Take Away | Plate Served | Gourmet

Come visit our merchandise store on CafePress! Lots of cool t-shirts, caps and other cool stuff.


SPECIAL NOTES:

'Wall Street Journal's Best Burgers'

Says Sokolov:

Patties of ground beef weighing from 1 ounce to 15 pounds, often not seasoned and cooked until gray, then served as a sandwich, usually between two halves of a compressible, flavorless untoasted bun, are this nation's leading contribution to world cuisine. In their fast-food form, burgers provide quantitative evidence for the charge, more widespread than ever, that Americans are a bunch of insensitive louts.

But all across the country there are places, almost all of them locally owned operations, that cook and sell my idea of a first-rate burger. And I've been on a hunt to find the best of them. ...

Primanti Bros.
Address: 46 18th Street, Pittsburgh PA 15222
Phone: 412-263-2142
URL: primantibros.com
The Skinny: They put fries on the burger here.

Rosebud Steakhouse
Address: 192 East Walton Street, Chicago IL 60611
Phone: 312-397-1000
URL: http://www.rosebudrestaurants.com/rest4.php
The Skinny: Thick 12-ounce burger served on a grilled-pretzel roll. Sokolov finds the bun an "eccentric distraction."

Louis' Lunch
Address: 261-263 Crown Street, New Haven CT 06510
Phone: 203-562-5507
URL: louislunch.com
The Skinny: Claims to be the birthplace of the burger. The fact that its sandwich is served between two slices of toasted bread provokes endless debate among hamburger semanticists. Don't ask for ketchup here!

Dirty Martin's Kum-Bak Place
Address: 2808 Guadalupe Street, Austin TX 78705
Phone: 512-477-3173
URL: dirtymartins.com
The Skinny: Didn't rate high from Mr. Sokolov (he called it "thin and lackluster"), but friend of AHT and New York magazine online food editor Josh "Mr. Cutlets" Ozersky says "The burger, broader and thinner than the Shake Shack's, gives you more salty surface area and just as much juicy beef goodness."

The Shake Shack
Address: Located in New York City's Madison Square Park, 23rd Street and Madison Avenue
Phone: N/A
URL: shakeshacknyc.com
The Skinny: Open from the first day of spring to the last day of fall, the Shake Shack has become a beloved burger institution in New York in the handful of years it's been open. Unpretentious and delicious burgers with a crunchy, salty outer crust and superb blend of meats. (More on the Shack from A Hamburger Today.)

In-N-Out Burger
Address: Various locations throughout California, Nevada, and Arizona
Phone: N/A
URL: in-n-out.com
The Skinny: Arguably the nation's best chain hamburger, albeit a chain whose reach is cruelly limited to three Western states. High-quality meat that's fresh, never-frozen along with hand-cut fries. The chain is deservedly famous for its cleanliness, efficiency, and friendly customer service. Mr. Sokolov, however, does not particularly like In-N-Out: "unspectacular — fairly thin, cautiously seasoned"

Miller's Bar
Address: 23700 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn MI 48124
Phone: 313-565-2577
URL: millersbar.com
The Skinny: Serving one of Sokolov's choice burgers, Miller's sandwiches are hefty, no-nonsense affairs.

Ann's Snack Bar
Address: 1615 Memorial Drive, Atlanta GA 30317
Phone: 404-687-9207
URL: N/A
The Skinny: A tiny diner on a grim stretch of highway, go for the Ghetto Burger, Sokolov says.

There are more tasty burgers in Mr. Sokolov's article: The Best Burger, along with a PDF map of his cross-country adventure.

'New York' Magazine's Top New York Burgers

New York magazine  "Best of New York 2007" issue, and in it the weekly's food critics name their favorite burgers in NYC.

Adam Platt
Waverly Inn: 16 Bank Street, New York NY 10014.
BLT Burger: 470 Sixth Avenue, New York NY 10011. Here's A Hamburger Today's take on BLT Burger.
Shake Shack: Southwest corner of Madison Square Park. Here's what AHT's posts said on the Shake Shack.

Rob Patronite
Blue Smoke: 16 East 27th Street, New York NY 10016. Psst: Wanna know a super cool secret about Blue Smoke's burger?
Stoned Crow: 85 Washington Place, New York NY 10011.
Shake Shack: Southwest corner of Madison Square Park. Here's what AHT's posts said on the Shake Shack.

