Midtown Lunch

Five Guys and the Burger Joint (in the Parker Meridien on 56th btw. 6+7th) are neck and neck in the 2009 Readers’ Poll for Best Burger in Midtown , and considering I had Five Guys two weeks ago I figured I’d stop by Burger Joint today for a quick comparison.  It’s been almost a year and a half since my last burger there, and I was kind of shocked by how expensive it is!  On first glance it might seem like the same prices as before, but sales tax was included on the old menu but not included on the new menu. So once you add sales tax, everything is 50 cents more expensive than it was before.  Don’t know when this price increase happened (admittedly it might have happened awhile ago) and 50 cents is not a total crime against humanity… but $7.50 for a hamburger, $8 for a cheeseburger, and $4 for fries?  When I first started this site 3 1/2 years ago, a cheeseburger and fries from the Burger Joint was $9.50. Now it’s $12. Come on now!

There was a bit of good though.  There was no line at Noon today, and it’s the Monday before X-Mas!  Craziness.  As for the taste?  Well, I’ll leave that for the big January 4th “Best of 2009″ post.  In the meantime, if you haven’t voted for your favorite burger yet (or any of the 2009 Readers’ Poll categories) you can vote for your faves here>>

Related:
Burger Joint is Latest Victim of Rising Food Costs

Indus Express wasn’t the only Midtown Lunch to make Time Out New York this week. They also asked a bunch of well known chefs and food folks for their Essential New York Burger, and Josh Capon (the chef of Lure Fishbar in Soho) chose the Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien. He also had far and away the best answer: “I’ve always thought that it was really cool to go into this fancy hotel and see this neon sign that leads to this gritty hole-in-the-wall. I actually grabbed a burger there before brunch at Norma’s. My wife said, ‘Where did you go?’ and I said, ‘To the bathroom.’”   Sounds like my kind of guy.

Remember the good old days (aka one month ago), when the Burger Joint used their twitter account to give us deals to the Burger Joint?  Well this week they’ve decided to offer a discount at a place you might not have known about (I certainly didn’t.) Mention “Twitter Lunch” at the Knave, a little coffee and sandwich spot that opened last year in the Parker Meridien Hotel, and get 50% off any of their sandwiches (regularly priced at $8).  They have three options (Parma Ham and Stracchino Cheese, Smoked Chicken with Pesto Sauce, and Smoked Salmon with Fresh Herbs) and the deal is good all week long (8/17-8/21) from 11:30am to 3pm. The Knave can be found in the passageway between the 57th Street entrance to the hotel, and the lobby. Fancy pants sandwiches for $4? I might have to check this out at some point this week. (Oh, and even though The Knave doesn’t normally do take out, the sandwich deal will be available to go.)

Following in the footsteps of HB Burger, who extended their $10 Midtown Lunch special through this week, the Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien is offering their own early bird lunch special via twitter: “7/20/09 thru 7/23/09 11:00AM -11:45AM.For $10 bucks you get a burger or cheeseburger, fries & a soda. Ask for ‘Twitter PKG’ when you order.” You know, because it isn’t bad enough that there’s a long line every day in there starting at noon… they want the lines to start at 11am! Follow the Burger Joint for yourself on twitter, or on the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker>>

Twitter is not just for the hipster trucks anymore! Judging from their tweets it’s clear that the Steak Truck (on Park and 47th) hasn’t completely grasped what twitter is all about (“print this ad with code 7787 and get free soda can with any lunch purchase, but you must present this print .from twitter,s web site.”) but it’s a start. And anybody that uses twitter to give out free food stuff is alright with me.

Speaking of getting deals on Twitter, Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien is also using the social networking tool now (@burgerjointnyc) to let people know about specials. On Monday they did an early bird special, $10 for a cheeseburger, fries, and a soda between 11 and 11:45am. No word on when the next one will be.

Can’t bring yourself to sign up for twitter, but wouldn’t mind hearing about deals from the Steak Truck and Burger Joint? They’ve both been added to the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker>>

Seeing all the coverage of the President’s trip to Five Guys in DC this week (and reading about how much the First Lady likes cheeseburgers) I can’t help but wonder if he really did hit up the Burger Joint when he stayed at the Parker Meridien hotel during the campaign (obviously the photo is doctored, but the tip about him being there was 100% true.) They’re both good, but I’m partial to the free grilled onions and fresh cut french fries you get at Five Guys (Midtown location on 55th btw. 5+6th.) What are your thoughts Mr. President?

