Elixirs and Eats Presents Inks, Drinks and Hijinks!

Posted on 07/23/2012 by Rev

Elixirs and Eats Presents Inks, Drinks and Hijinks!

Food Karma Projects in conjunction with Burger Conquest and Jimmy’s No.43, present a new series of celebratory libations, consumptions and avocations called Elixirs and Eats. These monthly events pay homage to the classic post-work “happy hour,” with up and coming purveyors of fine hooch giving it exciting new interpretation.


Each month will feature a fresh, thematic rotation of indie spirits, wines, craft beers, foods and entertainment. The July 31st soiree—aptly dubbed Inks, Drinks & Hijinks—joins together indie spirits, hot sauce, The Blues and tattoos, and will take place at trendy nightlife destination, Hudson Terrace. Spirits will be available either neat, on the rocks, or as a signature cocktail. The fine, delectable indie spirits listed below—organized by Modern Distillery Age –are the event’s core:

In addition to spirits, guests will also enjoy unlimited tastings of Arcobrau craft beer. It wouldn’t be a party without finger-lickin’ grub, and on hand will be expert pairings of food and hot sauces. 2011 Hot Pepper Award winner High River Sauces will be leading the pack and joined by some truly fabulous tastings courtesy of:



If things get too hot indoors, saunter outside for an al fresco tasting of grilled flank steak, chicken and more. The evening’s entertainment will include a red-hot blues band plus food- and booze-themed tattoo competition. A Tumblr page for the competition already has “delectable” entries posted on Elixirs and Eats Tumblr Page. A portion of proceeds, along with on-site donations will benefit the Food Bank for New York City.

For discounted tickets, please click here to visit Thrillist Rewards.

Posted in BBQ, Beer, Elixirs and Eats, Event, New York, Thrillist Rewards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Elixirs and Eats Presents Inks, Drinks and Hijinks!

White Rose System – A Pork Roll Topped Reason To Travel

Posted on 07/11/2012 by Rev

White Rose System
http://www.whiterosediner.com
1301 East Elizabeth Ave
Linden, NJ 07036

THE CONQUEST
Most people won’t leave their neighborhood, let alone their block for lunch. Maybe their too busy, maybe they don’t care or maybe there’s just as good an option around the corner as that place everyone is talking about across town. Totally possible, especially here in New York City. There’s a great Taco, Sandwich, Pizza, Chinese, Salad, Steak, Thai, Cupcake, Indian, Burger, etc spot in nearly every neighborhood of this town. But like I said in my review of Mark Burger on St. Mark’s Street, in a town filled with just about every option to every type of business available, there is one massive, gaping hole that deserves to be filled and that’s a PROPER Hamburger Slider.

A Slider is a form of Burger made from a thin Patty that is flat griddle along with Onions, whose steam helps to cook the Burger. It’s served on a Squishy White Bun with or without Cheese and Pickles. You probably see the word “slider” on menus all the time and what’s actually served is a Mini-Burger. It’s a common misperception that really, Really, REALLY pisses me off, along with a number of other Burger fanatics fighting the good Slider fight. As a native Michigander, I proudly claim homestate rights to this magical form of tastiness. But I don’t live there anymore and being that there aren’t any of them in the city, I, along with my Slider obsessed pals, Seth, Artie from Food Film Fest, George Motz from The Learning Channel’s Burger Land the  & Hamburger America and Mike from Edit Beach, have to go to the Slider’s second home, NJ to get them. Which is exactly what we did for lunch on this sunny Friday afternoon.

After the turn of the century in the early 1900s, the Meat packing industry suffered massive set backs due to uncleanly practices. As US businesses tried to work around this, fast serve Burger restaurants started to use the word “White” in their name to evoke a sense of cleanliness to potential customers. The most famous of which is White Castle. In NJ, a string of short order diners popped up under the name White Rose System. They served a simple luncheonette style menu but really made them sought after were their Sliders. In Linden, NJ you’ll find Rich Belfer still running a White Rose System built in the 60s that he bought from Jack Hemming, its original owner. While the menu these days has all sorts of short order food, it’s still all about the Slider and after numerous TV shows, the world knows that Rich has some awesome Hamburgers waiting for you.

THE BURGER
George ever being the true Burger purist and friend to Rich, has his own special preparation of the Burger that Rich immediately asked us if we wanted once we walked through the door. Sliders are 5 for $5 at the System but you can ask for the “bigger version” which is essentially the same as the $1 version but with a large Patty thus increasing the Beef to Bun ratio. There’s a little glass window on the customer side of the grill that allows you to watch Rich perfectly steam up a thinly-sliced Onion covered, perfectly smashed and seared fresh Beef Patty, the way it’s supposed to be done, on a steamed soft White Squishy Bun. There is nothing like a Slider and nothing like one made by Rich at the White Rose System.

I had to remind myself to slowly and calmly eat my Burger, remembering to enjoy each and every bite. This was of course after I, along with everyone else, snapped off a bunch of photos which is pretty common place with this crowd but still gets a chuckle from the locals. Just as I was enjoying the last bite, Rich came over and asked “so George, do you want me to make the other special Burger for everyone?” Before George could answer I jumped up and said “YES YES YES! What is the special Burger? I’M IN!” It turns out the “special” Burger is actually called a “Jersey” Burger and it’s a Slider topped with grilled Pork Roll or as it’s also called, Taylor Ham. It’s a prepared Ham product that was created in Trenton, NJ and despite it’s local popularity, it’s almost impossible to find outside of the New Jersey and Philadelphia area. If you’ve never had it, you’ll never understand but it’s sort of kind of not really but I guess close enough to Canadian Bacon. It’s primarily eaten for Breakfast with Eggs and Cheese. However, if you’re at the White Rose System, you can get it flat griddled and on top of a Burger. If you’re a fan of Pork Roll, you know how damn freaking awesome this is and you’ll want to get your ass out to the White Rose System right away to get one, or 5, for yourself.

