Last night, I believe I found my favorite burger in the city, with exception of the Minetta Black Label burger. But because the Minetta burger is more a luxury than a staple, this delightful morsel takes the cake for the best burger I've had in awhile.
Burgers rank high among my favorite foods and I'm generally very particular about them. The city/world is undergoing somewhat of a burger renaissance right now- sort of like whats going on with pizza. I guess it’s this little “recession” thing we’re all so enamored with- suddenly everyone is trying to take a high-brow approach to the comfortable and low-brow. As with anything new and revolutionary, it comes with several points of contention, especially from me:
1.Burgers are so fancy now! While this is definitely a good thing and can make being a burger eater much more interesting and fun, I’ve paid for far too many $15 burgers that don’t hold a candle to the cheaper, better options many places have to offer. So, although the Black Label burger is out of this world- I’ll stick to Shake Shack, Corner Bistro or something at a similar price point.
2.Enormous patties. I realize it's trendy and in line with the American psyche that burgers should be gargantuan, but I have found that small patties are optimal. They are easier to eat and they retain flavor better than the standard 1/2 pounder. There are exceptions, of course, but I've had way too many big burgers that aren't cooked properly, too big to eat and are generally flavorless. Its also a kill-joy when they only put one measely bit of cheese on top, not remotely covering the burger and making me rearrange the cheese myself to maximize the cheese-to-meat ratio (I told you I like burgers). Plus, it's one of the most satisfying guilty pleasures to order 2 separate burgers or a double instead of just eating one giant hunk of meat.
3. No, veggie/turkey/chicken/barf burgers are not an acceptable substitute. “Sorry Jackie! We don’t have beef, but we have these awesome black bean burgers OMG you’re going to lov-…” …no, no, I won’t love them. I promise.
4. Hockey pucks. Well done is not an acceptable way to eat beef- be it burgers, steaks or otherwise. You’re not going to die if your meat’s a little red.
At the Stoned Crow (Washington Place & 6th Ave), I have found an exceptional burger. It meets (I originally wrote 'meats'...nice) all the criteria for burgers except for the size of the patty. I noted earlier that there are exceptions to the small patty rule, and this 1/2 pound burger is definitely one of them. It was cooked perfectly (medium-rare, as requested) and had abundant flavor. They even put 2 slices of cheese on it to make sure that the patty was adequately covered. The guy behind the griddle, formerly of the Corner Bistro, definitely knows how to cook a burger.
The atmosphere is great- divey, covered in movie posters and different artist's renditions of movie stars and musicians. There was a juke box, controlled by the clientele, who, it turned out, had an evolved and excellent taste in music. The happy hour is cheap, the burgers plentiful and the ambiance relaxing- I'll definitely be returning to the this bar, even if just for drinks.
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