Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Burger Joint - Review

Intro
Burger Joint - Dude Grade: D+
119 W 56th St, New York 10019
Btwn 6th & 7th Ave
Phone: 212-708-7414

I've actually wanted to check this place out for the longest time. Before the big burger craze (shake shacks, minetta tavern, etc), Burger Joint was in the discussion for best burger in NYC. It's still rated highly amongst the various online sites out there. Quite honestly I have no eff'n idea why. Definitely a big disappointment and it shows you how important it is to follow the right food sites...hint hint :)

Our Menu
Cheeseburger
Fries ---
If you follow this blog, I have some basic criteria for burgers. It's gotta have good beef flavor, be juicy, and have great texture (from grind and char). This definitely was juicy and had some solid texture, but it had zero beef flavor. It's like they don't season the burger at all - quite similar to Louis Lunch. I don't care how good the beef is, you still have to season it. Fries were very oily, soggy, and didn't have any good potato flavor - wtf in a bad way.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way | (no stars - poor to average) | * Good | ** Great | *** What the F – in a good way

Overall Restaurant Experience
  • Food (D) – Subpar burger and terrible fries.
  • Service (C) – Order at the window and pick it up when they call out your name.
  • Atmosphere (B) – I kinda dug the dive bar feel hidden behind the red curtain of a swank hotel. Place was hella dark that seated maybe 30 people. Wood walls, floors, and booths. We got there before 6pm on a Wednesday and it was 80% full. By the time we left, it was completely full with a line maybe 7 deep waiting for seats. There were a ton of tourists or bloggers there as cameras were constantly flashing in there.
  • Price (C-) - Cheeseburger is $7 which is OK for a decent burger, but not for the stuff they serve here.
Closing Comments
This burger is similar to JG Melon - thicker patty using non aged/prime meat. If you want that style of burger go to JG or Corner Bistro. Taking a cab down 8th avenue, every single burger joint I saw would have been better than this place - five napkin, five guys, island burger, etc. I would have been happier having a double cheeseburger from McD's.

3 comments:

Athos said...

Dude, the best burgers around DC are from a place with the same name, so when I was a big, fat D+ there, I was shocked. The more I read, the more I realized it's not the same place. Hate soggy fries. What's the effin point?!?! Fries at Burger Joint here are decent, and they have different kinds from sweet potato (yuck after 30 seconds) to rosemary. Check it out:

http://www.bgrtheburgerjoint.com/

Sucks about a bad burger. From pix, it looks good

Aramis said...

Definitely not the same place. Next time I'm out in DC I'll have to check out the better burger joint.

http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php

bambam said...

It must really be different company. My BGJ (old town Alexandria branch) is awesome. I actually went there first for their lobster roll (it wasn't really in a traditional hot dog-like bun, but two attached burger buns instead. still great nonetheless. they gave you tons of lobster) and when they're out of it, I tried the burger. Definitely nothing like what you described of your BGJ. Fries are always great: both the regular one and the sweet potato.