I ♥ Cheeseburgers

What is it about a slab of ground beef, grilled to juicy perfection, smothered in melted swiss, gruyere, monterrey jack or cheddar, topped with a leaf or two of boston lettuce, sliced tomato, onions, maybe avocado, bacon and/or pickles, adhered on a great soft bun with ketchup, maybe some mayonnaise or mustard that makes my mouth water???

One of life's great mysteries and delights, I guess.

There is no way that I could be a vegetarian. I've tried, and it just ain't happenin'. It is rare that I'll ever order a meatless dish at a restaurant. With that said, I have somehow enrolled myself on A Great Cheeseburger Search with Lauren, Jess and John- all coworkers/friends. It all started last week when Lauren, Jess and myself decided to get cheeseburgers. I suggested my tried and true favorite, Paul's Burgers, but Jess wanted to go to Corner Bistro and I had just gone to Paul's a week before with Will. Also, Lauren had never been to Corner Bistro and I've been wanting to go forever.


photo courtesy of Will Star

The first time I had heard about it was around four years ago when I had plans to get dinner with Eric K and his girlfriend at the time. However, the West Village is tricky, and this was before phones had maps, so after walking around in circles for 40 minutes, we ended up going to Lemongrass instead (far from a burger). Eager to finally step foot inside, we got to the West Village after work and tada! Corner Bistro shone in the moonlight. Unfortunately, about 40 other people had the same idea and the restaurant is tiny. We stood in the very back of the line for awhile before deciding to find another place. Foiled once again.

I tried to think of other burger joints in that area and Pop Burger came to mind. Ian had taken me there on our one and only date three and a half years ago and while I had never been back (nor did we order burgers), I heard they were tasty and recalled the French Fries being some of the best I had ever had.

It was better than nothin'.


two mini burgers come in this box. $6


Surprisingly filling


fries, obviously

The next day I met up with the girls again, along with John, and we went to Fanelli's to get their incredible bison burger. Now you're probably thinking, "Eating cheeseburgers two days in a row?! animals!" and yes, that's true.

While the service at Fanelli's was subpar (long wait, forgot my gingerale, no tablecloth, nice but ditzy waitress), I gotta hand it to them: Their bison burger is amazing. Though honestly, I don't think I'd be able to tell it apart from a cow. Probably with a combination of hunger, flavorful meat and a really good bun made this a delicious lunch. And I was good; I asked for salad instead of fries.

Sadly the lighting was terrible and I didn't want to rig up a makeshift tripod so this will have to do:


Anyway, we have a long list of other places to hit up in the city: One of which was Dumont Burger, which is actually where I got a late lunch today. It is considered one of the best places to get your fix. I went to Brooklyn to see my friend Adam who was only in town for a few more hours. He and his buddy Aaron were staying with Brett who suggested going (conveniently located several blocks away from his apt). He also had the brilliant idea of sharing an order of their mac and cheese. it had pieces of bacon in it. Amaaazzinngg.
The burger was alright. I got it with Monterrey Jack. I thought the bun was too dry... and in my opinion, a soft bun is one of the most important parts to the construction of a good burger. Also, I hate when the patty is smaller than the bun so the first few bites was all bread and no beef (Granted we ordered mini burgers, but still. Flatten it out a little!). The fries were pretty darn good though. I didn't whip out the camera this time, but if you find yourself in Williamsburg, check it out.

Other places worth mentioning:
-Big Nick's on 77th & Broadway. Try their "Bistro Burger" and waffle fries.
-Shake Shack- You no longer have to wait for the summer months to get them at Madison Sq. Park. Grab one year round on 77th and Columbus Ave.
-Blue 9... ignoring the fact it had once been shut down due to health code violation. It's fresh and delicious.