Friday, July 31, 2009

Prime House: If I were a girl cow, I'd date Mr Prime


what we love: Otherworldly-good burgers and steakhouse-quality sides partnered with excellent service and decor that was classier than we were


what we could live without: our inability to eat there daily


burger scale: A+


price range: Expense account


payment method: cash or credit, and possibly your first-born child


Oh Primehouse NY, captain of all things burger-worthy! Apparently the laudatory reviews were well merited, because we universally loved this joint.

But let's start with the service, which was a stellar accompaniment to our experience. The burger menu is generally reserved for lunch or the bar, so we had to request it specially since we came for a dinner seating. Did our waiter cringe in annoyance upon realizing that we twelve would not be ordering $50 steaks apiece? Not only did he not bat an eye, he was fun, friendly, attentive, and highly informative (sharing with us secrets of places to get excellent bone marrow, among other juicy morsels.) Considering our casual attire in this gleaming venue, this was clearly the mark of top-notch service and we were impressed.

More impressive still were....the burgers. The menu sports three main varietals: classic (lettuce, tomato, onion, and your choice of cheddar, Gruyere or American), steakhouse (caramelized onions, 'shrooms, steaksauce) and the Bacon & Blue (handcut slab bacon, Maytag blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, and sighs all around.)

The burgers are perfectly-cooked 10oz of Pat LaFrieda beef, smothered in toppings and nestled into a "pretzel" bun. Not sure why it is called pretzel bun, but it had the perfect structural integrity to hold together the burger ensemble without overpowering the flavor. The steakhouse burger's generous toppings complemented the flavorful meat without dominating it. The bacon was so thick that we removed some of it and used it as a spoon to better consume the outstanding mac & cheese side, a quality we found endearing.

The burgers are almost too large to eat sans knife and fork but finding a way to mange them as a whole is highly recommended and not impossible. But if you had to disassemble....you'd surely leave not a morsel of beef behind. Yup, it was that good.

The burgers are accompanied by excellent steakhouse wedge fries, thick-cut and crispy enough to pass muster from our "extra crispy fries" crowd. Sadly, the burgers are so yumdelish and generous, many fries were left behind as our stomachs reached capacity. Hurts so good.


Summary: We'd call it Burger Heaven if that name were not already claimed in NY. Suffice it to say, we've been drooling on our keyboards as we've reminisced about this burger.


The mac and Cheese:



The Bacon Spoon:

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Burger Series 21: Primehouse NY

While our Fearless Burger Meistress is sampling the surf in Costa Rica, she had the (questionable?) judgment to allow Patricia and Greg to guest-host The Burger Series this month. Just remember, you were warned....

Accordingly, we've chosen Primehouse NY, which appears to be a burger joint disguised as a steakhouse. It made Grub Street's "Top 82" list (82?) and has had a few burger-centric reviews of note, including this reviewer's comment that his rare-cooked burger came with "what seems like two large potatoes worth of fries" and "positively brims with succulence."

Primehouse review

aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/10/primehouse-steakhouse-burger-flatiron-nyc.html



Overabundance of fries? Succulence? Count us in.

Were we also unduly influenced by reviews that called out the excellence of the mac-and-cheese? Mmmm, perhaps.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

What makes a perfect burger?


The NY Times breaks down the perfect burger into all of its perfect components...


Monday, July 13, 2009

Grub Street introduces the Burger Register

What the what?!?! We're super excited because it's the coolest burger related reference tool we've seen so far. (Mostly because there aren't any others.)

When almost a decade ago, Daniel Boulud decided to stuff a short-rib-rich patty with a melting deposit of foie gras and serve it — for the incredible price of $27 (now $32) — on a fresh-baked brioche bun, what followed was no mere fad. It was the beginning of a socio-gastronomic awakening, and we are now living in a brave new burger world.

New York has patties worthy of your attention. Eighty-two, to be exact — and we've rounded them all up here. For the first time, you will find all of the city's noteworthy burgers dutifully codified, analyzed, and collected in one place. In alphabetical order, our Burger Guide gives comprehensive details: meat composition, patty weight, bun details, topping options, preparation, prices — all presented with lustrous, appetite-whetting photographs for your viewing pleasure.

Check it all out here.

Kinkyyyyy


Manchmod informs me that the Hamburger Bed is for sale! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170357618142

Questions and thoughts from certain Burger Series members so far. (More specifically, from manchmod and pdub.):

1. But where would we get the sheets for it? Sheets optional. Owning a burger bed: priceless

2. Kleinsleep commercial: "Have more fun in bed..."

3. Burger King porn spoof ideas

4. Special sauce jokes...

5. Two all beef pattie jokes...

Feel free to keep adding your thoughts and questions. We're curious to know where your mind takes you...