So rent a car, get on a bike, check public transit routes, lace up those sneakers, hire a helicopter, get a scooter or whatever the hell it takes to get you to Linden, NJ. The White Rose System has the classic kind of delicious, proper made Slider that defines the Sandwich.

Damn it. I want one right now.


8 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
542 Burgers

June 29, 2012 – 12:41 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

The White Rose System scores a 0 on The Rev Meter.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

Posted in Burgers, Food Film Festival, Hamburgers, Sliders | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Cookout NYC 2012 – Winner’s Announced From A Delicious Day On Governor’s Island

Posted on 07/08/2012 by Rev

Cookout NYC
http://cookoutnyc.com
Governor’s Island, NYC

It’s illegal to have a charcoal or propane grill in Manhattan and that’s IF you have the space to have one. We all love grill-outs, we just can’t all have them & that’s what makes  Cookout NYC such a special event. The fine folks at  Food Karma Projects gather up some of the best Chefs and Foods in NYC and bring them all together for 2 full afternoons of grilling magic on Governor’s Island.

Last year’s Cookout NYC, it’s inaugural year, was the single best event I have ever been to on Governor’s Island and far and above one the best I have ever attended outdoors in NYC. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait for it to return this summer. Along with the event also returned with the Fossil Farms Burger Cook-Off which I have been asked to be a judge both years. The event would also bring the 2nd Annual Kimchi-Eating Contest sponsored by Mama O’s Premium Kimchi.

Here’s a little blurb from the Cookout NYC team:

**
Fossil Farms burger cook-off with sustainable meat—beef, ostrich,lamb,
chicken and goat—sourced from family farms;participating will be Chef Ian
Kapitan of Alobar, Chef Adriano Ricco’s team from STK OUT, Mesa Coyacan,
and Chef Jeremy Bearman’s staff from Rouge Tomate;

More than 20 BBQ and grilling stations (samples guaranteed until 2 p.m.) with
offerings from John Brown’s Smokehouse, Blind Tiger, Jimmy’s No. 43, East
Village Meat Market, Lucky 777 Chili, King Phojanakong of Kuma Inn and
Umi Nom, a Hot Sauce &Wings cooking station,rooftop garden salads by
Brooklyn Grange and Growing Chefs, others;

A hot dog competition (decided by popular vote) with six stations featuring
Sabrett’s Hot &Spicy Hot Dogs with toppings from Sir Kensington Ketchup, My
Friend’s Mustard, Sabrett’s Classic Onion Sauce, Chili from Lucky 777 Chili, 
a kimchi dog, and a special entry by Chef Josetth Gordon.

The featured event of July Good Beer Month. Cook Out NYC™ also offers custom
beers by exclusive beer sponsor Six Point, which will be bringing back July Good Beer Month’s special “Signal” Smoked Pale Ale, along with Sehr Crisp Pils and five other brews.

Sangria, as well as other beverages,will be available for purchase. A stage with live music will feature local blues/bluegrass/Americana bands.

The event’s community and charitable partners include Just Food’s Farm School,
Family Cook Production’s Teen Battle Chef, and Kingsborough Community College.
**

Congrats and thank you to Jimmy Carbone (of Jimmy’s No. 43) and Erin McMonagle of Food Karma projects for producing another amazing Cookout NYC. Once again, it was an awesome day out on Governor’s Island.

Here are the OFFICIAL results of the Cook Off:

SABRETT’S HOT AND SPICY HOT DOG TOPPING CONTEST

  • Judges Official Winner: Rich Pinto Catering – Vietnamese Inspired Hot Dog

(Photo and credit Thanks to the Experimental Gourmand)

BURGER COOK-OFF

  • Judges Official Winner: High Point Farms – Beef with Pepper Jack Cheese & Ketchup
– This mark’s High Point Farms 2nd year in a row as a victor!


BEST IN SHOW

  • Judges Official Winner: Jimmy’s No. 43 – Sirloin with Chimichurri Sauce


2nd ANNUAL KIMCHIPALOOZA / MAMO’S SUPER SPICY KIMCHI EATING CONTEST

  • Official Winner: Graham “G-Man” with 2 1/3 jars of Kimchi

Video from the final 60 seconds of the contest:

 

More Food Porn from Cookout NYC

Jimmy’s No. 43
– Cabot Grilled cheese
– Braised pork shoulder taco w cilantro

Zio Ristorante NYC
– Fresh Figs with Pork Belly
– Grilled Lamb Burger with Goat Cheese and Red Onion Marmalade
This placed 2nd in the Burger Cook-Off. It was FREAKING AMAZING and worth you      going to the restaurant to eat. – 8 out of 10 Ounces

Cajun Ken & the Penthouse Boys
– BBQ Chicken and Sausage with “XXX” & Slap My Cajun Ass Creole Hot Sauces

John Brown Smokehouse AKA “Brisket King of NYC“
– Grilled Lamb Sausage with Spicy Slaw
– Skirt Steak with Vinegary Slaw and Jalapeno Relish 

Bar Bruno & Mama O’s Spicy Kimchi
– Kimchi Steak Tacos with Chipotle Sauce

High River Sauces
– Hellacious Hot Sauce
– Tears of the Sun Sauce
– Top Fuel Verde Sauce

Alobar Restaurant
– Ground Wild Boar Burger with Fresh Vegetable savory Salsa
I absolutely loved this Burger. It was light like a Turkey Burger but had the flavor profile of Pork. The Salsa added just enough juice to keep it moist. The choice of a soft White Bun allowed the Wild Boar to dominate the flavor of the Sandwich. – 8 out of 10 Ounces.

