Totto Ramen (New York, NY)

366 W 52nd St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 582-0052

Totto Chicken Paitan Ramen, with optional "seasoned boiled egg" and
Nori seaweed.

The soup base was flavorful and didn't appear to include MSG. The
ramen, done al dente, was a joy to consume, even though it was quite
unlike the ramen I am used to on the streets of Tokyo. Its texture was
soba-like -- crisp but not chewy, and to my relief there wasn't a hint
of the dreaded alcohol, suggesting that the noodles were made fresh
daily. The savory items, however, were a bit of a disappointment: the
chopped chicken pieces had very little flavor and was drowned out by
the robustness of the soup. The two pieces of "char siu" pork were
essentially slices of boiled pork torched using a handheld fire gun --
it carried all the visual elegance but none of the substance, or the
random charcoalness emanating from a truly grilled process. The
optional egg was simply a boiled egg with no hint of additional
flavors -- and certainly not the soft-cored, slightly smoke-hinted
ovarian delight that I was expecting. This bowl of ramen came up
short, especially for such a popular place -- my wait was more than 20
minutes, at 11:30pm on a weeknight! For now, I will stick with their
sister yakitori joint until Bobby Munekata works on improving the
quality of this shop's offerings.

2011 Burger Shootout: New York

After last year's enormously diverse and successful East Coast Shootout, some fans have grumbled that I was unable to include Shake Shack in the mix. That was an unfortunate omission, as I did try to score a few stacks at its Madison Square Park location last year but because the line was too long, I had to pass. This year, I managed to find time to wait at the rich kids/kindergarten line at Shake Shack's Upper West Side location. After a 20-minute wait, I was finally able to get my hands on the parchment paper-wrapped, highly sought-after shack burger. Besides the Shack, I was also able to visit three other joints, and here are my rankings:

1. Shake Shack (New York, NY)

2. Burger Creations (New York, NY)

3. Corner Bistro (New York, NY)

4. Five Guys Burgers and Fries (Queens, NY)

 

Five Guys Burgers and Fries (Queens, NY)

New York LaGuardia Airport Terminal B
(718) 505-0565

Burger: cheeseburger "all the way"
Architecture: bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, patty, onions, pickles,
mushroom, bun.

The buns were slightly soggy and boring. The meat had some beefy
notes, albeit also this industrially ground burger taste. Onions,
mushrooms and pickles were nice freebies, but were messy when stacked
up and didn't realistically gel with the rest of the stack. My
experience here certainly didn't match up with my experience in Texas
last year, but it was a pleasant surprise to find in an airport
terminal a burger option that is still a lot better than Macky Dees.

Corner Bistro (New York, NY)

331 W 4th St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-9502

Burger: bistro burger
Architecture: bun, bacon, cheese, patty, bun. Lettuce and tomatoes on the side.

The beef was some of the juiciest I have tasted in a burger -- bovine
juices would gush out like lava out of a volcano. Nearly an inch
thick, this enormous beef concoction was charbroiled in a gas broiler
(see pictured), flipped once, to medium. The charredness provides a
sensational texture and robust flavors. The bun was horrible -- it
felt like a mediocre grocery store variety that offered very little in
taste, and couldn't legitimately hold onto the cow. Atmosphere was
non-existent -- this was where the smell of cheap cigarettes
(imaginary) met the smell of overused kitchen fryer oil (real), and
additional points were deducted for showing the Copa del Rey match
without audio commentary...

Shake Shack (New York, NY)

366 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10024
(646) 747-8770

Burger: shack burger
Architecture: bun, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, cheese, patty, bun.

The beef had an earthy taste and was fairly juicy for a fast-food
joint. The blanket of American cheese softly caressed the meat, while
the sweet pickles and tomatoes provided additional sweetness to the
stack. The bun was fresh and aromatic, and the whole stack came off
with not merely a feminine touch but also this uniquely perfect
agreement. Washed down with freshly-squeezed lemonade on this blue-sky
day, the Shack experience was heavenly.

Burger Creations (New York, NY)

52 E 8th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 539-1909

Burger: cheeseburger with bacon.
Architecture: bun, tomatoes, bacon, American cheese, patty, shredded
lettuce, bun.
Sides: fries.

The sweetly buttered and slightly charred bun provided a gourmet
context to the rest of the experience. Although cooked slightly beyond
the requested medium, the beef was juicy and rich in flavors. The
fries were crisp, well-seasoned and immensely delightful. Portions
were small and prices somewhat extortive for a university-area
location.