Juicy

Deborah Restaurant
43 Carmine St (b/t Bleecker & Bedford)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-2606

[map] [subway directions]

Rating: 5/5

Notes:

- Burger: This patty is packed with flavor – salt, garlic, and pepper emerge with every bite – and manages to be generously juicy without being overly greasy.

- Bun: A brown-topped white bun that is a little smaller than the burger. The bread added a little texture, but not much flavor, to the sandwich. Most importantly, it held together until the last morsel.

- Garnish: Deborah tops their patty with a nice, fat onion ring, diced tomatoes (brilliant) and melted cheddar cheese and then covers it with a thin spread of spicy aioli.

- Mess factor: A pleasantly un-messy affair, given the size and juiciness of the patty.

- Fries: Perfectly seasoned shoestring fries that are every bit as good as the burger.

- Price: $12

- Bordeaux: We found a trusted standby on the wine list at Deborah, a 2005 Cotes du Rhone Parallele 45. It is a great pair for the flavorful burger, with a nice, fruity (slightly strawberry) bouquet and a clean, dry finish.

- Atmosphere: A great place to take a girl.

- Overall: Deborah is a perfect neighborhood restaurant in the heart of the West Village that successfully manages to be overlooked by both tourists and foodies. We’ve visited the restaurant before and have always been impressed with the food, service, and the atmosphere of the tiny, brick-walled dining room. The standout here is the fully flavored patty and the onion ring garnish, which adds a great crunch to the delicious sandwich.

2 comments November 16th, 2007

Peppery Patty

Good World Bar & Grill
3 Orchard Street (B’twn Canal & Division)
New York, NY 10002
(212) 925-9975

[map] [subway directions]

Rating: 5/5

Notes:

- Burger: Peppery at first bite, but there is a lot more going on here. The beef patty is mixed with beets, capers and onions. The flavors complement each other very well.

- Bun: A toasted english muffin. While we’re not big fans of the english muffin bun, it works well here. This is due in part to the patty being sized appropriately. The muffin also does well at soaking up the juice which, by the end of the meal, makes the muffin that much tastier.

- Garnish: The huge pile of smoky bacon is a fitting garnish for this burger. There is also a green salad with vinaigrette that is meant to be eaten on its own rather than on the burger.

- Mess factor: English muffins tend to make a burger mess prone–this burger is no exception. The loosely packed patty also contributes to the mess factor. Seasoned burger eaters, however, will loose little of this sandwich’s ingredients to the plate or their lap. Large, cloth napkins are provided in case there is a spill.

- Fries: No fries are included so we shared a side. They were thick and tasty but not as crispy as we would like. The spicy mayonnaise that comes with the fries gives them a kick and is a better choice than ketchup.

- Price: $12 (choice of Västerbotten, blue or Jarlsberg cheese)

- Bordeaux: Several wines are on offer. Since one of us was sticking with beer, the other was limited to those available by the glass. The only bordeaux by the glass was a white. We recommend pairing this burger with one of the fine beers available.

- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.

- Overall:

We both knew this was a high ranking burger with the first bite. This burger is very unique and should be tried. The kitchen was out of blue cheese, so I went with the bartender’s recommendation of Norwegian goat cheese. If this option is available to you, I suggest you go with it. The dark orange goat cheese is a perfect complement to the bacon. Good World feels more out of the way than it really is. It shares the short, first block of Orchard Street with a Post Office, a shabu shabu place and little else. We were dining late on a Friday night so we ended up occupying a couple seats at the bar. Good World is home to some of the highest bar stools, anywhere. Use care when alighting from your stool if you’ve had a couple drinks. There are several tables around including a few in the rear garden. The tables up front are lit mostly by the street light filtering through the large windows. If you don’t wish to be bathed in sodium vapor light, you should dine at one of the back tables or in the garden. Good World does a brisk bar business on the typical drinking nights but is more subdued at other times. If you want to avoid crowds of imbibers, try going earlier in the week.

Add comment June 29th, 2007

Mighty Meaty

Resto
111 East 29th Street (B’twn Lex & PAS)
New York, NY 10016
(212) 685-5585

[map] [subway directions]

Rating: 5/5

Notes:

- Burger: Wow, this patty packs flavor. The kitchen cooks them only one way, medium, but this coarsely ground and loosely packed burger does not disappoint. This is not the typical ground sirloin and the result is a delicious, steaky burger. Think of a really, really good cheesesteak, without the wiz.