Blind Tiger Ale House
– Salmon Burger with Kimchi and an Asian Relish.
This placed 3rd in the Burger Cook-Off. I can’t stand Seafood so I didn’t try but others who I talked to at Cookout NYC loved it.

My Friend’s Mustard
– Sabrett’s Hot and Spicy Frankfurter topped with Tomatillo-Radish Slaw & Agave-Sixpoint IPA Mustard.
This placed 3rd in the conest but overall was my favorite of the Dogs. How can you go wrong with Mustard made from Beer!??!

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
546 Burgers

July 7, 2012 – 2:11 pm

 

Posted in BBQ, Burgers, Event, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers, New York, Thrillist Rewards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Brindle Room – Add To Your To Eat List Now

Posted on 07/08/2012 by Rev

Brindle Room
http://brindleroom.com
277 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10009

THE CONQUEST
Ever since Chef Jeremy Spector opened the Brindle Room in the good ole EVill, I’ve heard nothing but great things about their Burger. With a background in not only Comfort Foods but also Steak, one has to assume Jeremy has eaten a few Burgers in his life. The rumors of his Dry Aged Beef Burger have come at me from every angle and recently thanks to my friend Nick’s perusal of daily deals, we knocked the Brindle Room off my “to eat” list.

The East Village is a great place for local business. Due to a rich history of as a cultural community and the fact that the ground isn’t thick enough to construct tall buildings, the neighborhood has maintained a high level of great places to eat. Amongst them is the Brindle Room. Combining the best parts of an American Bistro, French Cuisine, Comfort Foods, Chef / Owner Jeremy Spector has put together a small plates / tasting menu like no other place. This cozy little gastro-eatery constantly receives rave reviews over their cuisine, most frequently, their Burger. Coupled with a small but unique list of Craft Beers, Wines by the bottle, Sake’s and Cocktails, the Brindle Room might be short of space but it’s unique on personality.

THE BURGER
After looking at the menus, there’s a lot of tasty reasons to check out the Brindle Room, with or with out a discount coupon. However, the Burger was entirely the reason for our visit, along with two Beers. We started off by ordering an appetizer of Herbed goat cheese with Toasted Crostinis. ORDER THIS, I ORDER YOU. The Goat Cheese, warmed just enough, is like a fluffy cloud of savory tastiness with Herbs and Spices mixed in. With just a little heat from the Spices, this dish is not to be missed. In fact, I’d seriously consider going to the Brindle Room just to eat this!

Made from Dry Aged Steak Trimmings, the Brindle Room Burger is served on a simple Toasted White Bun with a hearty stack of Caramelized Onions and your choice of Cheese. I was feeling extra funky this day and ordered mine with the Blue Cheese. Arguably, Dry Aged Beef doesn’t need an additional tangy element added to it like a stinky Cheese, but who says I have to eat by the rules? The Burger  came with a a great char on the outside that really upped the salty taste quotient to the whole Sandwich. The onions balance out the Sodium with a nice Sweet Flavor while the Toasted Bun gives is all a very nice place to play. While it’s not the biggest, the Burger at the Brindle Room packs in a lot of rich flavor that will leave your lips smacking and your stomach satisfied. I love me some skin on French Fries but didn’t nearly have the capacity to finish them.

As I thought I was about to burst from flavor intensity, the waitress brought over a dish that I couldn’t pass up. You see, inside the Brindle Room, there is another business called Wonder City Coffee and Donut Bar. Depending on what time of day you stop by 207 East 10th Street determines which of the restaurants is in operation. Well, I’m not sure if they had left overs or if the Chef happened to be visiting during our dinner, but we were treated to of their salted Caramel Donut Holes. I’m not much of a a sweets person but after slam dunking this down my throat, I may need to stop back by during the AM hours and see what else is for offer. I hear the Coffee is awesome.

If the Coffee and Donuts at Wonder City Coffee and Donut Bar is anything like the delicious Dry Aged Steak Burger at the Brindle Room, then these guys have the kind of place you want to eat at on the way to and from work.


8 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
539 Burgers

June 26, 2012 – 6:39 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

The Brindle Room scores a 7 on The Rev Meter.
 

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

Posted in Bar, Beer, Burgers, East Village, Hamburgers, New York | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Brindle Room – Add To Your To Eat List Now

Gooseboro Drive-In – A Hard To Find Beer And Burger Road Trip

Posted on 07/07/2012 by Rev

Gooseboro Drive-In
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gooseboro-Drive-In-LLC/197067620335237
1293 Bantam Road
Bantam, CT 06750

THE CONQUEST
I have a lot of crazy friends. With 12+ years in the music business, owning a bar, writing Steak, Hot Wing & Burger Blogs and producing tasting events like aPORKalypse, Elixirs and Eats, Beastie Boys Beer Pairings and such, I’ve met a lot of interesting people. One of the most interesting and unique is Patrick Donagher. Patrick loves beer and when I say he loves beer, I’d guess if it wasn’t for his fantastic wife Roz, he would probably marry beer.

Patrick is the co-owner of the BEST Beer bar in Queens, if not one of the best Beer bars in all of NYC, the Alewife. They have one of the most unique, rotating list of beers available in any zip code and back it with what is most certainly the BEST Burger in Queens, “The French” topped with Caramelized Onions and Gruyere (proper review to come soon, I swear.) Patrick is also the founder of Get Real Presents, an events production company that puts on and hosts some of the most unique, fun and delicious Beer events available. For an in depth example, check out my post on the Get Real Presents Beer Balls Festival in NYC.

