Best Burger in NYC Search: Burger & Barrel

Burger & Barrel

25 W. Houston St. (cross of Mercer St.)

(212) 334-7320
Burger: Mexico City Burger ($15)

UPDATE: *Sadly, the Mexico City Burger was retired from B&B in early 2013. Though, they still serve up fantastic burgers, including their famous and award-winning Bash Burger.

If you’re anything like us, reading about food – the latest trends, up-and-coming chefs, newest NYC hot spots – can become an obsession. Since we began our quest to find the best burger in NYC, we’ve encountered plenty of the aforementioned subject matter. That said, following our first review of a restaurant headed by Chef Josh Capon, the perpetual Soho hot spot Lure Fishbar, we’ve seen the rise of “burger madness” or “Burger Bedlam,” if you will. It appears that every big name chef is getting in on the burger game – and we can’t blame them. The trend of adding a burger to the menu seems now inherently embedded in the minds of restaurateurs when strategizing their kitchen offerings. Being no exception, since the ascension of Chef Capon’s stature among the burger world, pursuant to his 2009 Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash win (and maybe with some assistance from our praises?), it would seem he was destined to open a spin-off based on said success. Thus, Burger & Barrel was born this past October. While serving up his lauded Bash Burger was an obvious choice, Chef Capon expanded his repertoire to a veritable pantheon of burgers, often varying the selection with the seasons. Therefore, it was only natural for us to venture a stones throw from Lure on Mercer St. for a taste of one of the new burgers at Burger & Barrel.

Our Expectations: The Mexico City Burger. A six ounce patty of Pat LaFrieda blended chuck, short rib and brisket topped with mozzarella, avocado relish, pickled jalapenos, Bibb lettuce and tomato. Placed on a custom built roll deemed by Chef Capon as similar to a Parker House roll (generally buttery, soft, and slightly sweet with a crispy shell), then topped with the B&B and Lure signature staple, two big fat onion rings. Drooling yet?

The Burger

Meat: Pat LaFrieda can do no wrong. At this point along our search for NYC’s best burger it may be as obvious as calling the sky blue or the grass green, but every time we taste a LaFrieda blend, its killer. Still, the Chef has to do his part with the execution – LaFrieda can’t season and cook the meat himself. Though, Chef Capon does him justice. With just the right amount of seasoning and a successful by the book medium rare grilling, we loved the outcome. It’s juicy, tasty and texturally mouth-watering. Almost identical to the Bash Burger, if not exact, the meat isn’t overwhelmed by the toppings – it stands tall on its own. If anything, we wanted more.

Toppings: Variations on the classic cheeseburger are always easy to point to with skepticism and a Mexican style burger obviously is cause for some. Regardless, B&B put together a combination worthy of winning over any skeptics. It’s readily apparent that Chef Capon turns toppings into an art form when constructing his burgers, as this one was delicately balanced. The jalapenos provide the kick you’re looking for when Mexican comes to mind, while the avocado relish delectably counter-balances the bite from the peppers. Mozzarella was a pleasant choice as it added a touch of creaminess. Though, the cheese wasn’t as heavily cut as some other burgers we’ve had, and for that reason it didn’t pack the savory punch we so desire. Lastly, the Bibb lettuce was a good touch but next time we’d leave off the tomato, just unnecessary and we’d rather focus on the other toppings for taste.

Bun: The saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and once we heard the change in bun for the burgers at Burger & Barrel – from a Big Marty’s potato roll to a custom built Parker House style bun – admittedly, our eyes rolled a bit. Our affinity for potato rolls has been long documented, but we obviously need to trust the professionals – they do this for a living – because Chef Capon got this right. Light and buttery with a slight glaze, the bun added a harmonizing sweetness to each bite. Though, as compared to a potato roll and its soft texture, the bun did have a bit of chewiness to it. Not a terribly bad thing, but if we’re comparing apples to apples, we’d choose the Lure bun by a nose. Nevertheless, the beef to bun ratio is spot on and the customized bun remained intact throughout consumption.


Bedlam's Burger & Barrel Judgment

Meat (49): Tops marks on seasoning, temperature execution, freshness and texture. LaFrieda is a dominant force in the meat purveyor industry and The Mexico City Burger is a great example of why. A superb blend with excellent fat content made for a succulent patty – we just wanted more of it.

Toppings (23): We ended up drinking the Kool-aid with this one as the toppings came with the right amount of balance. Nice bite from the jalapenos was pleasantly countered by the rich and smooth texture of the avocado relish. The mozzarella also provided a bit of texture but didn’t do much else flavor-wise despite having a nice melt.

Bun (23): Sweet, buttery and fresh, the custom bun made us fans of the unique Parker House style. We’d prefer a touch less chewiness but still felt satisfied with the taste. Holding form as we ate and adding ample coverage of the patty as well, custom was a nice touch.

Ranking: 95 out of 100

Burger Bedlam Bites: 6/27/11

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.

