Where is the Best Hamburger in New York, New York?
DMANBURGER “Jane Restaurant”March 22, 2010 After a burger tasting planned for a well-known burger haunt fell through, I walked aimlessly and annoyed that my burger craving was postponed and prolonged -“What else is in this area” ? I asked myself “Minetta Tavern”, “Five Guys” ? Not willing to deal with the waiting and unsure chance of getting a table at Minetta, or needlessly following the hordes of burger reviewers that flock after Five Guys, I was lost for ideas. Reluctantly I decided to expel my idea of a burger mission, and just go to a normal brunch, perhaps giving my arteries a rest -and maybe order a salad? I noticed that there were swarms of people outside Jane, an American bistro and sister restaurant of The Smith, a partnership of Glen Harris and Jeffrey Lefcourt. I asked myself- “Could this have a decent burger”? I quickly scanned the crowded room hoping to catch a glimpse of other burger fanatics nourishing themselves on my unsuspecting prey. I noticed a guy, about to
ok we’ve been checking out various spots in red hook lateley (lenells, the pie man, fairway), so to keep the streak alive we went to check out the hope and anchor for dinner. having grown up in queens, i’m used to a diner menu reading like an offering memorandum. the menu was pretty straightforward, and i was looking forward to the upscale twist that has landed this place staying power in zagats for more than a few years. we had the meatloaf dinner and the steak diane. both were meticulously prepared, with exceptional focus paid to the main course. the meatloaf was quite good, crusty and well done on the sides. mashed potatoes were well executed, as were the string beans. steak diane was a little on the rare side, but finished with a nice sauce and mushrooms. the rice-a-roni (?) was a bit dried out. we ordered a soup (new england clam chowder) which was not good at all (sour), but was readily taken off the bill. I am not a finicky eater, but when food is unacceptable…that
I went for dinner there with a friend sometime in Dec. It was a cold, wet night, and when we walked in the place was busy but cozy. We had a reservation so we got seated promptly. Our waiter was very friendly & had great suggestions; he was a sweetheart & very attentive. Had fries & the tuna tartare (interesting & pretty tasty) for appetizers & they give this complimentary crispy puffed fried thing that tastes exactly like a type of indian papad–yum! I got the mac & jack as an entree which was great, my friend had the meatloaf which was good (and the mashed potatoes that came with were excellent!). Definitely enjoyed the comfort food, and the bill was less than I expected. Had no room for drinks or dessert but I would go back to try the other interesting items on the menu. In fact i just went there today for brunch with friends, it was very crowded but apparently we were the right size group and got seated right away. I had the stuffed french toast, which was delicious, and all my fri
I have been dining at Old Homestead for many years and, although the food is always first rate, the service can be a bit shoddy. On a recent visit with a large group during the holiday season I was very surprised to see that one of our favorite waiters was now employed at OH. We knew him as JC when he took care of us at Mark Joseph downtown but he jokingly advised me that at OH he is simply known as John. It was great to see him. He is a character and a truly wonderful hospitality professional. Even though he mentioned to us that he may be a casualty of staffing issues in the near future, I do hope to see him there again. OH is definitely taking a step in the right direction when it comes to service with more hires like John. See you soon JC.
My fiance and I attempted to go on a Saturday night around 8:00 and the hostess told us the wait would be around 20 minutes, so 20 minutes later, we checked on our status and she said, ‘oh, it won’t be long…about 20 minutes”. We decided to come back another time. So we did, on another Saturday at around 6:30 and the place was empty. We were excited! We sat at the bar that had a bartender and ordered quickly (two burgers, medium, one with salad and one with fries – I loved that they offer salad or fries…they seemed to know their customer) and then we waited…and waited…for about 25 minutes. When the burgers finally arrived we were famished and started eating…my burger was very juicy but overcooked and so thick I could barely get my mouth around it. I know this is a personal preference thing, but I prefer a thinner burger (they offer a mini-5 oz size…if there’s a next time I will order that instead, and medium-rare.) The meat was very good quality, and the pickle slices
