Industrially Northwest with One Delicious Burger

Venue: Clyde Common

Location: 1014 SW Stark St., Portland, OR

Burger: Hamburger Sandwich + Bacon, Blue Cheese & Egg

Average Score: 7.9
Price Range: $$$$$

Tom: When I first walked into Clyde Common I was a bit hesitant about my burger experience.  The décor and patronage presented the air of a restaurant that might take itself a bit too seriously for a downright delicious burger.  I am an adventurous burger connoisseur but there are times I feel that chefs feel too much pressure to present a fresh take on a classic dish such as a burger.  Clyde Common is a bustling restaurant in the heart of downtown with soaring ceilings and huge bay windows that cast a nice natural light across the whole restaurant.  That, coupled with the open kitchen, give the feel of a 5 star restaurant one might find in any major city; but the large community tables and fresh clippings of local evergreen trees add a Northwest feel to the experience.  One burger was available on the menu with the option of adding cheese, bacon, and egg; I like the ability to customize a burger, but at the same time I find charging extra for something like cheese on a burger is a bit irritating.  The burger arrived perfectly cooked to a mid-rare (always my choice!).  The meat was delicious and obviously freshly ground.  It was a simple set-up with a touch of aioli, fresh lettuce, and pickled onions.  The lightly fried egg made up for any potential dryness associated with a lack of condiments/sauces on the bun and added a wonderful creaminess to the overall burger.  The blue cheese could have been a bit sharper to counter all the richness of the egg and brioche bun but was still quite good.  The only downfalls were the bun to burger ratio and the lack of a good crunch presented by fresh onions or a crisper cut of lettuce.  The fries were perfectly golden and came with stone-ground mustard and a harissa/crème fresh blend, which I quickly decided was not for me.  All around it was a delightful burger and one that I will gladly return to devour again!

The Burger from Down Under

Venue: Five Leaves

Location: 18 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY

Date of Visit: Thursday, December 15, 2011

Burger: Five Leaves Burger

Average Score: 7.4
Price Range: $$$$$

Mike:  For our final burger run of the year, we were all set to sample the offerings of a little ‘café & bar’ in Greenpoint called Five Leaves.  Having never heard of this place, I felt obligated to check them out online, peruse their menu, and get an idea of what I was in for.  The Five Leaves Burger was, by far, the most exotic burger we’ve tried thus far at The Burgerler.  After some digging, I found that this establishment was conceived by the late Heath Ledger; which might explain the nautical décor and Aussie flare of the menu.  Unfortunately, the restaurant wasn’t realized until after his death; the funding provided by the Ledger estate.

        The menu described the Five Leaves Burger as a grass-fed beef patty with a fried pineapple ring, house pickled beets, organic sunny-up egg, and harissa mayo with the choice of salad or fries.  However, this burger also came with red onion, tomato, and Boston Bibb served up on a sourdough roll.  In anticipation of excess juice from the laundry list of toppings, I decided to go against the ‘usual’ and ordered this one medium with a side of fries.  I was in awe when our server presented the plate before me; it was beautiful thing.  I had never had the opportunity of trying a burger topped with a fried egg prior to this one.  Come to think of it, I had never had a burger with beets or pineapple on it either, let alone the combination of all three.  So, I was both eagerly intrigued and, admittedly, a little hesitant.  As I proceeded to pile on the lettuce, tomato, and onion, I noticed how thickly sliced each of the toppings were, especially the beets.  As I topped this behemoth off with the bun, I realized there was a problem; this sandwich was stacked way too high.  To compound the issue, I made the mistake of cutting the thing in two, which reduced the height-to-width ratio in half, making this sandwich nearly impossible to eat.

         The meat was aptly sized and cooked as ordered, but it possessed only a modest amount of flavor.  Though, the array of flavors produced by the toppings may have been responsible for overshadowing the taste of the meat.  The sweetness of the pineapple was fantastic when paired with the savory meat and egg.  The sourdough roll was an excellent choice for this burger in that it added a bit of tanginess while its hard crust offered texture and allowed it to hold up to the runniness of the egg yolk and other juices.  The harissa mayo was not overdone, which is a good thing; though, it could have had a bit more kick to punctuate the overall flavor profile of the burger.  My only real complaint had to do with the beet.  Its flavor was out of place and, as mentioned before, it was sliced way to thick, causing the top of the bun to teeter, which led to some topping ejection; this is when toppings slide out of the bun while taking a bite.  The fries, alone, were outstanding; but when combined with this burger, they were exquisite.  They were lightly salted, possessed the perfect proportion of crispy exterior to tender interior, and were excellent for soaking up the excess yolk left on the plate from the burger.

