The Burger Joint is now over rated
The Burger Joint inside of Le Parker Meridien hotel in Midtown NY goes out of its way to make their customers feel comfortable. They had ordering forms for international customers. Whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish, or Japanese, you could order your burger with ease. It's a smart move by any business. You realize who your customers are, and you make changes that allow your business to sell to these customers with greater ease. It also is a reminder of just who exactly goes to The Burger Joint. I have no numbers on the ratio of international customers at other famous hamburger restaurants in New York, but I don't hear much about other restaurants translating the menu. The only logical conclusion is that The Burger Joint doesn't want to turn away a sizable portion of potential customers. That also means, maybe New Yorkers go elsewhere for their burgers? And they'd be right to do that.
At The Burger Joint, they grill their burgers and while you wait in line, the smell heightens the anticipation. After looking at the finished product and tasting it, the experience leaves ya dry. They don't over-cook the beef, and yet there's not juices everywhere. If you like a neat cheeseburger experience, then perhaps this is a good choice. The burger is not full of beefy flavor, if anything it tasted like the grill. Maybe there's a reason why it smelled so good in line.
I wonder if locals have stopped going to The Burger Joint. The lines at Shake Shack have gotten way more manageable now that there's quite a few of them in the city. When we went to The Burger Joint, we had to stand in line for 25 minutes just to order. After waiting for fast food for nearly half-an-hour, shouldn't the food leave one's jaw on the floor?
The french fries from The Burger Joint are good enough. They're not enough to mask the underwhelming hamburger. They're basically like McDonald french fries, although they just don't deliver as much enjoyment because they come in a paper bag instead of an iconic fries container with golden arches on it.
Is The Burger Joint still one of the premier hamburger places in New York City? I'm not so sure. If anything, I have to say that paying $8 for a cheeseburger and $4 for fries makes it completely overrated. You're really much better off going to one of the many Shake Shacks because it's at least cheaper there.
Burger Joint
118 W 57th St.
New York, NY 10019
212-708-7414
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Concur. Haven't been to Burger Joint in over two years now (I think). Last time I went, my lasting thought was that either they've gone downhill and/or Shake Shack really did make all of NYC step up their game and Burger Joint didn't get the memo.
Siobhan
July 31, 2011 6:27 pm
@Siobhan,
You're probably right about how everyone else stepped up and they just didn't get the memo. It's just strange how everyone still lines up for it!
Danny
August 1, 2011 10:45 pm
Burger joint is my favorite burger in the city. It's got that backyard grilled taste. But last time I went was a year ago because the lines are crazy now...
stephen
August 9, 2011 4:58 pm
Word. When I blogged the same sentiment in 2008, I took a bit of flak from haters on AHT. But I stopped by for a burger on an off-hour earlier this year, didn't have to wait in line, and was still disappointed. When WAS this place ever truly special? it's a trip to Midtown (where there is plenty of awesome food in the same price range) and a line for an overpriced, nothing-more-than-competent burger whose defining characteristic is that it tastes like you made it for 1/10th the price in a backyard or on a balcony.
James Boo
August 10, 2011 12:55 am
Word. When I blogged the same sentiment in 2008, I took a bit of flak from haters on AHT. But I stopped by for a burger on an off-hour earlier this year, didn't have to wait in line, and was still disappointed. When WAS this place ever truly special? it's a trip to Midtown (where there is plenty of awesome food in the same price range) and a line for an overpriced, nothing-more-than-competent burger whose defining characteristic is that it tastes like you made it for 1/10th the price in a backyard or on a balcony.
James
August 10, 2011 12:55 am