Patrick has opened my eyes and more so my taste buds to more unique, quality craft beers than anyone else. His in depth knowledge of the history, process, business and flavors of Beer is uncanny. He knows how to make it, taste it, pair it with Food and sell it to others all while maintaining a deep level of respect for the people who make it and the product itself. Tasting Beers with Patrick is fun and informative.

Patrick also has a massive sense of adventure so when he and his partner Daniel Lanigan, not only did they want to go to “The Festival,” but they wanted to organize a bus trip to and from NYC to go, I wasn’t surprised. Nope, I was thirsty…Thirsty for Beer and adventure!!  A few minutes later a bus was booked, tickets were bought and a Festival Bus Trip Eventbrite link was created. Here’s the description the two of them came up with:

***

This is THE most important collection of Foreign + Domestic Brewers ever assembled on U.S. soil. Flying in from all over the world, and pouring their beers for you. For only 2 days, ever. All of the best Brewers from the Shelton Brother portfolio, and the 12% Imports portfolio, actually pouring you beers directly.

This is an event that will be talked about, blogged about, and reviewed for years to come. A room full of Brewing Masters, of widely differing styles, all sharing a brotherhood of spirit, integrity and passion.

You are out of your fucking mind if you skip this Beer Fest!!!!!

THE FESTIVAL’S DESCRIPTION:
12% Imports and Shelton Brothers have partnered to present a unique international festival focused on artisanal brewers, as well as cider and mead makers.   We aren’t just throwing the words ‘unique’ or ‘artisanal’ around lightly here.  We specialize in importing small-batch products, from tiny producers, in far-off places, in very small quantities.   Never before has any festival in the U.S. featured such a broad array of traditional drinks from across the globe.  That alone is unique, but what’s even more special about The Festival is that the people who create these beers, ciders, and meads will actually be on hand to pour them!  Every single producer will be there: more than sixty different artisans, bringing over three-hundred different beers, ciders, and meads!  We have producers traveling from as far away as Japan and New Zealand – all told, more than a dozen countries will be represented at The Festival.

Location: Mechanics Hall, 321 Main Street, Worcester MA 01608

Purchase includes:

  • Seat on a luxury liner to and from The Festival
  • Food on the Bus
  • Craft Beer on the Bus
  • Ticket to the 12 p – 4 pm event ($60 value)
  • Meet the Brewers
  • THE BEST FREAKIN’ BEERS IN THE WORLD!

***

Was their description accurate? 110%! In all my travels to Beer festivals and putting them on myself  I’ve never seen a room filled with this many rare, hard to find, quality made Beers, let alone having them poured by the people actually making them. When “The Festival” returns in 2013, you are NOT going to want to miss out. I implore you to connect with the organizers now so you don’t miss out.

So what does this have to do with Burgers?!?! (I love writing that in a post.)
Patrick and I decided to hang around for the 2nd session of “The Festival” instead of hopping the bus back to NYC. We just had not had enough of the awesome Beers and had to have more. We hung all night with our fellow friends in the Beer industry, had a great time and had to figure out a way home the next day. Patrick and I rented a car and on the drive back from Worcester, MA, I looked over at my very hung over & tired compatriot and said “I’m taking us to get a Burger.”A quick scan of the Burger Bible, “Hamburger America,” written by my Burger Brother, George Motz, revealed a Burger of seasonal lore; Clamp’s Hamburger Stand in New Milford, CT. Clamps is a seasonal Burger stand that only opens in the summer. So shrouded in mystery and sensation, this Burger destination doesn’t even have an address. Go ahead, Google your heart out, plug it into any GPS, look it up in the Yellowpages (do those still actually exist?) and you’ll find it but you wont find “1234 Main St.” You’ll see someone telling you it’s XX.XX miles North on Route 202 from YZYZY landmark. Then, if and when you do find this way the hell off the beaten path, hopefully you’re not greeted like we were:

Clamps keeps some strange hours and every day from 2 until 3:30 pm, they turn off the grill and close down. Due to the difficult nature of finding Clamps, Patrick and I unfortunately arrived at 2:04 pm when were informed, the grills had been turned off. Our Burger road trip adventure had been thwarted but not yet our hangovers. This clearly would not do. A quick Google search revealed that the editors of A Hamburger Today fell under a similar scenario and offered a solution just a mile or so up the street.51 years ago Bob Hammer opened a summer food stand with the intention of offering quick serve eats and cold treats to family along a quite stretch of road in Connecticut. The year was 1961 and still today, the Gooseboro Drive-In is still owned by Bob and doing the same thing. Great for families and road trippers driving through the local area, the Gooseboro Drive-In offers, Hot Dogs, Chicken Fingers, French Fries, Sandwiches, Ice Creams, Slushies, Sodas & of course Hamburgers, you know, the good stuff. It’s a simple little stand with one service window, a small lobby and a large outdoor area with picnic tables. It’s the kind of place we all grew up going to with our families on a sunny afternoon in the summer. The nostalgia here is kept up by a crew of smiling faces and friendly people serving up the simple American comfort Food we all grew up loving.
They also maintain regular hours and a mailing address!

THE BURGER
I ordered the Gooseboro “Famous Burger” with Lettuce, Cheese, Onions and Thousand Island Sauce. The Burger Patty was cooked medium well and served on a Sesame Seed Roll. No points here for Burger to Bun ratio as the Patty was way too small for such a large Bun. As for the Patty, aside of being small it was cooked to a Medium Well. Perhaps my fault as I didn’t specify but I also assumed at a place like this, they’re made as they’re made, no questions. It was a good Burger and certainly had the air of history and nostalgia about it. Honestly however, I didn’t care. The mission was to eat a seasonal roadside stand Burger and thus cure a hangover caused by some high-gravity imported Craft Beers. Mission accomplished.

