The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die

I would vote for Stage Left in New Brunswick, NJ that at one point was voted best NYC burger when it entered a competition some years back

quote:

Originally posted by fattybomatty

I would vote for Stage Left in New Brunswick, NJ that at one point was voted best NYC burger when it entered a competition some years back

i have been trying to try it before i die (and with any luck I have some more time), but they tell me it's served only at lunch. and lunch is served only on Friday. it just can't be worth missing a day of work.

quote:

Originally posted by tommyeats

quote:

Originally posted by fattybomatty

I would vote for Stage Left in New Brunswick, NJ that at one point was voted best NYC burger when it entered a competition some years back

i have been trying to try it before i die (and with any luck I have some more time), but they tell me it's served only at lunch. and lunch is served only on Friday. it just can't be worth missing a day of work.

Tommy I thought the burger was on the bar menu that you can get at night as well? Unfortunately the website is blocked at my job, but here it is. See what it says. www.stageleft.com

quote:

Originally posted by fattybomatty

quote:

Originally posted by tommyeats

quote:

Originally posted by fattybomatty

I would vote for Stage Left in New Brunswick, NJ that at one point was voted best NYC burger when it entered a competition some years back

i have been trying to try it before i die (and with any luck I have some more time), but they tell me it's served only at lunch. and lunch is served only on Friday. it just can't be worth missing a day of work.

Tommy I thought the burger was on the bar menu that you can get at night as well? Unfortunately the website is blocked at my job, but here it is. See what it says. www.stageleft.com

excellent suggestion. i don't see a bar menu, but it would make sense to serve the "world's greatest burger" more than just during a two hour window when most people are at work. if that's the case they should include that info on their website. between a phone call i made to the restaurant and various times perusing their website, that was never made clear.

The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die?

Let me know when they invent the burger that keeps you from dying.

The Bear

I can't believe Litton's in Knoxville didn't make that list... granted, it's from 3 years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Barry

I have have also been to Le Tub and found their hamburger to be very good but not great, as it was slightly on the dry side. But I will add that the experince of dining right on the intercoastal in Hollywood, FL was awesome - despite the poor service.

Excellent summary ! I felt the same way ! Good, but not great, and YES, it was a bit DRY!!

The views of the boaters going by defintely helped add to the experience.. I was luckier to have some better service than you did..
but I agree: overrated !!

And what, no pickles?!?
Le Tub Burger, Hollywood, CA , Dec. 2007

I was'nt really crazy about that kind of roll, and I prefer onions sliced thinner. Just my personal tastes.

For whatever it's worth (a lot to me) JG Mellons is Bobby Flay's favorite NYC burger. I'm down with Bobby Flay...Love him!

Anyway, I'd like to add to this very, very strange list Tessarro's wood fire cooked burger in Pittsburgh, the Roaring Fork's incredible 12 oz char broiled burger in Scottsdale, and the best burger in this country IMHO...The Bob Cat Bite's grilled 10 oz green chili cheeseburger in Santa Fe, NM. Pure heaven.

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Originally posted by V960

Nick's on Broadway in NYC didn't make it? BS

Nick's IS Burger Joint (at least it was when I lived across the street at 75th and Bradway-that was when Nick also ran Pizza Joint on the same block).

Taylor's Refresher in St Helena CA (Napa Valley) is the ultimate gourmet drive-in experience-- the burgers are sublime!

Yeah, what is that sauce that they put on it anyways? Is it cucumber sauce like you'd find on a gyro?

quote:

Originally posted by azure

I'd like to submit one...a Plaza Burger at the Plaza (the Za, for those in the know) in Madison. Wisconsin.

Bobby Flays "Bobby's Burger Palace", Bobby's only hamburger restaurant,opens in Lake Grove SmithHaven Mall this week, Suffolk County Long Island. I'll be visiting soon.

I read Bobby Flay's place has a Chip Burger....CheeseBurger with potato chips on it. Sounds good and very simple.

We should make a couple or three categories:

1.a) Standard beef patty, CHAR-GRILLED, i.e. open flame, toasted bun, ketchup, any other dressing with or without [e.g. mayo, like Whopper], toppings: onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles all:(with, w/o)
b) above with cheese, bacon, fried onion, anything unusual etc.

2. a) Standard beef patty, griddled, as above
b) with cheese, etc.

3. Slider style: griddled beef with onions and fat, pressed with spatula while cooking, specific style of buns

4. Other beef patties : e.g. steamed, unuual toppings, sauce, styles etc.

Then we are a bit closer towards comparing apples to apples. There are people who are sticklers for category 1a, me, for example, for whom a griddle-fried burger/cheeseburger automaticaly takes it out of the personal "best" ranking. Ditto a slider or steamed burger, while there are those who dream about these tastes.

In today's NY Time I read about burgers with foie gras and black truffles, pine nuts and dried tomatoes, fresh thyme. 'Burgers" of squid and shrimp. I love both, but not here. And I want to know if any of the "best burgers" suggested by NYT, such as Daniel Boulud's which has those fancy things, so I can stay away!!!!!! Not that they will ever let me in, nor will I ever have $56 to spend for a burger. So I am safe, for now! You never know, Bubba might take to adding gourmet touches, he watches Food TV too, and porcini mushrooms are a mere $17.50/lb [real potent dry stuff]!!

