It’s National Burger Day, you guys! The one time of year you don’t have to feel guilty for hawking down a delicious greasy hunk of beef smothered in grease, gooey cheese and bacon in between two pieces of carbs. In ten years eating a burger of this unhealthy magnitude might be as taboo as smoking a cigarette in a bar, but for now WEEEEEE! Here at the RSVLTS we consider ourselves burger enthusiasts more than connoisseurs, mostly because the entire burger is inside of us before we can tell you how good it was, but the gents over at Gotham Burger Social Club, however know a thing or two about how to rate the best burgers in the (un-)official burger capital of the world, New York City. Their mission; eat & rate great burgers and have a little fun!
The GBSC has been around for about a year and made up of a group of men who congrigate at NYC’s best restaurants known for their take on the iconic burger, where they rate, rank and review each burger complimented with a few drinks. Over the past year the club has been to over 50 burger joints and reviewed 15 of the best. Of those 15 here are the top 5 best burgers in NYC. Hint: the top two are owned by Keith McNally. Double hint: Bacon Marmalade.
5. The Juicy Lucy at Whitmans
So this is why we ventured to Whitmans… I proudly present the “Juicy Lucy”, one of the best things to come out of Minneapolis. This is a great burger! The patty is a flavourful Pat LaFrieda short rib blend that is stuffed with soft pimento cheese that oozes when you bite in. This baby is joined by beer braised caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, local (McClures) spicy pickles and house sauce (it’s a secret). Great ingredients and a well crafted burger. Out of 14 distinguished guest we rated this burger an 8.7 out of 10. I would also like to mention the service which was great. They were very accommodating and got 14 hot burgers out at the same time and kept out glasses full. Job well done Whitmans.
4. The Bash Burger at Burger and Barrel
Ding, ding, ding…In this corner, topped with American cheese, pickles, “Bacon Jam”, special sauce and 2 crispy onion rings… ladies and gentlemen, the 3-time winner of NYC Wine&Food Festival’s Burger Bash…Burger and Barrel’s Bash Burger!This is the juiciest burger we’ve tried. It was dripping more than Rocky in the 12th round! @chefcapon is the Rocky of the Burger Ring. He greeted us w/ his championship belt over one shoulder and the trophy held high. This man has every right to be proud of his custom crafted burger, which is a delicious Pat LaFrieda blend of short rib, brisket and chuck. The soft white bun comes from Eli’s in NYC. Now let’s talk about the knock out punch…The Bacon Jam! This is made by caramelizing onions and bacon into an amazing jam. I could put this sh*t on everything! The truffled fries and tots were a perfect match. This was a memorable meeting made special by Chef Capon’s hospitality and great personality. We were also lucky to have a guest appearance by the king of Philly sandwiches, @tonylukejr. Of the 17 amazing judges on this bout we give an overall score of 8.95! Great job to everyone at Burger and Barrel. Also everyone keep on eye out for Fankenfood airing soon on Spike TV.
3. The lamb burger at the Breslin
Good morning burger lovers. Forget Mary, We had some lamb last night!… an amazing lamb burger crafted from the superstar chef and Michelin star rated April Bloomfield (I will also mention that her burger at the Spotted Pig is also bangin’, but back to the lamb burger). Let me start off by stating the obvious… this burger is made from lamb, not beef, so there is and should be some gaminess to the meat. I must admit that I slumped into a euphoric state last night as I ate this rich, delicious burger and at times I forgot I was eating lamb. The bottom line is that this is an amazingly well-crafted burger, topped simply with tangy and sharp feta cheese, red onion and finished with some Greek olive oil and cracked pepper. This is a good sized burger and needed the right bun to cage it, but at the same time let the rich meat be the star of the show, and they nailed it by using a toasted ciabatta roll. We were graced by the presence of Burger Weekly and the Long Island Press last night so look for our stories from them this week. If you are looking for a different burger we highly recommend checking out the lamb burger at the Breslin located in the Ace Hotel in NYC. They also get a special nod for the best presentation, delivered on a cutting board, and the burger is accompanied by the best fries we have had so far. The thick fries, or chips as they call them, are thrice cooked to point that the outside is so crispy and the inside is like mashed potatoes, amazing job! They are served with a savory ketchup and a cumin mayo that was delicious. The chef recommended this burger be served med-rare and some did come out rare, but in their defense, getting out 15 burgers at once is no easy feat! Overall they did an incredible job and this burger scored very well. The burger rated 8.6, the bun rated 9, topping rated 8 and the fries rated 9.7! We had 15 hungry guys out last night and the overall rating for the Breslin lamb burger came in at an 8.82! Great job to the staff.
2. The black label at Minetta Tavern
In the spirit of the XXII Olympics we award a gold metal to the Black Label Burger @minettatavern. This burger started out strong and stayed consistent throughout the exhibition. Hand down one of the tastiest burgers you can eat. The patty is a Pat LaFrieda blend of 45 day aged ribeye, skirt steak & brisket. It’s all about the flavors of the aged meat here. The ratio is top secret. This burger needs no gimmicky sidekicks, only caramelized onions are invited to the show. This champ sits proud on a custom brioche bun made by Balthazar Bakery. This is one of the few burgers I’ve ever had without ketchup. It’s a sin to add it and mask the flavor of the beef. We had 14 amazing palates rate this burger and the results are in… this burger had a lot of 10′s and over all posted an 8.75. I would like to add a footnote that this burger comes out rare and one member thought the burger was too rare and rated it low because of that. We are unsure what to do with this guy? Dump him in the East River or down the skeleton without a helmet? Please try this burger. At $28 it’s a bit of a splurge, but it’s well worth every penny.
1. The Prime Burger at Cherche Midi
Well Minetta Taverns Black Label has finally met it’s match which only makes sense since they are created from the same culinary genius. This is the new Prime Rib Burger from Cherche Midi which has that intense funky flavor you have come to expect from Keith McNally and Pat LaFrieda. This a a carefully crafted blend, which took months to create, of aged prime rib and short rib. Unlike the black label this burger creates umani by adding aged gruyere, mushrooms and an amazing bacon marmalade! They definitely developed a different burger from the black label with these toppings. We were all debating which one we liked better and I think the verdict is still out, but based on our ratings McNally has beaten himself and we now have our highest rated burger at 9.15. The burger alone rated an amazing 9.55. This is a velvety smooth burger with a great bite from the grind of the beef. As with both burgers the chef recommends med rare. As you could see mine came out very rare, but it somehow wasn’t a problem for me. Others were cooked a bit better. Any place else I would have sent it back, but I am aware of the quality of the beef they use. They use the same custom brioche bun which is soft, buttery and a little sweet almost challah like. At $21 is a bargain compared to the Black Label. Great job Chef McBride and McNally. Go get yourself one and ask for extra bacon marmalade!