Related:
Barack Obama Spotted at the Parker Meridien
Five Guys is NYC’s Closest Thing to In N Out Burger
Burger Joint at the Parker Meridien (Original Post 8/21/06)

A friend of mine spotted Barack Obama in the lobby of the Parker Meridien Hotel late last night.  I wonder if he ate at the Burger Joint?  Or maybe Topaz Thai next door? Either would have been better choices than what he had for lunch today visiting Bill Clinton’s office in Harlem: “a potpourri of Cosi sandwiches, flatbread pizza, salad and chips.” Terrible.

While I was away in Chile, I turned the site over to you for the first ever Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll.  All of the nominees had to have lunch for under $10 (except the buffet category, where a $1 exception was made), and they all had to be within the Midtown boundaries (32nd St. to the South, Central Park to the North, 3rd Ave on the East, and 8th Ave. to the West).  Thanks to everyone who participated.  Thousands of votes were cast, and here are the results:

Best Fast Food Indian: Kati Roll

Despite changing locations this year (Kati Roll is now on 39th btw. 5+6th), Indian burritos just barely beat out old steam table standby (and former neighbor) Minar, on 46th btw. 6+7th.  35% to 32%  Editor’s Pick: Man do I miss being 2 blocks away from Kati Roll.  It’s the unanimous winner.

Best Cheap Chinese Food: Hing Won

“Cheap” is code for fast food, take out Chinese, and while Szechuan Gourmet (on 39th btw. 5+6th) may possibly be the best Chinese food in Midtown- Hing Won/Hop Won wins the battle of the steam tables, easily beating out the competition.  Editor’s Pick:  No secret here.  Hing Won was my first Midtown Lunch post, and still remains my favorite Chinese food take out in Midtown.

Best burger, best street carts and a best pizza shocker, after the jump… Read more »

If you have ever been on a NYC food message board, then you know that nothing gets the troops riled up more then a post about “The Best” Hamburger in New York City.  One thread, started two months ago, just got its 100th reply.  People really are crazy…  I’m not really a hamburger connoisseur- but I do enjoy a burger now and again.  I haven’t eaten at a McDonalds, Burger King, or Wendy’s in years- but living in L.A. for two years, I couldn’t stay away from In ‘n Out… so I’m not anti-burger or anything, I just think the whole NYC “best burger” argument seems pretty silly.

First off, what kind of burger are you talking about?  Thick or thin? Cheap or Expensive?  If you ask me what my favorite burger place is, I would probably say In ‘n Out?  But it’s only the best when you compare it to other thin burgers… which are mostly found at fast food places.  Most people probably like thick burgers better then the thin patties… but there aren’t too many cheap, fast food places that serve the thick restaurant style burgers.  Then you have the expensive burgers… which are in a class unto themselves.  You know the ones… served at fancy restaurants, made with Kobe beef and stuffed with foie gras that cost a hundred billion dollars.  That doesn’t really appeal to me.  It’s a hamburger.  If I go to a fancy restaurant, I want a real meal.  Not a burger.  I don’t care what animal’s liver you’ve stuffed it with, and how much you massaged the cow before you ground it up… I’m not paying over $20 for a hamburger and fries.  Why stop at foie gras and truffles?  You start stuffing burgers with fried chicken or Chinese food, then you give me a call…

So in my opinion to talk about “the best” or compare burger places across genres is really useless.  If two places are right across the street from each other, and serve the same kind of burger at the same price- compare away.  In ‘n Out is better then McDonald’s.  But to compare Blue 9 Burger in the East Village to the burger at Spotted Pig is futile.  (BTW, if you are a fan of In n Out, and are ever in the East Village check out Blue 9.  It’s the closest thing to a good double double you’ll find in NYC.)

Lucky for us, when it comes to eating a hamburger, for lunch in Midtown, it doesn’t matter what you like- the choice for best burger is pretty clear and easy.  The Burger Joint at the Parker Meridien Hotel.  While I’m sure the name conjures images of some fancy burger served at an overpriced hotel restaurant with white tablecloths- here’s the best part.  It’s a dive, and it’s hidden smack dab in the middle of one of the nicest hotel lobbies in Midtown.

Pictures, the +/- and more after the jump… Read more »