Venue: Corner Bistro
Location: 331 W. 4th St., New York, NY
Date of Visit: Thursday, October 13, 2011
Burger: Bistro Burger
Average Score: 4.2Burger: Bistro Burger
Price Range: $$$$$
Mike: The American hamburger has come a long way since its inception in the late 19th century. Over the years, people’s tastes and expectations have evolved dramatically; so too, has the burger, adapting to accommodate the ever-changing appetency climate. Burger innovations have brought us “game” meats, vegetarian fare, an endless array of toppings, and even the prestigious classification of “gourmet.” Corner Bistro must not have received the memo. Their burgers seem as though they were taken out of a time capsule.
The Bistro Burger comes with bacon, cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles (some assembly required) and a pretty high reputation. Though it’s a pretty standard lineup of ingredients, it has promise to bear a delectable combination of textures and flavors, regardless of its reputable standing. So, one could imagine my dismay when the surly wait staff brought me my burger. I ordered mine medium rare and it came to me medium raw; the bacon probably spent more time on the heat than the beef! The cheese...a slice of American, seriously?! As for the rest of the toppings, the sandwich donned a meager piece of iceberg lettuce, a few flimsy pickles, an overabundance of onion, and a scant tomato slice in the midst of an identity crisis; the thing was the size of a pickle slice! This all came on an uninspiring sesame seed bun that was barely toasted and lacked the size and integrity required to support the mammoth beef patty.
Generally speaking, I am skeptical when food comes with bacon as an ingredient. As a side item, bacon can be first-rate; as an ingredient, it serves one of two functions, to mask flavor or enhance flavor that would otherwise be lacking. The Bistro Burger is a prime example of the latter, justifying my initial skepticism. If it weren’t for the bacon, and to a lesser extent, the pickles, this burger would have been left flat in the flavor department. I might have been better off ordering a BLT; at least that would have yielded some other textures to consider. Yeah, my Bistro Burger was not only lackluster in flavor, but it was also absent of any texture, leaving it a mundane and lifeless heap. There must be a trend because the fries were also horrifying. I’ve had day-old fries from fast food that have tasted better than the ones served up at Corner Bistro. The fries’ only saving grace was that they provided my mouth with much needed respite from the monotony of the burger. I also found it interesting that a plastic fork accompanied the order of fries. That was until I was a little over halfway through the burger. By that time, the bun had disintegrated, the meat had lost stability, and the toppings were on the plate; the fork was clutch.
Corner Bistro states on their website that it is “the last of the bohemian bars in West Greenwich Village, [it] has been serving customers since the earlier part of this century. The original ambience is pretty much unchanged, and we like to keep it that way.” Apparently, they like to keep the burgers unchanged as well. Twenty years ago, the Bistro Burger might well have been a contender; but today, frankly, it is just out of its league. This is one miserable fossil that natural selection should have taken care of long before I walked through the door.
Overall Rating: 3.4
Jeff: I have fond memories of when my brother first taught me how to make a hamburger, I think around 9 years old. He seasoned the patty with a little pepper and salt, fried it and melted the cheese on top. The bubbling melted processed cheese looked so good as a kid. That basic patty and cheese went on a slice of white bread with ketchup, mustard, lettuce and tomato. Sometimes he added bacon to make it special. Since then my burger palette has grown but that experience has always been prominent and fond in my mind. Upon arrival at Corner Bistro I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't looked into their history at all. The place was crowded and people seemed jovial. Pints of beer, laughter crumbs on plates and barely finished burgers on plates. It looked like people were enjoying themselves. I ordered my Bistro Burger medium with fries and a beer.
Wow... it looked just like what I made as a child minus the white bread. The bun was supermarket generic soft with little flavor, or rather the flavor of refined processed flour without any texture. I took a bite and the medium I ordered was medium rare verging on rare as the patty thickened to one of it's lopsided edges. The bacon wasn't a thick cut, or peppered, it was just bacon. It didn't add to it other than a little crunch but it too was pretty flavorless as far as bacon goes. Bland tomatoes and iceberg lettuce were the true signs of straight conventional farming and bodega corner store produce. This was becoming one of the most pedestrian burgers I have ever had. The fries arrived cold and honestly... I've had better fries out of a bag of Ore-Ida. The portion was nice, but who wants a pile of cold fries?
All of the smiling, laughing faces must have been doing so because of the beer and camaraderie. Maybe these people have really never tasted anything better. Granted, the price is cheap, but you get what you pay for. I like the idea of having something reminiscent of my childhood but if this was my childhood it's safe to say I would have been a runaway.
Overall rating: 3.4
Kenneth: Walking in to corner bistro, I was happy to see one of the cheapest bar menus ever to be bestowed in New York City. Taking in this old school bar environment, I knew this was going to be archetypal burger. Then this classic style burger arrived featuring a big patty, American cheese, lettuce, a healthy slice of tomatoes, two pickles, a cross section of red onions and my savior, bacon. I was impressed when my medium well burger arrived with a perfect bun to burger ratio but the first bite lacked any kind of special flavor. A little salt and pepper could go a long way, but then the bacon came to the rescue and added a little flavor to this otherwise bland burger. After adding a little ketchup I was satisfied with this simple, old style burger.
The fries were worst than an order of McDonald’s french fries after they become cold and completely undesirable. At least I was able to have a two dollar and seventy five cent pint of Mcsorley’s ale, a great old school ale!
Overall rating: 5.8
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