NYC Tastes

Chicago is known for many things; the classic Chicago Dog loaded with onions, mustard, relish, tomatoes and pickled peppers, the hefty Deep Dish Pizza, the Italian Beef Sandwich at Portillo's and of course the Burger at Au Cheval.    Now some of these iconic classics have trickled into NYC with deep dish pies at Emmett's , Italian Beef at  Hanks  and even the infamous Au Cheval Burger at Four Charles Prime.  Hailed by many as the best burger in the country, this brings together two grilled all beef patties layered with Kraft american cheese, thick slabs of bacon, fried egg, chopped red onions, Dijonaiise, and pickles all on a toasted bun.  It arrives whole, then gets sliced at the table in order to reveal the inside in all of it's messy, juicy food glory. This burger is absolutely orgasmic at first; the creamy yolk seeping into the juicy meat with the smokey, peppery backbone of bacon lingering after each bite.  I was worried the burger might ...

The newest location of popular West Village Boucherie just opened on Park Avenue South unveiling an absolutely gorgeous interior. All the wonderful elements of the previous tenant Florian remain intact, like the long beautiful bar that wraps around the front, with lively open kitchen added in the back and gorgeous flowers dotting the main room giving the entire space a romantic feminine flair. I stopped in for their "Green Hour" where select wine, cocktails and Boucherie Burger available at the bar for just $12.00. Dry-aged Pat La Frieda Beef topped with caramelized onions, aged gruyere cheese and a side of thick, crispy french fries to make it a filling meal.  Green Hour runs Monday- Friday from 4:00-7:00 PM. Boucherie 225 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10003

Checking out an old NYC classic at The Mercer Kitchen; Jean George's market driven New American spot that opened back in 1998. This place was the hottest ticket in SOHO then and seems to be going strong twenty years later with the downstairs dining room almost completely full on a Wednesday evening. I was in a "classic NYC" state of mind so I ordered the signature Mercer Burger~ grass fed beef patty with pepper jack cheese, sliced avocado, red onion, lettuce, tomato and Russian dressing. First of all this thing was sloppy; the slippery avocado caused the meat to slide off the bun and the dressing on top made things even worse.  However it was so insanely delicious the mess just doesn't matter. I ate the entire thing before I even realized what was happening.      Also delicious were the accompanying French Fries done McDonald's style~ thin, salty and perfectly crisp.  I may have liked these even more than the burger!   ...

To kick off my birthday weekend Mr. T and I stopped into my favorite burger place in the city Minetta Tavern. To be honest calling this just a "burger place" would be a complete injustice. This spot is absolutely gorgeous; classic old school New York City atmosphere with black and white tiled floors, a long oak bar decked out with wood paneling and dark red leather booths dotting the main dining room.   We took two seats at the bar and ordered a round of cocktails and the wonderful Minetta Burger.  I've talked about their famous  Black Label Burger before, but it's the Minetta Burger that keeps me coming back time and time again.  A blend of short rib and brisket, doused with a liberal dusting of salt then layered with thick cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. It has a tender buttery interior with a slight sweetness from the onions and then the salty charred top. This burger is everything I could ever want in a cheeseburger and more .  Of course the...

I tend to forget about the little neighborhood of Hudson Square. It's just far enough west that it stays off my radar until I have an event at City Winery or see the glowing neon light from the Ear Inn on the highway.  Which is too bad because I really love this quiet, quaint little neighborhood and even more I love it's quiet, quaint restaurants like the wonderful Houseman. The casual but elegant dining room is bright and welcoming with big windows overlooking Greenwich street and a long wooden bar running along the front of the house.  The menu is dotted with creative specialties like the Carrot Salad with tahini cream and chili, a confit Turkey & Pork Banh Mi and the incredible Houseman Burger. Two 5 oz patties layered with melted Swiss Cheese, caramelized onion and chopped mushrooms on a soft potato roll.  I asked for ketchup when this burger arrived but then never touched it- there was no need.  The mushrooms gave the meat an intense earthy fl...

