Average Score: 5.5
Price Range: $$$$$
Mike: The Black Iron Burger Shop is one of New York’s higher
ranked burger joints; so, when we decided to try it out, I had my reservations
while trying to remain optimistic. After
all, New York’s top burgers haven’t fared too well at The Burgerler; I need not
be reminded of one Corner Bistro experience.
Black Iron has a variety of signature burgers on their menu, but we came
to a consensus on “The Iron Horse,” which comes with two beef patties,
horseradish cheddar, grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato atop a toasted sesame
seed bun.
I normally order my burgers medium
rare, but because “The Iron Horse” is double stacked and has two layers of
cheese, I opted for medium, thinking it might prevent the sandwich from getting
too sloppy. When our burgers arrive to
the table, I looked around at my fellow Burgerlers and read on their faces the
vary thought that was on my mind, gut bomb!
This thing was glistening in the lamp light with grease from the double
patties, ooey-gooey cheese, and grilled onions.
I felt genuine concern for the poor bun; could it actually handle this
quantity of grease? I was also shocked,
more disappointed, in the fact that the lettuce was shredded iceberg. This wasn’t looking good, and I hadn’t even
taken my first bite yet; but looks can be deceiving.
My first bite revealed that the
patties were under-cooked and lacking in flavor. They were also a bit small for the size of
bun they were on, and the bun wasn’t huge.
The amount of meat in both patties could have easily been combined to
make a decent sized single patty that would have fit the bun better, with less grease,
too. The sound of horseradish cheddar
was enticing when we were ordering; but the cheese had so little flavor, by the
time I was halfway through the burger, I had forgotten all about it. The grilled onions added a bit of flavor, but
I rather would have had fresh raw onion instead to add crispness to this
monotonous heap. The bun, oh the bun, it
actually survived the onslaught. Not
only did it not dissolve in a pool of grease, it actually had a nice flavor to
it. The bun was probably the best part
of the burger, which is not a good sign for a place that is supposed to
specialize in burgers.
Overall, I was disappointed, but amazingly
not surprised. I never like to go into a
place expecting to be let down, but I think I knew it in my gut. Though Black Iron has a number of other
burgers on their menu, I don’t expect to be back anytime soon to try them.
Overall
Rating: 5.4
Jeff: Upon first sight, this burger looked bad.
Two patties, each with cheese, produced an oily glistening sight. I hoped that
the cheddar cheese, having horseradish as an ingredient, would cut through the
grease; it didn't. The horseradish cheddar had very little zing, if it had any at all.
If they're concerned about the horseradish cheese being too strong for patrons
then at least provide a side dish of horseradish to be added at one's desire,
otherwise what's the point?
One of the things you'll notice about
this burger is its bottom bun, it's huge! It's at least as thick if not thicker
than the top bun and for good reason. That extra thickness is going to soak up
the grease from the burger while also keeping your hands clean too. The bottom
bun is not only purposeful, but it also tastes good, too. I believe it to be a
wheat bun, and it's probably the best wheat bun I've had on a burger anywhere.
It wasn’t dry; it was fluffy for a wheat bun, yet it had the density that you
associate with a wheat bun. It was surprisingly good. That would be as good as
it got. The shredded iceberg lettuce was not a winner. Could they not pick a
suitable green for such a hearty bun and meat concoction? Then again, a better lettuce would only emphasize the lack of flavor in the meat so the shredded iceberg lettuce is probably the better selection all things considered.
Presentation-wise, I was hoping the
burger would be served in a cast iron skillet. The stainless steel platters, or
pewter plated dishes the burger was brought out on just didn't seem right. It's
called Black Iron Burger Shop, is it not? A burger and fries served in a cast iron
skillet? Yes, that would've been nice.
I wish there was more to say about this
burger, but as great tasting as the bun was, and as good as it was at holding up
to the grease and juice, the burger suffered from being flavorless. Sure, I
could've shook some salt and pepper onto the top of the mild cheddar patties; but that would've only given me salted-peppered, mild greasy cheese with no
zing.
I liked the sound of ordering the Iron Horse, "I'll have the Iron Horse." Sadly, I don’t give points for
the sound of a burger.
Overall Rating: 5.0
Kenneth: I left work again full of excitement as Mike and I head off to meet Jeff at Black Iron Burger. While in transit, I was constantly saying to myself, "This is going to be a good one, just as all the burger ratings have said it should be." After the short journey from Brooklyn, we finally arrive at Black Iron Burger in the East Village, hidden close to some of my frequently visited watering holes. As we entered the restaurant, I noticed it was smaller than I imaged and featured a small beer list with a few I have yet to try. After looking over the menu, we finally decided on the Iron Horse, a double patty burger topped with shredded lettuce, tomato, and horseradish cheddar on a toasted sesame seed bun.
On paper it sounded like a great idea; but when it arrived, the cheese looked as if it was almost completely cooked off. Well, there was a thin layer of cheese that appeared to be see through; but, every bite after the first were almost completely devoid of any horseradish flavor. The meat, on the other hand, packed a good flavor and was pretty juicy; but the double patty was just too much meat in one sitting. At the end of burger, I felt as if I was hit with a GUT BOMB. The toasted sesame seed bun seemed to be my favorite part of this burger. It fit the patties perfectly and kept all the juices and grease from ending up on my hands. The toppings were very fresh, but I did need to add a bit of ketchup. Did this burger live up to all the hype? Well... I think I still might need to try some of their smaller burgers; but the Iron Horse seemed to fall a little short.
Rating 6.0
