BurgerClub

5.23.06



Having to hit Bloomies for an errand this past Sunday, I excitedly looked forward to be near Burke's creations.

David Burke, the man behind the and has done it again. But this time he did something that I actually have an interest in buying... the Cheeseburker.

His at the 59th street entrance of Bloomingdale's... Burke Bar and Café where you can get table service, more options for breakfast, lunch and dinner items. And the self service/take out Burke in the Box next to door that is more about the sandwiches and salads. But you also get to pay a little less for what seems to be the same signature food items like... Cheeseburkers, Millionaire's Meatloaf, Angry Roasted Hen-in-Law and Cheesecake Lollipops.

I decided to have my first burker experience in the Box. And a pleasant one it turned out to be.

The place is playfully decorated with a bunch of jack-in-the-box toys lined up on a rail near the ceiling, signature color striping, a couple booths with clear tops that show a potato chip filled center... nice. You walk through the narrow restaurant to the back where you can pick from some pre-made salads in the cooler, or order your hot meal or sandwich over the counter. There's a strong selection of items to choose from: creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons; arugula and organic prosciutto pizza; Kobe beef hot dog; Maryland crab cake panini... etc. to the one I was searching for, the "All-Natural Cheeseburker Sliders".



The Cheeseburkers are made from . And from what I understood when I placed my medium rare order, the meat is baked ahead of time so getting a made to order burger is not the deal... but the chef who took my order was confident that i would be happy with how they are prepared. I asked if the burkers came with any toppings or fries, "what are my options". They come with a pickle slice and cheese, and the "Chefster’s French Fries" are an extra add on... regular, or fries with truffle oil and asiago cheese... I went with the upgrade, curious about the truffle oil. Even though I was hooked up with the free upgrade on the fries, my total with a can of soda came to a little over $15.



I was happy to pay this price for something as unique as these dudes in a location like Bloomies in nYc. But was a bit upset that in only a few months, the reported price from of $8.95 for BOTH the Cheeseburkers AND fries, has now become $10.95 for just the burkers and an additional $2.95 for fries ($3.95 for the upgrade)... what's up with that kinda price increase? Let me guess, fuel surcharge and popularity? That's not cool.



But silly price irregularities aside, this guy is awesome.



The quality beef is nested in the slightly scooped out mini english muffin bottom. I was told by the cashier that the meat is not cooked in the english muffin bottom... but have heard different reports, and would say by the look and way the meat sat in the muffin, that they are cooked together... can anyone confirm this? The bun/muffin has the buttery characteristics of a mini deep dish pizza crust... yum, Then a little pickle slice and cheese follow, topped by a sliver of the remaining english muffin. Nothing else is needed on these little dudes. I thought maybe a little ketchup or even a quality mustard would be nice... perhaps a little slice of red or fried onion... nothing. These Cheeseburkers come packed with great flavor, color, juice, and texture. This isn't your traditional slider, or your salad topped patty... but after each bite, I found myself that much closer to pure burger bliss.



The fries were nice and crispy. My free upgrade to the truffle oil and cheese variety was nice, it left me with little truffle flavored burps throughout the day... a first for me. The texture of the fries would have probably been a bit more favorable without the oil and cheese, but not a bad fry if you like that sort of thing. Next time I'll give the standard issue a try for a more salty crunch.

I Highly recommend a group meat eat... stat!

_________________
lets eat!

Working in the upper midtown area, I was pretty psyched to learn that there was a new local addition to the burger arena. I was beginning to eat Burger Joint too often and really needed to change it up a bit. Well you can imagine my excitement when I learned that good old David Burke himself not only decided to give burgers a try, but that our very own Prez had given it an A. An A! Wow! I happily set out on a lovely, long, lazy Friday lunch break with two burger afficionado co-workers.

We went in the side entrance of Bloomingdales, cute spot, looked all nice and new and shiny. A few small tables in the front, and then mostly long counters to facilitate the move 'em in, move 'em out style of eating pretty quickly while shopping. We were however in no rush so we plunked ourselves down at the main counter and proceeded to each order the burkers and cheese with fries. Well it seems increasing price is quickly becoming the norm at this place because it was already more expensive than what the Prez wrote above, it was $14.95 with NO drink, so if you sit down and get a drink and tip, you are rocking $22 bucks. Whoa. This had better be a damn good burger.

Sadly, not so much. First off, no "we cook them how you like them" motto here. You eat it however they cook it. They will by no means accomodate well done or medium, they make it medium rare and when you argue with the waitress, she promises you will like it. I like it medium rare anyway so no big deal. Well the cook that day must have had rose tinted glasses on because that was what you needed to see pink anywhere in this burger. Now I know that cooking a slider medium rare is far easier said than done, but these are not your typical flattened little sliders, they are quite a hefty meatball, so honestly there was no excuse and nothing bums a burger buddy out quicker than an over cooked burger. I could probably have excused the over cooked burger were it not for the fact that the actual cut of meat was just too lean, and so it was really not as juicy as it should have been. It also definitely could have used a better seasoning combo. Next, we shall discuss what I like to call the bun disaster. I can always appreciate establishments that try to go for an untypical bun, so I give them extra points for trying a mini english muffin, clearly their own creation, but to be honest, I was just not feeling it. The muffin is split unevenly, the top part being very thin, then the heavy bottom they scoop the middle out of to make a little nesting area for the patty. And is if to compensate for what they know is not a very juicy or flavorful burger, they toast and HEAVILY butter the bottom part of the hockey puck like muffin. Boo hoo. It really sat like a little rock in my stomach, though if I was hungover, this would have been the greasy cure I would be craving. The cheese was also poorly melted, though it was used to suspend a single, thick pickle chip which is almost always a plus in my book, and that salty brine flavor was a hidden little gem of flavor in the middle. The half cherry tomato skewered into the top of the slider was like a little hat, very cute and ornamental, but next time, not to be eaten. It just did nothing. I will say the fries here were quite a redeeming quality. They came in a little insulated paper cup situation, good, fresh parsley flake garnishing, crispy, not too greasy, well seasoned. Quite delicious.

I am hoping that the constantly changing prices here means that maybe they are still working their kinks out, maybe they are still trying new cooks, maybe they are experimenting with the recipe, you never know. One can only hope. The only A's this place gets is presentation and location, perhaps they are relying on those factors to keep them going.

sorry to hear the bad meat eat. my experience was one of pure beef goodness... and the asymmetrical muffin worked for me. the beef was full of taste and glistened with juice. but alas, i do agree that another visit would have probably lowered my grade... as i have read several other negative reviews of the cheseburkers on other web sites.

i guess i'm happy i got a good day and didn't have to use my ak.

and the price gouging does have to stop.

_________________
lets eat!