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!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
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
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
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
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
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
Monday, July 29, 2013
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
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
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
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."
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
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
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
Monday, February 25, 2013
Walker's Bar
Manhattan, NY
www.walkersnyc.com
The Order: 8oz sirloin burger, medium rare on a sesame seed roll. Add swiss ($1.25), add mushroom ($1.25), add bacon ($1.25), add sauteed onions ($1.25)
Side Order: comes with fries
$10.75 + $1.25 + $1.25 + $1.25 + $1.25 = $15.75
Drink Order: Lagunitas IPA
Burger Menu Rating: 7.5/15
First, I must apologize! I totally dropped the ball on posting this on time. Now it's almost a week later, but I'm determined to get this post in before Wednesday's next post. And I especially failed, because this was my first invited review, although hilariously there was some miscommunication, and they didn't actually know I was coming (oh well). But still, you have to hand it to a restaurant that invites a review. That takes balls. I like balls.
Walker's has been around for about 26 years, in a space that has been a restaurant or pub since the 1880s. It's a spot all the locals know about, and is praised for being an unpretentious mainstay of Tribeca. Upon entering, you walk into a spacious bar and seating area with high ceilings, and brick walls, and this looks like all the place has to offer, but it turns out there are two dining rooms nestled in the back behind the bar. The staff greets you as you enter, and they're generally friendly and helpful amidst the bustle of the lunch hour.
The build your own burger menu.
I checked out the menu, and there was only one burger on the menu. What I hadn't known, before I went in to write the review, was that this is basically a design-your-own-burger. I immediately asked my server what her recommendation was, and she came out swinging. Swiss, mushrooms, bacon and sauteed onions. Okay server lady.
After a short wait (the place wasn't quite busy yet), the burger arrived, piled high with toppings and fries. Word must have spread around all the waitstaff because when the burger was brought out, there was a lot of cooing over the burger, telling it how nice it looked, while simultaneously looking, and winking, at me. Seeing other patron's burger brought out, however, made it clear that the cooing was done for me, but the burger was prepared the same as all the others: a hand-formed patty, piled high with toppings of your choice, and a healthy portion of fries.
An uneven patty formation leads to uneven cooking.
This burger had a good medium rare, in the parts where it was medium rare. The patty itself was a bit lopsided, which explains the uneven cooking, and it was dryer than a lot of the burgers I've had recently, which is probably because of their use of sirloin, as opposed to chuck, or other less lean cuts of beef. Still, they managed a good sear on the burger. The problem was that the meat wasn't very well seasoned, and there wasn't very much actual meat taste on this burger. With the uneven cooking skewing from well done to medium rare, and the grind on the finer side, this burger began with quite a few problems.
Close up of the bacon. Soft, and without very much taste.
The massive amount of toppings on the burger was the standout here. There was no way to keep it all piled on the burger. No matter how much I tried, it all just kept gooping out all over the place. The onions were perfectly cooked, the Swiss was amazingly melty and the mushrooms were cooked JUST enough so they were soft with a good mouthfeel, and added a fine earthy flavor to the burger. The bacon, however, was a bit of a let down. I don't mind soft bacon on my burger, but these bacons only had a little bit of flavor to add to the burger. When the bacon can only add a little in terms of texture and taste, it's time to skip the bacon.
In a time when Brioche dominates the burger bun scene, a classic sesame seed roll is nice to see. It brings the eater back to backyard BBQs, reminding us that we too can make burgers delicious, and that the everyday Joe need only have the makings of a burger (a bun and a patty) to make a burger. The bun was well suited to this particular burger, and held up well, absorbing the small amount of juice coming out of the patty. It was nicely toasted on the inside, but not charred to a crisp.
As I mentioned before, there was a healthy portion of fries as a side to this burger. I couldn't come close to finishing them. They were a good medium cut, skin-on, and nicely cooked, but they could've used an extra shake or two, or a roll in a paper towel. They were EXTREMELY oily, and weren't effectively seasoned. Some fries had a decent amount of salt, but others had almost none, or had none.
When it comes down to it, and keeping in mind the detriments I pointed out about, this is still a good burger. It falls into the category of a Pub Burger, the kind that you go out to get for your lunch break from work. There's a ton of the toppings, there's a lot of fries, and with a beer, it's not all that bad. Skip the bacon, save yourself $1.25, and suddenly, $14.50 isn't too bad. Oh, and ask for extra salt on the fries. Would I go here again? If I'm in the area, sure. Walker's has been around for 26 years, it's doing something right.
