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From: "Farkas, Andrew L." ala> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Fw: Bill's Bar & Burger - Run, don't walk! Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2010 01:10:26 +0000 Today I made the first official visit to Hanson's new restaurant. My review attached. Original Message From: Farkas, Andrew L. To: K I K ; Garrison, Frank; Aston, Jim; Lieber, Robert; I >: Carleton, George; Hughson, Paul; Lande, Mark; Mukamal, Thomas; Garner, Charles: < ME K a a I ME Levy, Marc; Levy, Robert; Weil, Andrew; Gin I MEK a a I K a a I K I K K >; Sent: Sat Oct 02 21:06:06 2010 Subject: Bill's Bar & Burger - Run, don't walk! For those of you who are new to the list and those who are long time faithful followers of my burger blog, this is the most recent installment of my quest for the greatest burger experience in the world. Read it and eat! Today for the first time we (sandi, george and myself) went to the much heralded, brand new Bill's Bar & Burger on 51st between Fifth and Sixth right in Rockefeller Center. Naturally, the name itself was begging to be reviewed by the Burger Safari staff. And we were thrilled. Despite a being a slightly cavernous space, it is inviting in that special "it's a men's bar, EFTA00755246 w/ sports on the flat screens, huge beer selection, great drinks and awesome bar food" kind of way. Read below for a more detailed description of the ambiance, as it adds materially to the experience. But, burger afficionados, It's the fare that demands the attention. Nothing pretentious about Bills. You're there to eat, drink and make merry. And, despite small pockets of weakness (and one distinguished, world-class, best-of-breed culinary victory) it offers some of the best of the high-end bar food tidbits we have experienced in quite a while. The menu is fabulous: wings (in 3 flavors), jalapeno poppers, onion rings, spinach and artichoke dip (some salads for the ladies, but please don't distract me with such drivel). They even had something called pizza soup! I did not try it but anyplace that can take soup, one of the more dreaded foods in my world, and turn it into pizza, is a shrine to fat kids everywhere. But, junk food junkies, we were here for the burgers. It is, after all, Bill's BAR AND BURGER. So here's the meat of the matter: the burgers here are VERY solid. Nice uniform patties. Great shape and ideal thickness for my palate. Big enough for a solid burger experience, filling, satisfying, but not so much that you feel like you're going to give birth to a small farm animal shortly after eating. I ordered my burger (the "classic") with jack cheese. They did not ask how I wanted it cooked and I did not offer. I don't know if this is because they cook it only one way (as is the case, for example, with 5 Guys), or if they forgot (they have only been open for about 2 weeks). The good news is that it came medium - just the way I like it. It was centered perfectly on the bun - a soft, potato roll like bun, untoasted, with sesame seeds on top. Also one of my favorites. It came on a no-nonsense plate of proper size - smaller than a dinner plate and larger than a bread plate. I like that. The accoutrement -i.e. the lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle that accompanied the burger, were VERY fresh, unblemished, not at all soggy, mashed up or indiscriminately piled up on the side of the plate. This is very difficult to do and, while I personally detest lettuce and tomato on a burger, most people love it and I respect the art of the delivery and the quality and freshness of the components. The burger was excellent. The cheese was perfectly melted. I ordered jalapenos on the side (unfortunately they had only soggy, slimey, pickled, shredded jalapeno, which detracted materially, but I'm sure this can be remedied with a call to the owner). As usual I requested jack cheese (as stated above), ketchup and mayo. The burger was hot (perfect, actually) so you knew it was fresh off the grill. It was perfectly juicy. The combination of the right temperature, the melty cheese, the ketchup-mayo, and the excellent potato roll-like bun delivered the essence of meaty-cheese-salty-gooey goodness where the entire unit coalesces and devolves into that quintessentially creamy, finger-licking experience. The one missing ingredient was the crunch - a Farkas prerequisite for the five star rating - but through the creaminess one could taste and experience the consistency of each unique component - it was very, very solid. But wait!! There's more! Move thee not a single