Greasy Nick's -Restaurant of the Day - 7/13/09

Here is the link to Greasy Nick's review.
 
 
I regret not going back when I had more of an appetite!
 
Bruce: Do you feel that the roll is too big for the burger?
 

MiamiDon
Bruce: Do you feel that the roll is too big for the burger?

Is the roll too big for the frozen, pre-formed burger?  Perhaps. 

The "star" rating (I know, it's orange boxes, not stars) of the place seems much higher than the text of the review would indicate....particularly when you re-emphasize the frozen preformed patties here.....

Is the rating more about the ambience, then? 

I hope not - as I look to Roadfood during my few opportunities to travel to guide me to great eats, not great ambience

I don't care about the burger, although it looks great (of course, I'd think a hockey puck was great as long as it had grilled onions on it). Give me the hard roll.

TJ Jackson

Is the rating more about the ambience, then? 

Hard to say.  We really like the cheeseburger.  Would we like it as much if it was served in different surroundings?  Probably not.  Would we enjoy Greasy Nick's if they served sandwich wraps or chocolate martinis?  I doubt it.  The ambience and the food support each other.

I am having a hard time understanding how on one hand you say you enjoyed it and yet on the other hand have also made mention (twice) of the frozen preformed burger used.

I would think the two were somewhat mutually exclusive.....

Then there's the comment about frozen corn used even when corn is in-season

It just does not sound like this is a place that should be reviewed on Roadfood

I surely don't mean to speak for Bruce, but the review says that they liked the grilled onions.  Perhaps, the burger is merely transportation for said onions?

It does LOOK like a Roadfood place, but it sure doesn't sound like a place I would enjoy.  That said, I am usually hesitant to give a critique of a place that I have never set foot in.

I would definitely agree that it has the look of a Roadfood joint, which is why I asked the "ambience" question

TJ Jackson


I am having a hard time understanding how on one hand you say you enjoyed it and yet on the other hand have also made mention (twice) of the frozen preformed burger used.

I would think the two were somewhat mutually exclusive.....

Not mutually exclusive for us.  But that's why there's a writeup, not just a rating.  If you read the review and surmise that the things that did it for us wouldn't do it for you, then you'll know that you can safely pass on it, and the writeup will have done its job.

Fair enough

I'm afraid that I have to agree, TTM. The words "frozen preformed burger" are an instant turn-off, as are "frozen corn in season". And yes, that bun is too big for the burger. The place looks nice, and to be fair to Greasy Nick's, I would have to try their burger, but right now I'm rather dubious about the whole thing.    

I found Bruce and Sue's reporting to be accurate, in my eyes. It was mentioned that it was a frozen patty, but the onions, cheese and bun made it better.It was mentioned that it wasnt an eye opening burger, but it was good.And I have to say there is nothing better, on a nice summer day, to go to a place that serves food that one likes.

I guess what I am having trouble with here is liking a preformed frozen patty and frozen corn cobs enough to make the place worthy of a roadfood review.

Then again, yeah, I haven't been there.

My understanding, from friends who live in the area, is that it is a legendary local hangout.  It is one of those "you know summer is here when...." kind of deals.  I think most towns have "that" place.

Again - and I say this without having been there - it sounds like a place where ambiance/memories are more important than JUST the food.

Every burger joint is worthy of a review.
Just not a good review.

Don't forget the grease that soaks into the bun!    Sometimes I think this would be a great burger: fry up a bunch of cheap burgers; throw away the burgers; fry onions in the burger fat long and slow;  when they're ready, place a cut hard roll face down on the grill and onions and grease until the roll is toasted and has absorbed some of the oniony grease; lift off the roll, place some cheese on top of the onions until melted, then scoop it up and insert in the burger; eat.

brickie

Every burger joint is worthy of a review.
Just not a good review.

This is where you and I disagree, brickie

I don't come here to read about mediocrity or worse

I come here to read about good places that should be specifically sought out

Does anyone else come here to read in the hope of reading about mediocre eats?

Couldn't agree more with this statement.

The Travelin Man

My understanding, from friends who live in the area, is that it is a legendary local hangout.  It is one of those "you know summer is here when...." kind of deals.  I think most towns have "that" place.

Again - and I say this without having been there - it sounds like a place where ambiance/memories are more important than JUST the food.

It also sounds like a place that is cruising on autopilot on the glory of days gone by rather than on current food quality.

Foodosaurus aka braunsteinm


Couldn't agree more with this statement.

which statement? 

several have been made

brickie


Every burger joint is worthy of a review.
Just not a good review.

Couldn't agree more with this statement.

My apologies for the double post.  I thought I quoted the first time.

