Buffalo 6.6

Venue: Crooked Knife

Location: 232 W. 14th St., New York, NY

Date of Visit: Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Burger: The Bison Burger

Average Score: 6.6
Price Range: $$$$$

Mike:  A little over a month ago, I was wandering around West 14^th Street when I passed the Crooked Knife. Out front, they had a sign posted that read “Try our Bison Burger, the best in the city!” Ok, so maybe I didn’t remember exactly what it said, but it was something to that effect. Now, I don’t know much about the Crooked Knife; but what I do know is a challenge when I see it! After discussing the matter with my Burgerler cohorts, the next destination was set with our sights firmly locked on the Bison Burger.

We were seated outside in the establishment’s new covered patio, equipped with four (perhaps six?) large, wooden picnic-style tables, suitable for all of your primitive, communal feeding needs. It happened to be raining that night, so the pitter-patter of rain drops on the tent overhead and the aroma of newly-cut timber really set the ambiance for dining on some fresh buffalkill. It was something straight out of Oregon Trail; the only thing missing was a warm fire and the smell of recently spent gunpowder. Fortunately, no one was dying of scurvy or dysentery on this trip.

The Crooked Knife serves up their bison on a pretzel brioche roll, topped with tomato, red onion, and romaine lettuce with a side of steak fries, a pickle, and a serving of ketchup. I must confess, when I saw the menu I was none too thrilled about the pairing of steak fries with the burger. Frankly, I don’t like to see steak fries paired with anything, but I’m not one to judge. Actually, that’s not true; but I digress.

I ordered my bison medium rare. The patty was fairly spot-on. It was cooked as ordered; maintaining the tenderness and subtle flavor that is characteristic of bison meat; and the size was more than sufficient in satisfying my expectations. The pretzel brioche was likely the best part of this sandwich, at least in the flavor department. It brought a unique essence to the burger without overpowering the nuances of the meat. While fresh and flavorful, the size of the brioche was a bit disproportionate to the patty and quickly lost integrity in its lower portion. This is most likely due to their failure to give it a light toasting, which usually will help prevent disintegration by over absorption. Might I add that a light toasting also adds a bit of crunch, which can go a long way. All of the condiments on this burger were fresh and crisp, but one cannot rely on the texture of crisp vegetables, alone, to drudge their way out of the trenches of the mundane.

I feel compelled to justify why the steak fries were a poor choice to accompany this burger, specifically. As one might gather from reading thus far, the burger, itself, was lacking in texture. An appropriate side item in this situation should offer something that the burger is devoid of; ergo, onion rings might have served better. The steak fries did not provide the much-needed respite from the lifeless sandwich that sat in front of me. The ratio of inner-potato to surface area of a steak fry is all wrong, making it virtually impossible to achieve the necessary crunch that this meal was missing.

Overall, this experience was rather forgettable. Thankfully, I take good notes! Though I walked away feeling satiated (a couple steak fries can make the hungriest person feel full), I’d be hard-pressed to recall an instance where I was more bored eating a hamburger. “Best bison burger in the city,” huh? I can neither confirm nor deny that statement; but if it’s the truth, I might as well call it quits right now.

Overall Rating: 6.6

Kenneth: Bison Burger? Yes! Juicy? Yes! The Crooked Knife served up a lightly seasoned Bison Burger on a pretzel brioche topped with romaine, red onions, tomato and pickles. Their unique burger construction placed the red onions under the patty, away from all the other toppings above the patty. The fresh toppings only added to the experience of my medium-well bison burger, which was lightly charred on each side and cooked to perfection while remaining consistent with every bite. The pretzel brioche performed well and maintained its strong support position by not falling apart from the bison juices and my thin coat of ketchup. Overall it was an average burger experience, but what could be worse than an average burger? An average burger accompanied by a weak side. The steak fries were far from the best and they were possibly spawned from a frozen bag.

Overall Rating 6.8

Jeff:  It’s not often a restaurant offers a bison burger, let alone claims it to be the best.  New York is good for places claiming “The best ______” or “#1 ______”, so I was looking forward to another burger option.  The space is nice enough; you step down off of 14th street into a space that shields you from 14th’s hustle.  It was a Sunday evening and I was sure the place would be busy with holiday shoppers coming in to dine, but maybe people were still feasting on Thanksgiving leftovers.  I saddled up to the bar and ordered the bison burger medium rare, no cheese, no bacon, my mistake.

A mound of steak fries accompanies the bison and I cracked my knuckles in preparation.  The bun was toasted nicely, and quite tasty the pretzel role is; more places should consider such options.  Fresh tomato and romaine lettuce made my eyes smile and my mouth salivate.  Wow, how bland can a burger taste? I’ve had bison before, years ago, and remember it having a subtle flavor but this was just plain bison.  I like clean tasting meat, organic, grass-fed, and the like; but this lacked flavor. The pickle spear didn’t help either. The burger was prepared well.  It was juicy, warm, and on all accounts it was filling.  It just didn’t satisfy my taste buds.

I took a few bites of my fries and was further let down.  I like steak fries, or frites as some say, but they must be prepared right; otherwise, you have a hard under-cooked potato shard to bite in to and it just doesn’t taste good.  Crispy outside, fluffy inside is how they should be.  Bake then fry, or just bake, either way these were under cooked.  I should’ve gotten the salad but who really wants a salad with their burger in November on a brisk chill night in NY? Not I, not tonight.

