Boston Burger Blog

  I was fortunate enough to not only attend but to judge the Burger Bash on Monday night, of course I use the term "judge" loosely, as the three judges really just tallied the votes and presented the trophy to the winning chef. The other two judges being Andrew Rimas, Managing Editor at the Improper Bostonian and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, food writer and burger lover extraordinaire, both much more accomplished than I in the world of food, I was truly humbled to be along for the ride. Chris Lyons, of Chris Lyons PR along with Chef Ken Oringer were the true brains behind the fundraiser and both did an amazing job of organizing the event, which helped raise money towards Autism Awareness.
   Despite my efforts, I'll never be truly comfortable as a "member of the media," I write a blog, no biggie, I'm still a chef through and through, and was here to eat burgers. Having said that, I don't generally go for a "cheffy" burger. More than anything, I want a burger to taste like, well, a burger. When I take a piece of the beef, and just the beef, I want flavor, I want juiciness and I want seasoning. I'm not going to bash any place here, like I said, this was a charity event, all the chefs donated their time, food costs and staff, a lot of money was raised and that's a good thing. But for me, a burger is beef, has to be, despite Ming Tsai producing a delicious "shrimp" burger with a killer oxtail fondue, it's not a burger. Lamb is a little closer, but still foreign to me in the burger category. And the one's that put foie gras and truffles into the burgers, not for me. The best burgers I tasted on this night were from Andy Husbands at Tremont 647, clean flavor, a classic combination of ingredients and just done right, and the fantastic pancetta and cheddar burger from Lois di Biccari at Sel de la terre, those were the tops and it wasn't even that close. The winning burger, from Brooke Vosika at the Bristol Lounge, had foie gras and bearnaise, a good burger, but too rich for me. Other places were close, but either bad choices in bread (too much or too little), way too overpowering in the heat department, or just not beefy enough. The Toro burger finished a very close second, as they also put out a very tasty burger, but just missed the mark on my second go around.
   The interesting thing I found was how some chefs chose to cook full burgers and cut them into quarters, while the others simply made sliders. I found it to be a much more clever idea to cook them as a full burger, as sliders just don't cook as evenly in my opinion. Even still, despite the dim lighting, all burgers were cooked a pretty perfect medium-rare the majority of the night, no easy feat. Everyone has different opinions on what the perfect burger should be, and talking to people in the crowd, I didn't hear the same answer twice. No, the judges didn't deliberate for hours as if we were on Top Chef, the people spoke, and The Bristol Lounge was the winner. 
   

Good question. We're as enthusiastic about burgers as ever, but I admit have been a bit slow with new content, articles, reviews lately. We haven't even eaten a burger in a restaurant in 2010, hard to believe. It's not that we have a shortage of places to check out, on the contrary, the list grows every day, take a look at all the places that have been suggested to me since we started this blog:
Audubon Circle

Boston Beer Works

The Bristol

Charlie’s Kitchen

Fuddruckers

Met Burger Bar

The Middlesex Lounge

The Common Ground

McCormick and Schmick

Harry’s Pub

The Stockyard

Tavern at the end of the world

The Cellar

B Good

Bukowski’s

Krazy Karry’s

The Good Life

The Publick House

Union bar and grille

Burton’s Grill

Sel de la terre

Beehive

Bonfire

Dante

Gaslight

The Savant Project

Oggi

Casablanca

75 Chestnut

The Druid

Central Kitchen

Green Street

Gargoyle’s on the square

Temple Bar

Plough and Stars

Regal Beagle

The Fours

The Butcher Shop

Trina’s Starlite Lounge

Coda

Lee’s

The Blue Ox
    of course they are in no particular order, we'll get to them all eventually, so keep the ideas coming. And I've been a little busy with work myself, but to all the chefs out there, we'd love to come in and talk all things burgers with you, so send us an email. Until then...

