2010 Burger Shootout II: East Coast

After 2009's LA-Chicago Shootout and this April's Texas Shootout, fans have complained that there was a dearth of representation from the burger boys of the east. And thus your voice is heard: over a period of 10 days, I have trekked along I-95 in search of the good stack. And here are my rankings:

1 (tied). Shorty's 32 (New York, NY)

1 (tied). Stella (Boston, MA)

3. The Breslin (New York, NY)

4. DBGB (New York, NY)

5. Goodburger (New York, NY)

6. Five Napkin (New York, NY)

7. Audubon Circle (Boston, MA)

8. Tunnicliff's Tavern (Washington, DC)

9. uburger (Boston, MA)

Goodburger stands out with its charred aromatics and assertion to be green and certifiably organic. The lamb burger at The Breslin has basically eliminated my heretofore bias against non-beef burgers. Shorty's 32 and DBGB show how to do serious food in a laid-back environment. Due to time constraints I wasn't able to revisit The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien or Mr. Bartley's (who was closed on the day I visited, on June 1, allegedly so that he could spend more time coaching and prepping Elena Kagan, a Mr. B regular, for the upcoming confirmation hearings), or try out Shake Shack which my friends in the City have raved time and again. Nevertheless, I am glad to report that the burger scene in the east coast is alive and well and, with the gastro-pub movement thriving (The Breslin, Spotted Pig and DBGB being good examples), even better days shall come.

2010 Burger Shootout: DFW

Fans will remember that I had 8 burgers in 4 days last year. This year, my task was to hit as many new burger joints as possible while having only two free meal slots in the Dallas metroplex. So, how did I do?

I ended up having four burgers, one for one lunch, and three in the evening before my flight back to Asia. The ranking (click-thru link to read review):

1. Twisted Root Burger Co (Richardson, TX)
2. Village Burger Bar (Plano, TX)
3. Five Guys (Plano, TX)
4. Brick House Tavern and Tap (Plano, TX)

These are of course burger joints that I haven't been to. Arteries be damned, my favorite in the Metroplex remains Whataburger, although Twisted Root is not far behind. I would rank Snuffer's and Jake's Joint higher than Village Burger Bar and similar to TRBC, and Fuddrucker's and Country Burger in Plano well ahead of Five Guys but similar to Village Burger Bar. Brick House sits low in the pecking order, but with its affordable prices, massive quantities and lovingly attentive BH girls, I would most certainly be back!

2009 Burger Shootout: North America Edition

4 days, 8 burger joints (in chronological order):
 
1. Eat at Ed Debevic's: cheeseburger with bacon (Chicago, IL)
2. Pie 'N Burger: cheeseburger (Pasadena, CA)
3. In-N-Out: double double (Los Angeles, CA)
4. 25 Degrees: BYO burger with ground sirloin, crescenza cheese,
bacon, and caramelized onions (Hollywood, CA)
5. The Counter: BYO burger with sirloin, Tillamook cheddar, baby
greens, grilled onions, and roasted chiles (Santa Monica, CA)
6. Apple Pan: cheeseburger (Los Angeles, CA)
7. Mom's Burgers: DCMB (Compton, CA)
8. Original Tommy’s World Famous: cheeseburger with chili (Los Angeles, CA)

Shootout winner (by a huge margin): Mom's. Runner-ups: 25 Degrees and Apple Pan.

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Rating: 2 stars to the DCMB at Mom's. 1 star to the BYO burger at 25 Degrees.

2009 Tokyo Day 3

Place: Tokyo, Japan.

Uni (from Tsukiji market) rice (from convenience store). Akasaka.

Tonkatsu, at まい泉. Omotesando Hills.

Tonkatsu shootout...Kagoshima kurobuta (left) vs. regular kurobuta (right)

Cring, at Choux Cring. 表参道 station.

Ramen, at Mutekiya (無敵家), with its famous soft-boiled eggs and thick-cut chashu. Ikebukuro.

The empty bowl, a few minutes later.

Ratings: 3 stars to the cring, at Choux Cring. 2 stars to the Kagoshima and regular kurobuta tonkatsu, at まい泉; 1 star to the restaurant for its exceptional dedication to service and top-quality food. 2 stars to the ramen, at Mutekiya.