THE BEST: Burger

[mikeyrad]

JG Melons up on 3rd and 80 whatever

J.G. Melon is on 3rd and 74th and they do serve a great burger.  However, it is a very crowded and noisy bar.  I'd request to be seated in the back of the house, still noisy but tolerable.

[Fat Guy]

Gavriel (downstairs) is my regular guy at Astor.

[tommy]

and no votes for chumley's burger?  for shame.

[mikeyrad]

and no votes for chumley's burger?  for shame.

Even if you don't love the burger, you have to love the bar.

[jaybee]

Fat Guy sent me to City Hall in a quest for a great hamburger.  I loved the place and enjoyed the burger.  I tried Henry Meer's "secret" mix of ground sirloin and brisket for a home broiled burger.  The results are very, very good.  Broiled to a nice crust with a soft juicy interior, the burger has a full meaty taste.  Somehow the brisket brings out the taste of the sirloin so the result is flavorful, moist and not at all fatty. Intuitively, I tried 1/2 lb brisket and 1 1/2 lb sirloin.  Seems like a good ratio.  Unlike City Hall, I did not bake my own onion roll, but the burger was so good that fresh seeded rye bread or a kaiser roll was just fine.

If anyone else cares to experiment, I'd like to know the results.

[berg man]

Not great burgers, but better-than-usual-for-lunchtime burgers:

Tony's Burger, on 32 bewteen Park and Madison.  Juicy, decent bacon and plenty of it, abundance of fries, and they know what "medium-rare" means.

Prime-Burger, 51st (I think) east of Fifth.  Smallish burgers that are taste-filled, but you might need two, or at least a plate of fries.  The Coke is just syrupy enough (meaning, more syrupy than most people like).

[Ruby]

Prime-Burger, 51st (I think) east of Fifth.  Smallish burgers that are taste-filled, but you might need two, or at least a plate of fries.  The Coke is just syrupy enough (meaning, more syrupy than most people like).

Hi Berg Man, yes I always wind up eating two burgers at Prime Burger but I like the vibe there. I always feel like I'm in some kind of 1950s time warp. Those tables that resemble children's high chairs. The wait staff is cool too - they look straight out of a Warner Bros. movie where you'd be served by these fellas in a diner car on a cross country train trip. They always remember me even if I only go once a month.

I've been told all the pies are homemade (peach, sweet potato, apple) and they also have good baked apples. On Fridays only they serve fresh crabmeat salad sandwiches (not the sea legs imitation) but you also need to eat two of those. Remember, this is a 1950s time warp and portions weren't huge like now.  

[Justin Burk]

Hi Berg Man, yes I always wind up eating two burgers at Prime Burger but I like the vibe there. I always feel like I'm in some kind of 1950s time warp.

Agree with you on the burgers, but that decor is definitely not 1950s.  With the wood paneling and conical metal lights with little holes in them, it's pure 1972.  I think they did some sort of big redecoration in the early 70s and never looked back.

I didn't know about the pies - I'll have to try those at some point.

[Pitter]

I love the burgers at Broome St. Bar and Grill, with the fried onions.  They serve them with pita bread, which may seem a bit strange, but it actually works.  If you are in the nabe you must try these out.

[Ruby]

I had a terrific burger today at B. Smith's on 46th Street between 8th & 9th Avenue-also known as Restaurant Row in the theater district. It was a juicy grilled black angus burger for $9 that came with the most delicious non-oily frites I've ever had. I'm not a French fry lover but these were so good. The fries were a little pre-salted and thin and non-oily. Mmmm.

B. Smith is a former fashion model and the restaurant is a two-level affair that was previously a deco resto called Dorsay's. Anyway, the burger was delish and came with an 'onion jammy' that was perfect with the burger. I can't wait to have another one. The bun was sweet and not doughy or oversized and was easy to handle.

[yvonne johnson]

Somewhere where the best burger is not to be found: The Viceroy (at 18th Street at 7th or is it 8th Ave?). I can put my hand over my heart and say that the burger I had on Saturday night was the worst I’ve had in going on fourteen years in New York. I took one bight and I tasted fish! I asked my poor husband to try it to confirm that my taste buds weren’t completely out of whack, and he agreed on the burger’s vileness.

I sent it back, requested no replacement, and I wasn’t charged. My husband’s steak frites was OK, but bland. The fries were more than passable though.

More pleasing was Fanelli’s (at Prince & Mercer) the other week. My husband had a very fine, juicy bison burger, and my BLT was above average. Nice draught Bass ale too.

[mchoi]

I'm not a burger expert but I really like the bacon, roquefort burger at the Odeon, and the cheese burger with tatertots at Daddy-Os in the W. Village.

[RossyW]

I thought I would revive this topic. Because I plan on eating a great burger tomorrow for lunch.