   This year flew by. A blog devoted to burgers just kind of happened, my love affair with burgers is nothing new, but after going on a trip to Louis Lunch in early May, Nick and I decided to embark on a personal quest to eat our way through every burger in Boston and figure out what was the best. And that's how it started, and that's how it will continue to go, until we try them all. I don't know if there is such a thing as perfection, especially in terms of food, for every perfectly cooked burger, there's a burger with too much mayo, or over-fried potatoes, or just a lack of salt. I haven't really that had that combination of affordability, burger greatness, perfect fries and attentive service. Maybe it doesn't exist, or maybe I'm asking too much, but I'm remain optimistic. We started our quest in May, didn't know where we were headed, but did know that no one else was doing what we were in Boston. We were so fortunate to have met Nick Dixon at Lucky's Lounge, and by a freak occurrence had a brief blurb written about myself and the blog in the Boston Globe. There was the Burger Crawl, in which sixteen of us braved the Woodstock-esque conditions and powered our way through the streets of Cambridge until we were ready to explode. I swore I'd never eat that much again, but Burger Crawl 2010 is already in the works, you've been warned.
   Burgers really have gone through a renaissance, first in New York and now in Boston. The beauty with burgers is that they never go out of style, bad economy yields the onslaught of more affordable places, and a prosperous economy gives us truffles and foie gras. Personally I like the simple stuff, and despite my love for the Craigie burger, we need more affordable burger places that we can all enjoy. For me, the burger-only places (O'Sullivan's, Bartley's, Four Burgers, Boston Burger Company) all fall short. That's why we have to turn to the classically trained chefs, the Tony Maws' and Michael Schlow's of the neighborhood, to show us what a great burger should taste like. It's almost unfair to have these amazing chefs cook up a hamburger patty, the lowly fry cook has no chance. I expect even bigger things in 2010, we now have full year to review burgers, may look into doing a show on Cambridge public access, all the while trying to gain some respect on the Boston critic's restaurant scene. So without further ado, I have to mention the following places (good and bad) to round up the 2009 year in burgers.
    Beefiest burger - Craigie on Main. I knew it would be great and it was, oozing with juiciness and exploding with Umami, this burger is king.
    Best Cheap Burger - Flat Patties. Often over-looked because of the setting, it's simple, but terrific, everything a West-Coast style burger should be.
    Burger I'll go back to the most - The Miracle of Science. Not quite the fast-food style of Flat Patties, and much more affordable than Craigie, the MOS burger is perfect, smoky and full of flavor.
    Best Fries - The Biltmore - Perfect in every way, was also the first place we went to.
    Best Bun - Craigie on Main - Yes, there's a category for best bun. Although the bun at Boston Burger Company was good, the house-made, sesame seed bun at Craigie was spectacular, that extra effort really makes the difference, and they know it.
    Burger I was most surprised by (in a good way) - Flat Patties. Having overlooked it and walked past it dozens of times, the Flat Patties team does a great job, although it almost feels accidentally so.
    Burger I was most surprised by (in a bad way) - R.F. O'Sullivan's. So many accolades, so many foodies who love it, the RFO burger fails on so many levels. A dry, flavorless softball of a burger is wrong on so many levels.
    The "everyone is crazy" award - Five Guys. Stop it, just stop it. This tastes nothing like In-N-Out, which is magical. No, Five Guys, although the toppings are free and the fries halfway decent, the meat is crap, is everything I dislike about fast-food and deserves none of the hype it gets. There's a reason that they are only located on the outskirts of the city, it would never make it in Cambridge or anywhere else, there are much better options.
    The burger that almost was - The Biltmore. It was our first review but I still feel it was close to burger greatness, maybe next time.
     Biggest Disappointment - UBurger. I swear it used to be good, then again, I used to just eat to become full, never thinking of what makes a meal good. I've never been so betrayed by a food item and I probably never will be.
     Best Service - Craigie on Main. Not even close, they are great and they know it.
     Worst Service - Radius - It may be a bit harsh to call it the worst, but for this kind of a restaurant, they should be doing better. Good burger, just not worth the price of admission.
    Burger I'm most looking forward to in 2010 - I can't pick one, as I'm always excited to eat a burger for the first time. If I had to pick, I'm eager to go back to The Cellar when not on a burger Crawl and I'm very interested to try the burger at Green Street.
   And finally, a giant thanks to all our readers. We started out humbly, with a few family members reading and not much else, but we've grown quite a bit in readership and on our Facebook Page, so thank you to everyone who is reading and for all the opinions and suggestions, please keep them coming. Until next year!
   -Richard

