Monster Patty

Paul’s Place
131 2nd Avenue (B’twn Aves. 7th & St. Marks)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 529-3033

[map] [subway directions]

Rating: 2/5

Notes:

- Burger: Big burger, little flavor. This is accomplished by starting with a patty devoid of seasoning, frying it on a griddle, and finishing it by steaming it under a cover. This cooking method speeds the process and melts the cheese nicely, but delivers a bland burger that falls apart from the first bite.

- Bun: Paul’s burgers come standard on a seeded, white bread bun that adds little to the flavor or the overall experience. Kaiser rolls are also on offer and might be a better choice for such a hefty patty.

- Garnish: Make it deluxe and it comes with lettuce, tomato and pickle.

- Mess factor: One of us ordered The Eastsider (their specialty). The bun was no match for the gluttonous amount of toppings. The wiser of us chose a bacon cheeseburger, which was more manageable, but still crumbly.

- Fries: Fat steak fries which arrived in a soggy state and lacked any seasoning. If the fries were crispy to begin with, they may have had a better chance of retaining their texture if they weren’t used as a platform for the burger.

- Price: Bacon Cheeseburger: $5.60/8.10. Eastsider: $9.25/11.55 (burger/deluxe)

- Bordeaux: Take our advice and order beer from their limited selection.

- Atmosphere: You could take… On second thought, use your own good judgment here (see below).

- Overall: Paul’s Place came highly recommended, but we were a bit disappointed. Judging from their brisk business, however, it seems that many enjoy their burgers. These are not bad burgers, they just aren’t very well aligned with our tastes. The atmosphere is that of a typical burger joint with tables spaced close enough to sneak a fry from your neighbor. There are also several televisions placed at strategic locations so that you need not pay too much attention to your dining companion or food. The menu claims The Eastsider is their specialty, so even with an excessive number of toppings, it was hard to resist. If you have a hankering for a hamburger topped with cheese, bacon, ham, mushrooms and onions, give it a try. Unfortunately, this pile of artery clogging goodness makes for an unwieldy sandwich. If you attempt this burger, order it on a kaiser roll for sure. All that said, if you’ve got the appetite for a big burger Paul’s just might be the place for you.

1 comment September 14th, 2007

Stand and Don’t Deliver

Stand
24 East 12th Street (b’twn 5th Ave and University)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 488-5900
[map] [subway directions]

Rating: 2/5

Notes:

- Burger: Stand serves up a not overly thick, juicy patty that explodes on the first bite but doesn’t deliver the flavor we were hoping for from a restaurant that specializes in hamburgers.

- Bun: The seeded, white-bread bun didn’t add much to the sandwich and was unable to handle the mess presented by the juicy burger and thinnish cheese sauce.

- Garnish: The burgers come with a caramelized onion “marmalade,” which added a nice, sweet tang to a burger that really needed it. However, one of the real downfalls of this burger was the cheese sauce that was served in a ramekin on the side. Perhaps we’re old-fashioned, but we would have preferred a nice slice of cheese melted on top of this burger. The sauce doesn’t stick with the patty and prevents the bun from holding the sandwich together. The result is a sloppy burger that slides away on each bite.

- Mess factor: A messy burger, especially as we got closer to finishing. In fact, the waiter dropped off extra napkins in the middle of our meal and wetnaps as we were finishing.

- Fries: They offer shoestring and thick-cut fries. We ordered the thinner variety, which were delicious, crispy, and plenty salty. Be warned, Stand takes “shoestring” to the extreme here, think French’s Potato Sticks. The only drawback was that they were so thin that they didn’t allow us to fully soak up the flavor of the homemade ketchup delivered on the side.

- Price: $11, with the cheese sauce and onions.

- Bordeaux: Alas, Stand had not obtained their liquor license in time for our visit, so we paired these burgers with Cokes.

- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there, but we’re not sure you’d want to.

- Overall: We expected more from a restaurant that specializes in hamburgers. Just about everything on their menu includes a hamburger – even their salad. And you can get a burger on the side of your burger, as well. With burgers everywhere, we expected to come out satisfied. Instead, we felt more than a little let down and even a little hungry (maybe we should have ordered that burger on the side). The drawbacks here were too many to overlook: sloppy cheese sauce, a poorly seasoned burger, shredded iceberg lettuce, and a patty that tried to run away on every bite.

Add comment December 22nd, 2006