Does anyone have any new ideas on the subject?

[ambra]

I'm a huge fan of Blue Ribbon Bakery, I think because they use good bread an overlooked necessity. But I sent a friend who didn't love it as much as me.

People keep telling me Pauls Palace is the best ever. Haven't tried it, and I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet.

Enjoy!!

[tommy]

I thought I would revive this topic.  Because I plan on eating a great burger tomorrow for lunch.

Does anyone have any new ideas on the subject?

this thread has touched on just about every great burger. if you haven't tried them yet, i'd say give any of these places a shot.

my favorites are still smith and wollensky's and molly's. 2 different experiences for sure, but both really good burgers.

[BDR]

 One of my favorite hamburgers in my college years was the OllieBurger from the local Lums, which was packed with spices.  

I remember the burgers at the Original Ollie Burger in Miami Beach, on 23rd near Collins Avenue. Now THAT was a burger to remember. The Lums version is/was pretty good, but a pale imitation.

[RossyW]

Well, I had my burger today. Went to Molly's for lunch (I got hooked in by the idea of a Guiness accompaniement).

Outstanding burger. Juicy but not runny. Tasty. Definitely worth the trip.

Another burger not mentioned on this thread that I've enjoyed is at Island Burger, on 9th avenue in the lower 50s. I've been there a few times, and the quality has been inconsistent. But it can be quite good. Not as good as Molly's. But this is one of those places with about 50 toppings you can add.

[circc]

I am looking for a very good hamburger restaurant in NYC (my parents are visiting from Europe and they want to taste original hamburger).

Thanks for your suggestions...

Moderator's Note: Two threads were merged at this point.

Edited June 27, 2005 by Pan (log)

[Jason Perlow]

We've had a lot of discussion on this.

Best Burger (See my note on Jackson Hole)

Blue Smoke (a barbecue restaurant with a reportedly very good burger)

Wollensky's Grill (excellent steak house as well)

Peter Luger (The ULTIMATE new york steak house, with reportedly the ultimate burger as well)

All of these are very conservative burgers, with emphasis on the meat. Evan Lobel, master butcher at Lobel's in NYC, recently said that he liked the burger at Jackson Hole, which is a burger place that serves HUGE hamburgers with many kinds of toppings of your choice.

Fat Guy, my partner in crime likes the burgers at City Hall a lot.

[sherribabee]

We've had a lot of discussion on this.

Best Burger (See my note on Jackson Hole)

Jackson Hole (the one at 35th & 3rd) serves a pretty good burger, and although they will ask you how you would like your burger cooked, it will come to the table med to med-well.

Someone once told me to have a burger at Cozy Soup & Burger. I no longer like that person. The burger was way too big, not well prepared and greasy to the point of being unedible. Do yourself a favor and skip that place.

[mikeycook]

We've had a lot of discussion on this.

Best Burger (See my note on Jackson Hole)

Jackson Hole (the one at 35th & 3rd) serves a pretty good burger, and although they will ask you how you would like your burger cooked, it will come to the table med to med-well.

Someone once told me to have a burger at Cozy Soup & Burger. I no longer like that person. The burger was way too big, not well prepared and greasy to the point of being unedible. Do yourself a favor and skip that place.

I live downstairs from Cozy and I agree (although we order a lot of other stuff from there.)

Among cheapo burgers, I have always been a sucker for the roquefort burger from Burger Heaven, but I might be alone in that.

[JohnnyH]

THE place to go for a mind-bending burger in NYC is Corner Bistro, corner of West 4th Street and Jane. Don't get scared off when you see the line; just grab a beer and join the crowd waiting for a table. You won't believe how good it is -- one of the few places that actually deserves all the hype it gets.

[Jason Perlow]

THE place to go for a mind-bending burger in NYC is Corner Bistro, corner of West 4th Street and Jane.  Don't get scared off when you see the line; just grab a beer and join the crowd waiting for a table.  You won't believe how good it is -- one of the few places that actually deserves all the hype it gets.

I think this is one of Bourdain's favorite haunts, if I am not mistaken.

[JohnnyH]

THE place to go for a mind-bending burger in NYC is Corner Bistro, corner of West 4th Street and Jane.  Don't get scared off when you see the line; just grab a beer and join the crowd waiting for a table.  You won't believe how good it is -- one of the few places that actually deserves all the hype it gets.

I think this is one of Bourdain's favorite haunts, if I am not mistaken.

I wouldn't be at all surprised. If you've never been, you must.

[Blondie]

THE place to go for a mind-bending burger in NYC is Corner Bistro, corner of West 4th Street and Jane.  Don't get scared off when you see the line; just grab a beer and join the crowd waiting for a table.  You won't believe how good it is -- one of the few places that actually deserves all the hype it gets.

Or go on a weekday afternoon when you can easily get a table.