[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Special Edition list addition…

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

DBGB

4 The Yankee: 6 oz beef patty with iceberg tomato & vidalia onion on a sesame bun, essex st. pickle & fries. + Cheddar + Bacon. $18.00 This is my second visit here, and round deux was just as good as I remembered it. There are only three burger options at DBGB, but really you can't fuck this up. They're all delicious. I got the Yankee with bacon, which I'd argue is the best choice of the three. The burger was small, but packed a major punch of tastiness. It's the kind of burger you might look at and think, "nah, no way this thing fills me up." Well, you're probably wrong and will likely over-order. Not like I didn't warn you… back to the burger. It's incredible. Super juicy, succulent meat. It's small but I took my time eating it. I chewed each bite for as long as I could, like it was my only meal of the month. The bun was awesome. The cheese was perfect. The bacon was plentiful & crispy. Yeah, and the fries were like little crispy drug potatoes. I swear I'm addicted to these things. It's on the more expensive side for an east village bacon cheeseburger, but sometimes you gotta treat yo self.

Bottom line: Eat this burger.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

The ratings, as they stand on 5.5.2014

Frankly, I'm impressed and kind of shocked I'm not fatter at this point.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Ruby's

3.5

Bronte: Premium ground beef, tomato, lettuce, sweet chilli, mayo & cheese $11.00

This is one of the weirder burgers I've ever had. Leave it to the Aussies, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

The burger comes on some baguette-ish type bread. Not a bun. That throws me off. It's a bit too much bread for my liking, but at least it's fresh and chewy. Call me ol' fashioned, but I like ma burgers round with fries. This burger is neither round nor does it come with fries. The salad tastes perfectly ok, but pales in comparison to warm, crispy fries.

The meat is quality and my burger is cooked perfectly. Clearly this aussie chef knows how to operate a barbie!

If I'm hungry, and not craving an "american hamburger," I'd definitely come back to this Nolita spot.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

PJ Clarke's

2 Cheeseburger. $500 or something... If you want to be surrounded by middle aged white people talking about office politics at their mid-rate law firm I’ve got the perfect spot! I felt so out of place in the sea of baggy Joseph A. Bank suits. So clearly ambiance - not so good. Sadly the food didn’t do much to improve the situation. Fries are extra. Like, a lot extra. It should be illegal to charge 8 American Dollars for average french fries. That is just not the kind of country I want to raise my future children in. The burger was good. But I’m having trouble focusing on how good may have been because I can’t get over the fact that I just paid so much for a side of fries. With a few beers, fries, and tip, the bill was $60. Pause and let that sink it. $60, for one person to eat a burger. Ok, now you’re mad too. I actually read through the check to try to make sense of this, but just couldn’t put it all together. I could never step foot into another PJ Clarke’s for the rest of my life and be more than totally content with myself. I'd encourage you to do the same.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Umami Burger

5 Manly Burger: beer-cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, smoked-salt onion strings, house ketchup, mustard spread. $12.00 You came from Florida and dominated headlines in NYC. “BEST BURGER ARRIVES TO NYC” “EPIC LINES FOR EPIC BURGER.” I read stories of people waiting more than 4 hours to eat here. No way I’m doing that. So I waited. My friends went, waited, and came back with stellar reviews. Still I waited until the hype died down. Finally I went on a random weekday night. The wait was relatively short, so I put my name down and waited for an hour to be seated.

Everything I ate was super salty. I know I once said water with my burger wouldn’t suffice, but it was necessary to counteract the sodium overload I was forcing on myself. The tots were decent, but much improved by the sauces they provided. To be perfectly honest though, I couldn’t focus on anything but the burger.

The bun was buttered and soft. I bit into this meat-beast and was literally speechless. My eyes automatically close. I think I’ve just arrived in burger heaven. The meat tastes super buttery and insanely good. The second I take my next bite, I knew I’d found one of the best burgers in NYC. Each bite yields another moment of food bliss silence as I chewed. Conversation at this dinner was at zero once I started eating. I was easily the worst date imaginable. I wanted nothing more than to eat my burger in silence.

The meal was so decadent. I felt like if I didn’t walk home, I’d develop the early stages of gout.

