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: Waterfront Ale House

Waterfront Ale House
540 2nd Avenue (cross st: 30th St.)
(212) 696-4104
Burger: The Waterfront Burger ($11.95) 

A burger is always enjoyable with a beer…that’s fact. While many best burgers in NYC can be enjoyed thoroughly without a brew in hand, our next burger review brought us to an establishment that might just be the ideal locale to grab a pint and chow down on a sensuous patty of beef. Waterfront Ale House, home to “warm beer, ugly owner, and lousy food” as so defined on their outdoor sign, was Burger Bedlam’s next venture into the foray of finding the best NYC burger. With the beer flowing – microbrews, domestics, and international flavors included – we trekked around the block in our own Murray Hill hood to try Waterfront’s Zagat proclaimed “sublime burgers.” Something of a dive, we take a break from our most recent reviews at “gastropubs” to get down to brass tax, burgers a la carte. Screw the ambiance; we don’t need no stinking ambiance. Give us a burger, beer (ok, beers) and we couldn’t be happier.

Our expectations: The Waterfront Burger. A half pound patty of fresh ground sirloin served with toppings of your choice. We at Burger Bedlam always go for the Bacon Cheeseburger unless the burger establishment is known for something else – a la The Spotted Pig or Shake Shack. Yet, most of the reviews we’ve done come with bacon and cheese…we’re not complaining. Would you? Although we had a hard time passing on the chili topping, as we know how good we know the chili is at Waterfront, but we digress. We will gladly take one for the team and try the bacon cheeseburger.

The Burger

Meat: If you’re looking for punch from a burger, you hope for the meat to knock you out. At Waterfront, you might consider the meat a jab from your girlfriend rather than an uppercut from Tyson. Sure, the meat was juicy, despite its overcooked texture, but it lacked any standout features. Whereas the meat usually sings with seasoning and freshness at many best NYC burger spots, this patty lacked much of either. Under-seasoned is not the way to win our hearts and appetites.

Toppings: Bacon makes us smile. Its one of those foods that can make any burger, breakfast or brunch complete. Waterfront does its part to keep us consistently happy with the pig product as it produces what might be the best feature of their burger. Now, that’s all well and good, but should it really be the case? This is after all, a burger, and not bacon, blog. With that said, it’s got a delectable crisp and smokiness that complements the burger well. As for the cheese, basic American, but melted expertly.

Bun: Solid bun, spanning all sides of the burger and holding up throughout the eating experience. Slightly burnt from toasting, but nothing that affected the taste. Though, does it add to the flavor of every bite? Not so much. Regardless, it isn’t horrible like some other NYC burger restaurants…we’re looking at you, Royale.

Bedlam's Waterfront Ale House Judgment

Meat (29): Still slightly juicy but lacking the seasoning we yearn for, the meat was underwhelming and overdone.

Toppings (20): Standout bacon with the crispiness and smoky saltiness we desire. Waterfront is more a BBQ joint than anything else when it comes to food, so we expect this type of result. The cheese is melted well.

Bun (20): Right size, but slightly burnt, not much of an addition.

Rating: 69 out of 100

Best Burger NYC Glimpse: Waterfront Ale House

Sometimes in life you get lucky, and quite often we at Burger Bedlam consider ourselves particularly lucky to have one of the “premier beer bars in New York City” right around the corner from our apartments. Everyone can agree that a trip to the local watering hole is an essential need after a long week of stress-filled employment. And in contrast, if you’re unemployed, drowning your sorrows in a fantastic craft beer is something to savor. Yet, many local saloons end up preparing nothing more than your average bar food fare. Our next best burger in NYC review in our neighborhood of Murray Hill, Waterfront Ale House, is hopefully where we’ll find an aberration. An argument can be made that beers and burgers go together like spaghetti and meatballs, or maybe you prefer peanut butter and jelly…but either way, we do enjoy a pint or two (or three?) when reviewing a new burger. Providing a “warm and cozy” atmosphere and serving up what Zagat proclaims as “sublime burgers,” we’re anticipating a possible contender for the best NYC burger. This bovine might not be as hyped of a burger as the rest of our reviews to date, but it’s surely a welcome addition to our burger adventures…and forgive us if we’re relishing the idea of traveling less than a city block to mark one off our list. Once the 8% alcohol beers wear off the review will follow…

Best Burger in NYC Search: Resto

Resto
111 E. 29th St. (between Lexington & Park)
212-685-5585
Burger: The Resto Burger ($15) 

In the world of foodie blogging, as it is with most popular culture websites and blogs, there is often an obsession with reviewing or visiting the newest and most hyped about location. Considering our topic of choice on this site and the city in which we live, it comes as no surprise to yours truly that we regularly receive requests or comments to review the latest burger concoction or the burger du jour…you know, the burger of the day. Mmm that sounds good, we’ll have that. C’mon, you get a chance to reference Dumb and Dumber, you take it (clip here - wait for the 29 second mark). Take a trip back to 2007 memory lane and you shall come across New York Magazine’s “Best of New York” anointment of the best burger in NYC from Resto. Now, Resto brings us to our second straight “gastropub” in our line of reviewing, following Spitzer’s Corner, albeit a bit more north of 14th street in Manhattan. Delivering a Belgian menu and providing a plentiful amount of craft beers on tap, in its brief noshing history Resto has made its name on three Bs: brunch, beers and best of all, burgers.

