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

Best Burger in NYC Search: Blue 9 Burger

Blue 9 Burger
92 Third Ave (between 12th & 13th)
212-979-0053
Burger: The Blue 9 Burger ($9.25) 

At Burger Bedlam's inception, we came up with, based on our previous experiences, an initial top 5 of the best NYC burgers and burger joints. Included in that top 5 was a burger destination near and dear to our hearts. Akin to our West Coast obsession, In-N-Out Burger was Blue 9 Burger. A burger based on the same proud principles of fresh, never frozen meat. Special sauce, double stacked patties and gloriously melted cheese with grilled onions nestled on top. How can you go wrong? Not to mention, Blue 9 Burger was born in the same Big Ten university business school that we graced for four amazing years. So, when it came time to take our burger review tour to Blue 9 Burger, naturally we were pumped to return after an almost one year hiatus. Would this reunion end happily ever after?

Our Expectations: The Blue 9 Burger. As we mentioned, this one draws strong comparisons to an In-N-Out Double Double. Along with the Double Shack Burger at Shake Shack, it's quite often mentioned as the closest you can come this side of the Mississippi. Two fresh, never frozen patties, special sauce, lettuce, American cheese, grilled onions on a soft white roll. Wrapped in paper, soaking up all that juicy burger grease, thoughts of the Blue 9 Burger always made our mouths water.

The Burger

Meat: Freshness? Check. Tenderness? Check. Anything else? Bueller, Bueller, Bueller? How bout a little flavor? Seasoning? Juiciness? As Kyle's Grandma might say, Oye Vey. It just ain't there. As many of our readers had mentioned in our preview a few days ago, this burger's taste has gone south. The meat is the main reason why. As Brett said while eating, "where's the flavor?" We both agree, the meat is fresh, but is sure lacks in the flavor department. The best burgers in NYC all share a common bond, ideal flavor and superb seasoning. Blue 9, although it can be considered more of a fast food burger, dropped the ball. You can't order the burger to the temperature of your choice, and that likely detracts from the juicy flavor you get out of fresh ground beef.

Toppings: The toppings save this burger any further embarrassment. The American cheese is melted splendidly across the patties. The grilled onions add a bit of sweetness to every bite and the special sauce shines above the average flavor we found in the beef. The lettuce is your standard iceberg fare. But do you really get excited about lettuce? Overall, the toppings are respectable, if not just above average. Had they let us down, you were looking at a considerable drop in this burger's ranking...although it might be on its way down anyway.

Bun: If Blue 9 got one thing right with their burger, it's the toasting of the bun. That shouldn't be overlooked as we've had some seriously charred buns in our day, its a burger killer. You can't overlook this detail, it makes for bad presentation and poor taste. Who wants a blackened bun detracting from the taste of their burger? Not us, no sir. The soft white roll came out as it should, toasted lightly with a soft center and never falling apart. Thank goodness.


Bedlam's Blue 9 Burger Judgment

Meat (33): Where have you gone, flavor? Solid tenderness and a great fresh composition, but seasoning? Not so much.
Toppings (22): We never hate on grilled onions, American cheese and special sauce. That combo is one of our favorites. Still, we've had better.
Bun (15): Toasted well, standard white roll.

Rating: 70 out of 100

Best Burger in NYC Search: Five Napkin Burger

Five Napkin Burger
630 9th Avenue (Corner of 45th St. and 9th Ave.)
(212) 757-2277
Burger: The Original Five Napkin Burger ($14.95) 

So here we are, ready to take our first bite into burger blogging, choosing a much hyped and highly recommended spot in Hell's Kitchen in search of the best NYC burger. Expectations are high, lets get right into it...

Our Expectations: The Original Five Napkin Burger. It's supposed to be big, 10 ounces of fresh ground chuck to be exact, and damn tasty. As a cheese lover, Brett's totally cool with the idea of Gruyere cheese, while Kyle on the other hand has his reservations.


*Fyi, Five Napkin's website lists Comte as the cheese used with the Original Five Napkin Burger. Gruyere, as listed in our picture of the menu, is also known as Gruyere de Comte.

The Burger

Meat: Close to being the perfect combination of flavor, texture and juiciness. Surprisingly, the outside of the patty throws you a curveball with the first bite, providing what we termed "crispy" but what most culinary experts would probably call "seared." The crust leads to a tender, juicy center....yeah its dirty, deal with it. It's that damn good. We don't know how else to explain it. Yet, as pleased as we were with the flavor and texture, that's how unhappy we were with the heat and finishing temperature. We ordered our burgers medium-rare. And medium-rare should always be that, medium-rare! Both our burgers came more like a medium to medium-well finish. Not cool. Still, we couldn't deny the awesomeness of the flavor. On a side note, no excuses if you order a medium-well burger. If you do, we can't be friends.

Toppings: Here's where we differ. Brett, totally cool with the Gruyere cheese. In his eyes, the cheese blended extremely well with the burger's flavors and other toppings. Specifically, considering they use a rosemary aioli, the cheese just fits...but more on that aioli in a minute. Kyle, on the other hand, wished they could throw some Blue Cheese or maybe White Cheddar on the patty. Mainly because Gruyere reminds him of french onion soup... thanks Mom. Still, we both agree, the cheese melted fantastically well on the meat, smothered to perfection. In addition, the caramelized onions offer a nice sweetness to every bite. Solid stuff for sure. Now, back to that aioli. A bit much. Maybe it was just a heavy hand of the chef at the time we sat down. Yet, if you love rosemary, you might want to get to Five Napkin fast, before he eases off the rosemary gas pedal. Don't get us wrong, it also fit well on the burger, but we'd rather have the meat as the star, rosemary should be the understudy.

Bun: Not much to say here except...soft white roll, awesome. Perfect choice and size. It held up well with the weight of the burger and didn't get soggy or sloppy. It threw in some added value, always something we look for.

Bedlam's Five Napkin Burger Judgment

Meat (42): Superb flavor and texture, but a little overcooked.

Toppings (20): Creates a unique flavor, but the rosemary was a little overpowering.

Bun (21): Couldn't ask for a more solid choice....use these at home!

Rating: 83 out of 100