The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien

Manhattan, NY
www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php



The Order:  Cheeseburger, medium rare.  With 'The Works' (lettuce, tomato, onion, sliced pickles, ketchup, mayo, mustard).
Side Order:  Fries $3.90
$8.04 + $3.90 = $11.94
Drink Order:  Sam Adams Boston Lager
Burger Menu Rating:  8.5/15




Walking into Le Parker Meridien from their 56th avenue entrance, you're greeted with large columns, marble floors, tall ceilings, and a wall of mirrors.  Nothing to suggest that there's a secret burger restaurant tucked away.  Of course, if you've heard anything about The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien, as a lot of people have, this is nothing new.  But there still is that excitement of the first time going, as if you don't believe it's really going to be there.  When you walk in, it's a large quiet, echo-filled hall and as you look around for the tell-tale neon sign that quietly marks the entrance to The Burger Joint, you begin to hear faint, muffled rock music.  And suddenly you see the sign.  It's real!  It's not some big practical joke that hundreds of thousands of previous would be patrons are in on.


I saw the sign... and it... opened up my eyes..

You walk down the corridor.  The music gets louder, and the lighting dimmer, until you turn the corner and BAM!, you're inside the mythical place.  A divey burger-bar hidden in the lobby of a swanky hotel.  Where do I learn the secret handshake?  A tip of the hat to the marketing geniuses behind this one.  My interest was piqued from the get-go.  And now to have my expectations filled.

When you get in line, and there's always a small line that moves quickly, you notice a dimly lit, cardboard, and hand-written sign that states the rules of this particular burger joint.  Any patrons of Pat's, in Philadelphia, already know the drill - know exactly what you want before you get up to the register, or you will be sent to the back of the line.  Ahead of me, a couple of tourists.  They clearly haven't read the sign as they get up to the top and the somewhat annoyed and taciturn lady taking orders tells everyone in line behind them to come on up and skip them.  Time is obviously being wasted here.  I step right up and order with confidence.  My only question: where the hell is the drink list?  Oh.  It's this tiny little other hand-written sign that also spells out exactly how much everything costs.  HOLY SHIT.  This is going to be more expensive than I thought.  $8 for a cheeseburger?!  At this little dive?!  I have to remind myself I'm in a swanky hotel and the theme of The Burger Joint is just a facade.  So I cough up the $18+ dollars for a burger, fries and a beer and am lucky to find an unoccupied stool in this tiny place.


Similar rules to Pat's in Philadelphia.

The orders fly out of the kitchen at breakneck speed.  Another woman behind the counter, who is also clearly 'over it', shouts out name after name.  When she gets to mine, I leap up and am quickly in front of the counter.  But even while I'm standing there, quickly snapping a picture, albeit a very poor one, of the small menu, my name continues to be shouted across the room.  She hasn't looked up, or heard me say "that's me!" to her repeatedly, so finally I have to lean over the counter, wave my hand and reach for the oil-soaked paper-wrapped packages of delicious goodness.

Sitting down, I ripped open the sopping brown bag of fries and unwrapped the burger to reveal what I've been waiting for.  The burger wasn't smooshed, but slightly askew, revealing the myriad ingredients stacked on this burger.  I would have loved to have been able to say that 'this was clearly done on purpose so when the burger is unwrapped you can see everything this burger has to offer' but it was more clear, because of the speed of the chefs, that this was quickly and haphazardly slammed together in an effort to move the burgers out of the kitchen as fast as humanly possible.  That being said, the burger was only SLIGHTLY askew.  The kitchen here, it seems, is a fairly well-oiled machine.


At first it seemed a perfect medium rare.  But alas, I was deceived.

The burger at the middle was a pretty perfect medium rare and the patty was fairly thick.  Both good signs and great to see, especially at such a talked-about restaurant.  But that was definitely not the case across the entire patty.  After the first three or four bites from the center, the meat quickly lost it's vibrant pink and took on a more gray color (Please forgive the bad pictures.  This was a spur of the moment visit.).  The flavor of the meat was fairly present, but only really towards the edges of the burger.  However, the culprits here seemed to be the other ingredients, rather than the patty itself.  While the crunch of the lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle revealed fresh, tasty ingredients, the amount of sauce on the burger was a bit overwhelming, lending the taste of the entire burger to the tangy flavors of ketchup and less to the balanced, or beef-driven flavors I've grown accustomed to in high end burgers.

