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Some of the BEST Hamburgers on Long Island |
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The Bountiful Gourmet’s The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of 2009 Burgers... The Burger Throwdown:
Flay Flails, Burger 9 Point 5 Sizzles, Johnny Rockets Sputters The bike
weaves between traffic on Middle Country Road, the rider looks about
apprehensively. Was he followed? The Iron Chef is on the side of 347
behind a clump of bushes. The messenger approaches him and hands off a
package. His assignment? To capture the burger population of Long
Island. Ok burger fans, are you ready for an old fashioned throw down?
![]() Followers of Iron Chef Bobby Flay know his m.o. well. He has serious restaurants in Manhattan, and is a staple on the popular Food Network, including Boy Meets Grill and Throwdown, where he goes into a town and tries to outdo the reigning sheriff in whatever field, steaks, cupcakes, chili, Philly cheese steaks. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses. How did he do here on Long Island with his Bobby’s Burger Palace? You’ll find out! The Challengers:
Burger 9 Point 5
Merrick:
This place is a small storefront on a main street but offers up some
big time treats. Appetizers include the usual suspects like wings and
tenders, but how about something a little different, like homemade
Guacamole served with tortilla chips. Or thick cut Black and Tan Beer
battered Onion Rings. These bad boys are delicious and plentiful. And
who could pass up an appetizer called “ZOP”…battered fried zucchini,
buttermilk onion rings and cheddar filled jalapeno poppers served with
3 dipping sauces.Ok, ok, enough of the small talk…on to the beef. The burgers are big time, enough for any challenger to take the gold cup. The original is a mammoth 9.5 ounces, oozing juices and cooked perfect. Or perhaps you want to try the Rodeo, with bbq sauce, melted cheddar cheese and onion rings. Want to go ethnic? Try the Chad with melted gorgonzola cheese and spicy buffalo wing sauce. Make no mistake about it, Burger 9 Point 5 knows how to serve up a go od
meal and good prices. Great selection of food , and if you drop in for
lunch, a combo is only $5.99 and includes burger, choice of fries,
knish or corn and a fountain beverage. Watch out Bobby, this place is
breathing down your neck.Burger 9 Point 5 is located at 139B Merrick Ave, Merrick. (516) 543-4141; burger9point5.net. Johnny Rockets Roosevelt Field Mall; Broadway Mall and Tanger Outlets, Deer Park: Johnny Rockets is an International restaurant chain that recreates the old style ice cream parlor/luncheonette complete with faux old advertising signs, a slick décor and lots of fun for all.
Johnny
Rockets has about 15 burgers on the menu, including the Smoke House
Double which is two patties, cheddar cheese, thick bacon, onion rings,
and smokehouse sauce for $9.59. Or the popular #12, which includes
cheddar, lettuce, onion slice, pickle, mayo and a tangy red sauce.
We tried the Smoke House single, ordered it medium, got it a bit more well than we like but it still was flavorful burger and well worth the $7.49 which includes fries. Ah yes, the fries……sometimes you have to wonder what goes on in the minds of the boys back at International headquarters who put this concept together. Give the customer fun surroundings, whimsical entertainment, a decent burger and shake or malt and then screw up the fries BIG TIME. The fries are so bad, they go beyond description. As soon as I walked in and saw the white fries on customers’ plates, I knew. Think Waldbaum’s frozen fries and you’ll have the Johnny Rockets fries. Why? For more information and locations on Johnny Rockets go to johnnyrockets.com. And now, on to the titular champion (by reputation at least)...
Bobby’s Burger Palace Smith
Haven Mall, Lake Grove: Bobby Flay is a super cool guy who has a great
TV personae, fun to watch, witty, humble at times, and extremely
talented. The question then is, how did the Iron Chef mess up so bad?I had waited to go to the Burger Palace after Newsday wrote that the fries were frozen and several blogs reported uneven dining. Finally, the time seemed right, the fries had been re-invented. I wish the rest of the Palace had been. It would seem that someone with Bobby Flay’s experience and financial backing would put together a dining experience that was truly fun. Burgers, like BBQ is all about having fun, burgers are the ultimate comfort food. The Burger Palace is the most sterile restaurant I’ve been in for a long time. Think Jetsons-like décor with very modern lines and colors, and nearly barren walls….nothing to look at, nothing to drool over, just orange and avocado walls and counters and walls and counters. Well, nearly nothing. If you consider huge pieces of artwork of two strips of bacon or avocados exciting, this is your place. You place your order when you enter, take a seat, and the food is brought to your table. At 6:45 on a Tuesday night, dinner time, there were 6 customers in the place. It stayed that way for most of the time I was there. I had this month’s special, the Cheyenne Burger, with smoked cheddar, onion strings (very aptly named) and bac on
strips. When the burger arrived, I had to check under the cheese to
make sure it was really there. It probably was about 4 ounces, maybe 5.
