Saturday, February 12, 2011

Custom Burgers for Flyers Only


This was, by far, the best burger I've ever had in an airport. I'm working on a story about burgers in Queens and the newish Custom Burgers in Terminal D at LaGuardia was on the list. The people behind Custom took over an old Burger King and have done great things. The beef is supplied by none other than Pat LaFrieda and it's pretty obvious. You can customize your burger with an array of toppings or do what I did and eat yours with cheese only (I took that salad off, above, before eating..). The 4.5 ounce burgers are cooked on a flattop and served on supple, toasted, buttered Martin's Potato Rolls. What could be better?

Oh, and this burger is not for everyone (literally). You'll need a ticket on a Delta flight to enjoy Custom because this place is on the other side of security. I managed to get authorization though, without having to buy a ticket to Indianapolis (it's good to know people).

Monday, February 7, 2011

New Josh Capon Joint is Pretty Awesome


This is a much-belated post. I think I visited way back in November.

After reports started coming back that the burgers at Josh Capon's newest burger outpost Burger & Barrel were amazing I made a point of getting there. Man was I glad I did. These burgers kick some ass.

Though they are relegated to the bottom of the menu, the burgers are the main attraction at this cozy new 'gastropub' (gag). I had the Bash Style burger, presumably the burger that won Josh top honors at the 2009 Burger Bash in NYC (though honestly, the burger at B&B was way better than the burger I ate at the Bash). The Bash Burger makes use of just a few key ingredients (and some of my favorites) - caramelized onions, bacon (bacon jam?), pickles and American cheese. It takes a big pair of nuts to use American cheese on an upscale burger in Manhattan and I love Josh for having the balls to do so. The beef used, of course, is a special Pat LaFrieda blend and it's cooked perfectly on a flattop and served on a super-soft fresh-made bun. A nice flourish is the stack of perfectly cooked jumbo onion rings balanced atop the burger bun.


Friday, February 4, 2011

Fun Book Signing


Thanks to everyone who came out in the snow to Schnipper's for the last book event for the first edition. Hamburger America is now officially out-of-print with the new version coming out in May of this year. And thanks of course to the Schnipper Brothers for hosting the event and for creating great burgers. And of course congrats on making it to year 2. Only 18 more years and they'll be eligible for inclusion in Hamburger America. Keep it up! 2029 is just around the corner!

Pictured above, Andrew and Jonathan Schnipper, and me, looking like I need to lose a few.