HB Burger

HB Burger
43rd between 6th and Broadway

The same crew that brought you Heartland Brewery, an overpriced mediocre establishment with multiple locations, has now re-branded one of their locations as HB Burger, a Times Square restaurant that plays into the times with a menu that prices all choices under $10. Gimmicky? Yes. Was the only reason I wanted to go the coupons they were handing out on the street for a free milkshake? Undoubtedly so. While it may have been my low expectations that played into my experience, HB Burger has earned my support.

What you soon realize upon first looking at the menu, is that they did, in fact keep to their word of pricing items below $10, with specialty burgers priced at $9.00 (well below what Ruby Tuesday's or any other Times Square restaurant would charge for a hamburger). However, HB Burger charges $3.50 extra for fries, normally considered a standard accompaniment, bringing the total bill to $12.50 for a burger and fries, and back on par with any other spot. There goes the value play.

Without the cost sensitive focus, the attention is placed squarely on the product itself, though I will mention that sauteed onions are included at no charge. My buffalo burger ($7.50) was fairly dry, as expected from a buffalo burger, but enjoyable nonetheless, and the fries for $3.50, while good, were grossly overpriced.

Buffalo Burger:


Fries:


Where HB Burger really flexed its muscles was in the good ole' plain hamburger ($7.50) from a "local, family owned steak purveyor," which they were unable to identify for me. Juicy, salty, and fatty, it's one of the better burgers I've had in midtown.

Hamburger:



To top it all off, an addition to the 2009 "Best of" list that came out of nowhere. Tator tots. Not just any tator tots. Tator tots made with smoked bacon and jalapeno jack cheese. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. Here's the value proposition for $4. Great bar snack? Or greatest bar snack?

Tator tots:


The coupon included a free milkshake, soda, egg cream or sundae. With two coupons, we got a milkshake and a sundae. They really mean it when they say they have the world's smallest sundae. It's basically a shot glass. The mint milkshake was quite good, though it's hard to mess up a milkshake.

Sundae:


Milkshake:


HB Burger, I was pleasently surprised, and if I can order a burger and split an order of tator tots, I can still hit the value play at under $10 for lunch.

Shake Shack - Lumbershack

Shake Shack (UWS)



Ok, so it's not really fair to review since it was a limited time offering and it's just going to make everyone upset that they didn't have it, but maybe people can spread the word and get it on the menu permanently.

Shake Shack can pretty much already do no wrong. Probably the best burger in the city. Rotating selection of tap beers. Seating in the park. Amazing custards and concretes (frozen custard with toppings mixed in). But I know what you're thinking while waiting in line for your Shackburger. You're thinking about bacon peanut brittle from Redhead. No surprises there. Get excited.

You get to the front of the line at Shake Shack only to find out about a new concrete called, the Lumbershack, an ode to the lumberjack breakfast, traditionally made with eggs, bacon and pancakes or french toast. What's in the lumbershack concrete? Just vanilla ice cream... caramelized bananas... big pieces of belgian waffle...and...peanut bacon brittle from Redhead! That. Just. Happened.

Unfortunately this was only available for a couple of weeks and only at the location on the Upper West Side. For those that made the trip, I congratulate you on your admission into the club that has tasted the very best that frozen desserts have to offer (how many desserts do you know that have meat in them?). For those that did not, I can only offer consolation photos. There's no shame in licking the screen.

Perfection:


Top view:

Back Forty

Back Forty
190 Avenue B

I first read about Back Forty when I was searching online for new hamburger spots to try. A recipient of Time Out New York’s Best Eats award for 2008 (the award plate is prominently displayed near the entrance), Back Forty caters to the locavore diner, with ingredients from local farms and beer selections from Northeastern breweries.

Though we were unaware that the restaurant even offered a happy hour, we managed to go on a Sunday night, where all drinks at the bar are half price. With most beer options normally priced around $6-7 and cocktails at $10, we didn’t need much convincing to sit at the bar (they also have a garden out back when the weather improves that looks like a great summer spot).

We started off with an order of the recommended pork jowl nuggets ($4). Small cubes of what is mostly pork fat, crispy on the outside and fatty on the inside, are placed over a jalepeno marmalade that provides much of the flavor and heat (not recommended for those who do not like spicy foods). For three to an order, they certainly weren’t cheap, and even though they were good, I can’t justify the price tag.