Robin Raisfeld
Nicole's: 10 East 60th Street, New York NY 10022.
Prune: 54 East 1st Street, New York NY 10003. OMG: Prune's lamburger is insane.
P. J. Clarke's: 915 Third Avenue, New York NY 10022.

Gael Greene
Brooklyn Diner: 212 West 57th Street, New York NY 10019.
Fairway Café: 2127 Broadway, New York NY 10023.
White Castle: Various locations citywide.

Best Burgers - Best of New York Food 2007 [New York magazine]

GQ: The 'Try Before You Die' 20

Alan Richman's top 20 from his July 2005 story "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die"

1. Sirloin Burger, Le Tub
1100 N Ocean Dr., Hollywood FL 33019 [map]

2. Luger Burger, Peter Luger Steak House
178 Broadway, Brooklyn NY 11211 [map]

3. Not Just a Burger, Spiced Pear Restaurant at the Chanler Hotel
117 Memorial Blvd., Newport RI 02840 [map]

4. Rouge Burger, Rouge
205 S 18th St., Philadelphia PA 19103 [map]

5. Kobe Sliders, Barclay Prime
237 S. 18th St., Philadelphia PA 19103 [map]

6. California Burger, Houston's
202 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica CA 90401 [map]

7. Buckhorn Burger, Buckhorn Tavern
San Antonio NM 87832; call for directions: 505-835-4423 [map]

8. Hamburger, Miller's Bar
23700 Michigan Ave., Dearborn MI 48124 [map]

9. Cheeseburger, Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien Hotel
118 W. 57th St., New York NY 10019 [map]

10. Number Five, Keller's Drive-in
6537 East NW Hwy., Dallas TX 75231 [map]
3766 Samuell Blvd., Dallas TX 75228 [map]
10554 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas TX 75220 [map]

11. Grilled Bistro Burger, Bistro Don Giovanni
4110 Howard Lane, Napa CA 94558 [map]

12. Hamburger, Bobcat Bite
420 Old Las Vegas Hwy., Santa Fe NM 87505 [map]

13. Cheeseburger, White Manna
358 River St., Hackensack NJ 07601 [map]

14. Hamburger, J. G. Melon
1291 Third Ave., New York NY 10021 (at 74th St.) [map]

15. Build Your Own Burger, The Counter
2901 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica CA 90405 (at 29th St.) [map]

16. Hamburger & Fries, Burger Joint
700 Haight St., San Francisco CA 94117 [map]

17. Double Bacon Deluxe with Cheese, Red Mill Burgers
Phinney Ridge, 312 N 67th St., Seattle WA 98103 [map]
Interbay, 1613 W Dravus St., Seattle WA 98119 [map]

18. Hamburger, Poag Mahone's Carvery and Ale House
333 S Wells St., Chicago IL 60604 (in the 175 West Jackson Building) [map]

19. Our Famous Burger, Sidetrack Bar and Grill
56 E Cross St., Ypsilanti MI 48198 [map]

20. Hamburger Sandwich, Louis' Lunch
261-263 Crown St., New Haven CT 06510 map]

The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die [GQ]

AOL Cityguide: The Nation's 15 Best Burgers

AOL who brought us the best burgers in New York. Now they've compiled the "15 Burgers to Try Before You Die"

1. All-American Drive-In, Massapequa, New York
2. Chris Madrid's, San Antonio
3. CityGrille, Denver
4. Dick's Drive-In, Seattle
5. Goldyburgers, Chicago
6. In-N-Out Burgers, Los Angeles
   
7. Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger, Oakland Park, Florida
8. O'Connell's Pub, Saint Louis
9. Peter Luger, New York
   
10. Roaring Fork, Phoenix
11. Stanich's, Portland, Oregon
12. Tessaro's, Pittsburgh
13. Thurman Cafe, Columbus, Ohio
14. Val's Burgers, San Francisco
15. 96th Street Steakburgers, Indianapolis

15 Burgers to Try Before You Die [AOL Cityguide]

Come visit our merchandise store on CafePress! T-shirts, caps, and lots more cool stuff.