We were honored and thrilled to have our first invitation and conversation with a chef in our fair city yesterday, as Chef Nick Dixon of Lucky’s Lounge was gracious enough to have us in, chat about burgers, and fill our bellies up with seared goodness. We want to be upfront about everything, as I’ve said before, we are not journalists, although it may be hard to dismiss the idea that maybe we are becoming such, moreover we are just obsessed with burgers and we want to pass along all our new-found burger knowledge onto you, the reader. I didn’t think, after graduating from culinary school, as much as i loved burgers, that it would become my obsession as much as it has. I thought I’d be cooking fancier foods, innovate dishes and using trendy ingredients. Hell, I’d be the trendsetter. But people don’t want that, I think there’s a time and place for foie gras and sea urchin, but people, for the most part, want familiar foods, they want comfort, so here we are. continue reading »
Archive for August, 2009
Lucky’s Lounge with Chef Nick Dixon
McGreevy’s
What am I doing here? I’m trapped in a Red Sox dominated, Dropkick Murphy’s run sports bar, not exactly two of my favorite offerings, as Un-Bostonian as that may be. But above all else, I’m here with friends, and it’s a beautiful summer day, and it’s Red Sox-Yankees weekend so why the hell not? Is McGreevy’s a bar that serves food or is it a place to grab some pub food and knock back a few pints while watching the game? I’m not sure, and I’m not sure it matters, but for the purpose of this blog, we want places to eat that serve good burgers. This is not the place to do that. The food isn’t bad, it’s just food, I suppose a purpose is served, of course not for my high standards though. continue reading »
Favorite Quote of the Moment
Fast food is both evil and genius. It can feed a large number of people fairly decently at an affordable price. But the artificial flavors and ingredients are unacceptable. And it’s designed so you can get back to work more quickly. Not good.
-Eric Ripert
U Burger
Full disclosure right off the bat: I have been to U Burger before, three times in fact, and have always liked it. I fully expected it to be among the top three burgers we’ve had so far, before we even went there in critical fashion. But I can’t review places based on reputation from past experiences because that isn’t fair. Maybe I had never tried to look for flaws or maybe I was just like every other red-blooded American because I just wanted a burger. But yesterday, U Burger just wasn’t very good. We may return to places if there is a serious uproar about a low score, but I need consistency. I should be able to walk in to any place on any given day and get their best offering. Yes, I am looking for flaws because that’s the whole point of this blog. We want the best, we’re not just looking to be full. So based on yesterday and yesterday alone, this was a very average burger, and it kills me to say it. continue reading »
Franky ‘N the Boys
Here we go again, another day, another burger. At this point, burgers are an addiction. It’s my drug of choice, and if I don’t have my fix by week’s end, I’m not a happy camper. I left Franky ‘N the Boys in Brookline Village still a little hungry and overall not completely satisfied. I’m not sure who decided 50′s and/or retro decor was cool again, but I’m not on-board. I hate to harbor on such a small thing, but to me if I even have to mention the decor, it’s probably a distraction and it’s probably not such a good thing. Some of the old looking posters are cool and all, but I hate the red and white atmosphere, it’s just not appealing. continue reading »
Burger Destinations
Porter Belly’s Pub
Situated on Washington Street in Brighton, spaced among dozens of restaurants of a dozen different ethnicities, a restaurant has to stand out in some way or it will just be lost in a haze of pizza slices, Carnitas and Kung Pao. On the surface, Porter Belly’s looks like every other pub you’ve been to dozens of times, the interior is questionable, but I must say, the burgers are pretty decent. But I can’t go beyond that. Not the worst we’ve had, but not the best either. I suppose you could do much worse though. They offer almost an exclusive burger menu, there were some specials written out on a piece of paper separately, but it might as well have said roadkill because I barely glanced at it. The burgers aren’t especially memorable by name, and the ingredients aren’t all that imaginative either. I realize I always order a basic cheeseburger, but I’m open to something beyond that should it be a signature burger of sorts. But why even bother with having a dozen or so burgers (some turkey) if you’re not going to be creative about it anyway. Why not just serve burgers and offer free toppings on the side, ala Five Guys, but better? Or make it slightly more upscale but still be a burger at its core, ala The Biltmore, but better? Hmmm, I think I’m starting to realize what my prefect burger might taste like after all, if only someone could execute properly. continue reading »
A Different Philosophy
I don’t want to send the wrong message to everyone. I feel like I have some obligation to defend my food choices and my eating habits, however contradictory it may seem. Yes, I eat cheeseburgers, generally no more than one per week. Other than that, maybe I have a small taste or two of a meat product that I’ve cooked for one of my clients in a given week. But that’s it. I’m by no stretch a vegetarian, it’s just a lifestyle that I’ve learn to live with at home, and I’ve never felt healthier because of it. Cheeseburgers aside, do I think it’s wrong to eat as much meat as people do? Not really, I hate when people preach too much, but I do think, as a whole, we can all eat less red meat and poultry. Generally, it’s not all that great for us and I think we should have a responsibility to change our eating habits. What’s wrong with say, vegetables for dinner? Maybe I’ve been reading too much Mark Bittman and Michael Pollen lately, but they are on to something. I’m not re-inventing the wheel here, and I don’t think I’m a food snob (although most of my friends would probably disagree). Eating one or two less portions of meat per week is a big change, not only for the environment but for your general health as well. I must be sounding like a huge hypocrite, this being a blog about burgers and all, but isn’t it time we all changed our eating habits?