Pork Jowl Nuggets:


A Captain Lawrence pale ale later, and we were ready for what we came for, the grass-fed burger ($11). I topped mine with heritage farms bacon ($2), she topped hers with cheddar ($2), and we split an order of rosemary fries ($2), which I would strongly recommend ordering. The restaurant doesn’t suggest ordering their burgers more than medium, as the grass-fed beef tends to be less fatty than the usual burger meat. Though the patty was juicy and plump, which made it a very good burger, my medium-rare order was cooked slightly on the rarer side (not a big foul), the bacon didn’t really add much to the dish, and I would still prefer one from shake shack anytime. We finished the meal with an order of their pecan brownie topped with vanilla ice cream ($7), which was pretty simple and for $7 I expected a dessert that is more than something I could easily make at home. That being said, I would be happy to come back with a locavore who is interested in trying some of their other offerings or anyone that enjoys grass-fed beef, as long as it is happy hour.

Burger:


Burger with Bacon closeup:


Brownie:


Know of another restaurant that offers food specials at the bar? Interested in going? Post a comment!

Royale

Royale
157 Avenue C

My roommate had told me about Royale when I lived in the West Village last year, and though I was reluctant to make the trip across town to Avenue C, Royale has solidified its spot on my list of top summer hangouts. Disguised as any other bar, the porch out back is one of my favorite places to go on a warm summer evening, since it feels like you’ve been transported to someone’s backyard deck. As if cans of porkslap and plenty of beers on tap weren’t enough, Royale offers a burger that challenges (perhaps successfully) the burger trifecta (shake shack, burger joint, corner bistro). The royale with bacon $8.00 is a perfectly charred, medium-rare patty, juicy and flavorful, manifesting images of the corner bistro burger (though Royale’s is slightly larger). Some fries and beer battered onion rings later ($3 each), I can only hope for another warm night to return soon.

Royale with Bacon:


Fries & Onion Rings:

Irving Mill

37. Irving Mill
116 E 16th Street between Irving and Union Square West



I pass Irving Mill almost every morning on my way to work and have always been impressed by the menu. Chef Ryan Skeen, former chef at Resto, has certainly made a name for himself in New York, representing the city as a candidate for the James Beard rising star chef of the year award. Skeen shares his passion for all things pork by including menu items such as pork toast with egg salad and caviar, crispy pig’s ear salad and a selection of sausages and pates. Time Out New York’s item at Irving Mill is the burger ($15) which blends ground sirloin, flap-meat and a touch of pig fat. Recently introducing a recession special, I ventured in on Monday nights where $15 nets a burger, fries and one of two rotating draft beers.

On tap were two Sixpoint ales though I only remember that one was light and one was dark (sounds like McSorley’s). The lighter ale was still slightly too bitter for my liking but enjoyable nonetheless. I’m not gonna lie, I was at first disappointed with the size of the burger. It’s small. For $15 I expected something bigger than a $5.50 double shake shack burger and even after the fries I was still hungry. Though I can see why people are excited about the burger, slightly crusty on the outside, fatty and juicy on the inside, topped with melted cheddar, I would still prefer a burger from the trifecta (shake shack, burger joint, corner bistro). What Irving Mill offers that the others don’t, however, is options and atmosphere. Sure, the burger on its own isn’t better than the others, but you certainly can’t get a charcuterie plate from a bistro, a pistachio crusted snapper from a joint, or tortellini with sweetbreads from a shack. Your friend doesn’t want a burger and you do? Go to Irving Mill. On a Monday. $15 is still too much for the burger, but if I rationalize it that I’m spending $6 on a beer, then the burger becomes only $9 which is right in the ballpark. As long as the Monday night specials keep going, Irving Mill offers a solid burger for a reasonable price.

House of Brews

House of Brews
46th Street between 8th and 9th (multiple locations)

In search of a viable alternative to the sit-down lunch where a burger and a beer at an Irish bar around the corner will wind up costing upwards of $20, I managed to convince my co-workers that a walk to House of Brews for the $10 burger and beer special was worth the 10-minute walk. After several jabs at me for suggesting a place that necessitated walking just to save a few bucks, we were told that from a fairly extensive beer list, the options for the beer special were limited to Yuengling, Bud Light and Checker Cab. I ordered a Checker Cab Blond Ale, made by the Chelsea Brewing Company ($6.50 without the special), and was pretty impressed with my first taste of a Chelsea Brewing Company beer (certainly better than the Bud Light that I assumed would be the only option). House of Brews also offered a 2-for-1 special on Stella’s ($6.50 each) for those that opted out of the burger lunch special.