And then the fries.  What a disappointment!  It had been a long time since I'd eaten fries that were so oily that I couldn't continue eating them before I'd gotten halfway through.  With almost no salt, or other seasoning, to speak of, these fries were almost tasteless, and totally unsatisfying.  Only by dipping every single fry into ketchup could I eat any more of them.

If you remove the hype surrounding the 'secrecy' of this tiny little burger joint, What we're left with is a normal, diner-style, cheeseburger that, while being tasty, a decent amount of food, and made with quality ingredients, is only barely worth the price tag.  It's not a problem of the ingredients, but a problem of execution.  The meat wasn't perfectly cooked and the sauce was overpowering.  For that kind of price, I expected a little bit more effort.  Perhaps, though, my expectation had gotten too high with the excitement of finding out about The Burger Joint's secret location.  There's no doubt that this was a good, even above-average burger, but for my part, it didn't deserve the top ten NYC rankings.  Do I feel duped?  No.  Did I learn the secret handshake?  No.  But I am full, and the kid in me is still grinning about being let into the club.




Cooked Correctly:  4/5
Design/Ingredients:  2.5/4
Plating:  .5/3
Value:  1.5/3

Ramen Burgers wow at Smorgasburg

I heard about this last week and I was so bummed when I realized that my flight to Los Angeles was AT THE EXACT SAME TIME they were selling these new culinary oddities.  Apparently they were worth the wait, so hopefully they'll be worth the even longer wait of WHO KNOWS WHEN THEY'LL BE SELLING THEM AGAIN?!  To those of you who I told to go, and didn't - you know who you are - feast your eyes on this write-up from Gothamist.com.

Did anybody else go?  I want to hear all the juicy details!

The Morrison Pub

Los Angeles, CA
themorrisonla.com



The Order:  The Morrison Filet Burger, medium rare.  Port salut, celeriac remoulade, a 3oz filet mignon, and marrow butter on an English muffin.
Side Order:  Comes with fries.
$16
Drink Order:  Sweetgrass APA
Burger Menu Rating:  10/15




In February, when I was in Los Angeles, I visited a new burger joint.  I actually visited a few, but one of them was more exciting than the others, and that was The Morrison.  Alex Kagianaris, the Executive Chef of Stout, my favorite Los Angeles burger joint, is also the Executive Chef at The Morrison, a new upscale Scottish pub in the Atwater Village area of Los Angeles.  For those of you who don't know anything about Stout, read my review from 2011.  After you do you'll see why I had such high expectations for the burger at this new gastropub.

I'd managed to strike up a conversation with the person running their twitter who recommended their burger up and down, with whom I was able to set up a tour of the kitchen, and an in depth look at their Morrison Filet Burger.  When I got there, I was welcomed by Brian, the General Manager, who made sure I was well at home and who also shares an extreme love for burgers.  He gave me the rundown on the place and made sure I could get into the kitchen for this review.  To Brian, I must apologize for the tardiness of this post and hope he'll forgive me.

First of all.  They put a steak... on the burger.  That should tell you a little something about what to expect when going to eat this monster.  Rich, big, and decadent: there's a lot going on in this burger.  The patty is a custom blend of 40% brisket to 60% chuck from a local provider.  The brisket makes for a slightly leaner burger, but gives you a hearty beef flavor in every bite.


Getting a good sear on both sides of the patty.

Each burger is seared on both sides, then a huge chunk of marrow butter is added to it,while the patty cooks to temperature.  Adding the marrow butter after searing lets the butter melt down all over the patty and keeps it from completely cooking off, so the bone marrow flavor was really present.  Then, the Port Salut (the cheese) is placed on top of the burger, while the Filet Mignon is cooked.


The filet mignons cook while the Port Salut melts on top of the patties.

Unfortunately, the piece of steak is super thin,and cooked well done instead of medium rare.  To be fair, I didn't think to try to order the steak cooked to medium rare also, but I figured that if I ordered the burger medium rare, the whole thing would be cooked that way.  The English muffins are then toasted and the stacking begins.


They begin the stacking with the celeriac remoulade.


Then add the burger and steak combo.


All your burgers in a line.

First of all, the custom burger meat blend is a good one.  I was skeptical at first, but brisket has such a distinct flavor and it really made the beef flavor stand out.  With every bite, the patty just kept on delivering a fantastic combination of meaty goodness and marrow butter.  I don't know who first created marrow butter, but I'd like to shake his/her hand.  Maybe also a high-ten just to drive the point home.


Sadly, my burger was undercooked.  Rare instead of medium rare.

