Today for brunch I visited Clinton Hill's own Maggie Brown. It's a nice little place and it's generally pretty friendly. I've been there often and had their burger 75% of the time. It's usually pretty good, so at brunch I decided to have the burger. The burger at brunch comes with cheese, horse radish, lettuce, tomato, onions and bacon - and it's only $10. DEAL!
I dont think our wait staff was too excited about the fact that we had more people than expected and it showed during our entire service.
When our food came I couldn't help but to notice that the outter edges of my burger and bacon were burnt - not just over cooked, but actually charred. I also noticed the excessive amount of onions; maybe that was to cover my burnt burger? I don't generally like to send food back, so I prepared my burger anyway. Before prepping my burger I ate a pinch of the horse radish and it tasted like nothing, literally nothing....BORING. But everything else looked great - nice bun, nice tomato, fresh onions, melted cheese, spotty lettuce - but it looked fresh.
The first bite was revolting. It tasted like nothing but char. So I think to myself, maybe it's just this bite. Second and third bites - char again. Pretty much the rest of my burger was ok and not so charred until the end. However, pretty much every bite in between was ruined with the char taste from the first two or three bites. It goes without saying that because it was so over cooked in the broiler that the burger was far from the medium rare that I ordered.
The fries were good and fresh and crispy, but slightly under salted.
I've had great burgers at Maggie Brown's, but all three burgers that were ordered were burnt and was very disappointing. Also, maybe I've watched too much Hell's Kitchen, but who lets burnt food go to the floor? Maybe it's my fault for accepting a burnt burger, but I seriously thought I could find some redemption in the whole. The only redemption I got was Bob Marley being playing on the overhead speakers.
In time I'll give Maggie Brown's burger another try, but for now. I'm going to steer clear.
Food Average: 3.1
Total Average: 3.4
Note: Burger total was a 2.4 - the fries totally saved the food average. Also I would take a O'Neill's burger over the burger I had today.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
O'Brother
I'm almost a month behind on this one, but it is what promoted me to start posting again.
On June 20th I revisited a pub near my office, O'Neill's, located on 3rd Ave between 45t and 46th st. This is pretty close to my office and I've had burgers there before. So I pre-ordered my bacon cheese burger with fries ($9.75), picked it up and had almost no wait. The staff was polite and it looks like a slightly classy Irish Pub. However, I'm pretty sure it used to be a Wendy's. Anyway, I picked up my order and walked the four blocks back to my office.
Upon first inspection everything looked and smelled great - it even made others in the office want a burger. Typical take away burger and fries (steak fries)- with lettuce, onion, tomato and pickle. The bun wasn't a typical burger bun - it looked akin to an onion roll or something, but it was not.
I prepared my burger and after a bite I immediately take notice that the burger is cooked medium to medium well - not the medium rare that I ordered. Due to an overcooked burger it was seriously lacking in flavor and juices. In fact, it was rather bland. After a few bites I take note that the bacon is a little more crispy than I'd prefer and that the bun is really tough - I shouldn't have to struggle with the bun, I want a soft bun maybe slightly toasted.
I'm not a huge fan of steak fries, but I'll eat them. These were a bit soggy and luke warm, granted they were take away so my standards aren't so high. However, I'm pretty sure there was absolutely no salt on them. Next time, if there is a next time, I'll go for the salad.
Over all I wasn't too impressed with this burger. It was difficult to eat and lacked flavor. The fries were luke warm and unsalted. Also, the pickle provided was limp and had absolutely no crunch to it. There's a good probablity that I'll look for burgers else where when in need of a burger.
Food Average: 2.8
Total Average: 2.86666666666667
On June 20th I revisited a pub near my office, O'Neill's, located on 3rd Ave between 45t and 46th st. This is pretty close to my office and I've had burgers there before. So I pre-ordered my bacon cheese burger with fries ($9.75), picked it up and had almost no wait. The staff was polite and it looks like a slightly classy Irish Pub. However, I'm pretty sure it used to be a Wendy's. Anyway, I picked up my order and walked the four blocks back to my office.
Upon first inspection everything looked and smelled great - it even made others in the office want a burger. Typical take away burger and fries (steak fries)- with lettuce, onion, tomato and pickle. The bun wasn't a typical burger bun - it looked akin to an onion roll or something, but it was not.
I prepared my burger and after a bite I immediately take notice that the burger is cooked medium to medium well - not the medium rare that I ordered. Due to an overcooked burger it was seriously lacking in flavor and juices. In fact, it was rather bland. After a few bites I take note that the bacon is a little more crispy than I'd prefer and that the bun is really tough - I shouldn't have to struggle with the bun, I want a soft bun maybe slightly toasted.
