New Jersey Hamburgers...where?

DPuro329


I was in Belmar last weekend and Boom Burger is no more. There's a BBQ place, Jersey Shore BBQ or something like that in the storefront now. I'm going to have to try the BBQ place sooner rather than later. It doesn't surprise me about Boom going out of business, it was a very weird place. The burgers were good, but small and very expensive. Maybe they just couldn't survive in this current down economy?

Dave

BOOM is now Jersey Shore BBQ Just got an email from the BOOM mailing list. The website referenced in their email (www.jerseyshorebbq.com) points to a page for someone who does catering and pig roasts, etc., so I assume they've been in the BBQ business for a while. Incredibly ironic as I just returned from a ride up from Brick where we had thoughts of picking up takeout from Hickory Hog or Jamesons but couldn't find anything that really piqued our fancy. I hope they do well!
"Hello Boom Customers,
We are excited to announce that Boom is closed and in it's place Jersey Shore BBQ is officially open and serving the finest in Texas Style BBQ from New Jersey's largest BBQ Pit at the same convenient 811 Belmar Plaza location (between 8th and 10th). JSBBQ is bringing years of catering experience to make a fun delicious experience to restaurant goers.
Our menu features homemade brisket, ribs, pulled pork and chicken dishes accompanied with homemade sides such as ranch beans, cole slaw and fresh cut fries. If fresh made pickles, sweet tea and key lime pie sound good to you, come down and try us out. "
 
THANK GOD! PERHAPS THE GOD OF "Q" IS FINALLY BLESSING THE JERSEY SHORE WITH THE REAL DEAL----THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP ABOUT THE CHANGE FROM BOOM-----WILL GIVE IT A SHOT THIS WEEKEND AND POST------------RUSS

My wife and I went again to Smashburger in Montclair for lunch. This was our 3rd trip over the past 6 months or so, and while we both enjoyed it, we both agreed that the burgers were MUCH GREASIER than we remembered. I'm wondering if they have switched to a higher fat content (=lower quality) meat. This is not a good thing, the grease quotient definately detracted from the experience. We may think twice before going again.

Anyway, the roses are in full bloom at Brookdale Park (which was our reason for driving up to Montclair) so we were able to walk off the grease and fat by doing the 1.8 mile loop.

http://www.brookdaleparkconservancy.org/bpc_newsletter_apr_09.pdf

I haven't made it to Smashburger yet, but I couldn't imagine that I would find such a heavenly hamburger at a diner down in the Port Elizabeth area, in Cumberland County. There's a dearth of places to eat around there (Route 47 almost where it cuts into 347, if you were on the way to or away from the Cape May area). We have eaten at the Maurice River Diner before, but this time I had a cheeseburger that was really lovely.
 

harriet1954


  We have eaten at the Maurice River Diner before, but this time I had a cheeseburger that was really lovely.
 

That's a really great looking burger. What kind of cheese is on it?

Thanks, Bob. It was so so so good. I think that was just American cheese! Seriously! You like those bubbles? Oh and by the way, I put ketchup on it right after I took the picture. Heh.

harriet1954


 Oh and by the way, I put ketchup on it right after I took the picture. Heh.

I would have too. And mustard. And dill pickles. Maybe ever chocolate syrup.

Thought I'd mention that the NJ Star Ledger Munchmobile did Burgers today. I don't have much to add, they only made about 6 stops and rated Krug's in Newark as  the best.

I was only in Krug's once, several years ago, and I had thier fried shrimp, which they are also noted for (very good), so I can't comment on the burgers. In any event, it's a classic old Tavern, always a plus in my book.

Read about the Munchmobile Burger Trip here:
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2010/07/munchmobile_2010_best_burgers.html

ellen4641

steveg5489


I'm surprised there's no mention here of Liberty Tavern in Fords. Is it that it's unknown or doesn't meet your high standards?

Tell me more about the place, SteveG...
Flat top grill, or charbroiled?!?  Frankly, charbroiled excites me a lot more..
(although a flat top burger can be seared nicely, and have good crust)
 
The Liberty Tavern is unknown to me...
I may have to check it out and see if it "meats" those high standards of mine...
 

 

 i live right down the street.............. yeap, we need a northern food tour !!!

ken8038


My wife and I went again to Smashburger in Montclair for lunch.  the burgers were MUCH GREASIER than we remembered. I'm wondering if they have switched to a higher fat content (=lower quality) meat.