  As written before, food is a very personal thing. Everyone has preferences, no matter how bizarre, and some people can never break away from their food biases. I'm biased towards a medium-rare cooked burger because I think that tastes the best. I think most people would agree that a medium-rare burger is the juiciest and most delicious way to enjoy a burger, some like it cooked rare (too raw for me) and some like it medium-well to well (too dry for me). For me, medium-rare is the perfect balance of crust on the exterior, and a perfect pinkish hue on the inside yielding maximum flavor. I've never been able to fully understand anyone who wants beef cooked beyond that. Maybe it's a texture thing, as meat cooked too rare can become squishy, so I can sort of understand that. While I'm not dismissing E. Coli, we still have cases of it every now and then, is that really the fear? This isn't the 1950's, we have proper refrigeration, there are many organic and grass-fed options out there to lesson concerns, but even still, what's the worry? Are we worried about about getting sick from a pink burger? Like many of our food prejudices, this one is no less silly, it's time to grow up. Okay, your mom cooked broccoli poorly and now you hate it. Dry meatloaf was the norm, and green beans were mushy and limp. It doesn't have to be that way, just because you had a bad experience with fill-in-blank- food as a kid, doesn't mean you can't enjoy it as an adult. Conversely, just because you "enjoyed" dry meatloaf as a kid or a well-done, dry as a bone burger, doesn't make it acceptable today. Anyone who orders a medium-well or well done burger today has no clue about what tastes good and doesn't deserve to order it, especially if we're talking steak. I will concede that a flatter patty, or a West-Coast Style burger are rarely cooked to order and almost always come well-done, and I am fine with that as long as it is juicy and flavorful. Furthermore, any burger cooked beyond a medium-rare that is juicy and flavorful is fine with me, I've just had very few experiences that have followed through. .

Apparently people are still having troubles reading the full reviews. Just click on the underlined name of each restaurant to bring up the full review. Until I figure out how to color it differently or otherwise, that's how it will appear. 

  There probably isn't anything nerdier than online discussion boards. It doesn't matter what the topic is, if you find yourself getting defensive or sharing opinions on any topic online, chances are you're a nerd on the topic. I must be a nerd when it comes to burgers (no news there) because I recently found myself on chowhound discussing the best burgers in Boston. Food is so personal, everyone has different opinions because everything tastes different to all of us. Same goes for music and movies, there will never be 100% agreement on the topic. Find 100 people who love the burgers at R.F. O'Sullivan's, and I can find 100 people who hate it, myself included. I don't know if I'm a burger expert, and while it has been kindly pointed out to me that I have only "scratched the surface" so far, I can say, at this point, I don't know if there are any fantastic burgers in Boston. No, we have not been to Radius, or Craigie yet, our list is long and we will get to them all eventually. I am not making any conclusions, merely stating that I have yet to be blown away. I have rated a few burgers in the 80's range, but it's all relative, the rating system is imperfect (more on that later) but for me, a B minus burger is not something I'm in a huge rush to have again. There are plenty of good burgers, no doubt, but amazing burgers? Not that I've seen. Now I wont judge before I try, I love Chef Schlow, but the Radius burger is pricey, we all know that. And people do not flock to Radius for the burger. No, you go to Radius for exceptional modern-French dishes and for an unforgettable meal, not to sit at the bar (the only way to get the burger, same with Craigie) and shell out $18. The hamburger is a food for the people, it should be affordable to all. And last I knew, Radius does not use any expensive cuts of beef, no truffles, nothing. I know all about it, I'm sure it's delicious, and I'm excited to try it, but don't tell me it's the best burger in Boston. Because for me, the beef and taste of the actual burger is a huge player in my ratings, but it's not the only factor, I don't have specific, measured criteria, per say, but I do also consider:

• Juiciness of burger
• Bun to meat ratio
• Seasoning
  
• Price Scale/Affordability
  
• Service
• Side dishes (usually fries and onion rings)
  
• Cleanliness
• Wow factor
• Cooked to correct doneness

   Maybe I am tough at times, but to be fair, it's not going to be fun if every place I rate is exceptional. Seriously, try going to place for the first time, and think about the burger, truly think about it objectively, and I'll bet you find flaws too. Some have also pointed out how large a factor fries play into my ratings. Truth be told, when are you going to go to a place and order a burger but no fries because they aren't worth ordering? That's another thing, there hasn't been one place that has had a great burger and great fries. Just doesn't exist at this point, maybe you have to spend $18 to find out.