The burger was very tasty, the strings were miniscule, one big fat
onion ring would have been preferred, and the bacon was rubbery.The fries were homemade and delicious, but would have enjoyed the accompanying dipping sauce more if half the fries had not been little stubs, hard for dipping without dipping your finger as well. Other burger choices include the Dallas Burger, spice crusted with coleslaw, jack cheese, bbq sauce and pickles and the Miami Burger, pressed with ham, Swiss cheese , pickles, mustard and mayo. On each table is a rack of sauces including jalapeno hot sauce, burger sauce, yellow mustard. Whoa…..yellow mustard on gourmet burgers? Has the Iron Chef not heard of mustard with horseradish or even spicy brown? These would have been a better choice. As I finished my burger, I lusted after the burger I had recently at Fatty Beltbuckles. a monster , dripping juice, overflowing from the bun. I ordered it at a BBQ joint because the guy next to me had one and I had to have one too. It looked that good. The fountain selection is unbelievably pedestrian…Coke, diet Coke, Sprite, Fresca, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke. Wow, the Coke salesman must have made a score here. Hey Bobby, how about wondering over to the competition for some inspiration. At Five Guys you can get Dr. Pepper, Birch Beer, Orange (what restaurant doesn’t carry orange?), Fruit Punch for the little guys. Sure you can buy a bottled Boylan’s but are they re-fillable? The burger was $7.50, the fries $2.50 and the Boylan $2.50. It came to $13.50 for a burger meal. Way too much for what you got. Hey Bobby, come out to my neck of the woods sometime and I’ll take you right up the road from your place to the Good Steer, where the burgers are nirvana. Or even better, maybe I can get a couple of the local guys together and we can head over to your place for a Throwdown. Bobby’s Burger Palace is located at the entrance at 355 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove; (631) 382-9590; bobbysburgerpalace.com. Burgers, Burgers Everywhere Let's get something straight. I don't consider myself an expert too often but when it comes to burgers, I am definitely well versed. Years ago the veep of Burger King Long Island said, "You should be the patron saint of our industry." And I am proud that a revie Five Guys Burgers and Fries 347 Hempstead Turnpike, Levittown I really wanted to not like this place. The walls are Simply put, this burger is exquisite. It is juicy, a $4.69 hamburger is actually a double and worth every penny. They have the usual variations, bacon cheeseburger and so forth, but the plain hamburger is a tour de force. And, it can be garnished with free toppings, including grilled onions, mayo, lettuce, grilled mushrooms, barbeque sauce and more, all at no additional cost. The regular fries at $2.49 are a mountain of delicious spuds, crispy cooked Belgian style and worth every penny. Simply put, Five Guys is the standard that all others have to be matched against. They can be reached at 516-796-1237. The challenger, wearing red trunks is... American Roadside Burgers 80 E. Main Street, Smithtown The brainchild of well-known chef John Tunney, his affection for burgers led to this outpost (there is another in Huntington Village). No contest... we were sorely disappointed by ARB. The hamburger at $3.22 was dry and over cooked. Juice is something this burger could not produce. Toppings are pedestrian, the onions are raw rather than grilled, and mustard is ha The Smithtown loaction is quite sterile; there is none of the fun of Five Guys. A semi attempt to be hip falls falt. As was the Bosco soda we that we tried. Kitchen staff appears to be disinterested. The workers at Five Guys actually look like they're having fun flipping burgers. If this is the best American Roadside can do, I wouldn't give up my day job being a famous chef if I were you, John. Sometimes you find food in unexpected places. This was the case with... Lindenhurst Bagel & Deli 167 N. Wellwood Avenue, Lindenhurst I was sucked into the store by the sign in the window that said simply "Great Hamburgers or something like that." And here, for a meager $6.49 we received a feast that consisted of a delicious 8 oz burger on a roll, complete with bacon, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomato, French fries and a 16 oz drink. I've been back three times and that food has been great each time. They can be reached at 631-957-4589. Browns Tavern 4 The Plaza, Locust Valley A great find.. Okay we're a bit snooty burgering in Locust Valley, but so what. Browns is fresh ground meat from a local meat market that is grilled to perfection with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and fries. The burger is big, juicy and has great taste. The place is top notch, the ambiance is great, and its perfect for a date or to take the family. And if you don't want the burger at $9, there is always the duck with cherry sauce or the sheparads pie. The entire wait staff is great, friendly, helpful, and very quick. They can be reached at 516-676-5793.
