Saturday, October 9, 2010

Burger Joint: Inside La Parker Meridian 118 West 57th Street. NY, NY


The coolest thing about Burger Joint is that it's tucked away inside of the opulent Le Parker Meridian Hotel. You feel like you know about a wonderful insider's secret when you see the little neon burger hanging behind a hallway of dark velvet curtains and step inside. This tiny burger den looks like it could be found in the back of a bar in random small-town USA, but nope, here it is in a fancy NYC hotel lobby. The walls are covered in the scrawl of teenagers and tourists alike, and it was really surprising to see a sign urging patrons to stop doing so. Really? The wood paneling is so far gone, it looks like it's meant to be written on.
After waiting in a short line (which, as we saw can sometimes get quite long) we placed our order and scored a couple of seats. I had a cheeseburger with the works (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo, ketchup and mustard) and shared mediocre fries. I also had a taste of my dad's chocolate milkshake which was frosty and creamy, but a little bit icy. The burger was a complete mess, but a very tasty one. I wouldn't rank it higher than my favs: (J.G. Melon, Shake Shack and Dumont Burger) but definitely better than average. The hole-in-the-wall atmosphere actually enhanced the overall experience and I would love to go back to bring someone else who likes hidden finds there.

2 comments:

  1. Love the burger joint, but the best burger is Peter Lugers in Williamsburg ( only served at lunch ) .

    Served with a thick onion slice and Lugers sauce. Oh man, I want one right now!!

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  2. I've heard that...must try it eventually...I sure do love their steaks!
    My top 2 burgers are Dumont burger in Williamsburg and J.G. Melon.
    Have you seen http://www.burgerrankings.com/
    It's run by Brett Weiss and some other Greeley dudes...They agree with you that Lugar's is best.

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