I finally tried Smashburger on June 13th, after pigging out at the Meadowlands "Great American Food & Music Fest".....
I found my burger WAY TOO SALTY..... (and I am someone who LOVES salt!)
But, this was insane...
(salty & greasy)
 
Their onion straws were even saltier , if this was even possible...

Just a heads up that tonight's edition of Food Network's "Food Fueds" (10 PM locally)  is going to visit the two competing "slider" joints in NJ, The White Manna in Hackensack and The White Mana (one "N") in Jersey City. The Star Ledger's Pete Genovese (of Munchmobile fame) will be the local expert.
 
My vote would go to White Manna in Hackensack, no contest.

Thanks for the heads up...looks interesting!

<<Just a heads up that tonight's edition of Food Network's "Food Fueds...>>
 
Oops, apparently it was last night (Thurs). It will be on again 11PM this Sunday. Sorry.

White Mana & Manna are okay, if sliders / small burgers are what you crave, I like them both, but as the little o lady in those Wendy's commercials used to say Where's the beef, I'll tell ya it's at Krugs in Newark. Great 1/2 pound burgers, my favorite is the bacon cheeseburger, cooked medium,with plenty of bacon and either american or cheddar cheese.

Interesting article in this month's NJ Monthly about Blue Collar burgers in NJ. Nothing that regular readers of this forum would find a discovery, but pretty good for NJ Monthly, which generally is more interested in "Where to Shop Upscale in Summit" than anything that an average New Jersey person might be interested in:
http://njmonthly.com/articles/restaurants/blue-collar-burgers.html
 

Funny the Summit mention; it now has two locations 'food' and 'hat tavern' that sell Pat LaFrieda burgers.  That said, the Summit Diner is about as old school as you can get, long may it live.

Applecheeks


Krug's Tavern in the Ironbound section of Newark.  Best burger you will ever have.

I went yesterday for the first time and have to agree with Applecheeks. It was certainly the best burger I've eaten. Krug's is an old tavern that reminds me of the places my grandfather drank at in Jersey City years ago. My wife and I sat at a small table across from the bar. The bartender, Tom Darcy, who is also the cook, did a great job serving us. The burgers are 12 ounces (3/4 lb) and are formed into huge meatballs. The beef is from a local butcher shop and very fresh. Tom wasn't sure of the blend, but I believeit is chuck and maybe some sirloin.
 
The burgers are cooked on a small griddle behind the bar. It takes awhile to prepare them as they are very big. I usually enjoy a few beers to whet my appetite. We ordered our burgers medium and they came out that way. Next time I'll try medium rare. The burgers are pressed down on the griddle; similar to White Rose and Smashburger. I love Smashburger, but Krug's burger, in addition to being bigger, is also better. Either the meat is higher quality, or fresher, or both. I had mine with American cheese and nothing else. The bun was a sesame seeded bun from Pechter's that was large enough for the patty. Pickles (Boars Head) and hot peppers come with the burger. At $6.00 and change, this is a great value. We split an order of fries. I would describe them as steak fries in regard to size. Although they are of the frozen variety they were pretty good.
 
Krug's also has a reputation for excellent hot shrimp and calamari. They make a cheesteak that I've heard is very good as well as an Italian Hot Dog. The Italian Hot Dog is served on pizza bread from DiPaolo's (which suplies Dickie Dees) and includes 2 Best's franks, peppers, onions, and potatoes. The potatoes are actually the steak fries. They are placed on the plate next to the sandwich rather than on top of the sandwich. As much as I love Italian Hot Dogs, I don't think I'll be ordering one at Krug's. The burgers are just too good.

I'll toss my review of Krug's in the mix.  My son was off from school for Easter Monday, so we went around 2:30 for lunch.  First off, the place is a trip.  Very old school, lots of guys drinking drafts and shots-midafternoon.  Nice small glasses of beer, I had two IPA's.  The bartender couldn't have been nicer, he was the only person working the bar and the small seating areas.
 
Both our bacon cheddar burgers were cooked properly medium rare, and the roll was very good.  Onion rings were a bit overcooked, but didn't suffer from that.  The meat tasted great, the only thing I wasn't crazy about was that they aren't cooked over high heat.  I think this is because the bartender can't stand over the griddle because he's taking care of the whole place, so they don't have a nice crust.
 