Nick has sworn off burgers for a month. Sounds like a bad idea to me, this being a website about burgers and all. I also think I've done all I can with this website myself, and I think it may be time for someone with experience to spruce it up a bit. Since we're not exactly making any money on this blog (advertisers come this way!) I'd love for someone to do it for free, which may be asking a lot I realize, but maybe we can work something out. Please contact me if you or someone you know might be interested. Also, because it's a sign of the times, Boston Burger Blog is now on Twitter, we'll see how long/if we can keep it up or if we even like doing it. You can find us as: bostonburger, spread the word! 

   Ah, the Burger Crawl. I'm not sure who's brilliant idea this was (let's blame Nick), but I sure as hell promoted it and was as excited as anyone. Six burgers in a day? No problem, I could fast the night before, not eat breakfast and be good to go. It was spaced out perfectly, an hour and a half in between stops, some good walking to stretch us out, surely it couldn't be that bad?? To be honest, we had an amazing time, despite the lousy weather, and the bloated feeling that we might never eat another burger again, this was one for the ages. Some folks run marathons (or you can be like Katie, run marathons and eat a ton of burgers), some people try to find a cure for cancer. But us, we like our red meat, and lots of it, but that's nothing new.
   In total, nineteen of us braved the conditions (some for part of the crawl, a few select for the entirety) but in the end, only three of us completed the mission. Props to Melissa for chugging along in her hungover state, but she was a trooper and ate her fair share, including a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup for some reason. Jeff "the only republican I like"Clegg and Faith made it to all but one place, amazing effort all-around. Nick and Paul D? Well, we'll get to them later. Isman and his crew were kind enough to join us for a few, so glad to have them for this historic moment. Why do I feel like I'm giving an Oscar speech right now? Probably because anyone who was involved knows what kind of effort and stamina this took. A few others were there for a burger or two, their efforts cannot be overlooked.
   The real heroes of the crawl, however, were the three who finished; Paul B, Nate, and myself. Nate killed it all day, he probably could have done more if given the chance, very impressive. Paul and I did finish, six burgers in total, including a double cheeseburger at Charlie's Kitchen to make up for the mini burger at The Cellar, what a way to go out. But it wasn't always easy, I definitely hit a wall during the third burger at The Miracle of Science. By the time we arrived at Charlie's, I didn't think there was any way I could finish, but I knew there was no way I could fail. I easily gained about five pounds (or more) during the day, and look at this sexy stomach below to prove the disgust.(not mine)
  And then there's Nick and Paul. After the fifth burger and one pink doughnut, they fled the scene. Burger overload, probably a good idea considering the text Paul sent me moments afterward. "my car is a bio-hazard right now. Nick let off a vomit bomb." Yep, told you it was disgusting. So maybe it was good they didn't join us for the last stop, but maybe we're all a little disappointed they couldn't finish. I'm not sure if we'll be doing this again, if we do, it wont be more than three burgers, six is more meat than anyone should be eating in one day. They were all tasty in their own way, but I have to say the burger at Miracle of Science is still king. I may not achieve much in this lifetime, but I think it's fair to say that eating six burgers in one day may be on my tombstone someday.

  "We are not gluttons." At least that's what it says on our home page. But it has been called to my attention that, well, perhaps we are gluttons. Privately, I think people eat way too much meat, don't really appreciate vegetarian cooking and consume way too much food that is generally unhealthy. Publicly, I boast about burgers and how fat tastes good and the burger crawl. Oh my, the burger crawl. I'm sort of a small guy, but I can eat when I have to. Of course nobody has to eat six burgers in a day, but I'm pretty sure I can do it. But I am completely torn lately, I love quality and local ingredients, organic is terrific in the right place and I hate processed foods. But between burgers every week and unhealthy "guy" food every football Sunday, I'm beginning to spiral out of control. I don't feel good about eating these things, and it totally contradicts everything I stand for professionally. Hopefully I can turn it around, eat a burger once a week at the maximum, and make football Sunday's a great way to introduce heal

  Sorry for the lack of activity lately, Nick is away, and although it may not look like he contributes much, (one column so far) he really is more influential than you think. He knows more historically about the hamburger than just about anyone out there, and constantly gives me ideas for the websites and my reviews. I really haven't minded the break from burgers personally, although with the burger crawl looming, I'd better start stretching out my stomach now, and you should too. Please remember to r.s.v.p. somehow, either through our Facebook page or through email, so we can best organize and best notify the restaurants ahead of time of how many people are coming. In the meantime, tell your friends about the site, keep sending us comments as we love all kinds of feedback, and please keep telling us about the best burger places in the area.