Custom Burgers by Pat La Frieda and 67 Burger Redux

Queens, NY
www.lafrieda.com
www.yelp.com(reviews)



The Order: Single, with lettuce, tomato, pickle, grilled onions ($1), cheddar ($1), bacon ($1.5), and spicy garlic aioli.
Side Order: None
$4.75 + $1 + $1 + $1.5 = $8.25
Drink Order: Coke
Burger Menu Rating: 10.5/15




Who could be more excited than me to find out that Custom Burgers by Pat La Frieda happens to be in the same terminal from which I was flying out of NY?! Nobody. That's who. I mean, come on, Pat La Frieda provides the meat for some of the best burgers in the city, and the butcher/meat wholesaler is renowned for his custom blends and high quality meats. So a 'Fast Casual' burger place where you can customize your own burger, and the meat is guaranteed to be great quality? I'm sold. They had a few pre-designed burgers (Americana, Fat Cat, Southern Style, etc.), but the name of the place is CUSTOM Burgers... so I built my own.



So! The burger: tasty for a fast food type burger, but you can't get it cooked to order! For a place that cares about the quality of the meat, don't you think they would care that you could only get it medium/medium-well?! What a waste! They meat was on the dry side because of it. Also, the patty was strangely flat, though, with how it was put together, it had a fantastic texture, and extremely coarse grind. The spicy garlic aioli wasn't spicy at all, but added enough garlic flavor to at least be interesting. The bacon was a little soft, and undercooked, tough and not very flavorful. The bun was greasy, the same flavor and color as the bun at Shake Shack, but also added flavor and a texture that improved the overall mouthfeel. The other toppings were fresh, crisp and crunchy. They didn't split the bun, which made for awkward handling of the burger, and the presentation really left something to be desired. In such a swank terminal (and the entire Delta terminal at La Guardia is super nice), and in an eatery with such a good idea, you'd think it would be presented a little better. Actually, there was a HUGE lack of any employee presence in this place. You walk up to the counter and you order on a touch-screen terminal, then stand and wait for your burger, which is brought out from the back kitchen by.. someone. I mean, I know we're pretty technologically advanced and all, but it felt very standoffish and was a bit perturbing. I'd still come here again, despite the Overall, the burger was salty, pretty tasty, but not completely satisfying. Next time I'd go with the 'American' which is cheaper, and probably more worth it. Or I'd build my own American, and add the garlic aioli. Build your own single burgers start at $4.75.

The sides and shakes were a little pricy for me and I was looking for a light lunch, so I passed on them. They did look tasty though. Also, notice that this is the entrance to the kitchen, which is behind a wall of cows.




Not cooked to order: -1
Cooked correctly: 5
Design/Ingredients: 3
Plating: 1.5
Value: 2





So! Last Tuesday, 67 Burger in Park Slope offered a slider and beer pairing dinner orchestrated by head chef Jeff Maslanka. $20 for 20 ounces of beer (4 beers), and 20 ounces of burger (4 sliders - 3 meat, 1 veggie). That's a pretty sweet deal, and having already been to their Fort Greene location, I was eager to get a second opinion, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Joined once again by Mike and Vanessa, we snagged an 8pm seating, and were served within 10 minutes of sitting. Two of the managers each came by to see how we were doing, and explain the whole evening, plus give us a pairing menu.





But get this. Two representatives from Sixpoint Brewery were there serving us our beer, and explaining the notes about each beer, and why they were chosen to pair with each of the sliders. And then, Maslanka himself came by the table to explain the burgers and toppings, and to make sure we were all doing alright. Well, let me tell you, these burgers were delicious. The Italian Veggie burger, in fact, was fantastic (gasp!). I know! I know! What?! It's not a burger! It's a Veggie Patty Sandwich! Then there was their Greek burger, with feta, olive tapenade, and artichoke. It was perhaps my favorite of the bunch. 3rd was their 67 burger, with bacon and bleu cheese, but in slider form of course, and last was their Southwestern burger, which had roasted peppers, tomatoes, scallions, Chipotle mayo and pepperjack cheese.