          All things considered, I really enjoyed this burger. Sure, it was a little challenging to eat, I had issue with the beet, and the meat could have used more seasoning; but the merits of the Five Leaves Burger were undeniable and surely outweighed the meager pitfalls.  I tend to agree with Jeff in that if I were to try this one again, I would ditch the beet and opt for bacon.  I think bacon would provide the necessary flavor that the beef lacked, further accentuating the sweetness of the pineapple, while incorporating additional texture to contrast the creaminess of the egg yolk.

Overall Rating: 7.9 

Kenneth:  During this burger adventure, I experienced new toppings I never thought would be placed on a burger. Who would have thought an organic sunny side up egg, a fried pineapple ring, with pickled beets over a grass fed beef patty could create such a good combination? Five Leaves!  I felt like a little kid on Christmas waiting for this new burger to arrive; and when it did, the burger arrived opened faced with the fried egg looking at you with lettuce, tomato, and red onions on the side if you need them.  I could hardly hold back my excitement. 

      I ordered the meat medium well; and when it arrived, it was perfectly cooked so I decided to add the lettuce and tomato to my burger.  I skipped on the ketchup this time around, but it did have a harissa mayo which paired well with the sweet pineapple ring and sour beet.  The exotic toppings created a wonderful mixture of both texture and flavor; and the fried egg was a unique experience.  The burger to bun ratio was a bit hard to determine, but the sourdough bun held up perfectly with all the toppings.  This enjoyable first time of having a burger with a fried egg leads me to want to try many more burgers with them.   I love beets and for me it was a great touch.

        The Five Leaves Burger comes with the option of either french fries or salad, and I chose the fries.  I can’t say french fries are my favorite thing, but Five Leaves did a great job!  They arrived lightly salted with the prefect amount of crisp to potato surface area.  I have to end with my foolishness, cutting the burger in half.  Just don’t do it.  Experience it with a full bun, otherwise everything slips and slides. 

Overall Rating 7.9

Jeff:  I finally arrived at Five Leaves on a rainy evening and was all set to broaden my horizons with their Five Leaves burger. You see, I don’t really care for beets. They’re ok if shredded on a salad, but they definitely shouldn’t be in the majority. The Five Leaves burger says the beets are pickled. I like pickles so maybe this will work. The other item in question is the pineapple ring. Come on now, pineapple? Are we in California or Hawaii all of the sudden? Don’t get me wrong, pineapple and Canadian bacon on pizza is delicious. A honey glazed ham with cloves and pineapple is delicious. Pineapple and beets on a burger? We’ll have to see. What made this so interesting was the inclusion of a fried egg. I haven’t had a fried egg on a burger since I lived in Portland, so this was definitely new territory with the beet and pineapple.

I ordered the burger medium, as I wasn’t sure how, if prepared medium rare, the added juice from the beets and yolk of the egg would affect the bun. The burger arrived and it definitely looked good. The sunny side up egg was positioned perfectly on top of the burger. Oh, is that butter bib lettuce I see? Yes, and that’s a plus. Also nice to notice was that the harissa mayo was not overly done. Oh my, the beet on my burger was sliced pretty thick. Well, if that’s how it’s served that’s how I’ll take it. I placed three rings of onion, one tomato slice on top, poked a couple of holes through the yolk of the egg and commenced.

The first thing I noticed was the sour dough bun. It’s nice, very nice actually. As my bite continued and concluded I didn’t taste anything extraordinary. Second bite, nothing. What happened to the harissa mayo? The beet and tomato were squeezed towards the rear of the burger along with the pineapple. After re-composing my burger I was finally able to get everything in one bite. Hmmm, ok. Let’s do this again after I eat a fry. Wow! The fries are really good. They’re light, crispy and have a very good texture inside and out. Back to the burger, the fourth bite, again, had everything in it but the only thing that stood out was the pineapple. This was not the sweet and savory blend that I thought I might experience. I removed the beet. It wasn’t pickled or at least didn’t have the pickled flavor that, say pickled onions can have. It just tasted like a regular beet, meh. The meat itself was prepared all right; it was juicy, but could’ve used some pepper or salt to contrast against the sweet of the pineapple. Yeah, that’s it. With the pineapple so sweet, I feel like this burger really needs something to counter it in order to balance the flavors. Some good, thick cut bacon would’ve done the trick. Everything else was good. The tomato was flavorful, the lettuce was good, the bun, the thin cut onions, the mayo; everything else was spot on. I’ll probably return and try it again minus the beet and with the addition of bacon, if available. This burger just needed more oomph in order for it to really stand out with the ingredients that it presents itself with, especially on a damp rainy night.

Overall Rating: 6.4

Where's the Beef, Enid!

Venue: Enid's

Location: 560 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, NY

Date of Visit: Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Burger: Burger and Fries

Average Score: 5.9
Price Range: $$$$$

Mike: This time around, my fellow Burgerlers and I found ourselves at Enid’s, a little hipster joint just off McCarren Park in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. To be frank, this was not our intended destination on this outing; but, just because our primary objective fails, doesn’t mean our burger appetites should follow suit. So, we had to improvise. This would be the first burger we’ve tried that makes no claims, whatsoever, to being the best this or that, which was kind of refreshing. Enid’s burger and fries has no rating, no hype, and no clever name…maybe Enid is just too hip for that sort of thing.