muscle! From the side of the room arrived an imp from the 8th chasm of Dante's Inferno bearing an unexpected gift: the BBB slider. And it was here, revelers, that my soul was lifted to new heights. Allow me to explain: The BBB slider can only be described as that place where White Castle meets cheese steak meets burger. "How is this possible," you ask? Such an experience would render mere mortals incapacitated from the euphoria of the very mention! But not I. Here is what they have done: The BBB slider comes delivered as what appears to be 3 to a plate - an oval plate - placed side by side. They are served with american cheese, sauteed onions and pickels. The cheese is very melty and the buns looks like larger, buttery-er versions of the previously considered inimitable White Castle Bun. The meat (again served without any inquiry as to my cooking preference) was thin (but not flimsy) - about half the thickness of the "classic" I described above. I approached with a delicate curiosity and reached for the first burger. I reached for it from the top and the bottom - the first position, as it were, of burger eating: thumb on the bottom and 2 fingers on top. Having gripped it I started to lift it from the plate. But wait! Something seemed terribly wrong. Could it be? Yes! Unbelievable! It was not actually 3 separate burgers on the plate. The meat was basically a single elongated slab, placed on 3 EFTA00755247 buns with the cheese, onion and pickel placed along the slab at the appropriate distance intervals thus creating the illusion of 3 separate burgers! To eat each "individual" slider one had to actually cut them apart. Genius! The meat and cheese was hot and the buns seemed lightly buttered and steamed, like soft dinner rolls. The cheese fused with the sauteed onions and just-perfect pickle slice which held everything in perfect position under the bun. These babies were perfect! Crunchy, soft, creamy, spectacular vessels of plaque inducing cholesterol! 3 bites to a slider with each needing to be physically cut from the "loaf." Ladies and Gentlemen - I give these sliders the coveted 9.5. Two plates with a few pints of lager and I'm spent. An awesome new accomplishment. Now, all of the above were accompanied by milk shakes and fries. Unfortunately the fries are poor. They were a little chewy and a bit stale tasting. The first order came room temperature so I sent them back. The replacement order was not much better so I have to take away .75 points for poor fries. The milk shake, however, was a very strong contender for the previously declared champion of the killer of those lactose intolerant: The Burger Joint. The variety, however was much better than the burger joint - we had one chocolate, one strawberry and one cookies and cream. They were excellent - really - but could have been a tad colder and come 5 minutes faster - they took 10 minutes to deliver. BUT, dear friends, they were worth the wait. Now for the ambiance. It's a very big space, but very versatile: perfect for the pub (awesome beer list and great bar scene - I hear it has become quite the after-work meat market - the irony is not lost), great after work drinks and food, and an ideal family lunch spot on saturday and sunday. On those days it is uber kid friendly. When we got to our table we were given crayons and pictures to color. George wanted some too so I shared mine. There is an unusually great variety of seating options: high tables w/ tell stools by the window, bar seating at the bar, regular tables, leatherette booths (we sat in the upstairs ones- they look more comfortable then they are - I'd avoid them actually - though the ones downstairs may be better), and banquette tables. I don't like the faux classical italian restaurant cloth backed vinyl table cloth but rumor is that they're replacing these with fabric ones. The downstairs is very cool. It feels like a subway station with lots of people at everything ranging from picnic tables to conventional seating. But in an unusual NYC twist, BBB ALSO has a real live take-out window for lunch and dinner - like a fast food restaurant that serves their regular menu to go. So, my sumptuous readers, here it is: if you are craving the burger experience, go here. Killer fabulous sliders (gotta have 'em - best ever), great burgers, excellent shakes, awesome beer list and an ideal ambiance for the consumption of the above at lunch or dinner in almost any capacity. The fries are a tragedy, but they do not materially detract from the otherwise world-class addition to our meaty-cheesy world. I'm giving it an 8.75. EFTA00755248