They were seriously all delicious, AND, cooked a PERFECT medium rare. Maslanka, you get bonus points. But I think the best pairing was actually the 67 Burger and the Sixpoint Righteous Rye. The salty, sour and bitter tastes provided across the board really worked together to make it a difficult burger and beer to consume slowly. Enjoy the foodporn below!




The Greek Burger, cooked a pefect medium rare.


The quartet of burgers, face us is the Southwestern, to the left is the Italian Veggie and
to the right is the 67 burger.


Vanessa enjoys some fries, burgers and beers!


The Italian Veggie. Surprisingly delicious. I'm no convert, but I'd eat it again. Are you
happy, all you vegetarians out there?


Mike enjoying three burgers at once!

Pop Burger

Manhattan, NY
www.popburger.com



The Order: Pop Burgers (2), medium rare. American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and special sauce.
Side Order: Tater Tots ($4.25)
$8.25 + $4.25 = $12.50
Drink Order: Water
Burger Menu Rating: 6/10




Pop Burger, you are confusing. I have now been to two of your locations. One of you is also a bar/lounge with table service. The other is a pub with lots of wood paneling. I have not to been to your third location, but I have no idea what to expect. If I had known you were all so different, I would not have expected any kind of consistency between your locations, but alas, I was uninformed. But more on this later. This review is for the Chelsea location.

First of all, woah. You can order your sliders medium rare. Most places don't even let you try for fear that they'll get it wrong, or they just don't want to try to cook it to order because its so difficult to do. But at Pop Burger you can! You have balls Pop. You have balls. Service was relatively fast, and the behind the counter service was pleasant. I've never been in here when its very busy, or I should say, its never been really busy when I've been here during either the lunch or dinner hour. Every time, however, the sliders have come out fairly quickly.

What was really nice about these sliders is that they weren't incredibly salty, like a lot of sliders I've eaten. It was great change, and a welcome one. The special sauce on the burger is really tasty, and a little bit tangy with each bite. The meat taste doesn't really come through on the burger all that much; these are thin patties. And hey! They cooked it almost perfectly! Still, a thicker patty would've been welcome. Like last week's burger, the stacking order was a little strange, with lettuce on the bottom, BUT there wasn't too much lettuce, so it wasn't terrible. Noticeable, but not as much of a detriment. I didn't taste the cheese at all, so it seemed kind of a waste, but I loved the bun. Soft, lightly toasted; a good vehicle for these sliders.

I've had both the fries and the tots. Both of them are normal, and lightly salted. I've never had the tots overcooked, though, so I'd say go for the tots as you're more likely to enjoy them (if you like tots, and let's be honest, who doesn't like tots).

As far as presentation goes, they have it all together. Nothing special, cardboard with the Pop logo all over it, etc. but when my order came up - and this may have been a fluke - the tater tots were artfully tipped over and spilled partly out of the cup. Well done preparer. Whether you did that by accident, or on purpose, it made my tray look all the more appetizing, as if the tots just couldn't wait to escape into my mouth.

'Now, Pop Burger. You have three locations. Why are the Pop Burgers at each location different prices? Wait, the fries and tots are different prices as well? Next you'll be telling me that the onion rings and the pop corn are also different prices at your varying locations. What? They are?! This is ridiculous!'

Most of the other menu items that are the same across the three locations are the same price. For best value for the aforementioned foodstuffs, go to their "Pop Pub" location on University Place, just south of Union Square. They're Pop Burgers, fries, tots and onion rings are the cheapest, the burgers coming in at $7.75 (vs. uptown's $9.25 - the burgers are made the same).




Sliders Cooked To Order! = +1
Presentation/Plating = 2pts
Design/Ingredients = 2pts
Value = 1pts

Yard House

Los Angeles, CA
www.yardhouse.com



The Order: Classic Sliders
Side Order: Comes with fries
$10.45
Drink Order: Alaskan IPA



Juicy. Very salty. Soft. These are the classic sliders at Yard House. And they are very easy to eat. Small and scrumptious, these sliders are great when paired with beer, or anything really. You just need something to wash them down because of the amount of salt you'll be ingesting.

