Jimmy's Burger Shack

Hard to believe there's more mini than 5oz

Love Potion #9. Or something

Home sweet home! Back in the city so nice they named it twice after a whirlwind trip that brought me all over the middle of this great country. After stepping off the MEGA BUS and before boarding the not-so-mega-train, I ventured to Jimmy's Burger Shack for some, wait for it....wait some more....you guessed it!! BURGERS! Desperate times call for desperate measures and I was putting my burger craving in the hand of Brother Jimmy in the hopes that he could satisfy my needs. Did Jimmy deliver? Did DJ get his burger craving satisfied on the corner of 8th and 32nd? Stay tuned to find out!

And we're back!! So I stroll into the Shack only to immediately be disappointed, why? Well, it appeared as if there was chaos all around in there and the cook just didn't look like he was feeling it that day. Maybe he wanted to see some preseason football? Maybe he had to catch up on his DVR episodes of Judge Judy? Maybe he just can't cook burgers? Well, I order the No 9 (5oz w/bacon and a fried egg) and I waited. And waited. And waited. Somewhere in that waiting was my realization that there was no way that my teeny tiny burger was going to show up rare. Or medium rare. Or medium. Or medium well. Or well done. It was just done. Hockey puck done which I guess is appropriate considering their proximity to MSG, the World's Most Famous Arena.

Hi. I'm #9

To the left is my lil' puck covered with a perfectly fried egg and perfectly cooked bacon (FOR ME PEOPLE! Maybe you want your bacon crunchy by for me this is perfect, k?) Anyway, this lil guy was like the most delicious bacon and egg sandwich (on a mini potato roll) marred by a ultra well done burger that lacked any flavor. Well, not any flavor. It had the flavor of overcooked, which I am certain is on the spectrum somewhere.

No9 - REALLY DONE

As your gracious host, I never stop at just one and I gave a mini a shot and well, the results were quite similar. Over done, no taste other than the lettuce and tomato, oh and bread. Can't forget that. Nor can I forget the Shack Sauce. All those little helpers tried to drown out the taste of overdone and all some type of flavor to the poor lil guy. I think the saying was help for the helpless as the end result was mediocre at best.

I was entertained by this couple engaged in a fight that was LONG overdue. And it was nice to be begged for money by NY hobos since I was tired of the beggars in KC or MPLS or Boston.

Rating - 1.5/5 - Concept is the only thing that scores points. Some cooking tips for anyone making a slider, it's small and takes a lot less time to cook. You do not need to cover it on the grill. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea.

Their site - http://www.jimmysburgershack.com/ (under construction as of 8/26, hopefully site design comes with burger making lessons)


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Famous Amadeus Pizza

Famous Amadeus Pizza

Followers of my other blog Gothamburgers know of my recent run-in at Jimmy's Burger Shack. While I left Jimmy's full of sorrow, I made a left onto 8th avenue where someone famous was calling. That someone was Sean Combs. Are you doubting me Thomas? Well, go to Famous Amadeus Pizzeria on 8th Ave. and tell me that Mr. Combs' picture is not on the wall, calling you.

Interestingly, I was a bit confused by the name. Maybe it was Famous Amos but that was taken by that cookie guy? Or maybe it's just meant to be Amadeus? I hear the name Amadeus and Falco comes to mind. Falco and this guy.

Famous Amadeus Slice

In my undying quest to eat at every pizzeria in NYC, I ventured into Amadeus, not expecting much but knowing it was light years ahead of the competition across the street. Armed with a few bucks and low expectations, I gave Famous Amadeus a shot. How was it? Well, it was actually good. The sauce was tasty and had nice layers of flavor to it. The bottom had a nice crunch and the crust was good. My only issue was the copious amounts of cheese on the plain slice.

Rating - 3.25/5 - It's a bit pricy at $2.75 per for a plain but overall it's good, even with all that cheese. It's definitely better than that other place across the street so if you need pizza after a night at the garden, give Amadeus a shot. Be sure to ask the guy behind the counter to, "Rock me Amadeus."

Their site - http://www.famousamadeus.com/Welcome.tpl

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Luigi's (8th Ave)

Luigi's 8th Ave

Another day, another Luigi's. There are literally a million pizzerias in NYC and I seem to keep stumbling upon new ones named after the Nintendo icon's not-so-famous other brother. In honor of the death of Luigi's on West End and 61st is another Luigi's for you.

The sign says they've been there since 1975. That's somewhat impressive because that's totally like forever ago, it's older than me, and there's another pizzeria that's like 3 doors down (no not the rock n roll band, literally three doors away) so it must be good. MUST BE!

Or not. I mean, when you live my life you gotta eat pizza and you gotta eat pizza from places named Luigi's. You just gotta. Or I gotta. Whatever. Don't confuse me here. So I go to this Luigi's, basking in my accomplishments in the deaths of WSBS and the aforementioned West End Luigi's. Before you go all soft on me, just remember that saving the world from bad food is part of my super-hero code of ethics.

