Australians Take World's Biggest Burger Title





We have been posting very rarely, and in order to change this, I am going to widen the scope of our burger-loving blog. Instead of just reviews of burgers, it will include articles and videos and all sorts of lovely burger references from all over the internet. Here, in one place.

What do you think?

STAY TUNED!

Fancy Burger Blog goes west!



Stay tuned for updates from the west coast, reputedly the birthplace of the American hamburger! For the first time Tuxedo Chuck reviews a fast food burger, a $1 burger, and a diner burger. We did all the eating, all you have to do is check back and read! See you then!

The "New York" Burger

This burger was from DBGB kitchen and Bar in the Bowery in Manhattan. Although there are lots of famous burger joints--and an infinite amount of restaurants that offer a gourmet burger-- this particular restaurant was a great meeting spot that easily accommodated a giddy group of eight friends. The burger my friend Kevin and I chose to split was called The Frenchie. The menu described it as a '6 oz beef patty with confit pork belly, arugula, tomato-onion compote & morbier cheese on a peppered brioche bun with cornichon, mustard & fries'--for $17. While it was a tasty burger, I felt it didn't quite live up to its potential, or it's outrageous asking price. It talked the talk but did not promenade la promenade.

Luckily the experience was aided by great beer, a "cool" atmosphere, and the presence of good friends. Sometimes the best side for a burger is a friend! The only thing missing was the golden curls and smiling face of Molly, partial composer of the Fancy Burger Blog. Although it was strange to eat a burger without her, alas, sometimes such a situation will occur. Despite the fact that I consumed the burger in her absence, I'm hoping that she'll agree to edit this entry for me so that i don't sound like a fool. Okay, enough--on with the critique!

Entitled "The Frenchie" because of the provencal-inspired toppings, the beef burger boasted additions of pork belly, morbier cheese (which we had on the side because of Kevin's dairy allergy), and a tiny little pickle called cornichon (sounds like corn-ish-henz). Although exotic toppings for a burger these may be, the unique ingredients didn't quite manage to maintain their own identities once combined atop the patty. The burger itself, which was well cooked, very juicy and pink, nonetheless definitely strong-armed the other ingredients in the flavor department. I'd expected a more pronounced flavor from each of these unique ingredients, but instead they all were somehow lost in each other. The texture of the crunchy pork belly was amazing and succulent, but again it was too subtle to fend off the personalities of the beef and the cheese. However, the most amazing part of this burger was the unexpected peppery finish of a horseradish mustard--combined with the texture of the buttered and peppered bun, these two components merged deliciously, managing to put this burger back in the running.




The generous portion of fries accompanying the sandwich looked promising at the outset of our meal, and the flavor was nice, but I found the fries too thin, and their mushy texture a bit disappointing. Not at all disappointing at all were our meal's starters: the roasted winter squash soup and chive butter salad were both incredible basics that included delightful details. And the beer! My oatmeal stout from Sixpoint Craft Ales was an incredibly smooth and caramel-y beer, and was a terrific contrast to the many competeing flavors of the burger.

Overall, a great experience. The burger with an inspiring concept and unique ingredients. However, I have one question: why can no server in Manhattan split a group's bill into individual bills? It is a simple convenience that would make dining as a group much more accessible. Oh well, C'est la vie.

Rating:

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Fancy Burger Lady

Now this is a fancy burger dress. Don't ya think?
I want to sit down and eat a burger with her.

The "vintage" burger

After work last night we stopped into the Uptown Cafe to take advantage of their $2 pint night before the Tammar and Jens Lekman show at the Bishop Bar. Because it's a Cajun inspired restaurant, we usually order one of their soul food specials. But we'd been eyeing their "New Yorker"--a sandwich described as a half pound hamburger, on a toasted bun with dressings and cheese, for the mere pittance of $8.50. We decided to go for it, our last burger of 2009!

Although we'd previously experienced mediocre service from the particular bartender working that night, the restaurant was crowded, and we preferred the relative calm of the small bar. Everyone has a bad day every now and again, so we decided to give him a second chance. We sipped some delicious 2 dollar beers (I picked Bells Christmas Ale--not my favorite of their arsenal, but very tasty nonetheless, and Molly enjoyed a Three Floyd's Alpha King pale ale) while waiting for the burger.

The burger came cooked properly, medium rare--though I could have had it a bit more pink. The fixings were piled high, including some amazing pickles, sliced lengthwise and super crispy, which added a great texture to the sandwich. Our only complaint was that we asked for no mayonnaise, and the burger arrived with it's bun dressed in it! No worries, we scraped it off and the bartender comped us a beer for the trouble.



The best part about the burger was that it was in the style of a hamburger sandwich. It was like a burger you might have gotten at a diner in the 1950's (although it's only a guess we weren't around then), and it definitely hit all the marks in the hometown American flavor arena. A basic bun, lightly toasted, and no frills or edgy condiments--just the fundamental taste and character that you imagine a classic burger to embrace. The cajun style thick-cut fries were definitely enhanced by Melinda's chipotle ketchup, which tastes great and has an awesome looking label!

We also chose a house salad to accompany. It was a classic salad with fresh greens and veggies, a very special crouton, and a tasty mustard sherry vinaigrette.

Although our service was less than spectacular, it was not as bad as the last time we ate at the bar. Our food arrived quickly and the great flavors made up for the bartender's lack of personality. Another tasty burger down the hatch, cheers!


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