The burger is a must have, but know that it definitely cannot be a regular in your rotation. In my eyes, this is a celebration burger. So find a reason to celebrate every couple of months, but Umami is the truth.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Walker's

2 Burger + Cheddar + Bacon. $14.25 I wanted to like this place so badly. It’s a classic NYC joint. It’s across the street from the Ghostbusters firehouse. They’ve got crayons and paper table covers to keep kids and/or adults with ADHD like me entertained until their food comes. Honestly, I challenge you to sit, have a few beers and NOT draw a penis. It’s impossible. Now that you’re judging me, let’s talk burger… It’s just not very good. The bun was cheap and tasted like it was a few days past the expiration date. I almost opted for the open face approach, if you've ever seen a sorority girl on a diet eat a burger you know what I'm talking about. It's shameful and I avoid doing it at all costs. The burger was pretty dry and mostly flavorless. It also had the stiffness of Oddjob’s hat. The fries were weak. Soggy and not warm, pretty horrible combo when it comes to fries. Go to Walker’s. Get a beer. Yuck it up with the old school New Yorker barkeep. Skip the burger and fries.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Whitman's

3.5 Famous 'Juicy Lucy'. $11.00 Awesome little order-at-the-counter spot. Decent beer selection. If a place has a ‘famous’ / house specialty I like to go with that. In my mind, that should be the best dish they offer, if it really is as “famous” as they claim. The Juicy Lucy comes with cheese on the inside, which sounded super intriguing. Sadly, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Firstly, the middle of the burger is usually my favorite part. It’s the juiciest, best bite. In this burger, that bite is replaced by an explosion of molten hot cheese that burned the shit out of my mouth. Also, cheese in the middle of the burger doesn’t provide a great burger-to-cheese ratio per bite; instead you get like 3 bites of just burger, then 3 bites of almost entirely cheese, then only burger again. I’ll give it to them for trying and I definitely owe this place another visit to try one of their less famous burger.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Shake Shack - Madison Square Park

4 Like, a bunch of cheeseburgers + fries with cheese on them. $8.95 + $3.85 Let’s all agree waiting in a long ass line for a burger is silly. But you know what? These little burgers are so tasty. And you already know that because you’ve waited in that line before. I think I could eat 5 of these cheesy bastards. When the weather is nice, and the line isn’t crazy long - eat burgers here.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Old Town

2 Cheeseburger + Bacon. $16.00 Come here for the history (one of NYC’s oldest bars), a beer, or to catch a few innings of a baseball game. Skip the burger. It wasn’t awful, but it’s the kind of place you walk out feeling meh. A burger should never make you feel this way.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

The Fat Radish

4.5

Bacon Cheeseburger: duck fat chips, house pickles $19.00

Everything is organic or local or from a rooftop garden or some hippie dippy stuff like that. It's the kind of place they put turnips down at the table instead of bread. If you're into that earthy shit you'll probably love this place. It's on the more expensive side (duh, organic), but daaaaaaayum is it worth it. This burger sits comfortably in my top 3. It’s phenomenal. I could type a bunch more words here, but you really just need to try it to understand the delicious powers of this bacon cheeseburger. Every bite is like getting a high five from George Washington while riding a dinosaur. It's honestly one of the best in NYC.

Also, duck fat fries. Do you even know about duck fat, bro? (they're actually not that good which is a major bummer).

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

3 down. Mostly high rating, but still searching for burger perfection.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Royale

4 Bacon Royale: burger, lettuce, tomato, onion & pickle choice of: american, cheddar, swiss. $9.00 This might be one of the best bar burger’s I’ve ever had. It’s cheap. It’s basic. The bun has sesame seeds on it. And most importantly, the burger is delicious. Oh, and it comes in a plastic basket, which I'm almost certain was how our Founding Fathers intended us to eat burgers. In my mind, the best burgers are un-sophisticated and this spot smashes it out of the park. Perfection in simplicity. This is my new go-to neighborhood spot.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

Updated list and rating.

My annual trip above 20th street, only worth it for a quality burger.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

#RandomBurgerThoughts

If it has more than 3 patties, it’s no longer a burger. It’s a feature post on a “This Is Why You’re Fat” blog.

[nycburgerhunt-blog]

The Burger Joint

3.5 Cheeseburger & fries. $8.27 + $3.90 I’ll start by saying I absolutely hate midtown. That may sound snobby, but fuck it, it’s the truth. Unless I’m in the Park, I’m miserable above 20th Street. I took me a solid 20 minutes to find this place. It’s tucked in the back of some random lobby. The place is tiny and full of tourists nose deep in a Frommer's guide and also rocking socks with sandals. I’m not pumped that I can't get bacon on my burger. Also not too pleased that I have to order a side of fries with my burger. Fries need to come standard with a burger, people! Also, while I’m ranting…if you’re going to make me order fries separately, they better reach new level of awesomeness. These did not. They tasted like McDonald fries that’d been sitting out for 20 minutes. The burger was decent, but nothing special. I’d eat it again for sure, but I don’t think it’s not worth going to midtown for. However, if you are in midtown for some horrid reason and craving a burger, this isn’t a bad option at all.