Luigi's Slice - 8th Ave

Luigi's Slice - 8th Ave - Floppy

Back to the slice at hand....well, it's $2.50 for a plain which is essentially the de-facto price in NYC (unless you go to 2 Bros. Pizza and we're going there soon kids!) and it's a big enough slice to justify something or other with the price point. However, the slice must deliver. Does it? Size does matter so it gets a point there. That's a heck of a lot of cheese. Did I order extra cheese? I didn't think so but whatever, Trevor. I'm hungry and ready to eat. First bite, not bad. Not much flavor at all, but not awful. Trust me I know awful. But, this Luigi does not deliver and what's the nail in the coffin? Look at that flop. I haven't seen a flop like that since I won that hold 'em tourney at the Trop last summer. Oy vey Luigi. You have not rescued the Princess with this one.

Rating - 1.5/5 - Size matters so that's all the points you get. Flavorless and floppy are the F words I'll use since I keep this PG.

Their site - http://www.luigispizzanyc.com/ 

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BRGR

BRGR w/onion strings

Once upon a time I was coerced into going to Hill Country BBQ to see what all the hype was about. Rumors of meat flown in from Texas had me shaking my head side to side (that's a no good for all those who think it's opposite day.) After arriving at HC, we were told there was "like an hour wait" which translates to "get outta here b/c even though there's 7-8 empty tables right behind me, we're not feeding you." I wait for nothing!! Except maybe Halley's Comet, coming back to us in a mere 50 years.

So, leaving Hill Country all dejected and angry, I drift my way to some street where there were cars and people and some fancy lights. I was SO hungry I was about to just lay down in the street and rest when I was coerced, again, to try something I wasn't too keen on. This time, it was:

Friend - Let's try that burger place!

Me - You sure that's a burger place?

Friend - What else could it be?

Me - Not sure but I don't know what a BRGR is. Maybe they saved money on the sign by dropping two letters?

Now I know that misspelling things is trendy with the advent of text messaging (or txt if it makes you feel better) and the like but let's be serious. BRGR? Why not just call it BURGER? It seems to me that the latter makes more of a statement, albeit a bit cave-manish but look what that did for GEICO.

The hostess/order taker was VERY friendly. Maybe the most friendly person ever. But the poor girl did not ask me how I wanted my burger, er BRGR, cooked. Why not I wondered? They know what's best? They're smarter than me? Or do they just know what I want? Maybe that's it. So I stared at her intently, trying to pass my idea of a rare burger, BRGR, to her brain through our eyes. Did it work? HAHAHA silly rabbit, of course not. I got a thin, McDonalds sized (In-n-Out sized for the West-siders out there) BRGR with some other slop on top (they called it roquefort cheese and onions.) OK, OK, maybe the patty was slightly thicker than a typical McD's burger but it surely was hidden beneath all the additions.

Why you should avoid this place - for starters, they can't spell "burger." Let that serve as the first sign that you are about to embark on a bad adventure. Next, the prices!?!? For serious? $10 for a burger that is as small as something that McD's churns out for 1/10 of the price? Ok, truth be told, Ronald aint slingin' no Roquefort on his offerings but $9 for bleu cheese and some grilled onions is stupid, even for me.

The trio? A heaping of fried onion strings, sweet potato fries, and french fries for $4 seems like a good deal. Until you get it. The SP fries were just plain horrible - thin, overdone, lacking flavor. The fries were rather salty (but I'm not much of a salt aficionado so maybe the amount of salt is good for you), and the onion strings left a lot to be desired.

The black n white shake is the saving grace but spending $5.50 on a 16oz shake is somewhat fair but not enough to get this pony boy to come back in their stable.

Rating - 1.5/5 Conceptually sound but the flaws were there to make me not want to venture back. Especially for the price. Dropping nearly $20 for 2 burgers and fries? If I want to eat a small, overdone burger and pay a high price for it, there's always Blue 9 or Shake Shack.

Care to guess where I'm reviewing next?

Their site - http://www.brgr.com/

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Burger Joint

What an appropriately named spot to find tasty burgers. By now, most know the story of this place that's "hidden" in the lobby of Le Parker Meridien. If you don't know, just go to the fancy hotel and look for the line of slobs and step in line. Granted you will find the occasional person that is sipping a martini inside the Joint but all are welcome in a quest for good food.

There are three basic elements at the Burger Joint - burgers, fries, and shakes. After the long wait in line, I was disappointed when I saw a burger no-no. Frozen patties being placed on the grill. If I were not with people I'd have just walked out and chalked it up as a loss. I was a good soldier and waited in line for this "must have" burger. The burger, cooked rare as I requested, had decent enough flavor but it was definitely a disappointment considering the accolades the place has received. I enjoyed the way it was served, wrapped in wax paper like you just walked out a butcher shop. The paper did a good job of soaking up the juicy goodness that dripped out - as you can see to the right.

Did I enjoy the burger? Of course! But when you walk in hearing things like "must have" and "best burger ever" then you should expect to be wowed. But they did not deliver. For all the rave reviews, the place ends up on par with another spot that has let me down, Shake Shack. I know, I know, I'm blasphemous but let's be real. The burgers at both establishments are ok but they're nothing spectacular and they're both bolstered by the delicious ice cream shakes that the restaurants sling out but we're not looking for the best shake in NYC, we're looking for the best burger and it's not found at the Burger Joint.

Overall - 3.25/5 It's good, but not great. It's hidden, but not a secret. Meat's frozen and that's hard to forgive.

Their site - http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php

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