NEW YORK'S TOP BURGER?

New York's Top Burger? I big question and one that will get a number of answers and some heated debate. Is it The Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern? No way, and oh by-the-way, when it comes to Minetta and their Burgers, they have two the famed Black Label Burger and The Minetta Burger. Guess what? The Minetta Burger is much better.

New York's Best Burger, is it The Bistro Burger at The Corner Bistro which was voted new York's top Burger more than 30 and I would say is The babe Ruth of New York Burgers. Corner Bistro was thee Burger bar of Choice for a long time, way before the current Burger Craze which I think you can say satarted 5 or 7 years ago back around 2006  ... The Corner Bistro has been famous for it's burger since the 1970's ... The have a good burger, it's not great but good, but at just $6,50 and with $2.50 mugs of McSorley's Ale to go with it, the Corner Bistro, though no longer New York's Top Burger, it is though, New York's Top Burger & Beer Deal in the city.

New York's Best Burger, is it The Burger Joint? Nope, not even close. 

Well, I could go on even further  but I'll Spill The Beans here and now. New York's top Burger is at JG Melon. Or is it The Shake Shack. I don't know. Well, I do in a way. They're both # 1 in My Book. The Burger at JG Melon is awesome. It's tasty and quite possibly New York's Best, but then again I sometimes feel, it's Shake Shack. They're both excellent Burgers, that have  the true great burger taste. Both made from top quality meat and both cooked on Flat-Top Grills which is of utter importance in making a great burger. You can't make the Best Burger if you use a slotted grill or broiler to cook the burger. The Burgers must cook in their own fat on a Flat-Top Grill in order to reach the optimum tastiest burger taste possible. The burger needs to be completely browned and slightly crispy on every bit of surface on both sides of the burger. This browning  that caramelizes the beef and brings out all the tasty wonderful flavors can only be achieved in a Flat-Top Grill or pan. Those who use  a broiler or slotted grill will never acheive perfect bigger perfection no matter how hard they try, and the way that both the Shake Shack and JG Melon do. Shack Burger and JG Melon Burger are New York's Top and Best Burger, both tied for the Best.

BAR at JG MELON

BURGER 

SHAKE SHACK

BELLINO & MINETTA BURGER vs OZERSKY & BLACK LABEL

MINETTA TAVERN

  photo Copyright Daniel Bellino-Zwicke    

The BLACK LABEL BURGER

MINETTA TAVERN

GREENWICH VIALLGE, NEW YORK

READ About BELLINO'S BETTER BURGER

    MINETTA BURGER "IT'S BETTER THAN THE BLACK LABEL BURGER" Minetta Tavern, Greenwich Village, New York, NY   "Yes," Minetta Tavern's Second-Tier Burger, The "Minetta Burger" is without question thee "Better Burger" served at Minetta Tavern. Noted Foodie, Writer (The Hamburger) Burger Authority Josh Ozersky would disagree. Well, Mr. Ozersky is entitled to his opinion, as well as I and Thousands of others and the majority who like the Minetta Burger better than the now Highly Touted Minetta Tavern Black Label Burger, who some feel is the top burger in New York, even the World some say.

So, I'm wondering if some say the Minetta Black Label Burger is New York's Best and even the World's, does that make The Minetta Burger, according to myself and the majority of those polled, "New York's" even the World's Best Burger. "Not quite."

    This is a very subjective matter and one of personal taste. I can see why Mr. Ozersky loves the Minetta Tavern Black Label Burger so much, proclaiming it New York's Top Burger and I believe he "May" said it is The Best in The World, but I'm not absolutely sure, so don't quote me on that. Yes it is a Good Burger, and if you feel it is Great, than Yes it is Great to You and Everyone else who says it is Great. As for me, without question the "Minetta Burger" is Better, "Hell, It's Tastier" and that's all that counts isn't it. And I'll tell you why it's tastier.

   First off, the Blend and Quality of meat in the Minetta Burger is "Better for a Burger." Note that I don't say that the meat is just better, but better for making a Burger. Why? Well, Dry-Age Meat with it's powerful gamey taste is not the best taste for Ground-Meat and a Hamburger. Fresher Meat that has not been aged, is much Better for a Burger, an it Taste a Hell of a Lot Better than ground dry-aged beef which did you Know that in it's aging process is actually deteriorating? Some people like that taste. Fine. I do not, especially in ground meat and in my Burger. I'd much rather have my ground meat for a Burger Fresh.

    And did you know that the Ground Meat Blend from Pat La Frieda for the Minetta Burger is a Blend of Prime Beef Short Rib, Beef Brisket, and Beef Clod, and this blend was La Frieda's "Premium Blend" before he came up with the Black Label Blend which is Dry-Aged Rib Steak, and cost a lot more, thus the more Expensive Price of Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger at $26.00 for the Cheaper and Superior $17.00 "Minetta Burger."

   Just because something is more Expensive, does not make it better, and the Minetta Burger vs The Black Label Burger is a Classic example of more Expensive not being better than cheaper.

Why? Well, because of our current state of a bad economy, New York Steak Houses, Restaurants, and Meat Purveyors such as Pat La Frieda and others found that expensive cuts of Beef like Prime Sirloin Steaks and Prime Dry Aged Rib Steaks were not selling as well as they used to. Expensive, people have less money. Put 2-And-2-Together. So, these meat purveyors found themselves not selling as much as the High-Ticket Cuts. What to do? Well, as a result of a Bad Economy and Boggers Loving Burgers for there Affordability and Blogability, Burgers have become Insanely Popular in the past four years or so. Pat La Frieda has a great idea, make and Market Ground High-End Cuts of Dry-Aged Beef, give it a Fancy name, "Black Label," and the rest is part of Hamburger History.

