Burger Bedlam Bites: 8/9/11

Our curated list of culinary news from the prior week. Think we missed a must-read or there's something you gotta share? Add a comment below or drop us a line at contact [at] bestburgernyc [dot] com.

• The New York Times profiles one of our culinary/entrepreneurial idols, Danny Meyer, in this whirlwind of an article. The man is a machine! [NYT]
• QSR Magazine, in a special report, breaks down the fast food burger chain numbers for us. Of course, McDonald's is the monster of the space while Burger Bedlam favorites In-N-Out and Shake Shack place modestly. [QSR]
• While we disagree with quite a few of these, Eater NY breaks down the top 15 drunk foods to eat around the city. Might we implore, where's Pomme Frites or Crif Dogs? [Eater NY]
• A superb breakdown of NYC pizza for novices and New Yorkers alike by Slice's Adam Kuban. [Slice]
• We like our burgers served bloody, but not moo-ing. Not like this squid in the video Eater posted showcasing a not-so-dead little guy that's raised to life once it's plated. Here's a factoid, the sodium in the soy sauce makes it twitch. [Eater]

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Burger Bedlam Bites: 7/26/11

Our curated list of culinary news from the prior week. Think we missed a must-read or there's something you gotta share? Add a comment below or drop us a line at contact [at] bestburgernyc [dot] com.

• Seems as though Danny Meyer and Shake Shack are taking over the world. First Dubai, now Westport, CT [AHT] and soon Grand Central [Eater]. Pretty soon lines for Double Shack burgers will conceive out of thin air!
• And in even more related Shake Shack news, a Harlem burger shop, Milk Burger (nice name, dude), blatantly ripped off Mr. Meyer and his menu. The intern did it, judge. I swear. [DNAInfo]
• Lower East Side hot spot, The Meatball Shop, is getting all hipster on us, opening a location in Williamsburg. Question: How many hipsters does it take to eat a meatball hero? Answer: It's some really obscure number, you wouldn't even understand. [The BK Paper]
• Awesome NoLita Italian sandwich spot Torrisi is opening a small stand in Yankee Stadium. Aside from Lobel's or Carl's, that just may be where you'll find Burger Bedlam eating while the Yanks bash the Sox. [NY Post]
• Eater NY reports a second location for Island Burgers & Shakes, this one on the UWS. Our first review will come soon. Plus, same report - IHOP in the East Village soon. Holy Rooty Tooty Fresh 'n' Fruity. [Eater]

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Burger Bedlam Bites: 7/11/11

Our curated list of culinary news from the prior week. Think we missed a must-read or there's something you gotta share? Add a comment below or drop us a line at contact [at] bestburgernyc [dot] com.

• Shake Shack opened up in Dubai and Danny Meyer tweeted a pic of the grill from Day 1, then tweeted at yours truly! [Burger Bedlam Facebook Page]
• It's Restaurant Week here in NYC, meals can be hit or miss but you can't always eat at Telepan or Barbuto for such value. [NYC Go]
• Foodies be warned, VH1's new reality show "Famous Food" isn't just a train wreck, it's a train wreck of EPIC proportions. Still, we'd watch Ashley Dupre on mute. Are we right, Spitz? [Zagat Buzz]
• McDonald's is testing out a new "English Pub Burger" which comes with, wait for it... AMERICAN cheese. Uh huh, not a typo. [Burger Business]
• The Annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest saw Joey Chestnut take the title, again. Competitive eating outcast and rouge Takeru Kobayashi claims he's the real winner in his unsanctioned takedown of 69 dogs. With so much tension we say take it to the Octagon kitchen table, dudes. [NY Daily News]

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Best Burger in NYC Search: Blue Smoke

 
Blue Smoke

116 E. 27th St. (between Park and Lexington)

(212) 447-7733
Burger: The Blue Smoke Burger ($11.95) 

Dipping back into the Danny Meyer restaurant “well,” our latest burger tasting in the search for the best burger in NYC comes from his barbeque staple on 27th Street, Blue Smoke. Offering “regional barbeque styles from across the country” the dining spot caters to every type of carnivore out there. While Executive Chef Kenny Callaghan serves up delicious ribs, pulled pig and brisket along with a cornucopia of savory sides, we heard quite a bit of buzz about the burger. In addition to the tasty reviews we’d encountered, an almost-too-predictable influence to the allure of the burger was it's meat blend coming from who else but Pat LaFrieda. While we could easily wax poetic for days about our burger devouring history with LaFrieda's blends, we hoped to get past any positive biased opinions we may have formed and took on the Blue Smoke Burger with an open mind and empty stomach.


Our Expectations: The Blue Smoke Burger. A nine-ounce patty of Pat LaFrieda beef from Creekstone Farms. Served with your choice of cheese (American for us) and house-cured bacon, which we gladly added. Any and every review we read had incorporated the two toppings in their eating adventures, so we always follow suit. Still, our readers should note, we always break down the meat on its own by taking a few bites with purely patty alone in order to assess the taste, with the Blue Smoke Burger no exception to the rule.

The Burger

Meat: Making a bold impression from the get go, the initial bite into the burger attacks your palate with a sweet saltiness. Yet, although the meat is plenty juicy, it lacks the fresh and tender composure of many other best burger in NYC contenders. The seasoning is comparable to some of the stronger candidates on our list, but as you navigate your way through each bite and into the middle of the patty, the seasoning falls off considerably. We like a thorough mixture of seasoning in the patty blend, so points were taken from the meat in that regard.