BTW, has anyone eaten Peter Luger's chopped steak which is a charbroiled burger, at the original Brookyn location? It is served only at lunch, used to be about $9/8oz, made of the trimmings from Luger's fmous steaks. Cash only. Try it.

pimple2 -

While your comparison points are valid, the original article (as mentioned in the first post) doesn't claim to offer the 20 "Best" burgers - just the 20 that you should eat before you die. I believe that they purposefully didn't make a list with all 20 charbroiled burgers cooked exactly the same way.

In my trip reports, you will often find that I do order my burgers the same way - and it does help for the sake of comparison - but, mostly, it is because that is the way that I like a burger. I don't expect that everyone else should like a burger the same way that I do.

I did a write-up on Luger's and a few of the other places on Page 3 of this thread. I will only say that for everyone who had corrections/additions to this list, or their own ideas as to what burgers should be on the list - that I have not yet been steered wrong by this list once. A small sample size to be sure, but not once.

I am sorta like TM as I order my burger the same everywhere I go because that is the way I like it and then I can form an opinion. I am not good about making a list like WJ, TM and Buffetbuster but I remember what I like. I order my burger with lettuce, tomato, mayo X2, onion and cheddar.

The next time I get a chance, I will try Bobby Flay's new concept.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I am slowly making my way through this list. Eight years after the article was first published, I am now through nine of the 20 restaurants, after having dined at Rouge in Philadelphia for lunch on Sunday. I knew it was a high end burger, but was still surprised that the final price, including tax and tip approached $25. 
 
Rouge was #4 on Richman's list, which can be found here, purely as a list without commentary.
 
However, I found Richman's commentary spot on, right down to noting the gentleman seated at the table across from us was sporting a country club sweater over his shoulders, a la Winthorpe going to the Club in 'Trading Places,' nearly 30 years ago.
 

The clientele appears to consist primarily of aging men of means, each one accompanied by an Eastern European model/actress. (Who knew that white slavery lived on in stuffy old Philadelphia?) Do these people care that they’re eating the best cheeseburger in America? Rouge is so chic I’m surprised that anybody pays attention to the food. I’m sure they admire the staff, all in black. They probably enjoy sitting outside, right on Rittenhouse Square. Back when I was growing up in the city, outdoor dining didn’t exist.

 

How is a simple, plump cheeseburger able to compete with all this stylishness? The Rouge Burger does just fine. The aged Gruyère cheese is strong, nutty, and pungent. The caramelized onion is judiciously applied. The bread is toasted brioche. The fries are good. The well-salted sirloin is very lean, so it’s best ordered rare. I could swear the hostess, to stand out from her minions, was wearing pink pajamas, but maybe I was dizzy with pleasure from dining at Rouge and encountering a Philadelphia I never knew.

 
The burger? Well....it was a winner, as has every burger I have tried from this list (1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17, 20).
 
I added bacon....because, well....bacon.
 
At first, I thought that my medium-rare might be a little too on the rare side for me, but this was a PERFECT medium-rare and the medium-rare to which all other medium-rares should aspire.
 

 
This was a four-star burger, given that, in my world, the Peter Luger burger (five star) is still where my bar is set. This ranks up there with some of my other favorites, though.

So, was your hostess wearing pink pajamas, too?
 
That is one gorgeous burger and it certainly looks worthy of inclusion on the list.  I love gruyere cheese but have never tasted it on a burger.  And that looks like some high quality, thick bacon.

No pink pajamas. But, one of my dining companions was focused on the hostess' appearance.
 
All of the ingredients are top notch. I am sure that they could recite the specific blend of ground beef, brisket, short rib and whatever else they put in there. The bun was substantial enough to hold up to the burger. 
 
I may need to bust out some more pictures from some of the other places I went from this list.

Several of these places we have been to together.

Richman on his top choice establishment:
 

This is a dream of a dump, located on the site of a former Sunoco gas station. Outside there’s assorted porcelain—toilets, sinks, tubs. Most have plants in them, and a lot of the plants look dead. Inside is a pool table, a jukebox, and tables reminiscent of the ones at highway rest stops. The view is magnificent, the Intracoastal Waterway at its broadest and most dramatic. Le Tub doesn’t take credit cards, and it has signs everywhere reinforcing that rule. I’m surprised anybody who eats here qualifies for a credit card.

Le Tub, as they say, is what it is. It's a dump. It is also, easily, the best burger that I have ever had at a toilet-themed restaurant (which, is actually a quote from buffetbuster, but one with which I do not disagree). This is the style that is my favorite burger - hefty - a half-pound...plus. The key to this kind of burger is using a roll that can hold up to the dripping mess that is likely to ensue. Le Tub uses a very nice poppy-seeded roll which soaks juices well, but does not disintegrate.

 

 

It is simply adorned, with lettuce, tomato, onion and possibly cheese. Again, this suits me. I don't like a lot of crap on my burger, essentially hiding the taste of the meat. I'm not telling you how you should like your burgers, but this is how I like mine.

 

 

Cooking to temperature is also essential, and Le Tub delivered a very respectable medium-rare.

 

 

I don't think that this is best burger in the country, but it is very, very good. It is always hard to tell what the authors have in mind when they write these kinds of pieces. Looking back at the last photos from Rouge, one cannot imagine that the same writer would fancy both the setting at the she-she Rittenhouse Square address and the south Florida dive bar. Maybe he was going for variety? Beats me. But, regardless, this is another burger worthy of inclusion on this list.

It looks like a delicious, juicy hung of meat to me.  Your choices are exactly what I would choose.
 
Paul E. smith
Knoxville, TN 

TTM-
Nicely done!  Le Tub also happens to be my favorite toilet themed restaurant with a dress code after 4pm.