  As for me, I'll take the Better Tasting Burger that just so happens to be substantially cheaper to boot, the Minetta Burger.

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

R.I.P. JOSH

Sadly since this posting Josh Ozersky passed away ... Josh was greatly loved by Foodies and Gourmands everywhere, but nowhere more than from his home-town fellow New Yorker's who called Josh our own .. Josh had a wonderful down-to-earth every mans look at the World of Food and dining out, and as a food-writer Josh had no equal with his special brand of food-writing and reporting that was uniquely Josh Ozersky. You've sadly passed Josh, but you'd be happy to know your great food journalism is till remembered and much loved, as are you.

BELLINO'S BETTER BURGER

CLICK to READ

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

RECIPES

.

SUNDAY SAUCE

RECIPES

.

MINETTA TAVERN "The COOLEST RESTAURANT In TOWN"

Yes "The Coolest Restaurant In Town" It's The Minetta Tavern, "nothing can touch it" in The Cool Department .. This Gem of a Restaurant has  "Thank God" been preserved by Restaurant Master Genius Keith McNally who acquired the space which luckily no-one had foolishly messed with any of the marvelous 1930s Greenwich Village Decor. McNally just spruced the Tavern up and inserted renowned Chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson as Co-Executive Chefs. Keith added his special touch "He's a Master" and the rest is New York Restaurant History .  As with most of McNally's establishments Minetta Tavern quickly became the Hottest Restaurant and Hardest Table in Town, filled with: A-List Celebs and all the right people needed to make any place "Thee In-Spot" in town, the place every wants to be. Everyone in the know. In doing so, Keith McNally and his Minetta Tavern quickly became the # 1 Hottest Restaurant in town and dethroned Graydon Carter's "Waverly Inn" as the Top Celebrity Central Restaurant in New York, and a few years down the road, Minetta Tavern still is "The Place to Be."

Photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

 

 

 

    The place has the most wonderful ambiance imaginable, with tons of energy (from the Crowd), and Very Good Solid Bistro-Steak House Fare, along with two of the top Burgers in Town.     And speaking of the Burgers, take it from an expert "Me" The Minetta Burger is Superior to The Black label Burger which all the "Followers" think is the better of the two "Not." !!! Hey they're followers.    Yes Minetta Tavern is The Coolest Restaurant in town, with wonderful Cool, warm and exciting ambiance, excellent service, and dam good Eats. Check it! 

  Daniel Bellino Zwicke

MINETTA TAVERN

GREENWICH VILLAGE NYC

Photo Daniel Zwicke

SUNDAY SAUCE

NEW YORK ITALIAN RECIPES

CLICK HERE !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keith McNally to Re-Open MINETTA TAVERN

Keith McNally, the man who brought New York some of its most wonderful Landmarks in the form of the ODEON, Cafe Luxenbourg, Lucky Strike, Pravda, Balthazar, and Pastis is at it again. He has purchase the venerable old Greenwich Village institution "The MINETTA TAVERN" on Macdougald Street at the corner of Minetta Lane. Mr. McNally will be opening the Minetta Tavern sometime in the early part of 2009 with Executive Chefs RIAD NASIR and Lee Hansen who both helped Keith open and operate Balthazar, Pastis, and Schiller's. The food is supposed to be Classic French.

COOLEST PLACES to EAT in NEW YORK

Here are three "GREAT" places to go to eat in Downtown Manhattan;El Quijote at the famed Chelsea Hotel on West 23 rd Street for great Lobsters and Paella. The bar is

a great place to have a couple Great Cocktails as the ambiance

is Cool of Another Era Tacky. "You gotta Love IT!!"

Pearl Oyster Bar on Cornelia Street in The Village makes thee

BEST LOBSTER ROLLS in New York, even Maine. The

New England Clam Chowder is tasty as well.

Raoul's for our money is the Coolest, Hippest, Best All Around French Bistro in New York.

The food is really good, Classic Bistro Fare. The ambiance is Cool as Hell and the Music they

play, is the Best in the City. Raoul's is on Prince Street near Sullivan in Soho. "It's Great!!!!"

MINETTA TAVERN, Macdougal Street at Minetta Lane, Greenwich Village, New York ...    Without Question the Coolest Restaurant in Town ... This great old Greenwich Village Bar / Restaurant was the In-Spot of Prize Fighters, Newsmen, Sports Fihures, and the Downtown Elite way back in the 30s & 40s when the affable Eddy Minetta rant the joint. For the past 30 years or so, Minetta Tavern was run quietly and devoid of any fanfare by a string of owner who never did very much with the place. The Master Restaurantuer KEITH McNALLY got his hands on the place, kept everything more-or-less the same (allof the wonderful old decor was intact). Keith spruced the place up a bit, hired a couple great chefs, lent his Magic Touch and the place has been packed ever since. A major New York Celebrity Haunt as all of Keith's restaurants are, Minetta Tavern is the coolest place in town. Famed for its wonderful decor, massive Steaks done French Style, Marrow Bones, and Burgers, The Black Label Burger and the Minetta Burger .. Minetta Tavern can't be beat.


  Article and all photos Copyright Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Original article 2008 .. Updated 2014