Bobby’s Burger Palace

March 21st, 2013 by Richard Chudy

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Boston isn’t exactly littered with celebrity chefs. On a national scale, how many casual food fans can really name more than, say, Ming Tsai as a household name that hails from Boston? Well Bobby Flay isn’t from here, and Burlington isn’t quite part of Boston either but after three separate trips to Bobby’s Burger Palace, I can say with confidence that it is a very high quality burger place for what it is. And that “what it is” is really the only true way to identify and properly score the burger; relating it to other similar burgers and nothing more or less. Bobby’s Burger Palace is a fast casual chain of restaurants quietly spreading throughout different regions of the country, and aside from the “local” Burlington location, there is one at Mohegan Sun and quite a few in New Jersey. I ventured to the Mohegan Sun location last month and enjoyed it, much more than the disappointing and far more expensive burger at his flagship, Mesa Grill in New York City. After a lengthy chat with Flay at the opening of the Burlington store and being once again impressed with the burger I ate, I was excited to head back once more to follow up. continue reading »

City Landing

January 3rd, 2013 by Richard Chudy

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I don’t need my ideal burger to win any beauty contests, I just want it to taste great. The City Landing burger is really friggin’ good looking, but it’s all beauty and no substance. All of the elements should have been there, and maybe, just maybe, a return visit would yield different results. I only say that because the burger fails largely due to a universal lack of seasoning, but that’s a tough road to recover from. It’s a $15 burger that of course sounds nice on paper (scallion-basil aioli, caramelized onions, sliced pickle, spiced fries) but that’s where the excitement ends.  continue reading »

Wahlburgers

April 24th, 2012 by Richard Chudy

 

Photo by Katie Barszcz

I wouldn’t say Wahlburgers is hyped so much as it is interesting and talked about. We all know the story; Chef Paul Wahlberg is the brother of the famous Mark Wahlberg, (you could throw Donny into the mix too) and just like everybody else, they wanted to open up a burger joint. I wouldn’t say they are just trying to cash in on their name, but of course it’s all part of the gimmick and the reason why some might check it out to begin with. I can’t say I blame you, curiosity got the better of me too. I was dubious at first, but after reading this review, my expectations increased ever so slightly. I would love to take this opportunity to shoot down the notion that I only like “expensive” burgers. We’ve talked about that before and I will certainly talk about that again, but expensive means different things to different people. True, some of my favorite burgers (Craigie on Main, $18, Back Bay Social Club, $23) are exceptionally pricey but worth (almost) every penny. But the majority of my favorites land somewhere in the cheap to affordable spectrum (The Avenue, $8, The Gallows, $10, JM Curley, as cheap as $10.50) and while Wahlburgers is respectable, it is not in the same ballpark as the top burgers in the city. Of course, Hingham isn’t exactly “in the city” so you could make the argument that it’s a stand out in the South Shore, but fair or unfair, I’m comparing it to the other burgers I’ve had, most of which have been in the city. continue reading »

Casey’s Diner

March 27th, 2012 by Richard Chudy

Photo by Katie Barszcz

Stepping out of my comfort zone from the fancy and upscale to the rugged and humble, I ventured over to Casey’s Diner in Natick with some fellow burger enthusiasts to experience a burger as simple as you can get. Walking into Casey’s is like a time-warp; with about eight seats at the counter, seating is limited, and the option of grabbing your meal from the take-out window is available too. Hot Dogs and Burgers are the focus here, and you can smell them a mile away. But I’m a burger guy (shocking I know) and only having a few minutes to eat, I was carefully instructed to order a burger with onions cooked into the patty, and don’t forget about the bacon. What they do to the onions and bacon is what makes this burger; reminiscent of White Hut, it’s all about the crust, the grease and the simplicity, the beef is not the star but it really doesn’t matter. continue reading »

Blue on Highland

February 7th, 2012 by Richard Chudy

Sometimes all I want is a normal burger; but the line between simple and boring can be hard to detect. It’s not difficult to go from promising to adequate to disappointing. But, many past burger successes have been attributed to keeping it low-key, nailing the beef and letting the supporting cast do what they do best. The burger on the menu at Blue on Highland in Needham is fairly straightforward, and after cooking for some of our clients in the neighborhood, lunch was in order. I pretty much had zero expectations prior, but sometimes that’s when I end up pleasantly surprised. continue reading »

Bocca Bella

December 1st, 2011 by Richard Chudy

I receive burger recommendations from people everywhere I turn, and my parents are no exception. Being  a natural born cynic, if it’s a restaurant I’ve never heard of or there’s very little buzz about, I’m hardly in a rush to go there. After being pushed for months to check out Bocca Bella, I finally ventured back to my Newton roots to see what all the fuss was about. Billed as a “Cafe and Bisto,” the lunch menu is dominated by sandwiches while the ever-changing dinner menu is predominantly Italian influenced. And there sits the mighty hamburger, once again a mere pawn in the dinner game, overshadowed by heartier fare and almost to the point of being off-menu, aka not the focus. But why should the burger be the focus, aside from being delicious, the burger isn’t exactly sophisticated. Sure, upscale options abound on menu’s all over, from the fancy to the faux fancy, like a cold sore, the burger is always there and not always so easy to get rid of. continue reading »