The Elusive Best Burger

After eating a bacon cheeseburger at Veselka last night, I was chatting with my friend Rob about the idea of the ‘best burger in New York.’ There are many different opinions on this subject—some people prefer J.G. Melon’s, some like Corner Bistro, loads of people love the burger at shake Shack etc... After discussing, we almost came to the conclusion that the best burger in NY is an elusive concept.

While I have not had burgers at several of the consensus ‘best burger’ spots, I have to admit that my favorite burger is the one at corner bistro. I’ll acknowledge that its not always cooked to perfection and that often times its so juicy that I eat it upside down (so the juice don’t dissolve the much smaller bottom bun) but I love and am consistently satisfied. From time to time I have had better burgers elsewhere but no other ‘best burger’ spot has become a burger destination for me. I’m in love with the ratty beer drenched surroundings of the bistro. I love the fact that beers are less than three dollars and the fact that I always seem to be there with a group of close friends. I even appreciate the fact that I once saw a cockroach fly right over my head while I was sitting in the back room.

I suppose for me the burger is a true comfort food and is just as much of an experience as it is a food item. Not only should eating the burger make me happy, but the surroundings of where I eat the burger should be as accommodating to my personal tastes as possible (I don’t love flying cockroaches but I like the idea of a place so relaxed that no one seems to care that the roaches are flying.) I like the burgers at burger joint, but it’s not a place I’d like to linger and start off my Saturday night. Shake shack can be extremely satisfying at times but I am generally against waiting on long lines in the middle of the day. I liked my Veselka burger but it could have been better if I had it at 2 am instead of 7 pm (if only I lived in the east village.) In fact, one of my favorite NYCburgers is the one I get from the 24 hour food cart outside my house. I’m not sure if it’s actually good but it makes an incredible 1am to 5am snack as I sit in my bed and start to pass out. I also had one of the best burgers of my life at Florent at 5 in the morning on New Year’s day. Perhaps burgers for me are meant to be enjoyed with, or after beer?

The ‘best burger’ is a very personal thing. People tell me all the time to check out a new burger place and I always go expecting to eat the best burger I’ve ever had. And although burgers are never bad, I’m consistently disappointed. Eating is not just about taste it’s about experience. Great food is not as good when there is no one to share it with and good food can be great if it you’re eating with people you love. Most of us have been eating burgers our whole lives and to achieve a level of transcendence in comfort food, we must be reminded of how that food comforted us in the past. Luckily there are so many places in New York that we can all find a place to serve us the ebst burger ever.


P.S. if you’re interested in burgers, try any of the below mentioned spots, all are supposed to be good.

J.G. Melon’s
DB bistro Moderne
Dumont
Peter Luger’s
Spotted pig
BLT burger
Corner bistro
Walker’s
Burger joint
Shake shack
Veselka
Spotted pig
Bouley upstairs
City hall
Jackson Hole
PJ clarkes
Florent