- Bun: A soft, white bread bun that doesn’t distract from the flavor of the burger and does a pretty good job of holding the sandwich together.

- Garnish: Passendale cheese, pickle, thin, thin red onion slices and mayo.

- Mess factor: The patty produces almost no juice, which reduces the mess factor substantially. However, the patty is also really loosely packed, which can get a little sloppy, especially with the slippery layer of mayonnaise. Here’s where a heartier bun might be warranted.

- Fries: Fat, Belgian style frites cooked and seasoned they way they should be. Try some of the flavored mayonnaise on offer for $1 each. The lime pickle mayo was especially interesting.

- Price: $13

- Bordeaux: As is often the case, the Bordeaux on the menu were pricier (>$50) than we wanted to spend, so we went for what looked like the best value on the list. We chose a 2003 Herencia Tempranillo that was slightly tannic with nice cherry and blackberry tones. It was a good accompaniment to an excellent burger — but at $45, not really a bargain.

- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.

- Overall: That this burger is worthy of a “5″ does not come as a huge surprise. In Resto’s short history, it has garnered very favorable reviews. The house-ground burger is an interesting mixture of meat that makes for a steaky flavor not found in most burgers. The standard, white-bread bun that might have been a disappointment in other restaurants works well here. This sandwich is about the meat, not the bread. The fries were made more interesting by the flavored mayonnaises. We sampled the sweet chili and pickle lime flavors. The sweet chili had an artificial flavor of some sort that didn’t seem to complement the fries. On the other hand, the pickle lime mayo was very tasty. As for the dining room, it felt very new and will probably feel more cozy with some wear and tear. The bar dominates the front half of the room but the rear feels a bit empty as it is devoid of any wall decorations beyond the sconces. The wood floor, spare walls and tin ceiling amplify the din of wine-imbibing diners diving into their moules frites. Add to this a steady soundtrack of indie rock and it can be challenging to carry on a quiet conversation. The small plates on the menu are also quite tempting. We sampled the deviled egg (served on pork toasts) and bitter ballen.Both were very, very tasty.

2 comments June 3rd, 2007

Bistro Heaven

Montparnasse
230 East 51st Street (b’twn 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
New York, NY 10022
(212) 758-6633
[map] [subway directions]

Rating: 5/5

Notes:

- Burger: Montparnasse served a high quality angus beef patty that was cooked perfectly to order. There was little hint of seasoning in the meat, but a nice, slight char flavor on the outside.

- Bun: A tasty buttery brioche that was slightly toasted on the grill. A delicious bun that really held the sandwich together.

- Garnish: Our burgers came topped with caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms and gruyere cheese. The sweetness of the onions and the rich mushroom flavor really helped this burger standout.

- Mess factor: A perfectly neat burger.

- Fries: Thick-cut, crunchy fries that were fried well and topped with just a little bit of salt. Very nice flavor.

- Price: $15, with the gruyere, mushrooms, and onions – a bargain for a burger this delicious.

- Bordeaux: We selected a 2003 Shiraz / Cabernet blend from Pennfolds Koonunga Hill, which was served just a little cooler than room temperature. As the wine warmed up, it released a nice subtle fruity flavor. This was a great wine to pair with the burger and salty fries.

- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.

- Overall: A super tasty burger, bun and fries made this a great overall experience. And, the toppings on this hamburger were a delicious diversion from the standard bacon and cheddar. The restaurant had a nice Friday evening buzz and a classic bistro décor that made Midtown East feel a little like the Right Bank. Once we added a nice bottle of wine (even if it was from Australia) we found ourselves solidly in the presence of a burger worthy of our highest rating.

Add comment December 17th, 2006

a.k.a. Fat Burger

Alias Restaurant
76 Clinton Street (@ Rivington)
New York, NY 10002
(212) 505-5011
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 5/5

Notes:

- Burger: A fat, fat burger, maybe slightly more than a mouthful. Very reminiscent of a homemade–and therefore hand formed–patty. No indication of over-seasoning whatsoever. Very, very juicy.

- Bun: An excellent bun in the brioche style. Toasting the bun on the grill added a nice charred flavor but the size and juiciness of this burger might have been asking a bit too much of the slightly delicate brioche dough.

- Garnish: The traditional lettuce, tomato, and raw onion garnish are nowhere to be found on this plate. Instead, the Alias burger sits atop a thick slice of grilled onion and is topped with an extremely flavorful Russian dressing. The sharp Vermont cheddar cheese is highly recommended here. Its sharpness adds to the experience. Further, if you are not adverse to pork products, this is a great burger to add some bacon to.