What really made the meal special was the dessert. The Gooseboro Drive-In has a pretty extensive Ice Cream / Slushie / Dessert menu and more Cone Dips than I have ever seen anywhere. I knew I had to have one, the only difficult part was choosing which dip. After about 5 minutes of staring down the menu, I landed on a Vanilla Soft Serve Cone dipped in Toasted Coconut. It was EXACTLY what this summer day (and my thumping head) called for. I ate it with the same kind of Kool-Aid smile spread across my face as I probably did when my Mom used to take me to Cone Zone in Novi, MI when I was a kid.


7 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
538 Burgers

June 17, 2012 – 12:14 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

The Gooseboro Drive-In scores a big fat GOOSE EGG (Zero) on The Rev Meter.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

Posted in Burgers, Hamburgers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bryant Park Grill – 9.603 Acres of Roasted Lamb

Posted on 07/05/2012 by Rev

Bryant Park Grill
http://bryantparkgrillnyc.com
25 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

THE CONQUEST
Space in New York City is a commodity. None of us really have all that much and even the exorbitantly wealthy still have less of it than they could get elsewhere. That’s what happens when you put 1.6 million people on an island that’s only 22.7 square miles! While space in general is hard to come by, outdoor space is even harder to come by.  Now add to that a great view and great food and you’re talking something even more scarce.

Enter Bryant Park. Located only a block from Times Square, it’s one of New York City’s most famous public parks, with it’s Summer film fest, Fashion Week events or the massive skating rink that’s built there in the winter, it’s a very popular outdoor destination.

The carefully maintained 9.603 acres of land also houses one of the most popular restaurants in the city, The Bryant Park Grill. During the week around lunch time, you’ll find the city’s elite fueling up during a business meeting. There’s a robust after work crowd grabbing a happy hour drink before moving on with their evening or heading home, while at nights you’ll find more of a tourist crowd and on weekends, it’s the brunch crowd checking in for a tasty meal with a view. The place is always hoppin’ with the hungry and thirsty casual to business outdoor crowd.

Be sure to keep an eye on their Facebook & Twitter accounts for daily specials otherwise you could miss out on the …

THE BURGER
…Grilled Leg of Lamb Burger served with Herb Goat Cheese, fire roasted Peppers, Mint Aoli, Arugula, Tomatoes, on a toasted Brioche Bun with a side of crispy Onion Rings. It doesn’t come up that often and when it does, they only have a limited amount. When we arrived for brunch on this beautiful Sunday, there was already only 8 left. While I had a hankering for some Eggs Benny, how the hell could I say no to this Burger? I owe you the duty of eating it!

This Lamb Burger was NO. FREAKING. JOKE. From the sweet Brioche, to the savory Goat Cheese, to the bitter Arugula & the fired up Peppers, this Burger had so much going on let alone the robust Lamb meat. The patty itself was loosely packed, cooked rare plus (in between Rare & Medium Rare) and chock full of soft, savory roasted flavors. To be honest, while the Burger was incredibly delicious, it was just bigger than it needed to be, just a little too much of the toppings and just slightly undercooked. Having said all that, I’ve not had another Burger like it in the city and it was most certainly fantastic. My suggestion, split one with a friend and be sure to order a plate of Bacon on the side!


8 out 0f 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
536 Burgers

June 17, 2012 – 12:14 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

The Bryant Park Grill scores a 8 on The Rev Meter.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

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VIP Pass to Cookout NYC July 7, 2012 on Governor’s Island

Posted on 07/02/2012 by Rev

COOKOUT NYC RETURNS TO GOVERNOR’S ISLAND JULY 7th & 8th, 2012

Last year’s Cookout NYC, was the event’s debut and now it has returned for a sophomore run in 2012, again at Governor’s Island. I called the 2011 Cookout NYC “the single best event I have ever been to on Governor’s Island and far and above one the best I have ever attended outdoors in NYC.” If you like Food, Beer, People, being outdoors and NYC, this is the ultimate summer event.

Limited VIP passes to Cookout NYC are still available via Thrillist Rewards but don’t wait, get them before they are gone. For only $55, your passes will get you:

  • Entrance to Cookout NYC 2012 on July 7th or 8th
  • Ice-cold Sixpoint beers from Thrillist-only lines from 1130a-4p
  • Endless food tastes (’til 2p) from NYC restos like Kuma Inn, Jimmy’s No. 43, Blind Tiger & more
  • Kimchi eating contest, grilled cheese & hot dog cook-offs, live bluegrass & more
  • Perfect way to enjoy the beauty of historic Governors Island on Sat, 7/7 or Sun, 7/8
The Burger Cook-Off competition returns which I will be judging this year along with a Hot Dog Eating Contest set to rival the famous Coney Island Event as well as the return of Mama O’s Super Spicy Kimchi-Eating Contest!! It’s going to be a super-awesome, tasty-delicious, exciting-fun kind of day and you don’t want to miss out!!!!!

 

INSTRUCTIONS TO GET VIP TICKETS
1. Sign up for Thrillist Rewards with this link
2. Once registration is complete, buy your EXCLUSIVE ticket with this link
3. Send me a tweet @BurgerConquest to let me know you’re coming!

Check out 5 Boro PicNYC – What you missed from Anna Mumford on Vimeo.


PRESS RELEASE:

Governors Island NYC
July 7th and 8th  2012 | Tickets on sale now

2nd Annual Kimchi-Eating Contest,Chef Line-Up For Cook Out NYC™

Cook Out NYC™—the ultimate outdoor cooking and country fair event—will see the
return of Mama O’s Super Spicy Kimchi-Eating Contest, a competitive eating event set to rival Coney Island’s famous contest. Competitors will gather on Saturday, July 7th, as a part of Kimchipalooza and Cook Out NYC™’s two-day “all grill” event taking place on beautiful Colonel’s Row on Governors Island, July 7th-8th from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (both days). In addition to the 2nd Annual Kimchi-Eating Contest, Mama O’s Premium Kimchi will be holding kimchi demos and celebrity chefs will give tips on how to cook with kimchi.

