The list is definitely Eurocentric and East Coast-centric. Traveling to either places, there has to be other things to eat that I can’t get at home.
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It would be more interesting to know where these places source their beef from.
I’m skeptical about the claim that NYC is the burger capital of the world. Or even the US.
Hmmm….
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Define “capital”
Most burgers on offing?
Must burgers consumed per capita, or otherwise?
Most different types and varieties of burgers?
Most burgers at all price levels?
Something else?
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You’ve got me. They made the claim with nothing to back it up besides their personal preference, looks like.
One could conceivably argue NYC Is the capital of every food just by sheer volume, I suppose.
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Yeah, I think that was my point.
NYC can’t even lay claim to the birthplace of the burger, as its provenance is quite muddled.
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Nearly all of the list was smashburger style. Which is not my style, sorry.
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I avoid brioche buns for sandwiches. Too sweet. Too soft. They are to please foodies who will chase after mindless food trends, and others who think anything ‘fancy’ must be better.
My guess is that they are easy to produce as well. Unfortunately, they are taking over.
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I get that smashburgers are salty, fatty, and crispy, and really anyone can make a good one. So that’s why they are taking over. Just cover them with enough crap, and then you’ve made it a ‘fancy’ experience as well.
It could be that the people flocking to them have never had a thick, red, juicy burger with a nice char to it.
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Best burgers in Montana? My gut on this, no pun intended, is The Burger Dive in Billings for big juicy thick patties with a wide variety of styles of burger, plus pretty good but not great onion rings. :
My recollection could be skewed because I lived up the hill from that location (before the Burger Dive was a thing, though) at EMC for 2 years and some of my favorite memories are of a seedy little casino/bar around the corner from what is now the Burger Dive.
And I also like Richwines’ Burgerville in Polson for thinner, “like Mom made”, burgers with a little slice of radish on the side and huge huckleberry shakes. It is a family business that has been a Polson landmark forever. Or so it seems.
Huckleberries are wild blueberries, basically, though Montanans will dispute this and make it sound like they are one of a kind native only to a small section of the world. They truly are delicious, and way too expensive.
For small chain drive up cafes, my fave is Frugal’s, with the thinner beef patty, like Mom made type of burger:
But there are big patty style burger places like Nap’s in Hamilton (which is in the Bitterroot Valley, my unrequited love. I could not afford to buy in the Bitterroot so I settled in the Flathead Valley) and slightly thinner patty style at Mark’s in Livingston, both of which make a very good burger. Mark’s is the perfect, to me, retro walk up burger joint.
No seating, but carry it back to your car. Both Livingston and Hamilton are incredibly beautiful towns with great hiking, fishing and hunting nearby.
This is the Nap’s burger with bacon, I cannot remember the name of the burger but it was one of the relatively simple ones. It was pretty good, not great.
For me, the rest are third tier or also rans. Burgertown in Bigfork is a favorite of mine for the small style patty and the huckleberry shake. Since you reminded me I went there again today for a quarterpound cheeseburger and a huckleberry shake.:
Whereas the frequently mentioned Raven in Bigfork/ Woods Bay is best for its lake view, not its large patty show burger or its super slow but friendly service.
Then we get to the college towns of Bozeman/Bozangeles/MSU and Missoula/UM. Montanans take turns deriding these two small cities while rabidly backing their football teams. In just 40 years the “locally famous” Cat/Griz game has gone from being just a university thing to a huge statewide rivalry.
Bozeman has Hail Mary’s, Backcountry and out west of town, Best Burger. I hear all 3 are good, but I do not know them that well.
Missoula has Wally and Buck’s, which I do not know, plus a Frugal’s, like the one I go to and enjoy in Kalispell. I usually eat the broasted chicken at the Double Front when I want fast food in Missoula, even though it takes 30 minutes to arrive, or Tagliare’s for good “Italian” subs, my favorite subs there are the Megadeath Italian or the Cheap Trick Pastrami. Missoula also has a cafe that is famous for a gunfight in Yellowstone, but I can not remember the name.
Whitefish has the much lauded Buffalo Cafe and Helena the Windbag, but I have never been to either.
And then there is another of my favorites for the entire state, even though it is not really a hamburger, except that it is… Imagine a burger, but instead of a burger bun you pound two pieces of Wonder Bread flat, then cut the crusts off them so they are round, put the burger and all the fixin’s on the lower round bread, place the top round bread on and seal the circular edge together with a pressure thingamabob, thereby sealing in ALL of the flavor and juices. That is a King Hat Flying Burger. Odd, but very good. And their fried mushrooms are outstanding.
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I’m just outside Boston in Waltham, MA. My favorite local place closed during the pandemic, Bison County. You could choose between beef, bison, or turkey for your thick, pub style patty and the cheeses on offer were American, Cheddar, or Swiss. Lettuce, tomato, and onion came standard on the side for you to add or not. Bun was a toasted, sesame one. Fries, onion rings, or cole slaw. Pickle spear. I usually got the bison burger with American cheese and the option they had for adding their spinach dip as a topping. Cole slaw was usually my side. The spinach dip gave the whole thing a sort of steakhouse feel.
These days, if I am in a burger mood I’m usually making my own (Gruyere or blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms and shallots, Dijon and a little mayo). Our local Five Guys is pretty good for the thin, fast casual style. Joco’s generally does a good job for a pub style one. But, nothing can touch that memory of Bison County’s. Mine is superlative, but I still have to do the dishes when I’m done.
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I order my burgers well done when I eat them in the States, at a place that would serve them pink.
I guess the way some Ontarian restaurants get around the law is to serve hand chopped or hand minced burgers. The Queen and Beaver used to offer this.
I’ve had food poisoning after undercooked burgers a couple times. The idea of eating pink burgers makes me feel queasy.
To each their own, of course, and enjoy however you like your burgers!
Does this mean no beef tartare in Ontario?
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Well (freshly) made brioche buns add a very enjoyable buttery flavor which often compliments the burger - much better than a regular bun
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Beef tartar is allowed because it’s chopped in house by the restaurant. Beef carpaccio is also allowed.
I think the food safety issue the govt is concerned about is restaurants cooking pre- ground meat, meat that was ground elsewhere, lightly.
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Potato buns have been trendy the last few years, in addition to the brioche buns.
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So theoretically burgers made from meat ground in house would be able to be served at any temp. That makes sense. What they are really doing is removing the risk from industrialized meat production.
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But they are for us not on the same level as brioche buns
But it’s the only way to get good flavor - with well done burger your are losing all the beef flavor and only if you use really high amounts of fat you don’t dry it out
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I have to admit that brioche buns remind me of Hawaiian bread rolls. And Hawaiian bread rolls seem to be less likely to fall apart halfway into eating the sandwich, though that may be because most of the Hawaiian bread rolls I have had were smaller than most of the brioche buns.
Even potato rolls work better for me than brioche buns.
Everyone has their favorites but for me classic white flour buns, sesame seed rolls or potato rolls are the ones that work best for me.
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I find the well-cooked burgers I like flavourful.
I can’t eat pink burgers. I feel sick after I eat pink burgers. It might be in my head. I also am immune compromised and I don’t want to get sick, so I tend to cook most things longer than some people would. I cook my fish to 145 ⁰F and most meat to 165⁰F.
It’s a Your Mileage May Vary situation.
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