While the patty was so delicious, it was undercooked, coming out rare instead of medium rare.  And the steak was disappointing as well.  It added very little to the burger except for a textural element.  There didn't seem to be enough seasoning on the steak to really bring out that flavor, especially with filet mignon being such an excellent cut of meat when handled correctly.  When added to such a delicious burger patty, the excess meat became a detriment to the burger, rather than adding interest with a contrasting flavor and texture.


The celeriac remoulade was super tasty, but couldn't stand up to the other flavors.

The celeriac remoulade was delicious and had a fantastic texture on its own.  It was such an interesting ingredient to find on the menu, but, when put on the burger, I ended up wishing that it had a stronger flavor to balance against the bone marrow and the meat.  Perhaps there just wasn't enough of it on my burger, or maybe the flavor just wasn't strong enough, but it left me wishing for more of that delicious topping to cut through and compliment the other flavors.  The Port Salut, a cow's milk cheese, had the same issue.  On its own, it had a great mild flavor, but to make it on this burger, something with a bit more attitude would have been more appropriate.  Points for using different elements that aren't generally found on burgers, but some more experimentation with the toppings and their interaction would have been good here.


Deliciously seasoned golden deliciousness.

The fries were delicious.  That's probably all I need to say.  They were a medium size cut, salted and spiced to perfection, and left me wanting more.  The fries were tasty on their own, but when dipped into the burger juice drippings, there was no way I was going to have any left over after the meal.  But watch out.  Other burgers on the menu don't come with fries, and if you want them, you'll be slammed with paying for a $6 side dish.

The best part of our meal wasn't the burger, or the fries, or even the beer.  It was the dessert.  The bread pudding at The Morrison is phenomenal and not to be missed (sorry no picture!).  It's the best I've ever had and the best in Los Angeles, as agreed upon by others who've stumbled upon the pub.  There were lots of edge pieces, so there was a fantastic texture both soft and crunchy, and when mixed with the vanilla ice cream, it was an explosion of rainbows and unicorns in my mouth.  I might actually just go there for one of these.

When put together, this is a beautiful burger and it ends up being a huge tower of gorgeous meaty goodness.  I mean, for $16, you'd hope that it would be pretty big right?  While this burger is good, however, it, sadly, is not all it's cracked up to be.  The quality and freshness of the ingredients, with the appeal of saying that you ate a burger AND a steak at the same time, makes this worth the visit once.  On the whole, it was still a tasty burger, but it lacked balance, and for the price tag, you should be able to expect to eat something that was really going to wow your taste buds.  I'd still choose the burgers at Stout over this one.




Cooked Correctly:  4/5
Design/Ingredients: 2/3
Plating:  3/3
Value:  1/3

Big Nick's Pizza and Burger Joint is now CLOSED

Big Nick's Pizza and Burger Joint comes to a close after a 51-year stint in the Upper West Side with no plans to reopen.  It's apparently due to a $20,000 rent hike, according to Eater NY.

Thanks to Albert, one of the guys who came with me on that Midnight Burger Adventure, for the new.

The New Yorker - http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/07/big-nicks-goes-dark.html?mobify=0

Eater NY - http://ny.eater.com/archives/2013/07/the_shutter_big_nicks_4.php

Umami Burger NYC Opens Today

Umami Burger is opening one of it's three planned NYC locations today.  Just thought you should know.  While Ernesto Uchimura is no longer at the helm with Umami's massive expansion underway, owner/head-chef Adam Fleischman is bringing some of their menu items from California and has created some new burgers that are sure to be good.  By the way, "Fleisch" in German means "meat" so it's appropriate that he owns a burger chain.  No?

Umami Burger - http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/

Serious Eats/A Hamburger Today - http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/07/first-look-umami-burger-west-village-nyc.html

Thrillist - http://thrl.st/15Y2r7x

Angela: The Best

I must ask for your forgiveness for my absence recently.  I lost someone very dear to me a few weeks ago, and have honestly not felt much like writing posts.  This person, my aunt Angela, was an amazing woman who helped make me who I am today.

She came to my family about thirty one years ago to be our live-in nanny, to not only cook and clean, but to help raise my siblings and me.  She didn't speak very much English at all, and had only just recently gotten into the country from Taiwan.  She came to us before I was born so I was extremely fortunate to essentially have two moms raising me.