In an effort to convince my coworkers that it is worth the walk, I will acknowledge that the burger was nothing special, and at $13 for dinner would be a clear disappointment. However, a cheeseburger, fries and a beer for $10 at House of Brews gets you food that is pretty much on par with anything offered from an Irish pub at a fraction of the cost. Sure, it doesn’t offer the same feel of a pub, and the place was eerily empty, but for me, it is certainly worth the walk and is clearly a viable lunch option for those that work closer to restaurant row.

Shake Shack

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park

The mere fact that the website has a live camera so you can see how long the wait is should give you enough of an indication as to how good Shake Shack really is. Mentioned on anyone’s list of top burgers in the city and covered extensively on the web, Shake Shack serves tender, juicey 4 oz. Pat LaFrieda hamburger patties (rare, medium or well done) on soft buttery hamburger buns ($3.75) which make any line worth the wait. Make sure not to miss out on an order of french fries ($2.75) which look ordinary but are deceptively crispy yet soft on the inside (certainly up for consideration for best fries from a burger joint). Top off the meal with a black & white milk shake ($5.25) and prepare for a top tier burger feast. Shake Shack also offers a shack burger which is topped with cheese and Shack sauce ($4.75), a ‘shroom burger which is a fried Portobello stuffed with cheddar cheese ($6.50), and a shack stack ($9.50) which challenges you to eat a creation with two cheeseburgers topped with a ‘shroom burger. Ice cream, beer and a selection of hot dogs round out the menu.

Since Shake Shack is outside in the middle of Madison Square Park, it’s best to make the trip on a warmer occasion, and canine companions are welcome (they even sell a dog treat for $3.75!). Whether you order the Shack Burger or a hot dog and fries, Shake Shack has always delivered one of the best, if not the best, hamburgers and fries in the city.

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree
46th Street between 8th and 9th Aves

I know what you’re thinking. Joshua Tree is a bar. In Times Square. On restaurant row, a stretch of rip-off dining destinations meant for tourist suckers. $12 burgers, $16 pastas and $6 beers. Of all the places in the city to eat, why did I go to Joshua Tree? Simple. Restaurant.com I was looking for a quick, affordable place near my friend’s apartment on 45th and saw Joshua Tree as an opportunity for an absolute bargain. After paying $2 for a $25 gift certificate, my friend and I were ready to grab a table at the bar.

Since there is a $35 minimum order, we started off with some chicken nachos ($12). Though the chips themselves were pretty average, the sour cream was on the side instead of on top, and there weren’t any jalapeños, the cheese was layered nicely and I was willing to forgive a lot given that I was pretty impressed with the portion size and I was getting a good deal. If I came back I would probably try some other appetizer like chicken wings or fried calamari, though the nachos are sizeable enough to split with a larger group. I’d skip the chicken next time which didn’t really have any flavor and wasn’t mixed properly with the rest of the nachos.



For my entrée I ordered the Hell’s Kitchen burger which is topped with cheddar cheese, onion strings and ranch dressing. I appreciated that the ranch was on the side instead of being smothered on top and I must say that I was pretty impressed with the burger. Juicy, cooked properly and at least a half-pound of meat, though the one drawback was that it didn’t have any heat to it. Ranch dressing just begs for spicy food; nothing that a little hot sauce couldn’t solve. After rectifying the problem I was able to enjoy a pretty good burger. My dining companion ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich ($11), which was also a pretty generous size and was covered in Frank’s red hot. Two sandwiches and an order of nachos for $10 per person including tax and tip. Definitely a steal. I don’t think I’d come here and pay full price, but as long as they keep accepting the gift certificate it’s certainly worth checking out for a solid value in one of the most expensive areas in the city.

Burger Joint

Burger Joint
119 W 56th Street in Le Parker Meridien Hotel

Hidden in a corner of the lobby of Le Parker Meridian hotel sits Burger Joint, a small bustling eatery that serves made to order burgers and fries to long lines of patient customers. I say that it is hidden only because if you didn’t know it was there, you would never find it. The entrance is down a narrow hallway in the hotel lobby, obscured by the reception desk and only marked by a neon hamburger sign and an arrow pointing to the doorway. The contrast between the upscale hotel lobby and the hardwood coffee shop tables and stools with marker on the walls couldn’t be more refreshing.

