Burger Joint

picture courtesy of Blackbeard's camera phone

Months ago, my friend from work, SuDokuGal, mentioned getting a group to eat at Le Parker Meridien's Burger Joint. Somehow, none of us motivated to actually pick a day until she finally declared, "Next Wednesday, be there or be square." This is on par with my New York City experience. I'm always "wishin', and hopin', and thinkin', and prayin'" to meet up with certain people, and often it's a matter of mustering up the motivation to pick a date and just do it. After a few months of talking about it (and seeing the enormous picture of the burger on their website), we finally got our act together and made it happen. Needless to say, my stomach was excited all day long. Sayonara diet! Let the extra long weekend of gluttony begin. I figured the wedding weekend would be lots of drinking and eating, so why not get started on Wednesday night?

You walk into the hotel lobby and there's really no telling where BJ is. And they don't help you with signs either. Le Parker Meridien is the type of scene where you'd rather shave the left side of your head than ask someone for directions like a tourist. The bad news is, if you've never been, and nobody else in your party has either, you may just be forced to. My advice to you if you're all clueless, is follow the trail of suits. They're all headed to BJ. Thankfully, SuDokuGal had been before and knew where to go. Phew!

From the looks of the little shanty at 8:30pm, which I wrongly assumed was well past most people's dinnertime, it must not matter what time you get there. The line was out the door and the small cube of a room was packed to the hilt. You have to wait in line, like a fast-food place, and order from the counter. Unlike the Shake Shack, the food came up really fast. SlingerlandMan pointed out once we sat down how awkward the line situation was. It felt like we were being dissected by everyone's eyes. One girl in particular looked me up and down several times, as she chomped away at her burger with her date. I wanted to say some choice words to her, but chose to bite my tongue.

SuDokuGal eventually snagged a two-top with hopes another table would open next to it, and it did. Victory! The three of us who hadn't been to BJ were in constant bewilderment. Who thought of this place? Who thought to put it here? Was the person stoned when they decided to save this corner of the hotel for a shanty burger stop? Who decided, "Oh, let's build a burger shack, write on the walls, cover it with old posters and celebrity pictures, throw some leather booths in there, and call it a day." We discussed this mystery at the dinner table until we left. Norma's, my favorite brunch place on the planet, is also in Le Parker Meridien, but has a completely different feel of opulence in its food and elegance in its surroundings.

The message on Burger Joint's website says it all, "If you don't see it, we don't have it!" They're not trying to be In 'n Out Burger in California, where they have secret passwords to get you special sides and toppings, that only the uber hip surfer kids know. "Animal style," "3x3," "Flying Dutchman," the "Wish Burger," etc. are just a few of the wild and wacky things you can order at In 'n Out. Burger Joint is strictly burger, no secret codes. And that was fine with me.

Now, for the burgers. To me, a burger is the entire package, and not just the meat, that includes the toppings, the bun, and the sauce or dressing, if there is any. They have the meat part down at BJ. But as far as the whole package goes, I was a little disappointed. The bun dissolved in the meat grease, and I had to work hard to hold the burger ($6) together with my hands, without the entire thing collapsing in my lap. It wasn't because of the size of the burger either. The picture on the website is very misleading. The patty itself is not nearly as big as the one they show on the website. The fries ($3) were excellent and came in a little brown bag. They were thin, crispy and just the right saltiness. If the line had died down, I would have gone up for a second bag. SuDokuGal ordered a milkshake ($4.50- they have vanilla, strawberry or chocolate) and the consistency was dead on-not too thick but not too blended. There was a sweaty bin of brownies with a paper sign that read "Don't forget your brownies." From the looks of the container they were in, I chose to forget them.

Don't get me wrong. I love dives and I love grease. And I see myself going back to Burger Joint. It is, however, not at the top of my list of great burger places. I had one that night, but it didn't fill me up. Blackbeard made a good point, you have to get two to make it worth the wait and to really fill your stomach. So head to Burger Joint with a patient, but not ravenous, stomach and an open mind. The atmosphere is enough to make anyone smile.

picture also courtesy of Blackbeard's camera phone

*cash only*
118 W 57th St, between 6th & 7th Ave