New York is a city of superlatives. Not a week passes where you don't hear of someone purchasing the city's most expensive condo; making the highest bid ever for a painting; concocting the most expensive payroll(s) in sports history (in two different sports no less!). Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the notoriously high stakes NYC culinary world. Best Italian. Best French. Best pizza (especially best pizza). The holders of these titles are debated constantly. This is perhaps inevitable in a city with roughly 1.5 restaurants per every 1000 residents (I totally made that up, but it sounds about right). Establishments display Zagats ratings with the diligence and pride of Cub Scouts showing off their merit badges. As an unabashed foodie, it's as close to nirvana as I could ever want to be.It's terrible fun to go out and actually see if any of these claims of "best 'x'" can be substantiated. If you asked me, I'm pretty sure I could tell you where to get the best cupcake (Sugar Sweet Sunshine), best seafood (Aquagrill) or best french fries (Pomme Frite). The hotly contested title I'm looking to weigh in on here is "best burger." You may say, "WTF, man? It's just a burger. Is there really a large degree of qualitative difference between hamburgers?" To which I'd say, "Hell yes." Some places undercook their burgers; some overcook them; others just make crappy ones (McD's, you may have fooled me as a child, but my tongue is all growed up now!). Then you have the bun: what's it made of? Potato bun? Sesame seed bun? How are the fixins'? Special sauce? How big is the patty itself? What's the bun-to-patty ratio? Sirloin or regular ground beef? So many parameters for such a simple food, no? So, I'll be weighing in on five contenders including:
Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries
Shake Shack
Burger Joint
Dumont Burger
Corner Bistro
I've already sampled the first three, but I'm waiting to try the last two (both of which I've heard high praise for) before I deliver a verdict. I've pretty much expunged red meat from my diet, but the hamburger will always have a place in my heart (but not my arteries I hope). Beefcake! BEEFCAKE!! Sorry...
1 comment:
I am impressed with your selection of burger establishments as all have been highly recommended or praised. I enjoy a good burger as well, the last and most memorable on my list is BLT burger. It was a bit pricey but nonetheless a very tasty burger. I suggest trying it one day after you have finished your other list. -Mr. Chin
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