I honestly don't remember much about when I was growing up.  That's not really true.  I remember a great deal.  I have flashes of images and moments that really stand out.  I remember Angela disciplining me.  Having to stand in the corner.  I remember her letting me sneak down into her room to watch cartoons.  I remember how she used to sneak eggs into my oatmeal to make sure I was eating enough protein.  But most of all I remember the kitchen.  Angela was always in the kitchen.  The kitchen had such a bustle, and an immense quality of life to it because Angela was there.  She became synonymous with the life in the kitchen, constantly cooking another meal, cleaning, prepping, and baking.  Repeat.  There was always laughter and a dark sense of humor about her, an ability to joke around, but also listen, and understand.  She was immensely emotional, and when, at times, we'd argue, she would be hurt, and showed it.  In recent years, Angela had had a difficult time.  Still with us, and still helping to take care of our family, she was sometimes not very happy.  She would clash with my father, or me, which upset her to no end, but would always let it go.  She was amazing at moving past the things that she wanted to get over, and could hold a grudge for a while if she wanted to.

I remember all of these things about her that define who she was to me, but the past few years contain some of the best memories I have of Angela.  She and I spent a lot of time together in the kitchen as she taught me to cook.  She was one of those cooks who never measures, who just knows by feel and taste exactly how much of every ingredient to put in.  At first, it was incredibly frustrating, but when I became more comfortable, suddenly this entire world of cooking was opened to me.  She was the one who taught me how to make burgers, always making stuffed burgers, or other interesting varieties, and getting excited about mixing different ingredients to make something amazing and new.  She and I would cook together, each adding something to the dish we were making, exclaiming, "oh! I know exactly what this should have," before running to get some other key ingredient.  That joy of cooking; that life that cooking brings to a house was something she embodied.  That is what I learned from Angela, what I miss now, and will miss for the rest of my life.  She was my teacher, my mother, and my friend, and to her I will never find enough ways to say "thank you Angela.  I love you."

Hesburger

Hamburg, Germany
www.hesburger.com/food



The Order:  Hesburger (Double Burger), with shredded iceberg, American cheese, 3 buns, 2 patties, pickle, ketchup, and cucumber & paprika mayo.
Side Order:  Does not come with a side
€3.50
Drink Order:  None
Burger Menu Rating:  5.5/15




Hesburger is a Finnish burger chain, known in Finland as Hese, with locations in Finland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine.  It's had a long history, starting in the 1960's, but really began to grow starting in the 1990's.  It has a larger presence in Finland than McDonald's, and blah blah blah.  None of that is important.  There are four in Germany, three of which are in Hamburg, and two of which are located on the Reeperbahn, the area where I was working.  What you need to know about this place, is that the burger, at the right time, is dirt cheap, tasty, and worth every cent.


This lone man handles ordering and making all the burgers here.

During rush hours, I would avoid Hesburger if I had the time to go somewhere else.  With only one person running the establishment, at least at the location on the east side of the Reeperbahn, the guy makes a ton of burgers, beforehand, in order to handle the lunch and dinner-time rush.  What this means, is while they're still tasty, and inexpensive, they're not fresh, and that's where you really get the value on your burger.  During the rush hours, your burger will have been sitting under a heat lamp for an hour or two before you consume it.  The time to go to Hesburger, therefore, is late at night, after a drink or two, perhaps.


Andy LOVES Hesburger.

A coworker of mine, Andy, LOVES Hesburger, and had been trying to get me to go with him for a few weeks, when finally we had time to go together (Andy had been going virtually every day in the interim).  We walked up to the stand, ordered our Hesburgers, Andy also got a Cheeseburger and waited at the hi-tops.  The sole cook/cashier/order-taker/honcho made our burgers quickly, all the while taking the order of a few drunken German tourists, who were also expounding upon Hesburger's many fine qualities.  The two patties are thrown onto the grill, while each piece of bun is lathered with mayo and topped with condiments, including the cucumber and paprika mayo (by far one of the standouts on this burger).  By the time he's done with that, he slides the patties onto the buns, stacks it all together, and wraps it to perfection.


A shot of the meat, looks like he forgot the toppings on the top half.

The burger is simple.  No frills, just consistency and normal fast food burger taste.  The American cheese makes this burger sweet, but buns are lightly toasted and the shredded iceberg is fresh.  The mayo with cucumber and paprika provides a cool and crisp flavor to contrast with richness of the beef and cheese.  They DID forget to put the toppings on the top half of the burger, which is unfortunate.  With this burger, you don't get to order at a specific temperature, nor do you have any really fancy toppings, nor, apparently, do you really even get something all that consistent.  What you get is a freshly made burger that will certainly satisfy your post work/beer cravings.




Cooked Correctly:  1/5 - Medium Well, can't ask for specific temperature
Design:  1/3 - Cucumber&Paprika Mayo!
Plating:  .5/3
Value:  3/3