Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Five Napkin Burger

July 21, 2010 - SBE IX
Location: Corner of 45 Street and 9 Ave, Hells Kitchen

SBE Score: 72

Original 5 Napkin Burger - 10oz fresh ground chuck, caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, rosemary aioli, soft white roll $15





The Results:

Burger Patty: 8.4 [7-10]
Burger Experience: 7.9 [6.5-10]
Fries: 8.3 [6-9]
Onion Rings: 4.9 [3-9]
BLT Salad: 5.5 [5-7]

It's summertime in NYC and it's hot. A cactus is the daily symbol on the weather projections and standing on the street requires a cold shower... so off we went through Times Square, the swamp pit of NYC.

Luke and Kate were a beer in at the bar. Great beer selection. Throughout dinner, we ordered Abiti Light, Saratoga, Cider, and Dixie Jazz Amber Light. Leila and Brian are competing in a diet competition, so they shared a burger. SBE recommendation - SHARE A BURGER - otherwise, you will feel sick/not eat your $15 burger. Kate was a huge fan. Everyone else, not so much. Different, but too rich, was the complaint.- Environmental biases pulling both ways - we concluded.





Pros:
  • Hells Kitchen (Kate's new hood) - this adds fuel to the conspiracy theories about why Kate is giving this place such high scores...
  • Good beer list
  • Decor
  • Different style of burger
Cons:
  • Hells Kitchen
  • Luke couldn't manage his tab situation at the bar... we don't get it....
  • Luke fears that the large burger would be difficult with wintertime chapped lips... really Luke....?!?
  • The aftertaste of the sauce/patty too creamy

Approx $100, plus some drinks at the bar

Stand Burger

SBE VIII - June 14, 2010
Location: 24 East 12 Street, Btw 5 Ave and University Place
SBE Score: 84

Brian: Bold Burger $15
Kate: Mushroom Beef Burger $11 (Medium Rare)
Luke: Stand Burger $10 (Medium)
Leila: Stand Burger $10 (Medium Rare)



Above: (left to right) Bold, Mushroom, Stand
Below: (left to right) Fried Pickles, Onion Rings, and Fries



It was our first Monday night SBE. Monday's an off-night to do anything social, but with a fantastic happy hour that goes until 8pm, we had a great time. Seating is basic (no chair backs, just stools) and trendy cafeteria style atmosphere.

The Ratings...

Stand Patty: 8.8 [8-10] Stand Experience: 8.3 [7-10]
Bold Patty: 8 [7-9] Bold Experience: 7.5 [6-9]
Mushroom Patty: 9 Mushroom Experience: 9

Shoe String Fries: 4.75 [2-8]
Reg French Fries: 5.75 [2-8]
Onion Rings: 7.75 [5-10]




Total Bill: Approx $100 (includes a lot of beer)

http://www.standburger.com/