Our Expectations: The Resto Burger, aptly referenced on the menu as “burger.” A fresh, in-house ground portion of beef and pork, Gruyere cheese, red onion, pickle and mayo with a fried egg placed gently on top. With such lofty praise to live up to, we have high expectations for this burger. Though, we prepare to eat with overwhelming pessimism due to specific review’s we have read on the inconsistency of the cooking temperature mostly attributed to the fact that the meat cannot be cooked to order in part to the addition of pork in the patty. We have yet to try a pork infused patty in our review history, so we are a bit psyched for a taste. Additional pessimism lies in our lukewarm attraction to Gruyere cheese. Known as a “smelly” cheese, we tend to side with American or Cheddar as our cheese of choice. Still, we arrive with open minds and no bias toward a Belgian burger. Who doesn’t love new worldly experiences? Quite frankly, that’s why we do what we do, to experience the best of burgers in New York and provide you, our readers, with unbiased opinions. Even if we raise that cholesterol count…its well worth it. Word.

The Burger

Meat: If you haven’t yet tried a fresh, in-house ground patty, Resto might just be the place to start. With reservations on the temperature cooking, we took a bite of this patty and our mouths instantaneously watered. Due to the mixture of both beef and pork, the restaurant and chef require a medium well preparation. They know their stuff, because the results are overwhelming in regard to the texture. The beef breaks apart gently, providing a tasty but still juicy bite. The freshness is apparent and the size is just right, if not the tiiiiiniest bit too small. The patty fills the bun effortlessly but is also somewhat engulfed by the toppings. Conversely, a minor flaw we could state in the patty was its saltiness. We could easily have done without so much, so slow down there my man chef.

Toppings: Gruyere can be off-putting to some, but this burger’s “upper-crust” preparation almost requires the addition of a change of pace cheese. The flavor doesn’t overwhelm and the cheese flows down the sides of the patty with eloquence. The fried egg is standard fare and not necessarily noticeably with every bite. We’re not sure its necessary, but it is a decent complement to the burger and cheese. The pickle and onions add a much needed crunch to the softness of the patty while the mayo blends well with the rest of the toppings and isn’t noticeable heavy-handed on the bun.

Bun: Many burgers we’ve tried lack in one area or another, thus the reason we’ve yet to bestow a perfect rating. Here, Resto fails to deliver on what we would define as an devastatingly poor choice. The white bun is too paper-thin and bite by bite it deteriorated. It might as well have come on the side because we got halfway through our burgers and removed the remaining remnants. Sadness ensued. You’ve got to bring up your game, Resto. The bun seemed possibly stale and we longed for our favorite potato-style bun, or even brioche.

Bedlam's Resto Judgment

Meat (45): A great and surprisingly powerful combination of fresh beef and pork with a delicate bite and juicy flavor. Good to the last bite but get that water ready cause the salt may provide a sneak attack!

Toppings (21): The Gruyere complemented the burger well while the egg provided a slight taste and texture contrast and the pickles and onion grabbed us with the crunch. The mayo wasn’t heavy-handed or too overwhelming.

Bun (18): The downfall of the entire burger composition, this bun may be up there with the worst we’ve tried. Not much flavor and poor consistency, the bun fell apart at the seams. Much like the Royale review, Resto could make a simple substitution and win us over.

Rating: 84 out of 100

Best Burger NYC Glimpse: Resto

Tucked away in the quiet block between Park and Lexington on 29th Street sits the Belgian gastropub Resto, what New York Magazine dubbed a "meat-eater's paradise" in their official review in 2007. More notably to us at Burger Bedlam was New York Magazine's declaration that same year, naming Resto's burger the best burger in NYC. Obviously such a claim forces further exploration from yours truly, and we must say we're extremely anxious to make the trip. Tempting us often, we have walked by Resto, being the Murray Hill locals that we are, and wondered what all the fuss was about. The hard part, as we must disclose, is deciding to stop at Resto while a few hundred feet more could land us at our favorite Manhattan Barbecue spot, Blue Smoke. *Side note, Blue Smoke also has a tempting burger...one that we just may have to review in the future. Considering we haven't walked by Resto since starting Burger Bedlam, its about time we give it it's just due. Reminiscing back to our very first best burger review, 5 Napkin Burger, the Resto burger provides a mouthful on Gruyere, making us cautiously pessimistic. Yet, with the promise of a fried egg on top and a blend of fresh ground beef and pork, we're anticipating greatness. Later this week, the day of reckoning shall commence. Until then, stay tuned our carnivorous friends...