I'm not a huge fan of steak fries, but I'll eat them. These were a bit soggy and luke warm, granted they were take away so my standards aren't so high. However, I'm pretty sure there was absolutely no salt on them. Next time, if there is a next time, I'll go for the salad.
Over all I wasn't too impressed with this burger. It was difficult to eat and lacked flavor. The fries were luke warm and unsalted. Also, the pickle provided was limp and had absolutely no crunch to it. There's a good probablity that I'll look for burgers else where when in need of a burger.
Food Average: 2.8
Total Average: 2.86666666666667
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Well Done
We've let this site sit too long. After having a gross burger and starting a BBQ blog, I feel a bit motivated to start again.
So here it is - over a year too late...our first blog from March 1, 2007 - written by Brian.
jeremy burger
------------------------------------------
Peter Luger Burger.
Inaugural bite.
I am going into this, the very first Williamsburger outing, having never eaten the Luger burger. My only expectation: greatness. If not just because J has built it up in my head, but Oprah tells me it is so! I mean c'mon, Gale "The Burger Queen" King rated it the #2 burger in all of the country. If she says it's "delicious," it's delicious.
And it is. But more on that later... this is supposed to be the presentation paragraph.
My first impression is that it looks a little small on the plate, but that must be because I was looking from the top down, instead of from the side. What this burger lacks in circumference it more than makes up for in an impressive 5 inches of height. And, no joke, the patty is almost 2 of those tasty, tasty vertical inches. Don't be fooled; it WILL put you into a meat coma by the time you're done with it, the fries, and two or three Brooklyn Lagers. Let's see. Presentation. What else? Those steak-style fries come out looking good. There is a thick slice of a huge white onion on the side (the lone topping), which is too much onion for me. But the best part about onion is that it grows in pick-your-own-size layers... like those paper towels. And we all got cheese on our burgers, which comes out perfectly melted and covering basically the whole patty. To sum up presentation, it's very good. They should serve it on a smaller plate, just cause there's some empty space which contributes to the burger looking a bit wee at first impression, but hey, that's life.
On to taste. The bun is a bigger version of the onion roll they serve. I love the flavor and it's baked perfectly. My only qualm is that it's sort of a dry bread with lots of air pockets so it really sucks up a lot of that burger juice and sauce (or, in my associate's case, only ketchup), which I prefer to drip all over my hands, face, clothing and the first three rows of spectators. The cheese seems to be a slice of good old American, which is the only choice offered for the cheeseburger here. It's a great match for the beef. Which leads me into the star of the show: the patty. This hamburger, er, Luger Burger patty is the most beefy tasting thing I've ever experienced in my greasy, cholesterol filled life. It tastes more like steak than steak tastes like steak (like Diet Dr. Pepper!). If I had a friend who had never had beef before today, I would put him or her on the next meat cruise to heaven, first stop, Peter Luger. If you want to know what the essence of beef is, no seasoning, no special cooking method, nothing other than the best hand-selected cuts you've ever had in a burger... look no further than the Luger Burger. The meat is just plain that good.
But here's the thing: for being one of the best steakhouses around, I'm really shocked that not just my own, but all of our burgers, were over-cooked. I go for medium-rare, and this was an easy medium. The outside was just browned (so far so good), but there was no cool, pink center waiting for me. The meat was pretty uniformly pinky-brown through and through, but at least every bite was still juicy and flavorful. Never-the-less, the overcooked element was pretty disappointing, and the only factor that kept this burger from earning my highest recommendation. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I did return to Luger's a month later and am happy to report that this time the burger was cooked to absolute dripping, perfection.
Bottom line, the Luger Burger is close to infallible. It's a sandwich that adheres to my principle rules of design: do as much as you possibly can, with as little as you can possibly use. And it's delicious.
Food Average: 4.43333333333333
Total Average: 4.31111111111111
-------
second visit in Feb
Food Average: 4.55
Total Average: 4.46666666666667
So here it is - over a year too late...our first blog from March 1, 2007 - written by Brian.
jeremy burger
------------------------------------------
Peter Luger Burger.
Inaugural bite.
I am going into this, the very first Williamsburger outing, having never eaten the Luger burger. My only expectation: greatness. If not just because J has built it up in my head, but Oprah tells me it is so! I mean c'mon, Gale "The Burger Queen" King rated it the #2 burger in all of the country. If she says it's "delicious," it's delicious.
And it is. But more on that later... this is supposed to be the presentation paragraph.