Other features of Cook Out NYC™ include:

Fossil Farms burger cook-off with sustainable meat—beef, ostrich,lamb,
chicken and goat—sourced from family farms;participating will be Chef Ian
Kapitan of Alobar, Chef Adriano Ricco’s team from STK OUT, Mesa Coyacan,
and Chef Jeremy Bearman’s staff from Rouge Tomate;

More than 20 BBQ and grilling stations (samples guaranteed until 2 p.m.) with
offerings from John Brown’s Smokehouse, Blind Tiger, Jimmy’s No. 43, East
Village Meat Market, Lucky 777 Chili, King Phojanakong of Kuma Inn and
Umi Nom, a Hot Sauce &Wings cooking station,rooftop garden salads by
Brooklyn Grange and Growing Chefs, others;

A hot dog competition (decided by popular vote) with six stations featuring
Sabrett’s Hot &Spicy Hot Dogs with toppings from Sir Kensington Ketchup, My
Friend’s Mustard, Sabrett’s Classic Onion Sauce, Chili from Lucky 777 Chili, 
a kimchi dog, and a special entry by Chef Josetth Gordon.

The featured event of July Good Beer Month. Cook Out NYC™ also offers custom
beers by exclusive beer sponsor Sixpoint,which will be bringing back July Good Beer Month’s special “Signal” Smoked Pale Ale, along with Sehr Crisp Pils and five other brews. Sangria, as well as other beverages,will be available for purchase. A stage with live music will feature local blues/bluegrass/Americana bands.

The event’s community and charitable partners include Just Food’s Farm School,
Family Cook Production’s Teen Battle Chef, and Kingsborough Community College.

Food Karma Projects is a creative producer of food and media events throughout the New York area. Created by Jimmy Carbone—a NYC-based restaurateur and dedicated social entrepreneur—Food Karma Projects is dedicated to community building by creating unique events that showcase the best local food, chefs, beer and wine, and create a social impact that benefits worthy non-profit groups.

Tickets on sale now.

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The Vortex – How To Get More Santa Claus For Less Cookies

Posted on 06/18/2012 by Rev

The Vortex Bar & Grill
http://www.thevortexbarandgrill.com/
438 Moreland Ave
Atlanta, GA 30307

THE CONQUEST
If you’re a good boy or girl all year long, Santa (or insert your beliefs gift giver here) is supposed to bring you presents. Every day leading up to Christmas day, that’s a day you’re hoping. You’re also paying for it day by day by day with the belief that Mr. Claus and his cloven entourage will land on your roof and and deposit that football / doll / skate board / video game / Kindle / brew kit / pet Lion you you told the big man you wanted while sitting upon his lap at your local mall. When that day comes, it’s nothing but pay off. Then December 26 comes and what happens? You’re back at that good behavior, hoping next holiday season that your corresponding merry present distributor will arrive with payoff in tow.

That’s kind of like traditional advertising isn’t it? You open the doors to your brand new local business, place an ad online, set up a social networking site or God forbid, pay for print or TV ads and hope people walk in the door. If the food / clothing / service / goods / products / back scratches are good enough, someone will eventually come in the door and pay for them. All of these come with an upfront cost and at the end of the day, all they deliver is hope. That sucks! The Santa model of finding new customers doesn’t have the pay off.

Imagine instead, you know for a fact that Santa has been to your neighbor Timmy’s house, and more than once! You also find out that Santa always brings Timmy two presents, not just one. While the old Kringle is in the ‘hood he’s also dropping presies at Janie’s, Mickey’s, Roscoe’s & Misty’s…but he’s not been to your house. What if you had a way to directly tell Santa, at the exact moment he’s checking his naughty & nice list three things: 1. You’ve been a good kid, just like Timmy. 2. You don’t need two presents to get him to come over, you’d be happy with just one. 3. The Milk and Cookies that you are going to leave out are guaranteed to please if Santa really likes the baked goods that Misty’s Mom leaves out. In return for this service, all you had to do was give up 1 cookie.

You’d do it and you know it.

Let’s flip that back to the ad world. What if you could get access to new customers who love your competitors cookies at the exact moment they are looking at their bank statement when they last went and bought those cookies. While they’re doing that, you could tell them you would give them 10% back on their purchase if they just came in and could try your cookies. What if all of that was FREE?!? Go ahead, laugh. It sounds ridiculous.

Until now.

Welcome to Cardlytics. You’ve probably never heard of it and actually, you might not ever. They are the actual guy pulling the levers behind Bank of America’s (and a a boat load of other financial instituions) Rewards programs. Check your online banking statement and you’ll probably see “earn 10% cash back on your next purchase at [insert business name here].” It’s Cardlytics that’s making happen. The crazy part, and as a consumer, probably won’t mean much to you, but to a business owner, the set up, the exposure and the placement, well, that’s all free.

Yup. You read that right business owners, FREE ADVERTISING.

It gets better. You don’t have to pay Santa’s escorting service that small cookie you promised them until he delivers you the X-Box live you’ve been hoping for. All it cost you was a cookie. But now Santa knows where you live, he had your cookie and he loved it. Santa’s probably coming back, before Christmas, with another gift. Guess how much it costs you if he comes back? Nothing.

Welcome to Cardlytics.

It’s almost too good to be true. After my first full day of training at their home base in Atlanta as their newest recruit, I can tell you without any shadow of a doubt, Santa Claus is coming to town. Not only is the Jolly fella and all his competing gift givers, on their way, he’s coming in a game changing Nissan GT-R that blows the old sleigh out of the sky. There’s absolutely never been anything like this technology before and there is absolutely no way to lose if you are using it as a local business.

