Burger Me This

Here’s Looking at You, Shake Shack Burger

Oh Shake Shack…

For years you have served as my beacon of burger hope amongst the glitz and glamour that is New York City. Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail kept me from your doors. You were my rock, my anchor. A burger upon a hill to which all other burgers were compared and will forever be judged. 

Sadly, my time on the east coast has come to an end and the two of us must part ways. I pray our paths will cross again one day, but until then, this is goodbye. Here’s looking at you, Shake Shack burger.

Rating: 5 out of 5 pickles (the only one, so far)

Seeecreet…. Buuuurrrrger….

PEELS - New York, NY

Ordering a burger is never an easy choice, especially when multiple toppings are involved. Hence, I devised a simple set of rules (2 to be exact) to follow when deciding upon a burger. Rule number 1: if a burger is named after the restaurant. Rule number 2: if a burger is deemed to be a special for the night. In my latest burger outing, I was obliged to abide to the latter of the two rules. Though it was not listed as a special, the waiter was kind enough to inform me of a “secret” burger that was not listed on the menu. Never could I have guessed that the mere mention of such a simple word could throw all my inhibitions out the door. Lack of conscious thought aside, my burger eating experience was far from forgettable.

Every ingredient was definitely given special attention and each one helped form a unique burger unlike any other I have ever tried. Toppings included apple smoked bacon, pimento cheese, pickled onions, and, to top it all off, a house made bun with a baked in fried onion ring!! I know, right!? Everything was definitely delicious, however, I did have a few complaints, most notably the cheese. Though the Pimento cheese was definitely unique, its sharp and zesty flavor is not one I would suggest for a burger. Nevertheless, it was still a great burger, one I would recommend to any Peels customer.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 pickles

After Hours Burger Bar

Mikey’s Burger - New York, NY - L.E.S.

The Lower East Side of Manhattan has always been a mecca of awesome restaurants and late night foods. Unfortunately, I have never been able to appropriately judge most of my meals seeing as they tend to take place around the hours of 3 and 4 a.m. Nevertheless, there is one restaurant, which has extended beyond a simple late night junk food craving. Mikey’s Burger has served as my beacon of burger hope for the last year, shining above most of the seemingly endless diner and fast food burger joints.

Though it has not been rewarded my revered 5 out of 5 pickle rating, it comes mighty close. The quality and freshness of the ingredients, especially the bun, truly stands out. The meat however, may be the juiciest I have ever had. I personally prefer to order the Double Cheeseburger with bacon, yet Mikey’s has a number of unique burgers I would recommend to order, such as the turkey burger, lamb burger, duck burger, fish burger, and the Mikey’s burger, which includes corned beef, hash, onions, pickled and mustard seed. So for your next trip to the L.E.S., whether it’s for lunch or for an all night bar crawl, stop by Mikey’s. If burgers are your thing, trust me, you won’t be disappointed.  

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 pickles

Burger Adventure (SXSW Edition)

Hey there Tumblr amigos. So tomorrow morning I am off to SXSW in Austin, TX where I will attend various live music events and frequent as many pubs/bars/saloons as time will allow. However, my main agenda will be, of course, to seek out all the amazing burgers Austin has to offer. I feel confident that I will succeed and return with many glorious burger stories and pictures for all to admire. If anyone out there has any good leads on Austin burger joints, send them my way.

- Ben of Burger Me This

Bistro Burger on the Promenade

Monsieur Marcel - Santa Monica, CA

The West Coast has never wronged me when it comes to their burgers. Though I have to admit, I rarely venture outside of California’s drive-ins and diners. All of which seem to feature avocado as their staple burger topping. No complaints I might add. Consequently, I was shocked when the highlight of my So-Cal trip came from a French Bistro burger on the Santa Monica Promenade.

This French Burger from Monsieur Marcel was nothing I expected but had everything going for it. The burger itself consisted of a local hamburger blend from Farmers Market Huntington meat, along with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and brie?!? Yes brie cheese! And wow, what a game changer. Never have I been more pleasantly surprised. I have to thank my dining companions however, for if it weren’t for their relentless persuasion, I would have missed out on a truly unique burger. Next time I’ll be even more adventurous and try out their other cheese options: roquefort, gruyère de Comté, and st loup goat cheese. It may be a little on the expensive size at $13.99, but trust me, this French Burger will definitely top off your day.

Rating: 4 out of 5 pickles

A Full Bodied Burger Blend

The Wine Cask - Santa Barbara, CA

When out on the town, in search of a good wine, one would not expect to stumble across a burger on a menu normally reserved for crackers and various cheeses. With a name such as Wine Cask, I was definitely caught off guard, as I imagine most would feel. However, I was in California, and with a menu consisting of flatbread pizzas, buttermilk fried chicken, and duck confit, they must have had something up their sleeve. Therefore, I decided to remain true to my burger mission and luckily, I was pleasantly surprised. Listed as The Wine Cask Burger, I was treated to all the flavors one might expect would accompany a good chardonnay, though definitely not the typical drink pairing. Cheddar cheese, caramelized onions (always an amazing topping) and house aioli make up the burger’s key components, along with a nicely toasted focaccia bun. My only critique unfortunately, is how such a burger, with so many amazing ingredients, could fail to unite in a cohesive delicious unit. To this day, I don’t understand why the Wine Cask Burger failed to live up to its potential, but despite this slight drawback, it’s still one I would revisit. Maybe with age, like a fine wine, this burger will one day come into its own, as it was meant to be.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 pickles

From A to Zin Burger

Zinburger: Wine and Burger Bar - Phoenix, AZ

Growing up in Arizona, I imagined that upon my return, I would have a plethora of childhood burger joints to visit. Surprisingly, my burger senses have only recently come into their own and consequently, I never ventured outside of the local drive-thru. Being the case, I made it my mission this trip to seek out the best burgers Phoenix had to offer. Starting with the newest restaurant to join the FOX chain, which is slowly devouring Arizona’s entire food scene, Zinburger: Wine and Burger Bar provided the perfect jumping off point. Though their menu offered a beautiful and glorious Kobe beef burger, I declined in favor of their staple Zinburger. With an accompanying Guinness, Zinburger took the simple sports bar burger concept to the next level. Topped with manchego cheese and zinfandel braised onions, this burger will definitely have me coming back. Meat was cooked perfectly and was complimented very well by a fresh, toasted bun. You’ll come for the beer, you’ll come for the game, but you’ll leave with only the Zinburger on your mind and of course, in your stomach.

Rating: 4 out of 5 pickles

Oh My Burger…

Silver Spurs - New York, NY

Alright seriously, I don’t know what the hell I was thinking when I ordered this gigantic monster of a burger. This is something only mad scientists and horror writers should be dreaming up and not the chefs over at Silver Spurs cafe. I have to give them a break though seeing as the menu header entitled “colossal” should have served as fair enough warning. But come on guys, this is just plain scary. To be honest, I was so overwhelmed by the appearance and size of this “thing” that I don’t really remember how it tasted. I somewhat recall the meat being a little too dry and the bacon, avocado, cheese, and english muffin attempting to overcompensate. I should give a lesser rating but I think it deserves points for being the first burger to incite fear in its eaters.

Rating: 3 out of 5 pickles