My first impression is that it looks a little small on the plate, but that must be because I was looking from the top down, instead of from the side. What this burger lacks in circumference it more than makes up for in an impressive 5 inches of height. And, no joke, the patty is almost 2 of those tasty, tasty vertical inches. Don't be fooled; it WILL put you into a meat coma by the time you're done with it, the fries, and two or three Brooklyn Lagers. Let's see. Presentation. What else? Those steak-style fries come out looking good. There is a thick slice of a huge white onion on the side (the lone topping), which is too much onion for me. But the best part about onion is that it grows in pick-your-own-size layers... like those paper towels. And we all got cheese on our burgers, which comes out perfectly melted and covering basically the whole patty. To sum up presentation, it's very good. They should serve it on a smaller plate, just cause there's some empty space which contributes to the burger looking a bit wee at first impression, but hey, that's life.
On to taste. The bun is a bigger version of the onion roll they serve. I love the flavor and it's baked perfectly. My only qualm is that it's sort of a dry bread with lots of air pockets so it really sucks up a lot of that burger juice and sauce (or, in my associate's case, only ketchup), which I prefer to drip all over my hands, face, clothing and the first three rows of spectators. The cheese seems to be a slice of good old American, which is the only choice offered for the cheeseburger here. It's a great match for the beef. Which leads me into the star of the show: the patty. This hamburger, er, Luger Burger patty is the most beefy tasting thing I've ever experienced in my greasy, cholesterol filled life. It tastes more like steak than steak tastes like steak (like Diet Dr. Pepper!). If I had a friend who had never had beef before today, I would put him or her on the next meat cruise to heaven, first stop, Peter Luger. If you want to know what the essence of beef is, no seasoning, no special cooking method, nothing other than the best hand-selected cuts you've ever had in a burger... look no further than the Luger Burger. The meat is just plain that good.
But here's the thing: for being one of the best steakhouses around, I'm really shocked that not just my own, but all of our burgers, were over-cooked. I go for medium-rare, and this was an easy medium. The outside was just browned (so far so good), but there was no cool, pink center waiting for me. The meat was pretty uniformly pinky-brown through and through, but at least every bite was still juicy and flavorful. Never-the-less, the overcooked element was pretty disappointing, and the only factor that kept this burger from earning my highest recommendation. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I did return to Luger's a month later and am happy to report that this time the burger was cooked to absolute dripping, perfection.
Bottom line, the Luger Burger is close to infallible. It's a sandwich that adheres to my principle rules of design: do as much as you possibly can, with as little as you can possibly use. And it's delicious.
Food Average: 4.43333333333333
Total Average: 4.31111111111111
-------
second visit in Feb
Food Average: 4.55
Total Average: 4.46666666666667
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
...And We're Off!
Well, this burger-log (blog) is underway. Brian Burger, Kari Ketchup and I have all talked and started putting in our ideas of how we're supposed to run this blog. I think we have a lot of great ideas and we're still hashing them out. I'm sure things will change, but said things are starting to really shape up and we are all genuinely excited.
I've also started working out details of how to rate burgers and everything that comes with them. You'll either think I'm a huge dork or will be really impressed. Maybe you'll be really impressed that I'm such a huge dork. All I will say for now is that it involves a shared Google Spreadsheet.
We've also decided that our first Williamsburgers Review will be at Peter Luger's Steaks. I'm hoping we can go on Jan 6, 2007. Let's kick this Williamsburgers blog off right!
Also, I want to state now that we did not name this blog after the burger of the same name at Mugs Ale House on Bedford and N 10th. It is merely a coincidence. However, it will probably be reviewed at some point.
On a side note - burger related - Apparently in Jakarta there is a hamburger that cost $110! A little redic if you ask me, but the reason they say it's expensive is funny.
"The calves in Kobe get special treatment ... they drink beer mixed with milk, vitamins and eat pesticide-free grass. We add foie gras and also some Korean pears. We import all the materials, and they are high quality, so it is so expensive."
GIVE ME A BITE!
Jeremy Burger
I've also started working out details of how to rate burgers and everything that comes with them. You'll either think I'm a huge dork or will be really impressed. Maybe you'll be really impressed that I'm such a huge dork. All I will say for now is that it involves a shared Google Spreadsheet.
We've also decided that our first Williamsburgers Review will be at Peter Luger's Steaks. I'm hoping we can go on Jan 6, 2007. Let's kick this Williamsburgers blog off right!
Also, I want to state now that we did not name this blog after the burger of the same name at Mugs Ale House on Bedford and N 10th. It is merely a coincidence. However, it will probably be reviewed at some point.
On a side note - burger related - Apparently in Jakarta there is a hamburger that cost $110! A little redic if you ask me, but the reason they say it's expensive is funny.
"The calves in Kobe get special treatment ... they drink beer mixed with milk, vitamins and eat pesticide-free grass. We add foie gras and also some Korean pears. We import all the materials, and they are high quality, so it is so expensive."
GIVE ME A BITE!
Jeremy Burger
Thursday, December 14, 2006
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