Better than a Fast Food Burger

Two of my favorite burger joints are out west in California - The Counter and In-N-Out Burger. I'm waiting for the day that one of them opens an outpost in Boston but I'm not holding my breath. There are plenty of good burger joints in Boston though, and UBurger is one of them. Opened in 2006 to much fanfare and billed as the closest thing to In-N-Out Burger on the east coast, it took me two and a half years to finally walk through their doors. The date was April 19th, 2009 and I was on my way to an early season Red Sox game against the Baltimore Orioles. Looking for something quick in Kenmore Square, I ended up at UBurger with my friend Mike.

With an assortment of burgers, chicken, hot dogs and salads on their everyday menu, there is plenty to choose from. They also have a specials board with a nod to the local boys of summer. There is the Big Papi burger with cheddar cheese, guacamole, jalapenos and chipotle sauce - I wonder if the beef comes from cattle injected with steroids? There is also the All-Star burger with cheddar, swiss, grilled mushrooms, jalapenos and BBQ sauce. But I went for the UBecket, a 1/4 pound patty with pepper jack, grilled onions and mushrooms, and BBQ sauce. Mmm mmm good.

The bun on my UBecket was nice and soft and slightly grilled and the burger was nice and juicy. The grilled onions and mushrooms were cooked well and the pepperjack while peppery was not hot. The BBQ sauce was good, but nothing I would want to slather on a rack of ribs. I also split an order of french fries and onion rings with Mike. Both the fries and rings were crispy, salty, and cooked perfectly; UBurger knows how to make a great onion ring!

Although not quite In-N-Out Burger, UBurger did crank out some good burgers, fries, onion rings, and shakes. I ordered a mocha shake to wash everything down and it was thick and rich just like a good shake should be. The next time you find yourself in Kenmore Square and you're craving a burger, or onions rings, or a good shake, check out UBurger, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

UBurger
636 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 536-0448

I'm Crazy for Crazy Burger!

I really am crazy for Crazy Burger Cafe and Juice Bar! This smallish restaurant in Narragansett, Rhode Island is home to some of my favorite food. They have an amazing breakfast menu as well as the widest variety of burgers I've ever seen. According to www.crazyburger.com they’ve "got lamb burgers, hamburgers, VEGAN burgers, salmon burgers, chicken burgers, turkey burgers and sometimes even ostrich and buffalo burgers!!" The first time I ever had ostrich was at Crazy Burger, and it was great. The second time I had ostrich was in Switzerland.

So J and I vacationed on Block Island back in July and stopped into Crazy Burger on our way home. Well, it wasn't really on the way home, but we stopped anyway.

It was raining and cold out - I know it was July, what's up with the cold rain? - so I ordered a cappuccino, which was really a latte, but it was good, and so was the chocolate cookie that accompanied it. And the mug was cool.

I also ordered a bowl of their vegan corn and sweet potato chowder which was good but slightly under seasoned. In addition to the corn and sweet potato, there was also leek and red pepper in the soup; with the proper seasoning this soup would have been very good.

For our entrees, J and I both got burgers. I got the Jerky Chicken Burger. A freshly ground chicken breast burger with Jamaican stylings, served on a bolo with jerky mango mayonnaise. I chose Crazy Burger's BANGKOK SLAW for my side. It's a mix of savoy and napa cabbages marinated in soy, ginger and lime. The burger was excellent, cooked and seasoned perfectly, and the slaw was a perfect mix of sweet and sour lending itself well to the spicy chicken burger.


J chose the Hummabouli Burger, the best of the Middle East in a soy pita with hummus, tabouli and roasted eggplant and served with lemon-tofu mayonnaise. J chose the BALSAMIC BEAN SALAD for her side which is a dish Great Northern white beans in a balsamic vinaigrette, also very good.


In addition to the Bangkok slaw and balsamic bean salad, Crazy Burger also offers house cut french fries or sweet potato fries with the burgers for an additional dollar.

Whether you are in the area or not, make it a point to head down to Narragansett, Rhode Island for lunch or dinner at Crazy Burger. They offer a wide selection of freshly made juices, great burgers and sandwiches, excellent breakfast/brunch fare, and a very nice patio out behind the restaurant for the nice warm summer New England days. They have excellent entrees as well, you will want to go back often to try out their entire menu.

Crazy Burger Cafe and Juice Bar is located at 144 Boon Street in Narragansett, RI.

