitely had a distinct flavor, but I could not tell what spices it contained. Dan’s rule number 2: every food critic review must contain a formulaic calculation:
Here is how I rated Dumont: I started with 4 stars for the food by itself, and then I had to figure how much to discount for all the negative factors:
1. little ambiance 2. Long wait time for food 3. Expensive ($17 for a burger, really?).
However, food is king, and all of these factors only lowered my score to 3.8.
Recommendations:
This restaurant is very good and definitely makes a high-quality hamburger. However, I am hesitant to recommend that you should travel from outside of Brooklyn to go there, and I definitely disagree with Zagat’s “number 1 burger” label. I still think that Rare bar and grill (see previous review if you missed it) makes the best burgers in the city. Some say that award should go to shake shack, and maybe that is true, but only because of its value. Feel free to disagree with me, no; in fact, I encourage this discussion!
Which restaurant in New York City makes the best burger?
Dan
Dumont Burger
314 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn NY
3.8 out of 5 stars
Rule #1 of Dan’s food experiences: “Lower your expectations!”
I will admit that I was expecting an epic meal when I traveled all the way from the upper east side of Manhattan to Dumont’s. After all, it was rated number one in this year’s Zagat survey. Well, I can’t say it is the best burger around, but I certainly had a very nice experience. My friends, on the other hand, were influenced by the hype and, in my opinion, didn’t truly appreciate the hamburgers.
Here is what Zagat’s survey had to say about Dumont’s:
“Williamsburgers can “stop cooking at home” thanks to this “easygoing joint” serving “artful” yet “cheap” New American standards; a “hip crowd” convenes in the “inviting” interior or “Zen-like garden”, or hits the Bedford Avenue mini spin-off for “awesome” burgers and sandwiches.”
This review is somewhat accurate, but it slightly differs from my experience. When I entered this establishment, it felt small and crowded, which was the reality. It is much smaller; at least I imagine it is, then the actual Dumont’s restaurant. After a long wait for a table, I was greeted by a stool and, essentially, a counter to eat off of. I thought we were getting bad seats, (I am totally blind of course so I couldn’t see where everyone else was sitting). However, this is the set up for the entire restaurant, which makes it even worse. There was not much ambiance to speak of, however there was a large party present, therefore I can’t necessarily judge it just on this night. I found the wait staff to be above average, nothing really special but more than adequate.
Now, on to the food: I ordered a hamburger with mushrooms, onions, and gruyere cheese. First of all, let me say that it took a very long time for the food to arrive. Granted, once again, that there was a party which I’m sure occupied the cooks, but this still cost Dumont some points. I must say that the burger was very good: the patty was well-seasoned, the bun tasted homemade and fresh, and the toppings were very tasty. The French fries were very delicious, I suppose I was expecting frozen fries but these were crispy (almost fresh?) and salted perfectly. I tasted my friend’s onion rings, and those too were excellent. The waitress said that they use secret seasonings and hoi sin sauce with the beef that is formed into patties, and she might be correct. The hamburger definitely had a distinct flavor, but I could not tell what spices it contained. Dan’s rule number 2: every food critic review must contain a formulaic calculation:
Here is how I rated Dumont: I started with 4 stars for the food by itself, and then I had to figure how much to discount for all the negative factors:
1. little ambiance 2. Long wait time for food 3. Expensive ($17 for a burger, really?).
However, food is king, and all of these factors only lowered my score to 3.8.
Recommendations:
This restaurant is very good and definitely makes a high-quality hamburger. However, I am hesitant to recommend that you should travel from outside of Brooklyn to go there, and I definitely disagree with Zagat’s “number 1 burger” label. I still think that Rare bar and grill (see previous review if you missed it) makes the best burgers in the city. Some say that award should go to shake shack, and maybe that is true, but only because of its value. Feel free to disagree with me, no; in fact, I encourage this discussion!
Which restaurant in New York City makes the best burger?
Dan
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