- Mess factor: The sheer girth of this burger adds to the mess factor quite a bit. Not having additional layers of lettuce and tomatoes helps, but the juice and Russian dressing send this into “two napkin” territory. Thankfully, Alias provides nice, cloth napkins, so only one is really needed and an experienced burger eater should escape without too much embarrassment.

- Fries: Awesome! Fried up just right and nicely seasoned with salt and pepper these steak fries were a perfect accompaniment for this burger. There is a heavy bias towards shoestring fries on this site. So for some fries of the steak variety to warrant an awesome description, they must really be something; these were.

- Price: $9 (fries add $3, cheese adds $1, bacon adds $1)

- Bordeaux: Alas, Alias has no Bordeaux on their brief wine menu, and the South American wine that they describe as a classic-Bordeaux style was unavailable the night of our visit. We opted for a 2004 Bourgogne Pinot Noir from Domaine Joseph Voillot. This wine had not matured enough to be very interesting yet. While it was drinkable, we wouldn’t order it again – or recommend it to anyone else.

- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.

- Overall: This was the result of a second visit to the restaurant and it was really worth the trip. The menu calls this sandwich a “mega burger” and the first bite was pure heaven. All of the ingredients combine to make for a really wonderful hamburger experience. Granted, this is a very juicy burger, but the intense flavor experience is certainly worth a little mess. As for the restaurant itself, it is a cozy little place on Clinton Street with nice large windows overlooking a quiet corner of the Lower East Side. The dining room has a modern feel to it with exposed brick walls and a nice wooden floor. We visited on a Wednesday evening and found the dining room comfortably sparse. On a Friday or Saturday evening, the tightly packed tables might seem a little too close for comfort.

1 comment October 4th, 2006

Blue Ribbon, and how!

Blue Ribbon Bakery
35 Downing Street (Downing and Bedford)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 337-0404
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 5/5

Notes:

- Burger: Blue Ribbon’s super-tasty burger came lightly seasoned, char-grilled and cooked as ordered. The patty was the just the right size – large enough to sink your teeth into, but not so big that you couldn’t get your mouth around it. From the first bite, this juicy burger tasted of quality.

- Bun: An excellent, hardy, white bun that was dusted with sesame seeds and toasted to a light crunch. The bun was absorbent enough to capture most the burger’s juice while not falling apart. The combination of the crispy top and the juice-laden bottom really added to the texture and flavor of the sandwich.

- Garnish: Crispy iceberg lettuce, ripe tomato slices and plenty of thinly sliced red onion made for a classic garnish. This was accompanied by a nice pickle wedge.

- Mess factor: This sandwich was slightly messy, but totally worth it. Thankfully, the hardy bun helped contain the juices and held the burger together nicely.

- Fries: Classic shoestring fries with a light dusting of salt. This batch might have been cooked a bit past their prime, but they were still quite good.

- Price: $13.50

- Bordeaux: We were priced out of the Bordeaux region – there wasn’t a bottle on the list for under $70, which is more than we like to spend for wine when we’re pairing it with a burger. In fact, the wine list at Blue Ribbon doesn’t feature many wines under that price. We settled on a 2001 Abando Rioja ($45) that was dry and peppery and played very well off the juices of the burger. This was a smooth wine that was enjoyable to drink.

- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.

- Overall: We were excited about this one from the first bite. Our search for a “5″ seemed to be over. Although most of the other burgers we had visited before had certain outstanding qualities, they fell short of perfection in other aspects. This was certainly not the case at Blue Ribbon Bakery, where the whole experience was quality. The bun is probably the best sampled thus far. It was most notable for its ability to absorb burger juice like a sponge. Also of note was the use of iceberg lettuce in the garnish, we have rarely seen this in the places we have visited. While iceberg might have little in the flavor department and the nutritional value of sawdust, it really does work well on a hamburger. The atmosphere at Blue Ribbon Bakery is also quite nice. The ground floor dining room is dominated by large windows that afford a great corner view of Downing and Bedford. The well bricked downstairs is a bit more intimate and includes a working bakery (hence the name). One should know that the wine list is lacking in affordable wines. Unless you’re in the mood for a high-dollar wine, this might be a good place to accompany your burger with a beer rather than a Bordeaux. If you are going to go that way, we recommend the Jever.

Add comment September 25th, 2006