The lobby of Le Parker Meridian:


Narrow hallway with the hamburger sign:


Welcome to Burger Joint:


The limited number of tables means that the earlier you get there, the better. Arriving at around 11:50, we were left to sit at a table with stools rather than in a booth, but were far luckier than the dozen or so others who were left standing and waiting for tables. I ordered their cheeseburger ($7.50), medium-rare, with the works (lettuce, tomato, onion, sliced pickles, mustard, ketchup and mayo), and after about five minutes was able to pick my order up from the small open-window kitchen. The burger was cooked perfectly, juicy and pink in the center, but firm enough to keep its shape. I don’t think it can be emphasized enough how much of a treat it is to be able to get burgers to order from a quick service restaurant. For $7.50 the price is in-line with other burger juggernauts like Shake Shack and Corner Bistro, and the size of the burger is comparable. I would probably ignore the fries, which, for $3.50 are enough to share, but taste like McDonald’s fries without the salt.

I can certainly attest to the fact that this is a top-10 burger, if not top-5 but I have a hard time saying that this, or any other burger, is the best burger in the city. Let me explain. I am an avid baseball fan and love to play in fantasy baseball leagues. One of the draft strategies that I use is to divide players at each position into tiers. If there are three really good outfielders, I’m not too concerned about the order that I rank those three, just that I recognize that they are in a different tier than the next three outfielders. So it is with burgers. Is Burger Joint better than Shake Shack? Corner Bistro? Tough to say, and I have a hard time being comfortable saying that any of them is shoulders above the others because none of them are. But what I can say is that in the realm of burgers they are in the highest tier and I would be comfortable having any of them on my team.

A Cheeseburger Close-Up:


With fries on the side:

West Village Tour

Decided that on my free Saturday afternoon I would try to get done with a few items from the list. The six food items were beer, cupcake, pork pie, sliders, gelato, and sticky buns. Being that there were a number of dessert items, my friend and I began our journey at the Little Owl for our slider entrée. Having been told that the kitchen opens at 5:00pm, we decided to pick up a sticky bun for the road. To our disappointment, we were informed that sticky buns sell out at around noon. We tried calling the other Amy’s Bread locations and they told us the same thing. Looks like that’s one from the list we won’t be able to try. Time for a drink…

10. Blind Tiger Ale House
281 Bleecker St at Jones St

I had passed this bar constantly when I lived in the West Village but never went in for a drink. According to their website, Blind Tiger serves 28 different draught beers, over 50 bottled beers and a handful of cask beers. Looking over the draught list, I quickly realize that I’m not familiar with any of them, save for the Magic Hat # 9 and give them credit for hosting such a wide selection of unique beers. What I came here for though, was the Bloody Beer ($7.50), which is essentially a bloody mary with beer. Tomato juice, “secret spices”, and an ale that the bartender throws in are mixed together and garnished with celery, a pickle, a jalapeño and a cube of cheese from Murray’s across the street. I’m not a fan of bloody mary’s and was skeptical of the bloody beer but gave it a try. At first sip, I thought I liked it, as it was certainly not as tomato-y as a normal bloody mary and the malt from the beer gave the drink a nice finish. The problem for me was the spices. There was a lot going on already in the drink and the chunks of whatever spices they added floating created a pulp-like mixture that required a bit of chewing before going down. Despite my hesitance to leave some over considering I paid $7.50 for the drink, I left about half of it on the table. In all fairness, I think that if you like bloody mary’s and like them spicy, it is definitely worth looking into. If you don’t like it, Blind Tiger is ready with 28 draughts to keep you busy.

11. Sweet Revenge
62 Carmine Street between Bedford and 7th Ave

It was about 4:50pm and being that it was quite cold, we decided to stop by Sweet Revenge on the way back to the Little Owl. Sweet Revenge is a small bakery / lunch / breakfast spot with seating for 8-10 in café tables that are right on top of each other. I food menu is predominantly French, serving croque monsieur sandwiches, quiche and parisian sandwiches, but the cupcake display showcasing the freshly baked treats reminded us quickly why we came. We tried 3 different cupcakes (all $3.50 – not exactly a cheap snack).

The Crimson & Cream, suggested on the TONY list was by far my favorite. Raspberry red velvet cake topped with cream cheese frosting. I was skeptical at first since red velvet cake usually has a very heavy and intense flavor but the cake was moist and not too sweet. The cream cheese frosting was smooth, creamy and you could taste the cream cheese instead of just sugar like a lot of other places. The Dirty cupcake is chocolate cake with dark chocolate truffle frosting; moist with an intensely chocolate frosting. The Sweet Revenge signature cupcake is peanut butter cake, chocolate ganache filling and peanutbutter buttercream frosting. While the chocolate ganache didn’t really provide much of anything, the cupcake was by far the sweetest of the three and the peanutbutter buttercream was excellent. Other cupcakes to try include a Spice Islands Carrot and a Malaysian Coconut.

