Landmark Tavern: Disappointing

What we love: The decor. Landmark Tavern's colorful history. Ghosts.

What we could live without: The over-hyped but mediocre burgers. Forgetful (but friendly) service.

Burger scale: B

Price range: $$ out of $$$$

Payment method: all major credit cards, cash

It's October, and we wanted a burger joint with a juicy past. The Landmark Tavern definitely fit the bill.

Established in 1868, the Landmark Tavern originally sat on the banks of the Hudson and was a watering hole for dockworkers. One hundred forty years later, the Tavern's still there, although further inland. It's developed an uncanny ability to reinvent itself. It was a flophouse during the Great Famine. It was a speakeasy during the Prohibition. It was a television landmark, featured regularly on episodes of Spin City. Today, it's a British gastropub.

The Tavern has also managed to acquire a few things during its 140 years. It still has the mahogany bar carved from a single tree (1939) and the door is descended from its speakeasy days. It's reputedly home to as few as three ghosts. Legend has it one of the ghosts is an Irish girl who arrived starving during the Great Famine only to die on the third floor of the building. Another story tells of a Confederate soldier who was mortally wounded in a bar brawl and died in a bathtub on the second floor of the building. The last ghost is supposed to be George Raft, a speakeasy era gangster who grew up in the neighborhood. More recently, it's developed a reputation of having a decent burger.

Burgers at Landmark Tavern

While we loved the Tavern's history, we were less enthralled with its burgers. The burgers looked every bit the part of a gastropub burger -- tall, juicy and stacked. There was the panino bun, the eggplant jam, the caramelized onions. But alas, it was all look, no taste. Bland. Boring. Uneventful. Disappointing.

If you're in the neighborhood of the Landmark Tavern, definitely stop in for a pint. Pass on the burgers though.