And I liked the hot cherry peppers and the semi-sliced pickles.  I'll go back.

A year later, and I have to give the nod to New Park Tavern in Jersey City over Krug for my favorite bar burger.  No smashing of the patty at New Park Tavern, and they use a terrific Kaiser roll.  The burgers appear to be 3/4 pound and they, like Krug, are prepared by the bartender-don't be in a hurry.  Very limited menu (Best brand hot dogs during the summer only), cooked on a griddle.  Very sketchy part of town, but there is a parking lot they own next door.  West Side Avenue location.  Look for what appears to be a bombed out wooden facade!

That place you're talking about in front of Roosevelt Stadium was on Rt. 440 and it was called "The Open Hearth" later to be renamed "The Studio" Cocktail lounge was on the right side of the building where they had a projection screen tv that showed sporting events and when they werent showing sporting events they played 3 stooges movies. They were famous for their foot long hot dogs. I still remember driving by and smelling that wonderful charcoal.
 

daveverdo


Wow, lots of old memories. White Mana on in Jersey City, The Mason Jar, I always loved any diner burger. Shafer's and The Colonial in Hoboken (long gone), Meadowland Diners on 17, Tick Tock.

There was a place on Rt440 in Jersey City back in the 70's that I went to all the time after high school ballgames. We would leave Roosevelt Stadium and go for burger, steak sandwiches, beers (back when drinking was legal for 18 year olds). They used to show 3 Stooges clips.

Anyone remember the name of the place? The was a similar place on RT46 or RT4. I don't remember if it was the same name or not but it had a similar menu and atmosphere.

I remember the charcoal smell (near Valley Fair)...but I don't remember ever eating there. I think that place flipped to something else...all the time. After it was shut down...the building stayed up for a long long time....because of the chromium situation.

Showing The Three Stooges in a place that sells hamburgers...was like the kiss of death. The curse of The Three Stooges.

Yep, was originally The Open Hearth, then changed to The Studio...then chromium wastelands 
 

CCinNJ


I remember the charcoal smell (near Valley Fair)...but I don't remember ever eating there. I think that place flipped to something else...all the time. After it was shut down...the building stayed up for a long long time....because of the chromium situation.

I figured I'd ressurect this thread rather than start a new one. Spurred on by the Munchmobile's rating of the best burger on thier recent Hamburger Tour, my wife and I went to Zinburger in Clifton for lunch yesterday.
http://www.zinburgernj.com/
 
In brief, Too Corporate, Good Burger, overpriced.
 
First, the Corporate. It was our first visit, and apparently first time visitors are subjected to a one minute or longer spiel from the server, touting the corporate history, the quality of the burgers, the expansion plans, and who knows what else. Our server, who gave the imprsession this was as stupid as we thought it was, sped thru and mumbled much of it. And with the din (Really, I know I'm in New Jersey, do I need Springsteen blasting in my ears in an upscale burger place?), I really didn't catch most of it.
 
On to the burger. It was good, but quite overpriced even for an upscale place (BTW, it's not clear from the website, but this is a bar as well, and with waitpersons when we were expecting counter service). I got thier signature Zinburger, featuring Zinfandel braised onions. My wife got the Plain and Simple burger. Each was around $10. The roll was a different story, mine fell apart within a minute. My wife suggested it was due to the braised onions, which was true, but it seems to me if you are going to tout your zinfandel braised onions, it would be a good idea to come up with a roll that can handle it.
 
We shared a $5 order of excellent thin-cut fries, which the menu indicated was "for two". Two what I'm not sure, but not two grownups.
 
The fountain sodas were rather small, and $2.95 each (not sure about refills, it was about 49 degrees in there, one soda was enough).
 
On top of all that, our server was really unhelpful, seemed like the people at the two tables around us had much better servers. That can happen anywhere, so I'll give it a pass there.
 
The total bill came to almost $40 with tip, for what we could essentially get at Five Guys for around half that without much drop in ambience. And that's what we'll do.

Thanks for the report Ken!

There are a few things really odd on that menu.

Cottage cheese out of the clear blue sky as a side.

It's a pretty spendy menu & not shy about charging...but the up charge to "make the fries truffle fries" is only + $1.

Wasnt it Al Newmans?