The Best Burger of NYC

52 Weeks. 52 Burgers. 1 Winner, and it's not my Cholesterol.

They can’t all be perfect. But they can all be eaten. 

And such seemed the consensus with regard to Fanelli.  The atmosphere is great — old time gastropub in New York City, loud, boisterous employees, a good time.  And the service is good and quick and food looks and tastes good; it’s just not a contender for best of the city.  The bun is quite nice and the presentation lovely.  But the meat mixture leaves a lot to be desired taste-wise compared to other places we’ve hit.

Fanelli: 
Consensus: 80, and we might be being generous.

 

Photos By Scott Witt

Where’s the beef? 

This Sunday?

It’s at Fanelli, 94 Prince Street, at Mercer.

4pm.  Come correct (that’s with an appetite).

We’re falling behind, like we’re in a food coma. I wonder why… 

I need to catch up posting some of the most brilliant photography by my good friend Scott, so with no further delay I present the last three burger joints we hit.
DBGB: 
Consensus: 89-92 over all. Not the best in the city, but a major contender.

        

     

     

RUBY’S:  

Consensus: 92-93. Top 3 or better.  Wow, what an amazing combination with the chili on brioche.  Don’t question, just consume.

SHAKE SHACK:

Consensus: 93-94. Hate to have an obvious winner, but damn, this place makes an amazing burger.  One of the contenders within a point or two could steal it in a final blind test showdown (recently thought of as the playoff system for this competition).  And we still have several top reviewed places to go, including Burger Joint at the Meridian, so nothing is set in stone…

At long last, the time has come… 

NOTE: pics and a review from Ruby’s will be up Monday, Spoiler Alert: it was awesome.

NOW, MORE IMPORTANTLY: 

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, AT 4:30PM  - NOTE THE SPECIAL TIME…

We’re hitting Shake Shack, the place many have said will win this competition.

We’ll see how epic the Shack can shake.  Rain or Shine. This is it.

SHAKE SHACK: Madison Square Park, 23rd Street and 5th Avenue. 

A quick post, but I’ve eaten burgers in less time. 

No time for a long-winded announcement.

SUNDAY, MAY 22  AT 4PM  - NOTE THE SPECIAL TIME & CASH ONLY!!!

Ruby’s on Mulberry Street.   Come get some!

Line drawn in the sand. In white cheddar cheese. 

Photography by Scott Witt

Okay kids, we may have experienced burger nirvana. I’m not calling it yet, but out of nowhere, Market Table hit us with a Right-Left-Right combination of meat, topping and bun that may not be beat. A thick patty, cooked perfectly, sweet grilled onions under evenly melted white cheddar cheese and held together very nicely (not an easy task with this behemoth of a sandwich) by a brioche bun that was tough enough to hold up but chewy and soft nonetheless. I’m eager to see if Minetta, Burger Joint and Shake Shack can knock this bad boy off the podium, but for now, the bar has been set.

ADAM’S SCORES:

MEAT: 48

TOPPING: 24

BUN: 24

TOTAL SCORE: 96

 

AUDIENCE SCORE AVERAGE:

MEAT: 48

TOPPING: 24

BUN: 24

TOTAL SCORE: 96

Five Guys. I’m assuming they all have cheese in their arteries. 

Photography by Scott Witt

It’s hard not to love Five Guys. It’s cheap, it’s greasy, and they give three pounds of awesome fries with your burger — what’s not to love?  Well, in my opinion, this place is among the best in the city. And while it’s compared to In ‘n Out from out west, where I spent most of my life, I believe Five Guys to be better. The problem is consistency. While the put together a mean burger, doneness of the meat and particularly the grilled onions can sway a trip there from magical to also ran.  Luckily, this trip was the former. Gooey cheese, perfect onions and a juicy patty. I still don’t think they’ll end up on the podium, but Five Guys is always a solid choice for one of the best burgers you’ll have.

ADAM’S SCORES:

MEAT: 47

TOPPING: 24

BUN: 21

TOTAL SCORE: 92

 

AUDIENCE SCORE AVERAGE:

MEAT: 46

TOPPING: 23

BUN: 21

TOTAL SCORE: 90

It had to happen, sooner or later… 

Don’t worry, pictures from the past few weeks will be up soon.  No disrespect to the immensely talented shooter Scott Witt, but are you here for pretty pictures or juicy, red meat?  Exactly.

So, we’ll wrap up the past outings and add this Sunday’s review next week.  But for now, let’s address that headline — what’s am I referring to?  Finally, a place on the list that I believe will be a contender AND I’ve had before.  Until now, it’s either been places I’ve been, but didn’t think had the chops to win, or places others have raved about, but had yet to meet my taste buds, and I’m as picky as it gets.  This place I’ve been countless times, and though it can be inconsistent, when it’s on, it’s tough to beat.

Where are we going?  Call it desire or number association, but I’m jumping from last week’s 5 Napkin to this week’s FIVE GUYS.  This is just about the closest thing to my home state of California’s In ‘n Out burger as there is.  And I believe Five Guys’ fries are way better. But we’re going for the meat.  And man, it’s pretty damn good.  I go double, cheese and grilled onions although that surprises no one, Im sure.  If you’re in my neighborhood, swing by.  Your stomach will thank me.

Sunday. Noon.

FIVE GUYS: 296 Bleecker, at 7th Ave.

This is going to be good. 

Yep, DBGB pics need to go up, and they will.  But lazy or preoccupied (or in reality, sick as I may have been), I’d be remiss if I didn’t send out this announcement/invite before getting out the older pics so everyone is up to date for this weekend.  Will get all the beautiful pics up Monday-ish.  This SUNDAY. NOON:

Five Napkin Burger, Hells Kitchen. Holy hell.  Have you had this burger yet? Insane, big. brioche roll, a thick patty, Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and a garlic sauce.  That’s their main burger.  It’s like they raided my wildest dreams to create their business plan.

Five Napkin Burger:

630 9th Avenue (at 45th Street)

Their tables are small, so we might be spread out.  small sacrifice for what’s coming.

See you there.

No knives or forks necessary 

We were spoiled last week at Burger & Barrel.  And once you go top shelf, it’s hard to go back.  So we’re keeping the bar high, and hitting up DBGB for their slice of heaven on a bun this week.  If you can make it down, let me know before Saturday night, as I need to make a reservation.

Sunday. Noon.

DBGB: 299 Bowery, near Houston.