ed21x
Diamond Member
edit2: added JG Melon and Joy's Burger Bar
edit: added review of Shake Shack (23rd and Madison in Manhattan at the bottom.)
So I recently moved to New York City from the OC in California and after hearing all my east coast friends get all wet over the two aformentioned restaurants, I decided to pay them a visit to see if they are worthy of getting wet over.
My first stop was Five Guys Burger Restaurant. Now understand that everything I type is coming from an elitist west coast perspective, so all things I write are completely biased and based around a single visit.
The restaurant itself had a very InNout feel, complete with the red and white checkers lining the walls. However, it wasn't quite as airy or clean as the counterpart in California, and the napkins, cups, and bags are of the unmarked costco variety. I know that this isn't suppose to matter, but it just comes off as a little less professional. The staff is a bit less spirited and more ordinary, run-of-the-mill mexican worker.
Anyhow, the burger that I ordered was a bacon cheeseburger, which comes standard with a double patty. Apparently Five Guys wraps all their burgers in aluminum foil rather than wax paper, and give you plenty more options than InNout. In particular, you have the option for bacon, mushrooms, Mayo, A-1 Sauce, BBQ Sauce, and mustard, in addition to everything else you get at InNout. There is no 'secret sauce' here (i.e. In N Out uses Thousand Island).
Overall, the burger was quite good, with hand-formed patties that were each a little thicker than a standard In N Out Patty. However, the sesame seed bun is generic, and the overal burger tasted a bit less fresh and more salty than an In N Out Double Double. In addition, a double bacon cheeseburger costed $8.75!! Holy crap! I would say In N Out edges out Five Guys overall in the burger department with the extra 'crisp' and freshness, but Five guys is a worthy east coast replacement when you are feeling the urge. Both places have burgers with character, with Five guys being softer and slightly meetier while In N Out is more balanced and less greasy.
As for fries, Five Guys serves thick cut steak fries using Idaho Russet Potatoes. I don't like thick cut fries, but this is more a matter of personnal preference. There is no lemonade fountain at Five Guys.
My total bill for a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a drink costed upward $13-14, about twice that of In N Out.
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My next stop was White Castle, of Harold and Kumar Fame. I went to the bronx location for that extra ghetto effect, which usually correlates to better food. Unfortunately, I got neither. The sliders taste exactly like a McD's double cheeseburger, only smaller. The fries are of the Dell Taco variety, and weren't that special. They had "Chicken Rings" that tasted exactly like Wendy's nuggets. A saving grace, however, was found in their Clam Strips. They tasted like the kind you get at a street vendor while walking down Fisherman's Wharf. So there you have it, to approximate the White Castle experience, just order the above counterpart, and you won't be missing out on any east coast flavors.
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ok, i jusy got back from Shake Shack (currently typing in the NYPL on 23rd street, 5 minutes away). We have a new winner!! The Shack Burger was amazing, and each patty was equivalent to two In N Out patties, really juicy, really meaty, and the fries were awesome! They were of the jagged variety except thick and double fried. awesome stuff.
of course, there was a huge line outside, but thats always a good sign.
I think this will be the last time I spend over $8 on a fast food burger. Here in NY, this is a total rip considering the restaurants aren't more expensive and have better all around quality.
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Joy's Burger Bar is located a few blocks up from where I live (103rd and Lexington). Being the burger freak that I am, I took note when a legion of yelpers claimed that this place was the 'best of NY' like every other mom and pop restaurant in the city. Anyhow, this place differentiates itself by having many different sauces... mainly cool stuff like spicy mango chutney, garlic mayo, and a few others, as well as having those distict circular cut fries like JG Melon. I loved their burgers! =D Definitely up there amongst the top three, their burgers came with huge, thick patties and are heavily charred for that charcoal taste, not to mention the chefs put on a pretty heaping scoop of rock pepper (a good thing). The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the generic sesame seed bun and shredded (as oppose to whole leaf) lettuce... but the patties more than make up for that. Excellent burgers, and more surprisingly, excellent prices :Q
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JG Melon was a disappointment. Not because the burger was bad, mind you, but it just wasn't up to snuff with what I've had so far... Buns were generic, no sauce (you can request mayo and ketsup if you want), and the patty was raw in the center. raw. Now this might just be a product of their thick patties (rolled up like balls), but overall I just didn't find the burger memorable. Tasted like Fuddruckers. What a rip... total price for burger, fries, and coke was $20.
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Parker Meridian Burger Joint
Here is one of those places that people on yelp are always talking about. Ask any New Yorker, and they will point to this place like some local secret when the reality is that the place is always packed by tourists. With that aside, the Parker Meridian Burger Joint serves up burgers with a very heavy charred flavor that reminded me of Joy's Burger Bar. Overall, this place is definitely above average, but I would go out of my way to wait in line here. The buns were generic store bought, no special sauce (only mayo, ketsup and mustard), and the fries are very McDonald-esque, which I personally prefer. Good stuff overall, though a Cheeseburger, Fries, and a Soda will set you back $15. Oh, and the burgers were tiny =\
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Corner Bistro
- review to come
================================
Cliffs:
NY Burger Rankings:
Shake Shack > Joy's Burger Bar > Parker Meridian Burger Joint > Corner Bistro > Five Guys > JG Melon > Burger King > everything else > White Cast
edit: added review of Shake Shack (23rd and Madison in Manhattan at the bottom.)
