Midtown Lunch

Who knew?

Last week we passed along Peter Cherches’ recommendation of the brisket sandwich at the Blarney Stone (on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th) and commenter Larry informed us of this news: “What’s the deal with their new fries, if we can even call them fries? They’ve recently moved onto these huge wedges, which are like 1/4 potato each and in my opinion, a real step down from their previous thick cut fries.”  Larry was kind enough to send along this photo, and remarked that according to the guy who takes the orders, the customers have spoken and “love them.”  Larry’s not convinced. 

The photo may make it hard to put things in perspective, but if you know how huge the burger is at the Blarney Stone you can see these new fries are enormous.  And, to be honest- while I don’t normally like thick cut fries (I’m a shoestring man myself; Five Guys fries are about as thick as I like ’em) these actually look kind of good. Has anybody else tried the new fries?

Related:
The Blarney Stone Burger
Revisiting My Favorite St. Patty’s Day Lunch (and the best Onion Rings in Midtown)

Photo courtesy of Word of Mouth

You know we love their super cheap, and super large burger. And their corned beef sandwich is my go-to St. Patty’s Day lunch.  But apparently the brisket sandwich is the way to go at the Blarney Stone (on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th) according to Peter Cherches:

The corned beef is good, but it’s cured Irish style, and I prefer Jewish deli style. But the brisket, now that’s my weakness. A brisket sandwich for $7 may not be the humongous monster you’ll get at Katz’s or the 2nd Avenue Deli, but it’s more than ample and less than half the price of those establishments.

This might have to be my new go-to Rosh Hashanah lunch… that’s a good brisket holiday, right?

If you’re looking for a St. Patty’s Day Midtown Lunch, there really is only place to recommend…  The Blarney Stone on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th.  An Irish Bar, to be sure, but not one of those typical Midtown pubs, where the food is mediocre, overpriced and served to you by a waiter.  It’s a dive in the best sense of the word, with a bar on the left, steam table/grille on the right, free for all wooden tables in the back, and some of the cheapest, most delicious lunch food in Midtown- no menus required.

When I first wrote about the Blarney Stone in January of last year, it was for the burger.  1/2 a lb. of fresh grilled meat, on a gigantic roll for only $4 is easily the best burger deal in Midtown ($6, gets you the works + fries or onion rings), but with the influx of Five Guys, the new Goodburger location , Pop Burger, and standbys like the Burger Joint, I feel like the Blarney Stone is still largely under the radar when it comes to burgers (although you wouldn’t be able to tell from the long lines between Noon and 2pm every day).  The burger is still great, and amazingly they haven’t really raised the prices yet.  But on St. Patty’s Day, a burger may not be exactly what you’re looking for…

Corned Beef porn, and the best onion rings in Midtown, after the jump.  Read more »

Nothing gets New Yorkers going like a good Hamburger post.  You could argue about the best burger forever, and there would never be consensus.  It all comes down to what is most important to you?  Size?  Value?  Quality of meat?  Toppings?  Fries?  Location?  I don’t know what is most important to me.  I’d like to think it’s value, but the Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien is no deal, yet because of the quality of the meat, and the cool “hidden” location, I seem to ignore the price. Prime Burger is one of the older places in Midtown, makes there burger with quality meat, and has a great atmosphere, yet but because you have to order from a menu, and the burger comes totally plain I didn’t like it as much because the value wasn’t there.  When the Prime Burger post went up in September, a lot of people commented on it, pointing me towards “The Blarney Stone”, a place where atmosphere and value come together in a gigantic burger, where the quality may not be good enough for some- but was good enough for me! 

It’s fun to revisit comments and suggestions after trying a place for yourself, and in retrospect they were all right on.  Here are a few of them:

Comment from Alex

I have a suggestion for burgers. Try the burgers at Blarney Stone on 3rd Ave near 45th st. The burgers here are just as good as any joint out there.

This was the first comment… and at the time, I sort of ignored it because it sounded like an Irish Pub, where you had to sit at a table and order from a menu (not really a Midtown Lunch kind of thing).  The Blarney Stone is an Irish Pub, and there are tables- but there are no waiters.  You order from a counter, and then take your food to one of the tables in the back.

Comment from Christopher

Another Blarney fan! FOUR DOLLARS and you get this big, beautiful, burger. Plus, if you throw in the extra .50 for cheese, they don’t skimp, and they never overcook a medium rare request, which is very important.

Two very important details in this comment (aside from the $4 price tag).  First, my burger was cooked a noticeably perfect Medium rare.  Second, they give you a ridiculous amount of cheese.  It’s only 50 cents, and they really don’t skimp.  I don’t know if you can tell from the pic, but the thick white layer above the burger is actually cheese.  I can’t be sure, but I feel pretty confident in saying there could possibly be an unheard of, 2 to 1 meat to cheese ratio. 

The +/-, more comments, and the 2/3 meat, 1/3 cheese burger pic, after the jump…

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