The Vitals: the spot: Emmett's NYC 50 MacDougal New York NY 10012 the eats: Char Cheddar Burger w/ fries or salad the bucks: $23 the full nelson: a Chicago deep dish pizza joint nestled in Manhattan with an in your face burger

Emmett's NYC has a serious burger

My last stop of my NYC Burger tour took me to Emmett's NYC:  a Chicago inspired eatery in the West Village. Oddly enough my burger trip featured not one but two pizza joints that happened to serve burgers. One might ask "why get a burger at a pizza place?". A fair question, and here is a reasonable answer: New Yorker's love good burgers and why miss an opportunity to cement your name as an NYC Burger destination?

Be prepared to wait

It could have been the fact that I was flying out of Newark that afternoon but despite grabbing a seat at a near empty restaurant, the wait for the burger was significant. At the end of the day it didn't matter but you should know this going in. It might have to do what some would consider the main draw at Emmett's NYC: deep dish pizza. Despite being smack dab in the West Village, this menu is Chicago through and through with the famous loaded hot dogs and even an Italian beef. Those handheld favs might not back up the kitchen but apparently making deep dish pizza can.

The Char Cheddar Burger is the move at Emmett's NYC

Emmett's NYC has three burgers to choose from: The Burger, Char Cheddar and the Blues Burger. Each one features an 8 oz patty made of famous meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda's signature blend of Angus chuck, brisket and short rib. The bun comes from Turano Bakery, a Chi-Town import. "The Burger" is about as basic as it sounds: pickles, onion, and Dijonaise, with cheese as an add on. "The Blues Burger" features a blue cheese stuffed patty with caramelized onions.  "The Char Cheddar" is the most Chicago burger of the bunch and reflects owner and Chicago expat Emmett Burke's mission to bring the flavors of his hometown to New York.

The Char Cheddar's toppings run down

Taking cues from a Chicago style hot dog(minus the ketchup), the Char Cheddar's toppings drive the burger experience. This juicy burger drips with an aggressive toppings flavor profile. The double hit of acidity from the relish and sport peppers also adds sweetness and heat, respectively. Mustard and the sharp cheddar spread double down on the tang along with the given layer of fat from any cheese topping. Then there is caramelized onion to help bolster the umami of the beef. Finally they add ketchup, which I rarely have in tandem with mustard on burgers. If anything ketchup can be a sweet distraction but that speaks to this burger bite that's driven to be unapologetic. All together it is a series of toppings I could not have conceived of, but I'm also not from Chicago.

A much needed high note to end my burger tour

Off the heels of an overcooked burger at Emily, Emmett's allowed me to leave New York with a smile on my face. Dating back 20 years to my first burger at Corner Bistro, I will forever link the Gotham burger experience with a perfectly cooked medium rare burger, which Emmett's perfectly delivered. The toppings combo of the Char Cheddar was a new experience as well, one that I might not crave often but like a Blue cheese burger, could certainly take one every now and then. It's got me wondering about a similar burger experience in Chicago, where the inspiration came from in the first place. That will take some digging. Until then, I'll have to find my Chicago style burger fix in New York City.

The Vitals: the spot: Superiority Burger 119 Ave A New York NY 10009 the eats: Superiority Burger, Burnt Broccoli salad, Roasted White Sweet Potato the bucks: $16, $13.50, $13 respectively the full nelson: critically acclaimed + NYC "it spot" delivers a delicious non meat burger experience

As I recap my experience at Superiority Burger, an NYC darling boasting long waits for a table and heaps of critical praise, I think back on how something that on paper doesn't sound that delicious, certainly was, even more so than I could have expected. This kind of a promise of excellence was how I came to view the food experience in NYC for many years: without equal. Then a food revolution took hold of the United States in early 2000s. Farm to table became commonplace. Millennials took to tasting menus. Oh and Instagram ushered in a new generation of foodies. Suddenly the food scene NYC was no longer the lone shining light on a hill. Which isn't to say NYC still isn't a global hub of culinary talent but I'm not always consistently blown away.

NYC keeps pushing boundaries with food

It has been decades since I took down a whole vegetarian burger. That's not to say I haven't had bites here and there. I'm a meat eater and a happy one at that. Then a unique set of circumstances positioned me to a moment in time where getting a vegetarian burger made sense. That happened to be a proposal for a second dinner as I had a light bite at Mamoun's Falafel a few hours earlier. While I decided to get out of my comfort zone and try a meatless burger, NYC was not out of it's comfort zone. This town can pull off miracles with food from street carts to steakhouses. And the miracle at Superiority Burger? A punk rock musician turned fine dining chef(former pastry chef from lux restaurant Del Posto) making miracles out of vegetables.

Miracle One: Burnt Broccoli Salad

The menu descriptions at Superiority burger don't do the plates justice in my opinion. Or maybe I'm just a skeptical meat eater. Regardless, it is worth digging into all the elements of this dish. Sitting on the plate is an eggplant puree, not unlike the Middle Eastern mezze staple baba ganoush, except Chef Brooks Headley adds maple syrup. The charred broccoli should wipe away any bad childhood memories of overcooked broccoli mush and the cashews smartly add a crunchy texture. There are restaurants that could make this dish the primary draw, at Superiority Burger it's a side dish.