Joined by a group of about ten people, the staff at Yard House were quick to get us a table and to get us our food. No rush, but I wasn't going to complain. But the burgers. It's very easy to eat them in no time because of how tasty they are. They just get devoured, but it's not as if they are the tiniest sliders ever. Maybe it's the large amount of beer I seem to always consume at Yard House, but I always seem to suck these things down in 5 minutes. The patties aren't as slim as the server led me to believe (read: they could have at least tried to cook it medium rare), but they were consistently delicious across all four burgers. There is a ton of seasoning that is unfortunately undefinable... You'll start noticing a trend in this review. I honestly can not tell you what this tastes like, other than it is salty and delicious.

They also have bearnaise sliders (pictured above... somehow I don't have a picture), which are also delicious. They come with some fried shoestring onions on the sliders, and the bearnaise sauce is pretty awesome. AND you don't have to choose between the two if you can't or don't want to. You can mix it up with two of each kind for no additional charge.

Worth the $10.45 for the sliders and fries, and Yard House often has happy hour deals where the sliders are 1/2 price. Also worth it if it isn't too crowded. Avoid the downtown LA establishment if an LA team is playing. For all of you east coasters: they recently opened locations in Boston, MA and Westchester, NY!

Oh yeah, and they have beer. Their list occupies the first two pages of the menu. Its a decent selection, but it rarely changes. The draw is their mixed beer with alluring names (Snake Bite? Black Velvet?), which are actually pretty good, and their happy hour discounts on half yard drinks.

Hourglass Tavern

Manhattan, NY
www.hourglasstavern.com



The Order: Angus Sliders, comes with 3 cheese blend, sweet pickles and ketchup on the side
Side Order: None
$13.75
Drink Order: Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA


If you're looking for a good slider, this is the place to come. The flavor of the meat wasn't cooked away at all, which is really easy to do with such a small portion of meat, and the three cheese blend was a satisfying compliment: slightly salty but sweet and melty.

The first slider, however, was excellent compared to the other three. A few bites of the slider had hints of pepper which were completely unexpected and amazing. If only the other three had the same splashes of taste.

The bread looked like it was going to be heavy, but instead I found the buns to be light and airy, and warmed just enough as to not be toasted.

The Ginger Man

South Norwalk, CT
www.gingermannorwalk.com

The Order: Three Way Sliders w/ caramelized onion and cheddar; chili and cheese; bacon and blue cheese
Side Order: Sweet Potato Fries ($4 extra)
$11 + $4 = $15
Drink Order: Great Divide Titan IPA


The sliders were good, but really small and they all had a persistent smoky taste. Unfortunately, the sliders are best dipped in ketchup, which pairs wonderfully with the smoke you'll be tasting with every bite.

The thick cut sweet potato fries were slightly burned but that did not distract from how tasty they were. What was strange, though, was the fact that the same smoky taste permeated each bite of the fries as well. The difference was that it was a better taste for the fries than for the sliders.

The menu here is enough to bring you back. They have an excellent, if slightly intimidating beer selection and the rest of the menu sounds delicious (Stout Burger?!). The staff are knowledgeable about their beers as well as the food on their menu, and they are very friendly, easily sliding into casual conversation about their beers, and eager to help with a sampling of their draught beers.

Some readers have made it clear that they would appreciate photos of the delicious burgers that I have eaten to accompany each post. Unfortunately, the first few posts will not have a picture with them because they have already been consumed. However, in a few weeks, you will all start seeing pictures of savory and mouth-watering burgers. Get excited.

Flatbush Farm

Brooklyn, NY
www.flatbushfarm.com

The Order: Farm Burger (brunch only), medium rare. Add cheddar. Add bacon.
Side Order: Comes with regular fries.
Price: $16
Drink Order: Sixpoint "Brownstone"


The price of this burger gives you more hope than its worth. While a decent burger, it was nothing special, and definitely not worth paying $16 for. A dollar for each addition is fine, but this burger lacked any real taste, even after adding cheddar and bacon. It just needed something more. Some kind of sauce, or aioli. Adding ketchup made the burger just another regular burger.

The fries were great; sprinkled with sea salt, and thick cut. Plain and simple fries are always a good choice.