Best Burger in NYC Search: Rare Bar & Grill

Rare Bar & Grill

303 Lexington Ave. (cross street: 37th St.)
(212) 481-1999
Burger: The M&M Burger ($15) 

Ahh the lavish Shelburne Hotel, filled with modern opulence and serious clientele. We've come to find that burger spots around the city can sneak next to such high-end locales, while also occupying some of the dingiest spots around. Still, we raise no eyebrows, we just came for the beef. Rare Bar and Grill is located around the bend from what some may call the single greatest Mexican happy hour spot in Murray Hill, Rio Grande (margaritas anyone???). There we come to find what we at Burger Bedlam determine to be an oh-so-close to top 5 best NYC burger. Away we go...


Our Expectations:                The M & M Burger. Eight ounces of Grade "A" ground American Chuck. Flambéed in whiskey, topped with caramelized shallots, cheddar cheese and apple smoked bacon. It's making us drool just typing...(wiping our mouths). Excuse us. Anyway, some may question why we choose the M&M Burger as our review choice, but speaking from experience, this baby tops them all at Rare. It's a serious contender and the "Steakhouse Burgers" that Rare serves up are a serious $21 haul. Even so, from past eating experiences, we at Burger Bedlam know the M&M Burger is the sucka born to mess with. Those Steakhouse Burgers are nice, but they can't step into our ring, they're amateurs.


The Burger

Meat: Holy crap, it's a juicy beef volcano! Run for your lives! Nah, it's not Dante's Peak, but the M&M Burger has some great juiciness, cooked to order with perfection. As you may come to know, we're a bit picky about that temperature gauge. As we all should be. With the juiciness and temperature done well, we found the flavor to lack the luster we hope for in our best NYC burgers. Many can argue that the toppings should aid in the overall flavor of the burger, this is true. Yet, if we took off all the lovely toppings that come with the burger and get it...naked...we hope to find that the burger can stand up for itself. The M&M didn't. Still, the beef was juicy and cooked well, with some great melting tenderness while chewing. In regard to the whiskey, we know it shouldn't literally taste like whiskey, duh, but if its flambéed in that stuff, we'd hope it could give the meat some kick. Not as much as we had hoped for.

Toppings: This is where the burger as a whole shines. The caramelized shallots throw in that sweet punch that onions should and the cheddar cheese rocks the house with some great gooey run over the sides of the burger...like lava, if we may? Its just done right, no doubt. The bacon, well, its bacon. Who doesn't love bacon? Kosher, not kosher, who cares? We should really point out, our favorite spot, JG Melon does this the best. Rare tries valiantly, but its more like your average diner fare bacon than a seriously grilled and fatty strip should be. Overall, the toppings make us happy and we truly appreciate them.

Bun: As goes the theme of most of the burger palaces we have ventured to, a soft white roll was the choice at Rare. Toasted to perfection, awesomeness defined. Though, we really wished this baby held up with the entire burger eating experience. Much could be blamed on the intense juiciness of the beef, but the bun fell apart as we ate. Too much "Rare" one could say. The bun did cover the burger and the size was just right.

Bedlam's Rare Bar & Grill Judgment

Meat (42): Juicy for sure, cooked just right, but lacking the "oomph" we like from the overall flavor. The texture hit us well, melting like an M&M should. In your mouth and not in your hand!

Toppings (22): One of our favorite burgers in terms of the toppings. You cant go wrong grilled onions, bacon and cheddar. Its subjective, sure, but we like 'em. Don't you?

Bun (16): Toasted well, covered the beef nicely, but fell apart too soon.

Rating: 80 out of 100

Best Burger NYC Glimpse: Rare Bar & Grill

Amongst the many questions we at Burger Bedlam get asked on a daily basis is: Does price matter when naming the best NYC burger? In short, yes. Who wants to dole out their hard earned cash for something that could barely satisfy your average burger lover? I mean, c’mon brother, you ever hear of a recession?!? Yet, sating our taste buds with the finer things in life can often require a bit more coin. Yeah, we consider beef a “finer thing” once in a while…we’re burger bloggers! Still, we’d like to exit a burger establishment with our shirt, so we often take offense to a burger priced north of $15. We do, however, take into account the quality of ingredients, location of the restaurant/bar/pub and clientele.

Thus, that argument leads us to our next best burger review, Rare Bar & Grill. Nestled next to the hip, modern and expensive Shelburne Hotel in the northwest portion of the post-college, bar-littered neighborhood we know and love, Murray Hill. According to their website, Rare promises to be “unlike any other restaurant in New York.” Past eating experiences tell us that the M&M Burger is the definitive reason to make the pilgrimage to 37th St. and Lexington Ave. Eight ounces of Grade “A” American chuck beef, flambéed in whiskey, topped with caramelized shallots, cheddar cheese and apple smoked bacon...are you hungry yet?!? Our anticipated review eating weekend can’t come fast enough. Stayed tuned…