Toppings: We expected a favorable outcome from the toppings and Blue Smoke delivered. The house cured bacon was quite tasty, providing a smoky goodness to each bite. Blending effortlessly with the simple saltiness of the patty, the bacon is a must try and adds a crispy texture. American cheese blanketed the burger with ease and was melted fully, a nice showing there.

Bun: A conventional brioche bun, it served its purpose adequately and was toasted well. Brioche always contributes a slight nuttiness to every bite, while it continues to be a popular choice amongst chefs serving a larger sized patty. Yet, in our eyes, such a bun requirement is indicative that the patty doesn’t always need such magnitude. Additionally, as we ate, the bun fell apart somewhat. We can’t help but think that a more evenly distributed slice of the bun would lend a better hand in staying together throughout the meal. The bottom half was clearly too thin.

Bedlam's Blue Smoke Judgment

Meat (44): Great taste, blended with a nice saltiness that isn’t too in your face, The juiciness is there but the tenderness is lacking. Seasoning drops off as you get through the patty and the vast size might be the contributing factor in that area.

Toppings (22): Bacon that can hold its own to any of our burger reviews, the smokiness and crisp texture won us over. The cheese is always a plus and was presented adequately, but is not necessarily needed with this burger.

Bun (20): Decent taste and toasted to our liking but sliced unevenly which caused for some messy eating. Not our favorite choice of bun, but necessary for the size of the patty.

Ranking: 86 out of 100

Best Burger in NYC Search: Shake Shack

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park (Cross St: Madison Ave & E. 23rd)
212-889-6600
Burger: The Double ShackBurger ($7.25) 

Let's be clear: we maintain no bias, all burgers are treated equally. Our reviews of what we hope to be the best burgers in NYC follow the same practical evaluation and judgment follows a three section analysis (ha, lets not get too serious here...its burgers). Yet, it's no secret, we have a soft spot for a certain type of burger. That taste bud tempting burger that combines a greasy spoon fast food style burger with secret sauce, grilled onions, melted cheese and a fresh bun gets us every time. Still, we continue to be on the lookout for a different kind of burger that will take our breath mouths away. If we're going to find something different, something new, we certainly live in the right city. When it comes to the genius that is Danny Meyer, we realize his Madison Square Park burger joint, Shake Shack, doesn't recreate the wheel with their burger. But, in yours truly's opinion, there aren't many that do it better. Plain and simple.


Our Expectations: The Double ShackBurger. Two fresh steer burgers (ground daily) with meat from who else - Pat LaFrieda, American cheese, Shack Sauce (mayo-based, but all else is secret), lettuce, and tomato on a potato (yeah!) roll. Onions and pickles are optional and served on the side. All Shake Shack burgers are cooked medium, but take our word for it after plenty of experience eating at Shake Shack (we're "experts" remember?), burgers always come between medium and medium well. Among the expectations we normally have, we also expected a serious line. Of course, most New Yorkers know about the consistent line at Shake Shack and that's why the Shake Shack website provides a "Shack Cam." Check it out for yourselves here. Either way, we also expected the usual tourist questions from passerbys: "Is the burger worth the wait?" or "How fast does this line go?" Those questions might be as consistent as the line.

The Burger

Meat: Lets get our first and only complaint of the ShackBurger's meat out of the way: It's a slightly tough. Not to say it doesn't taste fresh, because it is, as advertised. Yet, we wish it was cooked to temperature in a better manner. Definitely more medium well than medium. Now the seasoning, it rocks our world. Some of the best we've had...like butter. It's perfect, Brett just won't shut up about it! As for the patties, their size is to our liking. They maintain their texture throughout and aren't overwhelmed or drowned by the bun or toppings.

Toppings: Some delicious stuff going on here. The toppings on the ShackBurger won't suffocate you, as some best NYC burger candidates might. The Shack Sauce drips gently over the patties, with just enough to add flavor without cramping the meat's style. The lettuce and tomato are fresh and the American cheese melts like a blanket of gooey goodness over both patties. When ordering from Shake Shack, you're doing yourself no favors by leaving off the toppings...especially the Shack Sauce. DO IT! If you're going to wait on line for an hour plus, you better get whats good, and whats good are these toppings.


Bun: The perfect bun. We really shouldn't have to say more. But, our review demands more and we'd never leave our readers hanging. Shake Shack uses a glorious and fresh potato roll. From this, we've decided a potato roll or bun of some sort should be the default. Don't mess with sesame or white rolls. Leave the brioche for the heathens. Serve us a burger on a potato roll and you'll win our hearts. As for why this bun is the best, besides being made from spuds, we'd use the words soft and flavorful and tell you that its expertly toasted. We challenge you to find much better.


Bedlam's Shake Shack Judgment

Meat (47): Immense flavor, addictive taste. We order two at a time...check the pics. Though, it leaves us wanting more in the texture category, but that doesn't prevent our double order.

Toppings (23): Shake Sauce is a must, American cheese blends well, all the rest are fresh and crunchy. Solid bunch.

Bun (25): Perfection. Buttery, sweet, soft and a perfect compliment to the patty.

Rating: 95 out of 100