Friday, February 12, 2010

Best Burger in NYC Search: Molly's Restaurant & Shebeen


Molly's Restaurant & Shebeen
287 3rd Avenue (Cross St.: 22nd St.)
(212) 240-9797
Burger: Molly's Jumbo 10 Ounce Bacon Cheeseburger ($12) 

As burger bloggers searching for the best burger in NYC we often have the opportunity to experience some interesting environments. From inside luxury hotels to the dingiest of dive bars, we've had our fill. Yet, there's something quite endearing about our next burger locale. Staffed with native Irishmen and overflowing in Irish Whiskey, Molly's Pub & Shebeen has that authentic Irish feel you just can't fake. Add in the sawdust littered across the floor and its not your common Manhattan atmosphere. Thats all well and good, but you might ask, do they do anything good besides providing you with any easy Sunday morning hangover? How bout the burger? Well, thats why we're here brothers and sisters. The burger has been praised by many, so we're here to judge. As hard as it is to pass up three fingers of Bushmills or a pint of Murphy's, Burger Bedlam was put on this planet to make sacrifices for you, the readers. On to the beef...

Our Expectations: Molly's Jumbo 10 ounce Bacon Cheeseburger made of prime ground sirloin. Uh oh, that's a hefty burger to get past our lips. Good thing we starved ourselves for 8 hours prior to our visit. The sound of a "jumbo" burger might scare some, but let's be serious, we've tangoed with bigger and badder burgers. We obviously hoped for a thoroughly spiced and well-prepared patty, something you can't overlook when filling a plate with such a large specimen.

The Burger

Me
at: With a burger so big, you have to anticipate some sort of monstrosity that's about to grace your table. So when the beef came out in more of a rounded shape than a flat patty, we weren't surprised. The burger needed a good "smoosh" with the top bun to just get some "air" out of it. Still, the meat was tender and undoubtedly seasoned with care. The burger juice was flowing as the temperature was done to perfection, medium rare just how we like it. Pretty fresh as well, good stuff.

Toppings: EPIC FAIL. From the highs of the meat to the lows of the toppings, we wish we could throw some praise around in this section. Yet, to our dismay the toppings just felt flat...like a note from one of those freak auditions on American Idol. A disaster. The bacon was obviously old and soggy. Shriveled up and unsatisfying is no way to go through life. That pig deserved better. The American cheese we added was melted across the entire burger, so there's a plus. But is that really an accomplishment? The burger and grill's heat can take care of that without much effort. Additionally, with the burger, bun and bacon taking up so much of the entree, it was a chore to even attempt to add the lettuce, onion and pickles on top of the burger...so we didn't. Boo.

Bun: Golden brown and toasted to a T, the sesame seed bun was handled with care. It held its own with the jumbo burger and didn't fall apart throughout our multitude of bites. Thats an accomplishment in itself. For how big that burger was, maybe it deserves a medal? Eh...not when its no potato bun!

Bedlam's Molly's Pub & Shebeen Judgment

Meat (43): The best part of the burger. It holds its own in the best NYC burger competition as its tasty, somewhat fresh and seasoned with a nice saltiness that's desirable.

Toppings (16): Disappointing and dull. The bacon seemed as if it had been cooked for breakfast and sat on the grill until dinner. The cheese was melted well but not a standout by any means. The rest of the toppings had no place to sit on the burger.

Bun (20): Toasted well but a sesame bun doesn't win us over. The fact that it held up despite the overwhelming size of the patty was impressive to say the least.

Rating: 79 out of 100