I’ve written it before and I’ll write it again, a little pepper and salt would have done a lot with this.  If you need a little flavor for your burger you’ll want to add bacon, a sharp cheddar, or blue cheese to top it with.

I rolled solo on this excursion, without my two burger cronies.  I'm glad I did, or a solemn bunch we would have been, if together.   The Crooked Knife needs to straighten up.

Overall score: 6.4

Do the Du

Venue: DuMont

Location: 432 Union Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Date of Visit: Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Burger: The DuMont Burger

Average Score:  7.7
Price Range: $$$$$

Mike:  DuMont is another establishment whose food has been rated among New York foodies as some of the best the city has to offer. Both, “The DuMont Burger” and “DuMac & Cheese” have found themselves in good company on numerous Top 10 lists in their respective categories. This being the case, one might look upon this trial with great anticipation. However, by reading previous reviews on this blog, one would discover that the other Top 10 members who have been reviewed have failed with great disappointment. So, I didn’t let the hype get my hopes up this time around. 
          The DuMont Burger comes on a toasted roll, garnished with Boston Bibb lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickles with the choice of fries or a salad for accompaniment. As I normally do, I ordered mine medium rare and decided to go with the side of fries. When the plate came out, I was pleased to find that the toppings were thoughtfully placed on the side of the burger to allow me to construct it how I saw fit. The meat, though a bit disproportioned (too think in relation to the diameter), was cooked to perfection; and, was that a marinade I tasted? Regardless, the meat was juicy and savory, which harmonized well with the flavors carried by the rest of the ingredients. The combination of the Boston Bibb, tomato, pickles, and onion added a bitter and sweet flavor concoction that had my taste buds on end. The burger sat between a sliced roll that was toasted just enough to prevent excess condiment absorption but also retain the soft airiness of freshly baked bread. The toasted side of the roll, when coupled with the pickles, provided a satisfying crunch, further diversifying the textures this sandwich had to bear. 
          I’m glad I chose the side of fries, rather than the salad, to go with my burger in this scenario. DuMont’s fries were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and dusted with fresh parsley; and the portion size was aptly proportionate, balancing out this mouthwatering meal quite admirably. The pickle spear on the side of the plate was a winner in my book, too! Finally, a burger that lives up to its reputation, well done!

Overall Rating: 7.3

Kenneth:  The flavor of the sweet marinade on the meat mixed spectacularly with the sour of the pickles; together, they made little sparks of magic in my mouth. The meat was juicy and with each bite you tasted how the meat and condiments were flawlessly paired. The size of the patty fit perfectly within the toasted bun and was topped with Boston Bibb, a tomato slice, red onions, and a pickle. After my small application of ketchup to the top half, the bun held its integrity throughout the course of the meal.

As for sides, is it going to be the fries or salad? You have the option of either, but of course I choose the fries, which were crispy, lightly dusted with parsley and an excellent match with the burger. Lastly, the deli pickle! It was a great end to a good burger. Overall, this was a great burger experience and you should experience it for yourself.

Overall Rating: 7.8

   

Jeff:  DuMont has been around for a while now and many claim that they do a good burger.  I have been here once before, roughly a year and a half ago, and although the burger I had was ok, I didn’t think it was that great for what people had told me.

My-oh-my, have things changed.  On first entering DuMont, I looked around, turned, and walked out to make sure I was in the right place.  Since I had last been here, they’ve re-modeled the bar area, extending it further out towards the front of the space. I went against my norm and ordered the burger rare.  I had no reason for this; it just hit me to do so.  The burger arrived and I was momentarily astonished at the mound of fries that accompanied my burger.  So much so, that the fries nearly eclipsed it.  More places should take a hint from DuMont and offer a proper portion of fries with their burger. For crying out loud people, potatoes aren’t expensive!  Some restaurants must think they’re an endangered crop with the few fries they serve.  Not DuMont, however; they get it.

Back on track... I say nearly eclipsed because the diameter of the burger is pretty narrow, but boy is this patty thick!  Too thick, I thought, as I then began to wonder just how this was going to taste seeing as I ordered it rare.  I was not disappointed.  Whatever seasoning or marinade they put into their patties is superb.  It wasn’t overpowering, it enhanced the beef, yet let the beef flavor come through.  I was also impressed with the texture of the beef.  Texture you say?  It’s raw, how much texture could there have been?  It had such a nice balance of firmness and a melt in your mouth quality that I’m not sure I can explain it.  Either way it tasted great.  I don’t know if burgers cooked rare usually share this characteristic, but tasting flesh like this was awesome.  The rawness of the beef combined with what I think were marinated or pickled red onions, tomato, and bibb lettuce (YES! something other than iceberg, finally!!!) was more than a welcome change; it was damn near perfection.  The bun too held up well and was one of the better tasting buns I’ve had on a burger in some time. Having a pickle spear along with the sliced pickles on the burger was a nice addition as well.

Yes DuMont, I can honestly say you’ve earned my respect.  This was a damn good burger.

 

Overall Rating: 8.0