“But Rev!! I thought this was a Burger blog.”

You did read where I said I was in Atlanta right? You know what’s in Atlanta? THE VORTEX BAR & GRILL!!!! Listed in my “BEST OUTSIDE NYC” Burger list, The Vortex has one of the best … and most insane … Burger lists of all times. Hop onto their site and you’re sure to be cowering at your britches when you read about one of the best Burgers I’ve ever had: THE ELVIS BURGER, Slathered with a King-sized helpin’ of smooth Peanut Butter, Bacon and fried Bananas.

Not intimidated? How about THE TASMANIAN DEVIL BURGER, Coated with a Pepperberry Rub and topped with Pepperjack Cheese and Pineapple Salsa. OK, so you’re not weak of heart. I respect that. I invite you to tackle the holy mary mother load of dynamite stacked beastly Burgers, the Trademarked, TRIPLE CORONARY BYPASS tm (aka THE SUPER STACK)! Made with two half-pound Vortex Sirloin Patties stacked inside three Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, topped with two Fried Eggs, eight slices of American Cheese, ten slices of Bacon and plenty of Mayo on the side. With this Burger we choose your side for you, and it’s a big bowl of Fries and Tots covered in our Cheesy-Cheese goo. This super-stack is a heart attack waiting to happen. Enjoy! (No Lettuce, Tomato or Onion). It rings in just shy of $27.00 and it will not only kick your butt, it will knock over the family mailbox and steal your mother’s favorite plant, not apologize, and never, ever, EVER water it. It’s almost as if the Burger comes in the shape of a hand, that flips you a middle digit before forming a fist, punching you in your mouth, igniting it’s rocket boosters and flying down your throat like a cannonball shot. Good luck!

After training at Carlytics HQ, they asked what we were hungry for and I replied with “one of my favorite Burger restaurants is here. They have a great list of Craft Beer. I think you guys will like it.” I of course left out the Burger descriptions as well as mentions of home and plant life damage. They had no idea what they were in store for, kind of the like the rest of the world as it applies to Cardlytics.

See what I did there?

THE BURGER
With so many awesome choices and a near 3 year lag since my last visit to this Burgerverse Mecca, the pressure was on to choose my weapon (or have it choose me!) appropriately. Then I saw this:

THE CARNIVORGASMtm
A Sirloin Patty, a Turkey Patty, pulled Barbecued Chicken, Bacon, sliced Ham, Turkey, Cheddar Cheese and Whiskey Pimento Cheese, all covered in Vortex Barbecue Sauce and crammed between two Buns. (No Lettuce, Tomato or Onion- JUST MEAT!)

Sounds big don’t it? Here’s a little picture to give you an idea of the size of it, which is taller than an iPhone.

Seriously, Andre the Giant needs to two hands to eat this Bun covered Meat Frankenstein!! Was it good? HELL YEAH! The Vortex is not here to play games! Each and every part of the Meat Jenga stack was good on it’s own, especially the Turkey Burger. Yeah, I said that. The Turkey Patty was great. On top of that, or actually below, was a Sirloin Beef Patty cooked to a perfect Medium rare that was bursting with it’s own flavor. While all parts were good, what really set this kitchen sick apart was the Whiskey Pimento Cheese. I don’t know what high temple on which sacred mountain this Burger topping was created in but if I ever meet the Warlock who conjured it, I will definitely buy him a cookie. Put all of that in a soft yet sturdy Sesame Seed Bun that actually holds up to carrying the equivalent of a skyscraper in it and you’ve got some kind of miracle of Food science in your hands.

If you ever thought American Gladiators needed a spin off where they ate the world’s most insane and delicious Burgers where all the Gatorade was replaced with Craft Beer, then you need to go to the Vortex. If you’ve never thought of the above scenario before but are now wishing it was real, please read and follow the instructions in the prior sentence. Did I mention you enter the place by walking through the mouth of a skull?


9 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
537 Burgers

June 18, 2012 – 6:54 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

The Vortex scores a 6 on The Rev Meter.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

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Elixirs and Eats Presents Bacon, Beer, Booze and Burlesque!

Posted on 06/12/2012 by Rev

Elixirs and Eats Presents Bacon, Beer, Booze and Burlesque!

Food Karma Projects in conjunction with Burger Conquest and Thrillist Rewards presents a new series of events made to celebrate libations, consumptions and avocations called Elixirs and Eats. The series will happen monthly and feature a rotating array of Indie Spirits & Wines, Craft Beers and thematic Foods. In addition to the Food & Bev tastings, we’ll also be presentting a different form of entertainment. It’s a post-work, happy hour tasting event series that pays homage to a classic Manhattan cocktail event and up and coming purveyors of fine hootch!

Elixirs and Eats Presents Bacon, Beer, Booze and Burlesque!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Location: Hudson Terrace – 621 West 46th Street New York, NY 10036
Tickets = $49 via Thrillist Rewards

Purchase your tickets by clicking here

Tickets are extremely limited so do not delay.

Spirits Include:

  • Scorpion Mezcal
  • Bardstown Barrel Selections
  • Catoctin Creek Distilling
  • Breckenridge Distillery
  • Templeton Rye
  • Caledonia Spirits
  • Citizen Spirits
  • Philadelphia Distilling
  • Warwick Valley Distillery
  • Denzien Rum
  • Kobrand Select Brand
  • Koval Distillery

7 different bacon dishes including:

  • Slab bacon w/bacon vinaigrette
  • BLT toasts
  • Baked rib bacon slices
  • Bacon wrapped dates
  • Bacon grits on a chinese spoon
  • Bacon chocolate tastes
  • Lucky 777’s Pork Chili
  • Rounded out with tastes of pickles, cheese and more chocolate
and

Craft Beer from Ballast Point Brewery

Proceeds from the event as well as on site donations, will benefit
the Food Bank for New York City.

