We have a thread dedicated to fast food burgers so how about one dedicated to great burgers period. I'm talking take-out or sit-down. *** Since this is a thread for great burgers I'm requesting you all post a picture of any burger you mention here so we can enjoy over the interwebs the great burgers we might not be able to try for a while. I'll start it off. Here's me eating the Bronco Burger at the Sports Column in Denver: A good half pound burger cooked medium rare for me but what makes it special are the toppings. Chicken tenders, an onion ring, ham, bacon, Swiss, cheddar and BBQ sauce. Not a burger you should eat too many of. Not my all-time favorite but one that's worth trying!
Using an alternate definition of the word "great", I'll post the Fuddruckers 1 pound burger. It's massive. I've tried to eat the entire thing in one sitting with an order of chili cheese fries to go along with it. While I wont go so far as to say it's great in the sense that it's one of the best tasting burgers, I will say that it's not bad. And though Fuddruckers is a chain, it's definitely not a fast food burger. They cook it to spec upon your order. (This is not me in the picture, I just found it on google).
The Thurman Burger from Thurman Cafe here in Columbus. It's basically a 1/2 pound burger with ham, mozzarella, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, mushrooms, sauteed onions, pickle, peppers, and mayo - and a side of chips and a pickle spear. It's fantastic and will keep you full for at least a day. Another place that has great burgers in Columbus is The Gahanna Grill.
I think the Corner Bistro burgers are teensy bit overrated, but only because so many people talk about them and the lines are pretty ridiculous at peak times. But it's still a great burger - not too much seasoning, just enough that you're actually tasting the flavor of the beef. (for some reason, I thought there was a picture of me eating the burger somewhere on Flickr. Alas, there's only one of me drinking the Tabasco sauce.)
Blue 9 Burger in East Village. It's cheap, and they use fresh beef, ground same day, on-site. My only quibble is that they tend to be greasy, but for the taste and freshness, it's hard to complain too much:
[note to self....do not click on this thread when you're starving and lunch isn't for another two hours]
Kangaroo Burger at Coco's outback in Amsterdam. It's hard to find decent burgers outside of the US, this is one of the better ones I think. There's no better picture on their website, but I'll watch the superbowl there so I'll make a picture then and post it in here I guess.
Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridian in NYC. Friend told me about it and I went before the lunch rush so I didn't have to stand in the ridiculously long line. I really liked it. Simple burger and it tasted great. Took it to Central Park and ate in there.
Speaking of long lines, have you gone to Shake Shack? Lines there are so long, there's a webcam so you can keep an eye on it: http://www.shakeshack.com/ I think this is the key to great burgers - you don't want to overload. Accessories like cheese and pickles and jalapeno are fine as long as they don't overwhelm the beef, but they should always be working to bring out the flavor of the beef (and that's why fast food burgers are a crime, because they actually strip the beef of any taste before adding the flavor ingredients. I used to like the Whopper, but now that I've tasted enough real burgers, they leave a weird taste in my mouth now). One of the most disappointing hamburger experiences was at the Burger Joint in Bethesda, MD, where their basic burger tasted too much like salt and little else. /end rant. Oh, and here's a steak burger from Char Grill, generally considered the best hamburger joints in the Raleigh-Durham area:
Greasy is widely considered to be a good thing in a burger. I prefer something a little more balanced between juicy & greasy.
Not that I'm expecting it to be the exact same thing, but there is going to be a Shake Shack in Citi Field. Way to go, Danny Meyer
Nope. I make some mighty tasty juicy, not greasy, burgers in my cast iron pan. If the meat has enough fat, you don't have to use any to cook them in. Dammit. Now I want a burger.
That reminds me of one of my favorite Good Eats episodes - Alton grinds the meat himself and cooks medium rare burgers on an iron skillet: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Lj-ZSVvWI"]YouTube - Good Eats S2E8P1: A Grind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gip89zEyiM&feature=related"]YouTube - Good Eats S2E8P2: A Grind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste[/ame]
LOL! I was just about to mention Coco's in Amsterdam! I went there some 16 years ago with my parents when we were in Amsterdam ... I was only 13 at the time but I remember ordering their extra large burger or something like that and I can just remember the thing was the size of a pizza. I had quite an appetite back then but that thing made me sick.. it was so massive! That was a looooonnnnggg time ago and I've had many burgers since then but whenever the topic does come up, I was talk about that burger I had at Cocos in Amsterdam! .... I reckon part of it is still inside me
I like that episode. This is probably heresy but I almost like the burgers I make in my cast iron pan over those that I cook on the grill. They stay juicer, I think. And I like the crust that forms.