Mitchells Long Beach Road, Oceanside Driving by, I saw the sign in the window that said, "One of the 5 best dinners...Newsday." There is also a Mitchell's in Valley Stream. I'll give it to you quick and to the point. A huge miss. Burger was small, dry as hell. I asked the waitress if the fries were fresh cut or frozen. After she assured me they were fresh cut, she brings out fries that are white inside, barely cooked, and exactly what you would expect from frozen fries. Like every bad order of fries you ever had from any bad greasy spoon. What's this you say, that have an old fashioned cherry smash. Their idea was to have a cherry at the bottom of the glass. The drink had no taste...hello, have you ever tasted Boylans. One is great and the other is dishwater. Pass on this place.
Jackson Hole 35-01 Bell Blvd, Bayside Many places in Manhattan but reviewed in Bayside. Big 7 oz burger, very popular, they have about 25 varieties of burger including the guacomole burger. The burgers are steamed; the fries are standard steak fries, a downer. The bun is totally inadequate to stand up to the big boy burger. A gun place with good food and many choices of food beside burgers. Call 718-281-0300. We have just touched the top of the skillet with this offering. Think your favorite burger spot can contend? Let us know Bountiful Gourmet by Richard Branciforte Good Times Magazine |
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ALL
AMERICAN BURGERS |
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Lounge Burger |
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READER'S REVIEWS: |
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Although the restaurant was crowded we were seated right away. The owners
have gone to a lot of trouble revamping the old Chef Anthony's that used to be
there. With the cool, rainbow waterfall behind the bar, to the seating
everythings been redone.
Ok here's a strange thing I've never done, had a martini and a
burger. Never would I have thought they would go together, but THEY
DO! Lounge Burger has a nice martini list, with a great Happy Hour priced
menu as well as $5.00 appetizers. Ordered an ice cold Ketel One martini
and it was just that and it really hit the spot.
On to dinner. For starters the, crispy chicken pot stickers with a
soy sauce based dipping sauce, were a hit. Although, not a lot of menu
choices, the Lucky Burger is fabulous. A hand formed burger on a brioche
type bun, with the cheese on the inside of the burger and topped with crispy,
wispy onion straws, and crisp, applewood smoked bacon and their famous "Lounge
Sauce". I ordered it medium, and that's how I got it, slightly pink and
juicy. On the plate are crisp, greaseless, hand cut french
fries. Totally addicting. I will say this, it's not cheap.
Dinner for two, sharing the pot stickers and each having a martini and a Lucky
Burger was $60.00. Go to the diner or a fast food place if you want a
sub par burger. But if you have a craving for a burger the way it should
be, save your pennies and head for Lounge Burger.
P.S.. although we didn't stay past 9 pm, there is live
music every Friday.
-Pebblz |
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GRILLFIRE |
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Anyone who knows me knows I love burgers. I recently had what possibly was one of the best I’ve ever encountered at Grillfire in Rockville Centre huge, juicy, and perfectly cooked. Also in Rockville Centre is International Delights, featuring a superior bacon burger for only $7.95. Try the honey mustard, it’s homemade. And don’t forget to wash it all down with any of their 60 different flavors of gelato. We told
you it was the best, now tell us. |
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READER'S REVIEWS: |
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"Grillfire
presents a creative burger menu including kobe beef, turkey burgers
and a 'prime-cut' veggie burger." |
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CONTE'S
BURGER HAVEN |
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We
told you it was the best, now tell us. |
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READER'S REVIEWS: |
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"Old
fashioned burgers... like in The 50's" |
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TWO
MORROW'S PUB |
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We
told you it was the best, now tell us. |
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OUR
READER'S REVIEWS: |
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"Go
for the "Piggie Platter", best hamburger on the Island"
- Steve F. |