Being a huge fan of April Bloomfield's burgers at both The Spotted Pig and The Breslin I was excited to check out her new midtown spot Salvation Burger.   This rustic joint inside the Pod 51 Hotel sells three different types; Veggie made with carrot & tomato chutney, the Salvation Burger with caramelized onion & taleggio and the Classic Cheeseburger pictured here.   This burger is certainly aesthetically pleasing.  The fluffy sesame studded roll looks gorgeous holding two juicy all beef patties with house made cheese and thick sliced pickles jutting out at the seams. However as you can see by the mid-section shot this burger is way off on bun to burger ratio.   The hearty flavor of the meat got lost among the outer shell of toppings and stunted any sort of orgasmic burger moment.  Both the Spotted Pig and Breslin burgers have fluffy buns but the patties at both are bigger and bolder in flavor from the funky Gorgonzola cheese at the Pig and the rich...

Gourmet burgers, skinny fries dusted with salt and great craft beer- it's time for lunch at Lupulo.  This Portuguese restaurant by George Mendes is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in the city.  In addition to the piping hot Salt Cod Croquettes and spicy Piri-Piri Chicken is a special burger available only during late night hours and lunch- the "O Hamburguer". Two Pat La Frieda patties, a fatty blend of brisket, short rib and chuck layered with rich Sao Jorge cheese, beefsteak tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and smoked mayo on a seeded bun. I asked for it medium rare but it arrived closer to medium, always my biggest gripe with thin patties. However the beef managed to retain its juice and those delicious house made pickles, spicy mayo sauce and long, golden fries bumped this dish into the upper echelon of burgers.  It's like having the best Whopper meal of your life. A teku filled with Grimm Awoogah on the side and my happiness quota has reached full ca...

Sunday was another one of Mr. T's "couch days" which of course I just never enjoy.  The thought of sitting in one place all day just watching TV or playing videos games has absolutely zero appeal.  Apparently people find it relaxing; I think I would gouge my eyeballs out from boredom. So I set out on my own with Mr. T encouraging me to go do yoga somewhere and find my inner peace.  Obviously I did not go do yoga (I tried it once- not for me ) but I did find my inner peace and   an incredible burger at the cute little West Village spot Bar Sardine. I came here about two years ago when this spot was known Chez Sardine and enjoyed a wonderful brunch of Baked Eggs with ricotta cheese. Since then the name has changed along with the menu to include fresh new items like Asparagus Primavera with fried egg and salsa verde, Grilled Cheese with eggplant-tomato tapenade and of course the Fedora Burger. The patty's a blend of chuck and brisket topped with layer o...

One would assume that any entering a place with "pizza' in the name means the obvious order is a nice large pie. That still holds true at Emily where the thin, crackly pizza looks amazing but it's actually more well known for their incredible burger.   Emily uses dry aged beef from DeBragga so the patty tastes more like a rich hearty steak than regular ground meat.  It's seared with clarified butter, topped with a thick layer of Grafton cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and a drizzling of the house special sauce (red pepper aioli) then sandwiched between a pretzel roll from Tom Cat Bakery. The meat was insanely tender with deep earthy flavors from the dry aging, a bit of funk from the cheddar cheese and some heat from the sauce which reminded me of Franks Red Hot with less spice.  The extra sturdy pretzel roll held everything together surprisingly well.  That being said I used a knife a fork for the first half of the burger; definitely not something to order on ...

To kick off Mr. T's birthday we began in Williamsburg with lunch at Peter Luger's.  We made a reservation weeks in advance so getting a table was no issue.  Of course we had to wait to be seated for about 10 minutes as we always do before being lead into the half empty dining room.  I have never EVER been seated right away here- they always tell you to wait.  It's just one of the many annoyances that come with dining at this Brooklyn institution. Of course we put up with it because the food is so fantastic.  The steaks are utterly amazing but lunch is all about the burger.  Mr. T and I usually both order the Cheeseburger medium rare. It's hard to think anything could be better than this big juicy burger. However right before we dined Saturday I read an article Nick Solares wrote for Eater entitled  The Simple Goodness of the Peter Luger Burger .  In it he speaks of the virtue of the beef and says to skip the cheese entirely.  I remem...