Miracle Two: Roasted White Sweet Potato

Over the last year and a half I've kept an eye on my carb intake when I was diagnosed as prediabetic. Thankfully I've lowered my numbers but I still keep an eye on my carbs. Maybe that is one reason why I absolutely relished in Superiority Burger' Roasted White Sweet Potato but another might have been the oddly satisfying toppings. Basically this is a vegetarian take on a loaded baked potato but pay attention to these details. First, have you had a white sweet potato? Apparently they are less sweet than the orange variety, and quite creamy. Labneh, a strained yogurt and Middle Eastern staple becomes the "sour cream" and chopped crisp pickle replaces the bacon bits. For added flavor, Chef Headley makes a parsley caper sauce that also brings in Maple Syrup into the mix like the broccoli dish above. Ok so beyond the laundry list of unconventional ingredients I'll had this: this is baked potato that doesn't need to play sidekick to a steak.

Miracle Three: a legit burger experience sans the beef

I'll get down to the nitty gritty: the patty in the Superiority Burger does not taste like beef. This isn't some version of a plant based meat substitute like Beyond Meat or Impossible Burger. It is a complex flavor profile thanks to a host of ingredients, textures and cooking techniques. Read the back of a label of Beyond meat and you'll find soy protein, a few oils, minerals and a host of preservatives. Meanwhile consider Superiority Burger's toasted fennel seed, roasted carrot, sautéed onion, mashed chickpeas, quinoa crushed walnuts and a few binding agents like cooked breadcrumbs and potato starch. By the way that doesn't include the seasonings like chili sauce and powder, lemon, parsely, white wine vinegar plus usual suspects like salt and pepper. More akin to a falafel in taste, what does make this patty "burger like" is the fact that it can be seared and the above orchestra of ingredients that creates an undoubtedly savory experience. Muenster cheese, shredded lettuce, a good house pickle, mustard and an eggless mayo add familiarity. I swear to you, this veggie burger tastes like a f*cking burger. It's not a substitute for beef, it's its own thing. The bun and toppings are classic burger through and through and this veggie patty takes to a flat top sear like a diner burger.

If you see the Superiority Burger sign . . . give it a chance

I say this to the skeptics and perhaps omnivores that need an extra push: give Superiority Burger a chance. I was pleasantly rewarded for getting out of my beef comfort zone. Maybe it was because I had two burgers in the previous two days and a shawarma sandwich a few hours earlier but it hit the spot and I'd gladly hit Superiority Burger again. In fact if I do multiple burger visits, it just might be what the doctor ordered.

 

The Vitals: the spot: Emily locations in Brooklyn and West Village, tested in West Village the eats: The Emmy Double Stack Burger the bucks: $26 the full nelson: an NYC burger letdown

In 2019, I visited Emmy Squared, Emily's sister restaurant and was to delighted find not only a great version of Detroit style pizza but a meaty double cheeseburger that made a then uniquely high $25 price tag seem reasonable. "Welcome to New York" was uttered as I marveled at a pricey but worth it double patty cheeseburger. I was excited to try Emily's Emmy Double Stack Cheeseburger . And then I was seriously let down.

The Pretzel bun was the highlight of the Emmy Double Stack Cheeseburger

I don't often encounter Pretzel buns but I would bet money that a place making their own pizza dough is making their own bun. Plenty of melted cheese on this bad boy too, one could call it cheese-tastic. And that orange sauce? It struck me as a take on Wing sauce(think Frank's Red Hot) with a dash of honey. I wish I could dive deeper into the details of this well heralded burger but this happened:

Pardon my screen grab but . . .

Yeah here is the damn evidence. Overcooked beef. The menu lists the Emmy Double Stack Cheeseburger as featuring dry aged beef. Previous posts indicate that the beef was sourced from legendary purveyor Pat LaFrieda but not the case today. Regardless of the source, it was overcooked. I found this post indicating that the burger can be ordered medium or well done but neither option was presented when I dined ate the Emmy Double Stack Cheeseburger.

Should I go back? Or should you?

Not pictured was the chicken parm, also served on a pretzel bun for $17. Not only is that almost $10 cheaper but it was actually good. Scratch that, that chicken was juicy. Was it the best chicken parm I have ever had? No, and size might be an issue along with cost but it was a well executed sandwich that offers me hope that my burger letdown was simply the result of inconsistency. Regardless of a better chicken parm, the much revered Emmy Double Stack Cheeseburger was a letdown, mostly due to the fact that the beef was overcooked. $26 for a dry burger is infuriating and while I'm sure a second visit could right that wrong, I'm left wondering if an inconsistent Emmy Double Stack Cheeseburger is worth the trouble at all. The list of burgers to try in NYC is long and there are more burgers to eat before I sleep. Still I wonder: should I go back? Or should you?