The one thing I will definitely mention is that service was incredibly slow. Granted that there were only 2 people working there and all of the tables were full, but the woman in line in front of us actually left before she could even order, complaining that she had waited long enough.

Further commentary on cupcakes vs. cakes

My belief is that a cupcake can be one of two things. Either it is its own dessert, with rules that define it as its own item, the texture of the cake and how it combines with the frosting, or it is a cake in cup shape. Crumbs, for example and for those who have been, is the latter type in that it is so complex in its fillings and toppings that it tastes like a slice of cake and in my head should be compared to other cakes. Magnolia is the former type, with a taste that is something different than just a slice of cake. Maybe I’m crazy, but cupcakes taste different than cakes (unless it’s just a cake in cup form). I have deemed that Sweet Revenge, despite its complexity is, in fact, a cupcake. Each of them was light, not too sweet and not messy at all. If in the area, I would have no reservations about coming here for dessert, despite the $3.50 price tag.

I would welcome any further commentary on the cake vs. cupcake question. I've received a few different perspectives from people at my office (they agree that cupcakes and cake are different) suggesting that Magnolia is more cake than cupcake (counter to my argument) and feel that cakes are moist and cupcakes have a firmer base. Thoughts?

12. the Little Owl
90 Bedford Street at Grove

5:10pm and we return to the Little Owl. Having told the wait staff what our plan was earlier, we were seated at the bar, tasked to sample one item only, the meatball sliders. Coming 3 or 4 to an order, the Gravy Meatball Sliders ($10 for 3) are meatballs made of beef, pork, and veal blended with pecorino cheese, topped with some marinara sauce, a slice of arugula and served on small buns freshly made in the restaurant’s oven. The meatballs are juicy and tender and the pecorino cheese adds a slight sharpness to each bite. For those eating dinner, I would say it’s a must have appetizer. Alternatively, I think that if you’re looking for a smaller dinner, just sit at the bar, order the sliders, have some bread at the table and you’ll be entirely satisfied. The restaurant has been given considerable accolades from restaurant critics and reservations are strongly suggested for lunch, brunch and dinner. Little Owl also serves a burger during lunch and brunch using La Frieda meat, which I will definitely be coming back to sample.

13. Myers of Keswick
634 Hudson Street between Horatio and Jane

Heading north, we ducked into Myers of Keswick, a British bakery and convenience store selling all different kinds of pies, snacks and packaged goods from England. They have a website myersofkeswick.com where you can order items for delivery and have some pictures of the store to check out. We ordered some pork pies ($3.00) and a Scottish egg ($3.00) to go. The owner told us that most people eat the pies cold but we could heat them up and that the Scottish egg is eaten cold. The crust of the pork pie tasted like it was freshly made. The pork filling was basically ground pork sausage, which when eaten cold made me feel slightly disgusting since I could basically feel the fat filling my arteries. I had to heat it up. A few seconds in the microwave made all the difference for me. The warm crust and the sausage were excellent. It’s too big to be a snack and probably too small to be lunch, but splitting 3 of them is something I can definitely see myself doing. I was excited for the Scottish egg after having such a good experience at JoeDoe but it was just the same pork filling from the pork pie covering a hardboiled egg. Nothing special about it and since it’s the same price I’ll stick to the pork pies.

BuonItalia
75 9th Avenue (Chelsea Market)

We were a bit confused about this one, as its part of the list and yet the people that work there claim that they don’t sell gelato. Perhaps this is a seasonal item? At any rate, we will definitely return when the weather gets nicer. Meanwhile, something to satisfy the craving for ice cream…

Ronnybrook Farms Dairy
75 9th Avenue (Chelsea Market)

Tucked away among a number of ice cream / gelato places in Chelsea Market is Ronnybrook Farms Dairy, the only permanent NYC outpost selling products from the farm. Ronnybrook sells yogurt, milk and other dairy products at a number of green markets throughout the city but for ice cream, you have to go to the store in Chelsea Market. I went for two scoops; one pistachio and one chocolate ($3.50), which is not cheap but they do sell a children’s size for much less if you ask for it and is plenty of ice cream. The ice cream is fresh, full of flavor and very refreshing (it surprisingly did not leave me incredibly thirsty as ice cream tends to do). If you're in the area, or just want to explore Chelsea Piers, I would make a point of trying Ronnybrook before leaving.