• Now that we're six months into 2011, Zagat Buzz has a list of 5 things they'd like to see happen in the second half of the year. Though, we couldn't disagree more with the need for more Chicago Deep Dish (you can keep that butter-filled pastry). Note the inclusion and subsequent letdown regarding In-N-Out in the last paragraph. Cold hearted. [Zagat Buzz]
• Restaurant critic Alan Richman has a beef with the NYC food scene these days, calling it "predictable." Cheer up, Charlie...eat a burger. At least that usually makes us happier. [Eater]
• Yeezy (Kayne, people) dined in SoHo at our favorite spot, Lure Fishbar, donning gold chains the size of the Bash Burger. But he ate sushi. #BURGERFAIL. [Rap-Up]
• Dutch scientists are playing in labs with stem cells, hoping to create test-tube burgers called "in vitro." Gag us. [Daily Mail UK]
• Bloomberg restaurant critic Ryan Sutton has started a site dedicated to showing you the "bad restaurant deals" offered on social coupon sites like Groupon. Way to go against the grain, brotha. Some of those deals are flat out, well, bad. [The Bad Deal]

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Burger Bedlam Bites: 6/13/11

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.

• Word is Goldman Sachs has it's very own grill at the new FiDi Shake Shack. Damn you, corporate perks. [NY Mag]
• In what appears to be a case of copycat, The New York Times get's all scientific on burgers with Daniel Boulud and some scientist. Hmm, reminds us of our Science Channel TV appearance with Richard Blais and his mastery of the sous vide burger. Terms floated include: Maillard, Liquid Nitrogen and crenellated. Mind. Blown. [NYT] 
• Kanye West's 2007 deal with Fatburger get's dissolved. At least Pharrell is still gansta'. [NY Post/Page Six]
• Ashton Kutcher wore a straw hat to our #1 ranked burger spot, Lure Fishbar. Hey, don't go all Sheen crazy on us already, dude. [NY Post/Page Six]
• The Daily News lists the best fries in the city. We don't rank 'em, but we agree with Pomme Frites. Get the Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo, it's dreamy. [NY Daily News]

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Best Burger in NYC Search: Whitmans

 Whitmans

406 E. 9th St. (b/w 1st Ave. and Ave. A)

(212) 228-8011
Burger: "Our Juicy Lucy" ($10) 

Throughout our nearly two year search for the best burger in NYC, we’ve come across a variety of ingenious reinterpretations of the classic American hamburger. Countless combinations of beef blends have passed through our palates, along with a vast plethora of toppings and buns. Good or bad, each choice continues to tweak our carnivorous opinions and strikes a chord with our taste buds. We undoubtedly can’t complain that we’ve had the opportunity to try so many burgers, the experiences alone are worth their weight in gold, err, beef. Still, while each new dining adventure brings us to a fresh variant on burger composition, our next competitor, Whitmans, pays homage to both a Midwestern staple and a Southern tradition. Offering up a six ounce “Juicy Lucy,” Whitman’s seeks to capture the Minneapolis style popularized by Matt’s Bar and 5-8 Club, while also incorporating the pimento cheeseburger made so famous in the south. It’s a unique style, one we’ve yet to encounter along our burger blazing trail, and we were awfully anxious to make our way to East 9th Street for a taste.

Our Expectations: “Our Juicy Lucy” burger. A six ounce short rib blend griddle cooked, stuffed with pimento cheese and topped with caramelized onions, Bibb lettuce, tomato, spicy pickles and homemade special sauce, all placed on a Big Marty’s potato roll. One of Whitmans owners, James, informed us that he uses three different meat purveyors to source their beef. Their variation of the Juicy Lucy uses two 3 ounces patties formed together to encompass the also homemade pimento cheese. Typically a blend of shredded cheddar, pimentos, mayo and various spices, we had yet to taste pimento in our burger eating spectrum.

The Burger

Meat: Based on our outing, a quick word of caution regarding the burger: you have to take the initial bite carefully when devouring the Juicy Lucy. The pimento cheese oozes out like molten lava, but was just hot enough to handle. Still, while that first bite is tricky, we quickly realized the superior taste and texture of the meat at Whitmans. With short rib comes great fat and with great fat comes delectable taste. The beef was well balanced with seasoning and the griddle provided a substantial char on the outer crust of the burger, in a good way. That char gave us somewhat of an actual crunch, with a thin casing created, and we loved it. Conversely, despite a juicy patty, our burgers came out a bit overdone – likely correlated to the center being filled with cheese which might create a quicker cook than a non-stuffed burger. It’s apparent that Whitmans might not be able to execute as we’d hope in regard to temperature as the cheese can be a hindrance.

Toppings: Pimento was new to us, but we quickly learned to love it. A creamy blend with nice kick, it wasn’t the overpowering cheese we thought it might be. Slightly gooey and also somewhat messy (it falls out of the burger while eating), it was a nice change of pace to the typically American or cheddar coated cheeseburgers we’ve consumed. The caramelized onions were a little too flimsy but did provide a pleasant smokiness, while the spicy pickles were a crunchy addition but weren't so spicy or even necessary. Though, they did create a decent balance of textures. Finally, the special sauce listed didn’t do much to enhance the burger – somewhat lost and almost unnecessary with such a pungent cheese.

