Wildwood Barbecue
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/wildwood_bbq/index.php
225 Park Ave South
New York, NY 10003
THE STORY
Wildwood Barbecue, a part of the B. R. Guests restaurant family serves, as they call it “multi-regional American Barbecue.” That means you can get Texas, St. Louis, Memphis or any other style they decide to slap on some meat. Pit Master “Big Lou” Elrose just picked up the Gourmet Award for his ‘Big Lou” burger at the Josh Ozersky run “Feedbag Burger Summit.” (as judged by our friends over at BOTM.) So, when friend’s Sam and Mark suggested we have a meeting over a burger, Wildwood was the first choice on my mind!
THE BURGER
We started off with an order of the “Bottle Caps,” which are Beer Battered Jalapeno Slices and an order of the boneless chicken wings in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. The wings were really good and I may suggest this place for the next Wing-Off, even though we already know the secret of their sauce! Thankfully they don’t “put that shit on everything” as the Bottle Caps may have taken a #2 spot next to Mozzarella Sticks as my favorite fried appetizer. I at least 2 dozen myself, dipping them in the creamy dill sauce that accompanied.
Upon inspection of the menu, I toiled with the idea of getting the Wildwood 1/2LB Burger but settled on Big Lou’s Burger; “Seasoned with Wildwood’s Traditional Tangy BBQ Sauce, Jack Cheese, Bacon, Caramelized Onions & Sautéed Mushrooms, French Fries.” I skipped on the shrooms and just as I was taking my 2nd bite, Big Lou himself came over to say hi and ask how our meal was going. After a few funny stories about t-shirts, he wished us happy eating and disappeared into the back. The burger was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and covered in all kind of tasty fixins! The BBQ sauce was the dominate flavor and the cheese just seemed to be over powered by the bacon, onions and burger. The patty itself was one of the juiciest / greasiest I have ever had but let’s not kid ourselves, this one was meant to be messy. I definitely enjoyed it although as odd as it may sound, the sandwich overall was a little lacking in the saltiness category. Go figure.
With all the effort put into sauces, rubs, spices and toppings I was surprised to find the fries were pretty standard and left a lot to be desired. Once sprinkled with the house rib rub,they took a massive jump in improvement. Little did I know they offered tater tots, otherwise you know I woulda been all over ’em.
Next time we’ll have to rip into some of the ‘cue but I guess that would be a different blog.
7 out of 10
-Rev
Having been to Wildwood before for BBQ i was very excited to try out their burger. Walking into the restaurant and finding out about the awards Big Lou had received just the day prior for his burgers made me all the more anxious. I ordered Big Lou's BBQ Burger, without the Jack cheese cooked medium. I was very happy with my order. The burger was still extremely juicy and cooked to a perfect medium. Thought it was a bit greasy for my pallet and the burger soaked through the bottom 1/2 of the bun making for a soggy mess the flavors of the BBQ sauce onions and mushrooms went really well together. I'd have to give this a 8 out of 10 oz and say next time i go to Wildwood I'll be torn between the tasty BBQ and the delicious burger.
Hey guys, K1ngB00 here. Here's some more info on Dock Street Burger Company in Leny's Place(they also operate out of a place called Bad Albert's). Leny's is your classic Seattle dive bar, beers the size of a small child, micros on tap as well as Rainier, and good food (the tots are great!). The kitchen is run by Dock Street Burger Company, a separate outfit. Here's a link to the menu: http://www.badalberts.com/DockStreetMenuWeb.pdf. At Leny's Place they offer a Little Leny's special (http://twitpic.com/bn6rt) which is just your basic McDonald's size burger that is a millions times better and comes with tots for $3.50. A great little spot.
Also give Two Bells Tavern a try in Belltown. AHT did a review of them a while back. Handformed patties that are long like a football served on baguettes. No fries, but the sides they do offer are really good.
Let me know when you guys come out and I'll buy some beers. twitter.com/k1ngb00
Wildwood is less than one block from my new office so I was excited to try the burger and be part of my first, but not last, burger conquest. While most others went for the Big Lou, I had the Wildwood 1/2LB Burger figuring that for my first burger conquest it was best to start basic. You can see from the photo that my burger was cooked to a perfect medium rare with the right amount of american cheese and the lettuce, tomato and onion were perfectly sized and crispy fresh. I also liked that the sesame seed bun was toasted and not too bready. But alas, like Jackie I found the burger too greasy on the hands and, like Rev, a bit too light on the salt. That said, with a little salt and a few paper napkins (in addition to the cloth one in my lap) added to the mix, I enjoyed the burger and friendly Wildwood experience. 7 out of 10.
BBQ sauce doesn't belong on burgers – too sweet, it covers too much of the traditional burger flavors!
This has beomce my go to spot in Union Sq, great for pre-Irving Plaza show burgers and bourbon.