Purchase your tickets by clicking here

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Big Apple BBQ Block Party – The Best BBQ Porn in NYC

Posted on 06/10/2012 by Rev

Big Apple BBQ
http://www.bigapplebbq.org
Madison Square Park
New York, NY

If you love crowds, people constantly stopping in front of you, slow walkers, being by strollers being pushed by Dad’s distracted by the smell of cooked meat and BBQ, the Big Apple BBQ Block Party is for you! But jokes aside, this is the biggest annual BBQ in Manhattan and one of the best smelling weekends in NYC. The amount of time, effort and money spent on a single $8 dish that you’ll eat in 10 minutes or less deserves some very high praise. Now in it’s 10th year, the Big Apple BBQ Block Party returned with 17 of the most popular pitmasters & sought after BBQ in the country.

Presented by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Events & Blue Smoke and Jazz Standard, the Big Apple BBQ Block Party drew in 125,000 people in 2011 raising $136,000 for the Madison Square Park Conservatory.  It’s one of the best smelling, best tasting and popular food events to happen in NYC. I’ve been in 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011 and could not wait to see what awesome BBQ was coming in for 2012.

The event is incredibly popular, for obvious reasons but some of the wait can be circumvented by purchasing a fast pass. The fast pass grants you access to the VIP lines which are shorter than the free lines but for the most popular spots, like the Salt Lick, the lines can still be quite lengthy. Get there early, bring friends, separate into different lines and bring plasticware to pack up BBQ to go if you truly want the best possible experience.

The event takes place in the beautiful Madison Square Park and offers sites,

a Beer Garden,

Music,

Meat,

Meat,

and more Meat!!!!!

Madison Square Park is also home to the Shake Shack, which has some of the best Burgers in NYC,

but we aren’t going to talk about those at all today.

THE BARBECUE

Ed Mitchell
Pitmaster – Ed Mitchell
Raleigh, NC

The first thing I do when arriving at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party is grab the printed guide. The goal is to search out which new pitmasters and or food is available.  I also scratch off any NYC based BBQ spots because that’s available to me all year round. After a quick read through, my eyes spotted something I’ve never seen before on the menu; All Natural Whole Turkey BBQ. I LOVE BBQ Turkey and to make it well, you have to be an absolute master of the ‘Q. Turkey as a Meat can get dry, really, really quickly but I had faith in Ed Mitchell’s ability to do this one right. I was a little skeptical when I got my sandwich and noticed there was no BBQ sauce on it. One bite confirmed, this was an amazing Sandwich. The truth is, the Turkey did not need any Sauce at all. It was incredibly juicy and full of Turkey flavor. The spicing used was very light, as was the smoke. The taste was all natural, juicy, delicious Turkey, served on a squishy bun. It was a fantastic way to start my BBQ adventure.

Checkered Pig
Pitmaster – Tommy Houston
http://www.checkeredpig.com
Martinsville, VA

I was still starving and excited to eat more BBQ so I jumped in on the tent that had the shortest line. A few minutes later I had a giant tray St. Louis-Style Ribs. I nabbed a seat and popped open the lid to reveal some glistening Ribs smiling at me. The tender Meat must’ve hated being on the bone because it practically jumped into my mouth. One bite practically took off all the Meat. As is traditional with the style, the Tomato based sauce on these Ribs was sweet, a little acidic and sticky. The big difference here, St. Louis-Style Ribs are usually heavily sauced, bot not these ones. The application was very light, giving way to let the meat rule the palette .

Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q
Pitmaster – Drew Robinson
http://www.jimnnicks.com/
Birmingham, AL

The line for Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q at both the 2011 & 2012 Big Apple BBQ Block Parties was extremely long so I was surprised to see only a couple people waiting. People musta been outta their minds because their Sausage, made with 7 different seasonings and 3 different kinds of peppers is freaking awesome. Their stand at the Big Apple BBQ is easily one of the most visually appealing. They have large grate grills out in plain site where they are cooking dozens and dozens of them at a time. I’ve been quoted as saying the Big Apple BBQ Block Party is one of the best smelling weekends of the year and we can all thank Pitmaster Drew Robinson for pulling his weight. The Sausage is really juicy and has a great pepper spiciness that lingers on the mouth. Their Pimento Cheese gets my personal award for best side of the day. The big win today was taking a slice of Sausage and topping with both the Cheese & a Jalapeño on a Cracker.

Scott’s Bar-B-Que
Pitmaster – Rodney Scott
http://thescottsbbq.com
Hemingway, SC

I was full and about to call it a day. That’s when a call, or a text in this case, came in from the sidelines. Josh Ozersky texted me and simply said “Go to Scotts!” I took a lap around the park and made my way over to the stand. Coming in from South Carolina, these guys have been in business for more than 30 years where they serve a Whole Hog that’s smoked for 12 hours before being served along with a side of skins. As I walked by the fleet of Bar-B-Que pits and saw the last of the Hogs being finished up, I instantly knew why Josh was making the suggestion. No sauce, just all natural Whole Hog smoked, pulled and served on a piece of thick White Toast. The Pork has a slight tang, that’s bery easy on the spice. Rodney Scott is clearly a fan of Hog and Smoke because those are the focal points of the dishes flavor. The Pork Cracklins were both crunchy and light and after a bite or two, they completely melted in your mouth. I was really glad I made room to eat it.

I’d like to send out a special thanks to Jee Won Park, Kristine Ku and the entire  Union Square Hospitality Group for not only putting on a great event but hooking up the media pass! Looking forward to a mouth watering 11th year in 2012.

 

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