Blue Smoke, NYC: the burger

Photo courtesy of blackeyedpig

Blue Smoke's (NYC) burger, time and time again, gets dissed in various burger "round-ups" (not on that one) and on blogs (here, though) and just about anywhere that people discuss burgers.  So much so that each time I read about someone's thoughts on what is one of my favorite burgers I think "surely this person is going to love it.  surely."  And I'm pretty much always wrong.

My question is: are these people high?  Blue Smoke's burger is certainly one of the best restaurant burgers in NYC.  I'm sticking to that opinion regardless of what the rest of the world says.

A quick primer on burgers:

You've got a handful of variables that need to come together to make a great burger:

• The flavor of the meat (probably the most important)
• Juiciness (gotta be juicy)
• The bun (it should actually taste good)
• The burger-to-bun ratio (not too much of either)
• The seasoning (salt and pepper)
• The taste/amount of the cheese (applicable to cheeseburgers only, but you knew that)
• The cooking method (you do want some char, don't you?)

Your average place screws up, oh, let's say about 6 of those 7 points, on their best day. Swing-and-a-miss.  A whiff.  Blue Smoke is one of the few restaurants that knocks them all out of the park.

So why is it that I'm seemingly one of the few burger-lovers who acknowledges this burger?

The blackeyedpig has an interesting theory that might help explain why people oftentimes don't sing the praises about this clearly superior burger.  He calls it the "greasy spoon bias," which states, I think, that most burger aficionados tend to go for the greasy-spoon type burger more than the "burger at a nice restaurant" burger.  I think there's something to that.  At the very least it helps explain why Blue Smoke's burger gets so little rispeck.

But perhaps I have my own biases.  I, I will admit, prefer to sit at a bar and eat a burger (no preference for cloth or paper napkins, however).  I, I will admit, prefer to wash down a burger with a glass of red wine, rather than beer, soda, or water.  Don't get me wrong, I've been known to stand in line at Shake Shack for their sloppy roadside stand burger (hmm, come to think of it they have wine there and I usually get a bottle), but given the choice I'll usually go to Blue Smoke, where my wine and bar desires are sated.  It's just so comfy there.

I could go on and talk about how good the fries are (I'd be lying*), or mention the great selection of beers, or the excellent bartenders, or all of the other pluses that come built in to any experience over which Danny Meyer is watching, but I'll save that for another time.  What I want to say here and now is that the Blue Smoke burger really really is good.  I swear. 

* See comment below.  The fries are indeed quite good now.

Blue Smoke : 116 East 27th (Lex/Park) : New York, NY : 212.447.7733

Comments

[chefdave]

I'm in the city a couple of times a week for work. I'm definitely going to try this for lunch one day.

Did you ever get to try the Gazelle burger?

[tommyeats]

Chef Dave,

Gazelle in Ridgewood? If so I did try it and wasn't blown away. But I like Gazelle for what it is. Nice guys over there, and some decent food.

[ngatti]

One of the best burgers I ever et. A little small, but delicious.

[ngatti]

But the fries suck.

[tommyeats]

I returned today just to make sure the burger is still good. It is. :D

Also, news on the french fry front: they've switched fries since switching to non-trans-fat oil. The new fries have some skin left on, and they are aggressively seasoned. The salt sticks to the fries. They are now quite good. And those pickles. Damn those are good pickles.

Service was a bit off today. The bartender was too busy trying to get a keg started and under control to pour a glass of wine. My food was sitting there. Danny Meyer knows that food and wine have a symbiotic relationship, and his staff know as well. I finally walked over and asked if I could get my wine since my food was out. After a roll of the eyes, I was given the reason of "they ordered the beer first." After about 10 more minutes she got the keg under control. Not sure if she expected that I should have waited that long for the wine since, you know, they ordered the beer first. But not a stellar moment in service to be sure.

[Rail Paul]

Good news on the fries front, but sorry to hear about the service failure.

I'd send a note to the meyer organization, or a link to this thread. They'll work with this bartender on how to better resolve these issues in the future.

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings to all.

[mike]

I haven't tried the Blue Smoke burger, but I'll have to add that to my list. You were right on the money about Michael's Roscommon.

I do have a question regarding the Corner Bistro. My friend swears by their burger which I also have not tried. Since I respect your opnion and the opnions of others related to this blog--Does the Corner Bistro burger live up to the hype?

[tommyeats]

Mike,

I've never been to the Corner Bistro. Each time i've tried there has been a line out the door. People whose opinions i trust suggest that Tavern on Jane, right across the street, serves the same type of burger. It's a sloppy burger, perhaps more along the lines of a roadside stand burger rather than a restaurant burger. If you go to Corner Bistro let me know, though.

[Jason]

Yeah, they do get dissed, I read some mixed reviews on a forum on Craigslist, and one good and bad from there, from NJville.com...Sad to say I am easily swayed when it comes to food, but after seeing that picture, I am there.. Happy new Year to that. -J

[Olderguy]

For a good addition to the good burger stops, read on.

Recently, we had occasion to visit the Jersey Shore and decided to stop in at Frankie’s Bar and Grill at 414 Richmond Avenue, Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ. Frankie’s was established in 1985 by Rod Keller and Frank Kineavy and has been going strong since.

Being a dreary drizzle filled Sunday afternoon in the middle of January, we expected a sparse crowd at a sports bar located in the center of a seaside resort town, but instead were greeted with a full house, save for one open table, and friendly, professional staff. We were seated quickly in a corner table far from the kitchen, but too close to a table of ten very noisy people; I guess my age is showing. TV’s throughout the bar were tuned to the Bears Playoff game, and the Bears were down by four when I last looked.

We started with a round of 100-Proof Old Grand Dad mixed with Ginger Ale - they were just like I remembered and went down very smooth, but a little too quick. We both ordered burgers, my date decided on the California Burger with potato chips, while I opted for a plain burger with a thick slice of raw onion and a side order of fries.

The waiter forgot the thick slice of raw onion that I had asked for but returned with two perfect slices of red onion about 3/16” thick before I could season my burger.

Our burgers were served on a large fresh roll and the onion slice was at least 4” in width, covering the burger completely perfectly. The addition of some Dijon mustard and I was ready to dig in to my southern style burger.

Some say that a well done burger is . . . well dead meat, but this one was perfect; charred just a bit on the outside with all of the juices intact. It was close to ¾” thick, and when combined with the bun and the thick onion, it was a challenge to get that first bite in.

The fries were plentiful, hot, and crisp, but not overcooked on the inside. The small cup of coleslaw was better than most and the large slice of pickle served with the burger was crisp and not too salty.

While I managed to eat the whole thing, my date had to leave some on the plate . . . they were that big.

Yahoo rates Frankie’s Bar and Grill Five Stars, and they made the list of the Cheeseburger in Paradise web site.

[tommyeats]

Olderguy,

I agree that Frankie's is a good spot. It has somehow remained primarily a locals spot, even though it's on the main drag in Point Pleasant Beach.

I took a low-light pic of the burger here.