So I recently moved to New York City from the OC in California and after hearing all my east coast friends get all wet over the two aformentioned restaurants, I decided to pay them a visit to see if they are worthy of getting wet over.
My first stop was Five Guys Burger Restaurant. Now understand that everything I type is coming from an elitist west coast perspective, so all things I write are completely biased and based around a single visit.
The restaurant itself had a very InNout feel, complete with the red and white checkers lining the walls. However, it wasn't quite as airy or clean as the counterpart in California, and the napkins, cups, and bags are of the unmarked costco variety. I know that this isn't suppose to matter, but it just comes off as a little less professional. The staff is a bit less spirited and more ordinary, run-of-the-mill mexican worker.
Anyhow, the burger that I ordered was a bacon cheeseburger, which comes standard with a double patty. Apparently Five Guys wraps all their burgers in aluminum foil rather than wax paper, and give you plenty more options than InNout. In particular, you have the option for bacon, mushrooms, Mayo, A-1 Sauce, BBQ Sauce, and mustard, in addition to everything else you get at InNout. There is no 'secret sauce' here (i.e. In N Out uses Thousand Island).
Overall, the burger was quite good, with hand-formed patties that were each a little thicker than a standard In N Out Patty. However, the sesame seed bun is generic, and the overal burger tasted a bit less fresh and more salty than an In N Out Double Double. In addition, a double bacon cheeseburger costed $8.75!! Holy crap! I would say In N Out edges out Five Guys overall in the burger department with the extra 'crisp' and freshness, but Five guys is a worthy east coast replacement when you are feeling the urge. Both places have burgers with character, with Five guys being softer and slightly meetier while In N Out is more balanced and less greasy.
As for fries, Five Guys serves thick cut steak fries using Idaho Russet Potatoes. I don't like thick cut fries, but this is more a matter of personnal preference. There is no lemonade fountain at Five Guys.
My total bill for a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a drink costed upward $13-14, about twice that of In N Out.
================================
My next stop was White Castle, of Harold and Kumar Fame. I went to the bronx location for that extra ghetto effect, which usually correlates to better food. Unfortunately, I got neither. The sliders taste exactly like a McD's double cheeseburger, only smaller. The fries are of the Dell Taco variety, and weren't that special. They had "Chicken Rings" that tasted exactly like Wendy's nuggets. A saving grace, however, was found in their Clam Strips. They tasted like the kind you get at a street vendor while walking down Fisherman's Wharf. So there you have it, to approximate the White Castle experience, just order the above counterpart, and you won't be missing out on any east coast flavors.
================================
ok, i jusy got back from Shake Shack (currently typing in the NYPL on 23rd street, 5 minutes away). We have a new winner!! The Shack Burger was amazing, and each patty was equivalent to two In N Out patties, really juicy, really meaty, and the fries were awesome! They were of the jagged variety except thick and double fried. awesome stuff.
of course, there was a huge line outside, but thats always a good sign.
I think this will be the last time I spend over $8 on a fast food burger. Here in NY, this is a total rip considering the restaurants aren't more expensive and have better all around quality.
================================
Joy's Burger Bar is located a few blocks up from where I live (103rd and Lexington). Being the burger freak that I am, I took note when a legion of yelpers claimed that this place was the 'best of NY' like every other mom and pop restaurant in the city. Anyhow, this place differentiates itself by having many different sauces... mainly cool stuff like spicy mango chutney, garlic mayo, and a few others, as well as having those distict circular cut fries like JG Melon. I loved their burgers! =D Definitely up there amongst the top three, their burgers came with huge, thick patties and are heavily charred for that charcoal taste, not to mention the chefs put on a pretty heaping scoop of rock pepper (a good thing). The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the generic sesame seed bun and shredded (as oppose to whole leaf) lettuce... but the patties more than make up for that. Excellent burgers, and more surprisingly, excellent prices :Q
================================
JG Melon was a disappointment. Not because the burger was bad, mind you, but it just wasn't up to snuff with what I've had so far... Buns were generic, no sauce (you can request mayo and ketsup if you want), and the patty was raw in the center. raw. Now this might just be a product of their thick patties (rolled up like balls), but overall I just didn't find the burger memorable. Tasted like Fuddruckers. What a rip... total price for burger, fries, and coke was $20.
================================
Parker Meridian Burger Joint
Here is one of those places that people on yelp are always talking about. Ask any New Yorker, and they will point to this place like some local secret when the reality is that the place is always packed by tourists. With that aside, the Parker Meridian Burger Joint serves up burgers with a very heavy charred flavor that reminded me of Joy's Burger Bar. Overall, this place is definitely above average, but I would go out of my way to wait in line here. The buns were generic store bought, no special sauce (only mayo, ketsup and mustard), and the fries are very McDonald-esque, which I personally prefer. Good stuff overall, though a Cheeseburger, Fries, and a Soda will set you back $15. Oh, and the burgers were tiny =\
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Corner Bistro
- review to come
================================
Cliffs:
NY Burger Rankings:
Shake Shack > Joy's Burger Bar > Parker Meridian Burger Joint > Corner Bistro > Five Guys > JG Melon > Burger King > everything else > White Cast