Foodosaurus aka braunsteinm

brickie

Every burger joint is worthy of a review.
Just not a good review.

Couldn't agree more with this statement.

ah, so you two come here to read about mediocre food?

interesting/puzzling.  but accepted.  *shrug*

TJ Jackson

brickie

Every burger joint is worthy of a review.
Just not a good review.

This is where you and I disagree, brickie

I don't come here to read about mediocrity or worse

I come here to read about good places that should be specifically sought out

Does anyone else come here to read in the hope of reading about mediocre eats?

I think its valuable to read about any place that I might potentially visit.  If people come on here and tell me that it's mediocre, I find that information to be as valuable a glowing recommendation.

TJ Jackson

The Travelin Man

My understanding, from friends who live in the area, is that it is a legendary local hangout.  It is one of those "you know summer is here when...." kind of deals.  I think most towns have "that" place.

Again - and I say this without having been there - it sounds like a place where ambiance/memories are more important than JUST the food.

It also sounds like a place that is cruising on autopilot on the glory of days gone by rather than on current food quality.

I don't necessarily believe this to be true.  For sure, there are some places from my own youth that would remain special to me, even though I would probably find the quality lacking now.  I think the thing that would have changed the most is my perception about what is good and what isn't.

It is absolutely possible that they are serving the same food/same quality of food that they have been serving for years - that locals adore/treasure.

I have often said whenever the topic of "eating where the locals eat" comes up, that I don't necessarily WANT to eat where the locals eat.  However, I would bet that Greasy Nick's is most definitely a "locals" joint - and for those seeking the "local experience," it may be a huge hit.

I will be in New Rochelle in a couple of weeks and will avoid The Grease Trap again this year just as I have for the last 8.  I would rather go to MacDonalds.  And I haven't been there in 8 years either. 

Too many good places around.  Roodfood doesn't mean tourist trap. 

There is a February, 2008 interview with owner Pat Leno posted:
http://www.thedoctorschannel.com/video/581.html?specialty=35
in which Pat claims he uses fresh meat. There are pictures of raw burgers on the grill. Could he possibly be using fresh meat and one of those burger forming gadgets?

Until I saw that Yahoo map, I never realized how easy it was to get to from I-95 or the Hutchinson River Parkway, so I never made the trek. But, I'll be going soon.

If he is using hard rolls, my guess it is because he is using fresh meat and the onions also have moisture on them. Most of the defunct foodservice hamburger bun bakers (Fink, Miller, etc.) made a bun so soft that a greasy cheeseburger would "melt" the bottom half down to a thickness of 3/16", and everything would start to slide in every direction. I usually ask for my burger on a hard roll in a greasy spoon around here.
 
Most of these summertime places around here use frozen corn, even when corn is in season. The problem is that the corn from Hunts Point (Wholesale) Market is of highly variable quality and is grown far from NYC. Frozen tastes better on average.

The part I can't understand is the zombie beer brands, such as Piel's. It it just tradition, is it to keep the cost down, is it ?????

Zombie beer - I never heard that before, but I like it!

We'll post a Logbook after our next visit - we'll check it out but I'd be very surprised if they are now using fresh meat.  The video clip on that link is interesting, but the text below that is lifted straight from our Roadfood.com review!

We've got a divey tavern that we go to for blues music and greasy cheeseburgers. The hamburgers are cooked in some sort of weird broiler machine and served in a wax paper covered plastic basket. I love the burgers. I asked what kind of meat she used and she said "Oh, they're just patties from Sam's Club"! Go figure.

I stopped by Greasy Nick's today - less than a 5 minute diversion off I-95. I had a cheeseburger, fries and soda. Whether or not the burger patties were ever frozen is hard to tell. However, they are made of high quality, fine-ground beef. Not the gristle-burgers you get at Jones Beach. The shoestring fries were frozen, came in large, brown bags, were extremely long (~4 inches) but were delicious. The ketchup was "cut" with white vinegar, which made for a fine condiment for the fries.

The zombie beers-du-jour were Piels and PBR. The dumpster area of the restaurant yielded an empty hamburger patty box; they are buying patties, not making them. But the brand of burgers was also a zombie brand. I haven't seen that box in a restaurant in decades. The plant number on the box now traces back to the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, only a few miles away.  A cautionary message on the box read "Keep Frozen or Keep Refrigerated." Perhaps a restaurant pro can advise if some packers still sell patties vacuum packed or nitrogen flashed but not frozen.

Don't let the words "frozen patty" put you off. They may not be and the patties I saw them place on the grill today were not frozen (because they bent) at the time they cooked them. They were juicy and with the onions and cheese, delicious.

Glad to read a second opinion.  I'm going to be in Westchester again in ten months, and I plan to stop by if the weather is good.