This burger comes on a sesame seed bun with the standard lineup of toppings: lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion; but, the onions are pickled, so that’s a bonus in my book. We each decided to add a topping of our choice; and, though my counterparts went with the bacon, I opted for the blue cheese. When my burger came out, I immediately noticed the size discrepancy between the patty and the bun. After all, it is rather difficult to miss a half inch difference in diameter! After I piled on the toppings and top half of the bun, I bisected my sandwich, only to find that it was clearly cooked medium well, despite the fact that I ordered it medium rare. With two strikes against it before the first bite, I was beginning to understand why this burger has no reputation to speak of.

The combination of pickles, pickled onion, and blue cheese gave this burger the majority of its flavor. One thing is for certain, it wasn’t getting much support from the meat. This was likely a case of under seasoning; but, it could also have been because it was overcooked, therefore a bit dry, which prevented the flavors and juiciness of the meat to come forth. As for the bun, it was pretty typical. There was no overwhelming flavor there, but it was fresh and the moderate toasting it was given offered a just enough crunch and proved integral to its dexterity. Then again, a bun fresh out of the bakery would have held up to this overcooked patty. The best part of this meal was, by far, the side of fries. At least Enid got something right! The serving was ample and they came out hot, crispy, and lightly salted. It is highly probable, however, that the amount of fries that accompany this meal is some sort of compensation for the burger’s shortcomings.

In closing, it is reasonable to say that I was greatly disappointed in this burger outing. I strongly believe that a meal that appeals to all of the senses will provide the greatest satisfaction. Aside from the meat patty being undersized, the presentation ranked high in my opinion; unfortunately, this burger fell short with respect to the other, more important, aspects. So, if you are ever in Greenpoint and you’re looking for a “plan B” place to eat, there are several other fine restaurants in the area…do you like Polish food?

Overall Rating: 6.2

Kenneth: Walking into the hipster bar/restaurant which is Enid’s, we were approached by a young blonde lady asking if we were planning on drinks or dinner. So, we promptly ask her, “how is your burger?” With a little thought, she said it was good. So, we agreed to stay for dinner. Enid’s burger comes on a sesame seed bun with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions, with additional topping for a dollar more: bacon, or cheese which includes blue cheese, and cheddar. So, I decided to add just bacon to my medium well burger, which arrived a little more on the well side, but still juicy. The bacon, however, fully covered the burger like a baby wrapped in a blanket; and, it was thick with just a light char. Perfection! On this day, it was better to put my ketchup between the bacon and the fresh veggies instead of on the bun above the veggies.

GRRR! Enid’s bun to patty ratio was just, well, just … I never thought anything could make me as mad as having my last few bites of a burger to be all bun. As soft and well toasted as the bun was; it was gigantic compared to the patty, with a surface area approximately one square inch greater than that of the patty. I have to admit, the bun’s integrity held up well. Thank goodness I opted for the bacon, which added meat surface area, flavor, and texture when mixed with the pickles and onions. Overall it was a decent burger experience, I just wish the patty was larger; and the bacon is a must!

Overall Rating: 6.0

Jeff: The arrival of my medium rare, bacon, no cheese burger was a site to behold. The ample fries poised next to it looked so good. I sometimes use fries as a stomach opener; a primer if you will. I dove right in and found these fries delicious. Not too hot and just the right amount of crispiness and internal fluff.

The burger right off the bat was not to my liking. Now I know why my eyes gravitated to the fries. Why is there at least a 1/2” ring of bun encircling the patty? True, there was ample bacon placed on top of the patty and its flavor was good; but, why is the bun extending beyond the meat? The last bite of any burger should contain the meat of the burger, not just the bun. Temperature-wise my medium rare was prepared medium so that sucked. It wasn’t dry, but it wasn’t what I ordered either. I didn’t get the sense that if I returned it that it would be prepared the right way, so I continued eating. I mean, for crying out loud, it’s a burger! The patty wasn’t extremely thick, so preparing it to temp shouldn’t be that hard. The place didn’t appear to be slammed, so what was the deal?  Maybe they were concerned about e-coli, I don’t know; but it wasn’t a winner.

Back to the fries, my god they’re good. They were still warm after a few bites and the consumption of my burger. Even after they had cooled a bit, their texture was still deliciously good. The fries didn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary. They were of average thickness and length, no special seasoning that I can determine; maybe it was the oil they were cooked in. To be fair, the visit to Enid’s was a last minute decision based on a private function barring us from our original choice. That said, with no claims of their own, it’s very telling that my last thoughts on the burger are actually about the fries.

Overall Rating: 5.5

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