Bun: Burger Bedlam loves us some potato rolls, so a Big Marty’s choice had us licking our chops. Also used by Josh Capon and Lure Fishbar, the bun balances out a burger with a complementary sweetness and soft texture. Toasted nicely and, importantly, its size was perfect in relation to the six ounce patty as it maintained its composure as we ate.

Bedlam's Whitmans Judgment

Meat (46): Great flavor and fresh juicy texture, but a bit overdone. The char was fantastic and the well formed casing with a crunch had us hooked.

Toppings (20): A pleasant change of pace on the Pimento as the texture differentiates itself from the ubiquity of American or cheddar. The onions were a standout in terms of flavor but the pickles were "meh" and the special sauce was unnecessary while barely showing up to the party.

Bun (24): Soft and sweet with a fresh taste, we were pleased. A strong choice that structurally was what the patty required.

Ranking: 90 out of 100

Best Burger in NYC Search: Lure Fishbar

Lure Fishbar
142 Mercer St. (Cross Street: Prince St.)
(212) 431-7676
Burger: The Lure Bash Burger ($15) 

We know what you’re thinking, “A seafood spot, for burgers?" Yes, we can’t make this stuff up. Ever since Lure Fishbar chef Josh Capon won the Popular Vote at the Burger Bash in October (2009), we’ve pined for a taste of the Lure “Bash Burger” with the belief that a Pat La Frieda beef composed burger had all the makings of a contender in our search for the best burger in NYC. Heading to the restaurant’s subterranean location in SoHo at Mercer and Prince on a recent Saturday during the gorgeous weather Manhattan has enjoyed prior to the Spring Solstice, we were in for a treat. Not only did we anticipate an impressive burger, but we also prepared for a one-of-a-kind atmosphere. The Lure Fishbar boasts a unique yacht-style setting with the entire restaurant resembling the high-end design of a million dollar yacht. We can't help but reference this...we're on a boat!

Our Expectations: The Lure Bash Burger. As previously noted, the patty is made from premium blend Pat La Frieda beef, topped with – get this – caramelized onion and bacon jam (wow), American cheese, shaved pickles and secret sauce, all on a Big Marty’s potato bun. Hungry yet? The standout item is quite obviously the jam. We were taken aback by the initial reading of that description considering we had yet to come across such a distinctive topping in all our reviews. Clearly that combination of ingredients isn’t reinventing the wheel, but a concoction of such toppings had us a little giddy. To top it off, the burger is served with two fat onion rings on top. Heaven, no?

*Important to mention, this burger IS NOT on the menu and you must specifically ask for the “Bash Burger". Thus, sadly we have no menu picture to show.

*Update October 2010: The Bash Burger can now be found at Burger & Barrel on Mercer & Houston as well. 

The Burger

Meat: Pat La Frieda is notorious for producing some of the best beef blend to construct burgers with, and for good reason. The Bash Burger’s meat is exceptional. Precisely cooked to a medium rare temperature with seasoning that’s divine in every bite, it’s a glorious patty. The tender juiciness that comes with each bite is noticeable not only by taste but from the excess juice that falls to your plate. Though, our only gripe, if you can call it one, is the size of the patty. Six ounces was not enough, especially at twice the price and half the meat of veritable number one best NYC burger contender, Shake Shack.


Toppings: The combination of secret sauce, onion and bacon jam, American cheese and shaved pickles is superb. With every bite, you get a bit of everything – something not to be overlooked given that many burgers are all over the place and fail to provide a perfect bite. The Bash Burger had a certain perfectionist touch to it, as the delectable toppings were neatly placed and organized on top of the patty. A thing of beauty, both pleasing to the eye and our taste buds.

Bun: If you’ve been following us for long, you’ve caught on quickly to our love of potato rolls/buns. With that in mind, may we present the “Big Marty’s” roll. A sesame seed potato bun that felt, looked and tasted as if it were fresh out of the oven. Light, fluffy, toasted just enough and providing a sweet addition to each bite, we were in love. If we’re being picky, which we can be, we like the au naturale style of a dark potato roll (see Shake Shack) sans sesame seeds, slightly better. Still, we’ve got plenty of love for Big Marty.

Bedlam's Lure Fishbar Judgment

Meat (49): Without a doubt the best meat we’ve tasted at this point. Fresh, juicy, tender and seasoned well. Temperature was even throughout, containing the juiciness and providing a melt in your mouth texture (Pat La Frieda deserves some kudos as well). Although we could easily give this a perfect 50, the size could be a tad larger as we wished there was more to eat. The patty wasn’t necessarily filling. Still, we considered ordering a second round of burgers...it was that good!

Toppings (25): The genius of the jam overwhelmingly won us over and the sculpted toppings were impressive. Particular attention was given to the toppings and the calculated ratios of topping in every bite were distinctly apparent as we ate. The American cheese was melted full, but not messy, while the pickles provided a pleasant crunch and sweetness to contrast the beef’s seasoning.

Bun (24): We couldn’t ask for more but reserve to right to be picky and deduct for the sesame seeds on our potato roll bun. It was sweet, fluffy, fresh and the perfect size for the patty and all it’s fix-ins.

Ranking: 98 out of 100