BurgerFi
http://burgerfi.com
1571 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10028
THE CONQUEST
There are one billion different Burger restaurants in the world. That’s a true number based on actual information, but you can read more about by clicking the hyperlink. There’s massive fast Food chain conglomerates, local mom and pop shops, high end gourmet bistros, kiosks, drive-thrus, old school Hamburger stands, Food trucks, cafeterias, etc. Heck, you can even get a Cheeseburger on an airplane or from a man on a corner in shiny silver box. There’s a lot of Burgers in the Burgerverse and a lot of them come frozen or pre-cooked originating from massive slaughter houses churning out the lowest quality of Beef from animals pumped full of growth agents, living in inhumane quarters , all while you can get while still being USDA approved.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for almost any Burger and if you search this site you’ll see various forms of praise for some of those Burgers. But wouldn’t it be great if all the Burgers we ate were fresh, never frozen, sourced from farms who raise their cattle to live a comfortable life, slaughtered humanely and had never been pumped full of drugs without having to fork out NYC Steakhouse style bucks to eat it? Well folks, the dream is here. I’d call such a wonderful and delicious movement the “Burgerfication of the Nation” but somebody already owns the “®” on that!
Welcome to BurgerFi, a fresh-casual chain concept born in Florida. At BurgerFi, they live by the fresh, never frozen mantra and cook every single Patty to order without the use of microwaves, heat lamps or any form of re-heating. They serve only all-natural, grass-fed Beef that has no chemicals or additives. The cattle used to source the Beef come from Meyer Natural Angus and if you meet an executive of the company, they’re more than proud to pull out a book laden with stores, photos and information about each of the farms, their herd, their tenders and the conditions in which their raised. BurgerFi keeps the fresh menu to a simple state that allows them to focus their spending on better quality ingredients. Outside of Burgers, they also offer gourmet topped Hot Dogs, Fries, Onion Rings, Desserts, Craft Beer & Wine. The care to concept doesn’t stop there. Some of the materials used to build each location and it’s tables and chairs come from recycled plastics, compressed and recycled wood. They use recycling programs for much of their waste including oils, paper & plastic goods. A sustainable model with as low a carbon foot print is as important and selling high-quality and delicious Food.
You’ll love the place before you even walk in the door.
I was invited to the opening of their first New York City store and my anticipation before walking through the door was already at what could’ve been an impossible to match level. Located on the Upper East Side, it’s unmistakable with it’s bright colors and inviting outdoor patio. You can’t help but notice it and after you read this, you won’t be able to stop yourself from eating there.
THE BURGER
Knowing this was going to be a monumental dining experience, I grabbed fellow food bloggers McKenzie from mmmguide.com and Sarah from fritosandfoiegras.com As we walked through the door, we were greeted by some of the executives, including COO Nick King, who were aglow with smiles and filled with warm welcomes. As we approached the counter and began to peruse the menu, the 3 of us took a step back realizing this wasn’t going to be an easy process. Everything sounded amazing! Best bet – order a lot, split and try it all!
B.A.D. (Breakfast All Day)
– Natural Angus burger, American cheese, hickory bacon drizzled with maple syrup, fried egg, hash browns, grilled diced onions, and ketchup.
You’re kidding me right? How does anyone say no to this perfect blend of my two favorite meals: Breakfast & Burgers! First off, the Patty was exactly as promised; juicy, bursting with all natural Beef flavor and cooked fresh. I’d bet a simple Patty + Bun combo here is delicious all on it’s own. i’m not a Sweets person but I’m most definitely a sweet meets savory person so adding Maple Syrup to Hickory Smoked Bacon is like writing a love song to my stomach. It matched well with the Onions and Egg, which yes, had a runny Yolk which is a major score on the Burger scale. The melty American Cheese upped the savory aspect and also gave a nice creaminess to the consistency of each bite. But then add a Hashrbrown underneath all of it and this Burger goes from great to what in Sam Hill are you waiting for already, go eat this darn-tootin Burger!
Texas Style Chili Cheese Dog
– All-natural dog topped with BurgerFi® Chili, Cheese Sauce, and Hot Sauce
As a native Detroiter, I love me a Chili Dog. Even though there’s nothing like a Detroit Coney, you’ll be hard pressed to see me turn down a Chili Dog especially at place serving as fresh of Food as BurgerFi. We cut this puppy into three slices and dug in. I’m not a Hot Dog guy. I like Burgers. In my opinion a Hot Dog is a Hot Dog is a Hot Dog. I can discern quality and there are some that I like more than others and others that I must have but in general, I’m not excited by wieners. But if, I was going to BurgerFi, I’d definitely consider going for this saucy, savory, little number that packs one serious tasty punch.
Cry & Fries
– Onion Rings and fresh cut Fries
There’s a lot of things you can do wrong to side items. BurgerFi does NONE of them! The Fries are thick, fried, golden and delicious. I heavily suggest dipping them into some custard for an additional sweet meets savory Food escapade. The Onion Rings, whoa the Onion Rings! They’re made from what appears to be half a large Onion battered in a warm, flaky crust and they are not to be missed. I suggest splitting with a friend because these Rings are not here to play a game of toss.
O.M.C. (Oh My Chocolate!) Concrete®
– Chocolate Custard, Peanut Butter, Brownie, Chocolate Chips, and Chocolate Sprinkles
You heard me say that I’m not a sweets person but how does any serious eater read that and not want to immediate cram it down their pie hole!?!?! By this point in meal (yes I’m a hunt and peck eater) there wasn’t much room in my on board Burger processing facility so I was only able to make it through a few scoops but every single one was worthy of one more.
I’m sure a lot of people like Burgers but I LOVE them and when I eat them, I want to know that they were made with that same passion I have for them. That’s exactly what you’ll get here. The folks at BurgerFi love food as much as they do sourcing it, making and serving it and if you are a Food fanatic, you are going to love eating it.
8 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev
THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
605 Burgers
April 2, 2013 – 6:20 pm