Homemade Turkey Burgers

I will never buy another box of frozen turkey burgers! Upon the suggestion of the meat counter guy at my local market, I tried the frozen turkey burgers available in the freezer case. He said, "we sell a ton of them, I assume they're good." Well they weren't! They were thin, dry, and actually tasted a bit like cardboard! I vowed never to buy frozen turkey burgers again, especially after coming up with this great homemade turkey burger recipe!

These turkey burgers are so simple to make and so full of flavor, you will NEVER want to buy frozen turkey burgers again. In the time it takes my charcoal grill to fully light, these burgers are made and ready to go on the fire. For four good sized burgers, pick up a 1/2 pound of ground white meat turkey and a 1/2 pound of ground dark meat turkey. Grab a bunch of scallions, some fresh Italian parsley, and some Montreal steak seasoning if you don't have any at home. I also add in some dried oregano and cayenne pepper so if you don't have it in your cupboard, pick some of that up as well.

While your grill is heating up, or your charcoal is catching fire (these burgers could also be cooked in a grill pan on the stove top if you don't have a grill,) mix the two types of turkey, three sliced scallions, a couple tablespoons of chopped parsley, a tablespoon or so of montreal steak seasoning, some dried oregano, and some cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Form the mixture into three or four equally sized patties, and when your grill is ready, fire these burgers until just cooked through.

I serve my turkey burgers on toasted whole wheat sesame seed buns slathered with dijon mustard and topped with avocado and tomato. A nice salad of field greens and fresh herbs tossed with some balsamic and extra virgin olive oil is a nice accompaniment for the burger. Use up the rest of the tomato and avocado on the salad and you've got yourself a quick, simple, and very inexpensive dinner!

Don't BRGR Me

One year ago while in New York, I was inspired by Frank Bruni of Diner's Journal and visited Stand. Frank and a colleague of his visited Stand AND brgr in the same afternoon; I waited a year to complete my burger circuit visiting brgr just this past Friday. Remembering how much I really liked Stand, I was looking forward to brgr. Unfortunately, I didn't read Bruni's brgr transcript until just now; I really wish I had though, I would have gone to Blue Smoke.

I walked in to brgr around 2:30pm last Friday afternoon. The place was pretty full but there was no line to order. Brgr looked like a fancy fast food joint. You order at the counter, take a number, have a seat and your food will be delivered to your table when it's ready. I ordered a vanilla shake ($5.50), the BRGR ($7.00 - a 1/3 pound beef patty with American cheese, BRGR sauce, grilled onions and the requisite shredded lettuce, tomato and pickle,) and an order of sweet potato fries ($2.75). Then I grabbed a seat at the counter and watched the food folks at work.

My first observation was that the burgers were being cooked, fried I should say, on a flat-top griddle, one liked you would use to prepare eggs and pancakes, or like the ones they use at that McNasty chain. The next thing I noticed was that the staff assembling the burgers weren't always sure what was going on, they were more interested in jawing with each other than paying attention to the orders.

Just then, my vanilla shake arrived, in a plastic cup. I can not believe that it was actually voted best shake in NYC last year, it was so not that good. I'd pay for 10 vanilla shakes at Stand before I ever order another one at brgr; in fact I'll probably never go back to brgr anyway. The shake was not thick and not that good. Strike one.

Next came the burger, wrapped in paper, and the fries, in a small paper bag. I was disappointed that the burger bun was not grilled. I watched the staff feeding the buns through what I can only imagine is a vertical toaster of some sort, which made the buns real soft and appear to have spent some time face down on the griddle, but they didn't. The burger was cooked to my specification, medium, but it was greasy and felt like fast food in my hands and in my mouth. Strike two.

The BRGR
American Cheese, BRGR sauce and Grilled Onions w/ Sweet Potato Fries

I was really hoping that the sweet potato fries were going to be the saving grace here; nope, sorry. Apparently they haven't improved in the year since Bruni ate them. They were slightly crispy, under seasoned, and not tasting all that great. They had a similar consistency to the crispy fries sold at BK, the exterior crunch of the fries just didn't seem natural. Strike three. I'm outta here; I'm going to Gray's Papaya for dessert.

Next time I'm in New York, I'm going to Blue Smoke for a burger. One of the comments on Bruni's brgr recap said they had a good burger. I know their barbecue is excellent, I'm hoping the burger is too.

My bottom line is skip the line at brgr and head straight to Stand. Brgr will just disappoint you.

Brgr
287 7th Ave
New York, NY 10001
Ph (212) 488-7500
http://www.brgr.us