Thunder Jackson’s
http://www.thunderjackson.com
169 Bleecker
New York, NY 10018
THE STORY
When we picked a date for a Burger Conquest double date with our friends Dawn and Paul, I asked if we could go to J.G. Melon. At the time hadn’t even considered that the New York Yankees would be playing the Philadelphia Phillies for what could be the final game of the World Series on the same evening. As big Yanks fans, there was no way we were going to miss out on watching the game. Even though J.G. promised me the game would be on, the long wait, cramped bar and quick turn over of tables just wasn’t going to work for prime game viewing.
Enter Kyle and Ian, owners of Thunder Jackon’s. Thunder Jackson’s, the so called “Urban Roadhouse” and purveyors of the “Dirty Burger.” This little bad boy and it’s dirty wings, ribs, fries and other friends are a unique approach to spicing up a burger, but you can read more about all of that from our last visit. TJ’s also worked well because Dawn is a veggie and according to my pal Jen, has the 2nd best veggie burger in NYC. My friend’s Scott and Gary hit me up to see where we planned watch the game and when I told them TJ’s, it was officially a party.
THE BURGER
Admittedly, I did order the Dirty Turkey Burger so at least I had something new to talk about but the burger Gods were just not having it. The kitchen was extremely busy, there was barely even standing room in the over packed bar, so I forgive them for serving me beef. Besides, how can beef over turkey ever be considered a loss?? Great as always, my burger was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of spices to give it a unique flavor but not overpower the beef itself. The extremely squishy bun holds up just enough to not melt under the meat and makes for one delicious sandwich.
Be sure to order your fries “dirty” and don’t miss out on the homemade ketchup or truffle butter. All good eaters relish in the beauty of dips and Thunder Jackson’s does not disappoint. Of honorable mention are the hot wings (go “pissed” if you like them hot) and the fall-off-the-bone tender BBQ wings. So good are the dips, fries and wings, that I made a little “fat sandwich” of all of them. WINNER, just like the 2009 World Champion NY YANKEES!!!
The food was great, the company was awesome and the victory was oh, so sweet. When the Yankees won, the place went absolutely bananas! TJ’s ended up being the perfect place to watch the game.
8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev
This was my first burger with The Rev and I was not disappointed with our first outing. The BBQ chicken wings were the best non "Hot Wing" i ever had as the meat just fell right off the bone. The house specialty Dirty Burger did not disappoint as all the spices combined for one of the top burgers in my life. I could have easily eaten a second burger but I was too consumed with the Yankees winning the World Series.
I had the veggie burger and it was amazing – the bun was soft with a subtle sweetness to it, and the vegie patty itself had an amazingly savory flavor. It didn't taste like hay held together with brown rice, which is what I find with a lot of veggie burgers. Absolutely delicious – and of course, the Yankees winning just made for the perfect dessert!