This joint is on Houston Street in the Lower East Side (they have a Bronx location too). I had been meaning to ride over and check it out, but one night just recently, Uber Eats showed me a push notification that they had a “buy one get one” offer for their cheeseburger. I gave it a shot.
I liked it! It eats similar to a Shake Shack burger. Sides/fries and chicken items were good as well. I’ll definitely be hitting this spot again when I need a fast food burger fix.
First, check out this quick Ride & Review video HERE:
I had no idea what to expect when I came here. I had never really had Austrian food before, other than the similarities that overlap with German cuisine. I was blown away by the quality and flavor of everything here.
My wife and I started with some drinks. I stuck with beer, because, well, Austria! My wife had this really amazing apple, cinnamon and beet juice cocktail called Mary’s Secret that was really incredible.
We started with the fried hen of the woods mushrooms, which were perfectly cooked and crispy all around. I loved these.
Next up: the Austrian veal and pork meatballs. WOW! These were served with a mushroom gravy and crispy sunchokes. AMAZING!
The burger, while a bit salty, was really deliciously crafted. The patty was a loose blend of hanger and brisket which stayed tender and juice from end to end.
The bacon and house made mayo, combined with a well-seasoned patty and some melty cheddar, just kicked the salt levels up a bit too much. But I really did enjoy this burger.
The burger also came with herb fries and a dup of really nice dips: a house made ketchup, which ate more like a dark, horseradish based steak sauce (delicious), and dijonnaise.
We also ordered the pork schnitzel, which was easily the best schnitzel I’ve had.
It came with a trio of miniature sides: cucumbers in a creamy yogurt type sauce, muddled lingonberry jam, and potato salad. These, along with the lightly dressed greens, made for a very generously sized entree at just $32.
For dessert, The Royal Nussbaum (spiked hot chocolates) and a really well crafted apple strudel with schlag and creamy vanilla ice cream.
I will definitely be back here again to try more of the menu, specifically the spaetzle and pates.
I have to say, the simplicity and perfection of this burger blew me away. My photos suck, because I had to use a flash and didn’t have my light, but I really loved this (photos have since been updated). Nice regular patty – I’m so tired of smash burgers being everywhere now, although it WAS a bit smushed. Not quite smashed. Crisp texture on that patty! Great cheese coverage. Perfect soft bun. My only gripe was that the tomato was cut a bit thick.
I also got a hot dog – they’re split-griddled. PERFECT!
I will definitely be back here again.
BLUE COLLAR HAMBURGERS
160 Havemeyer St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
We sat outside, but then it started pouring, so we went inside. The place was nice enough to let us put our bikes into their covered outdoor seating area to stay dry.
Anyway, I tried their burger. I wasn’t crazy about the pickled cabbage on it, but the rest was great. The waffle fries were perfectly crispy with a good spice seasoning on it, like Old Bay/cajun. The egg is unnecessary, but it didn’t make it sloppy or anything. Good crispy bacon, which I broke up a little bit for neater coverage.
I would definitely eat here again if I was in the area. The service was excellent, and the menu was unique. In particular, I’d like to try their pho and banh mi sandwich.
The tiny burger at Black Crescent may be overpriced at $13, but it is damn delicious. Great char, lovely beefy chuck flavor, and plenty of cheese coverage.
It’s definitely more of a slider sized burger (it’s sitting on a small ketchup cup in the pic above), but whatever. As long as it’s good.
Pro tip: order the waffle fries for $10: it’s basically enough for three people.
In my quest to try all the burgers in the lower east side, I came across another addition to the smash burger craze that’s sweeping the area: King’s Cafe.
The burger was beautiful, and well assembled. Cheddar, aioli, double patties, caramelized onions… Everything was great about it, except for the overwhelming flavor of onion water. It was as if the onions had been sitting in the bottom of a sink, just stewing there. I’m not really sure how else to put it!
Great seasoned fries, awesome bun, great ratios all over the place. Just that onion water… Odd.
The Burgary’s Lower Eastsider has potential to be one of my new favorites in the area. It’s got a 6oz dry aged patty, topped with crispy pastrami that acts like bacon and brings it into the “lower east side”/Jewish deli flavor profile, along with a killer horseradish mustard sauce. Gruyere, pickles, everything brioche. Very unique! It’s light on tomato and lettuce, which is good. In the negative column, it could use fewer raw onions and the patty was a little dense/over worked. Great batter style fries to go along with it though. I didn’t try the tots. Next time. This burger is definitely a winner in my book.
UPDATE 07-15-2023
Their lamb burger is absolutely incredible as well!!!
It’s topped with cucumbers, red onions, a feta yogurt type sauce, and harissa. Lights out! It may look like too much, but it worked!
We also enjoyed the Stool Pigeon fried chicken sandwich. Perfectly crisp.
Fried pickles, calamari and wings were all great for starters.
On the side, tots never disappoint. The onion rings are nice too.
This s’mores shake is BONKERS too.
Don’t forget to check out the speakeasy called Garfunkel’s upstairs. It’s so cool! You can see a little bit of it in my Ride & Review video on YouTube HERE.
I finally got to try some of the food at Gemma in the Bowery Hotel. Started with a delicious orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe pesto and sweet Italian sausage.
Next up: beautiful burger with broiled cheddar on top.
My favorite dish was the Cornish hen. So flavorful!
And a really nicely cooked center cut New York strip steak.
We finished off with some pistachio cream cannoli.
After trying their bourbon a few times and really enjoying it, I finally got over to Great Jones Distillery for some food and drinks.
My wife and I tried a flight of their spirits as well as their fancy burger.
The burger is topped with a bacon and bourbon jam, blue or cheddar cheese (we chose blue based on the waitress’ recommendation) and potato chips.
It was cooked perfectly, and the fries were good. However, we wish we picked cheddar since the blue sort of overpowered that bacon and bourbon jam. But otherwise it was good.
I’m a fan of their bourbon too, so we picked up a bottle on the way out. I’m looking forward to going back for a tour and a steak.
GREAT JONES DISTILLING CO
686 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
My wife and I just tried Bastard Burger over at the new Bronx Brewery location in the east village.
The beer selection is great – a little something for everyone, as opposed to just non-stop shitty IPAs. We tried a cardamom ale, and a saison. Both were tasty.
The burger is quality as well. I’m not a huge fan of the stringy cheddar, but the patty, toppings, bun and sauce were all good.
The “Ziggy” fries are awesome. Crispy and well seasoned. I’d definitely eat here again.