Cooked Correctly: 3/5
Design: 1.5/4
Plating: 2/3
Value: 1/3
www.walkersnyc.com
The Order: 8oz sirloin burger, medium rare on a sesame seed roll. Add swiss ($1.25), add mushroom ($1.25), add bacon ($1.25), add sauteed onions ($1.25)
Side Order: comes with fries
$10.75 + $1.25 + $1.25 + $1.25 + $1.25 = $15.75
Drink Order: Lagunitas IPA
Burger Menu Rating: 7.5/15
First, I must apologize! I totally dropped the ball on posting this on time. Now it's almost a week later, but I'm determined to get this post in before Wednesday's next post. And I especially failed, because this was my first invited review, although hilariously there was some miscommunication, and they didn't actually know I was coming (oh well). But still, you have to hand it to a restaurant that invites a review. That takes balls. I like balls.
Walker's has been around for about 26 years, in a space that has been a restaurant or pub since the 1880s. It's a spot all the locals know about, and is praised for being an unpretentious mainstay of Tribeca. Upon entering, you walk into a spacious bar and seating area with high ceilings, and brick walls, and this looks like all the place has to offer, but it turns out there are two dining rooms nestled in the back behind the bar. The staff greets you as you enter, and they're generally friendly and helpful amidst the bustle of the lunch hour.
The build your own burger menu.
I checked out the menu, and there was only one burger on the menu. What I hadn't known, before I went in to write the review, was that this is basically a design-your-own-burger. I immediately asked my server what her recommendation was, and she came out swinging. Swiss, mushrooms, bacon and sauteed onions. Okay server lady.
After a short wait (the place wasn't quite busy yet), the burger arrived, piled high with toppings and fries. Word must have spread around all the waitstaff because when the burger was brought out, there was a lot of cooing over the burger, telling it how nice it looked, while simultaneously looking, and winking, at me. Seeing other patron's burger brought out, however, made it clear that the cooing was done for me, but the burger was prepared the same as all the others: a hand-formed patty, piled high with toppings of your choice, and a healthy portion of fries.
An uneven patty formation leads to uneven cooking.
This burger had a good medium rare, in the parts where it was medium rare. The patty itself was a bit lopsided, which explains the uneven cooking, and it was dryer than a lot of the burgers I've had recently, which is probably because of their use of sirloin, as opposed to chuck, or other less lean cuts of beef. Still, they managed a good sear on the burger. The problem was that the meat wasn't very well seasoned, and there wasn't very much actual meat taste on this burger. With the uneven cooking skewing from well done to medium rare, and the grind on the finer side, this burger began with quite a few problems.
Close up of the bacon. Soft, and without very much taste.
The massive amount of toppings on the burger was the standout here. There was no way to keep it all piled on the burger. No matter how much I tried, it all just kept gooping out all over the place. The onions were perfectly cooked, the Swiss was amazingly melty and the mushrooms were cooked JUST enough so they were soft with a good mouthfeel, and added a fine earthy flavor to the burger. The bacon, however, was a bit of a let down. I don't mind soft bacon on my burger, but these bacons only had a little bit of flavor to add to the burger. When the bacon can only add a little in terms of texture and taste, it's time to skip the bacon.
In a time when Brioche dominates the burger bun scene, a classic sesame seed roll is nice to see. It brings the eater back to backyard BBQs, reminding us that we too can make burgers delicious, and that the everyday Joe need only have the makings of a burger (a bun and a patty) to make a burger. The bun was well suited to this particular burger, and held up well, absorbing the small amount of juice coming out of the patty. It was nicely toasted on the inside, but not charred to a crisp.
As I mentioned before, there was a healthy portion of fries as a side to this burger. I couldn't come close to finishing them. They were a good medium cut, skin-on, and nicely cooked, but they could've used an extra shake or two, or a roll in a paper towel. They were EXTREMELY oily, and weren't effectively seasoned. Some fries had a decent amount of salt, but others had almost none, or had none.
When it comes down to it, and keeping in mind the detriments I pointed out about, this is still a good burger. It falls into the category of a Pub Burger, the kind that you go out to get for your lunch break from work. There's a ton of the toppings, there's a lot of fries, and with a beer, it's not all that bad. Skip the bacon, save yourself $1.25, and suddenly, $14.50 isn't too bad. Oh, and ask for extra salt on the fries. Would I go here again? If I'm in the area, sure. Walker's has been around for 26 years, it's doing something right.
Cooked Correctly: 3/5
Design: 1.5/4
Plating: 2/3
Value: 1/3
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