Monday, October 26, 2009

Best Burger in NYC Search: Spitzer's Corner


Spitzer's Corner
101 Rivington (cross st: Ludlow)
212-228-0027
Burger: The Hickory Short Rib Burger ($10) 

*Update: To our dismay, Spitzer's removed the Hickory Short Rib Burger from their menu in 2011.

What if we were to tell you that you could enjoy a burger unlike many we at Burger Bedlam have tried before? And what if we were to tell you that you could do so while simultaneously gulping down one of 40 world class beers on draft? And what if we were to tell you that you could enjoy such a burger in one of the most happening neighborhoods in Manhattan? And what if we were to tell you that that burger just happens to be one of the best burgers in NYC? Does that sound like something you might be interested in? We thought so. Spitzer’s Corner down on Ludlow and Rivington in the Lower East Side fits the description of such a place. Now, please excuse our blatant Entourage dialogue rip-off (care of legendary Martin Landau), but how else could we sell you? Ok, maybe we could’ve gone the Glengarry Glen Ross route, because burgers are for closers. Yet, we’re pretty sure you catch our drift when we say Spitzer’s Corner might be worthy of some selling…and we think you’re gonna be buyers after this review.

Our Expectations: The Hickory Short Rib Burger. A generous eight ounce short rib patty, hickory sauce, BBQ onions and a Guss' Pickle. Add some cheddar and bacon to taste and we're golden. We have some incredibly high expectations at this Lower East Side "gastropub," directly stemming from the amount of praise we've heard from our readers. Granted we had been there once before, we failed to try the burger...chalk it up to too many beers. A buzz can turn your flavor palette bias and how could we honestly eat a burger after three to four quality brews? That's not just, partiuculary when we're on a mission to soberly choose the best NYC burger.

The Burger

Meat: Our first experience with a Short Rib burger, but definitely not to be our last. We foresee many pleasant experiences in our future chowing down on some short rib. Extreme taste, which correlates to the fact that this type of meat often produces heavy marbling. It comes as no surprise that Spitzer's burger hit us with such powerful flavor. Couple that with the fantastic consistency of the meat along with what we consider some of the best special sauce we've tasted on a burger.

Toppings: Continuing where we left off above, the hickory sauce: magnificent. A sweet yet savory flavor that we embrace as possibly the best of any toppings sauce we've had on an NYC burger. If that doesn't whet your appetite, how about the BBQ onions? Great execution, providing another added kick which provides the burger with even more flavor. The bacon is crisp and thick and the cheddar was melted perfectly. Its hard to screw up melted cheese, but you'd be surprised at how many burger establishments have failed to conquer the task. Its not to be overlooked.


Bun: Soft and slightly toasted (not noticeably though), the bun was good, but not perfect. Unfortunately, it swallowed the burger, as its ratio to created a bun to burger overload. We'd rather not bite into a burger and chew off more bread than burger. Sure we're being somewhat picky here, but we're entitled. You've got to do everything right to earn the top spot in our rankings and consistency is key.


Bedlam's Spitzer's Corner
Judgment

Meat (46): Amazingly flavorful, with tender juiciness. The marbling factor in the short rib provides a great bite, every time.

Toppings (23):
The hickory sauce is fantastic and brings together everything on the burger. If a topping were ever to be known to amplify the meat and flavor, consider this sauce a perfect example. The onions, cheese and bacon are delicious and top notch, but are beaten hands down by the sauce.

Bun (21):
Soft, but not quite toasted enough. The burger to bread ratio is heavily weighted towards the bread, and that's not a good thing. We like more meat and less bun.


Rating: 90 out of 100

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Best Burger NYC Glimpse: Spitzer's Corner

For those Burger Bedlam readers looking to take an adventure south of Houston Street, this next best burger in NYC review is for you. This weekend, we will mosey on down to the “earthy retreat” know as Spitzer’s Corner on Ludlow and Rivington. Long a favorite of ours (currently in our #2 spot), this “American gastropub” earned our praise well before the humble beginnings of Burger Bedlam last year with its Hickory Short Rib Burger. Especially as we simultaneously polished off a few of Spitzer’s 40 world class beers on tap. Delicious would be an understatement when reminiscing about the flavors we encountered at the time, but our memories of bliss have lingered for quite a while. Like a couple of kids on Christmas morning (or Hanukkah eve for Kyle) we can’t wait to have another crack at the Spitzer’s Corner burger. Cooked in hickory sauce, topped with BBQ onions, lettuce and a Guss pickle, our mouths water at the very thought of devouring the Hickory Short Rib Burger again. Can you blame us? And did we forget to mention that the Spitzer’s menu is brought to you by Michelin and New York Times rated Chef Sung Park? Who’s he, you ask? He’s the guy who thought up the darn burger…that’s all that matters! It’s the same burger that might very well give Shake Shack a run for its best burger in NYC title. In a few days come back and check out our review. Or better yet, sign up for our e-mail list at the top left of this page and get the scoop automatically e-mailed to you. Til then, stay tuned…