for the most part, my burger exposure in the area is a little limited–my long term food companion doesn’t eat beef, pork or lamb and so I tend to tackle red meat items by my lonesome when I get an occasional craving. She did consent to a trip to Five Guys in Burlington last weekend, where my cheeseburger and fries were just fine with a vanilla milkshake after going to HMart and Market Basket. (Also Burlington Wine and Spirits, which is a really great liquor store! I can’t sell this place enough).
But it made me think that maybe it’s time to solicit some burger advice here. I’ve had them at jm Curley’s downtown, and that was excellent–tho that was a while back. Even further back when I lived in Somerville, I’d often go to R. F. O’Sullivan’s where I liked both the fries and the burger. Great laid back atmosphere, too.
If all goes to plan, soon I might be in Boston full time all the week round in the near future. (Wish me luck. I’m sure tired of upstate New York during the week). And I may want to eat a hamburger once in awhile! Would gladly take any advice from anyone who reads this post on burgers in the greater Boston area, from points North to points South. Please let me know your ideas. Thanks!
We had a very valid burger last night at the Druid. Perfectly cooked, some char but not burned, and exactly as ordered, medium-rare. Topped with a tomato, grilled onion, a lettuce mix on a firm bun. Cheddar cheese and/or bacon are available add ons. Fries are hand cut. They serve with a rosemary seasoning herb topping, but I prefer not to get that.
This is a much better burger than Five Guys.
We have found that the burger at Tavern at the End of the World isn’t what it once was. We haven’t been back to the Highland Kitchen in years but the burger used to be good.
EDITED to ADD: Good luck on your chance to change your professional base. Hope you get exactly what you want and need.
I’ve eaten many of the burgers around in search of my favorites - the best I’ve had, though a higher pricepoint, is the Craigie on Main burger. So long as things haven’t changed, it’s not on the menu, but worth getting there early (they do 20 a night) and sitting in the bar area to get it.
My favorite higher-end burger is Alden & Harlow. I’m still boycotting Boston Burger Co because of the frozen fries I saw them using way back when they opened. I don’t have a current low-end favorite since our low-end version is to grill ourselves…
OK, I have not had a burger in Boston in 5 years, but I’ll pipe up anyway. I never let my ignorance stop my mouth (yes, I’m running for president):
My wife and daughter like O’Sullivan.
Sadly, the Shake Shack burgers are beefy, but I don’t eat them any more. My daughter worked for them (Newbury St) for two weeks, and was treated badly. I wrote to Danny Meyer to complain. Emails in the past about partially hand-filled pints of frozen custard, and bone fragments in their burgers were answered impressively quickly. This, more serious complaint, was ignored. So, no, don’t eat there.
this is good intel. I have been thinking maybe of varying my Friday routine (which I’m hoping to stop soon!) from forays into Waltham into forays into Watertown. I’ll take this suggestion under advisement. thanks.
There’s other good stuff at Strip T’s. I’ve been meaning to post about them for a while (under “Usual Suspects” or some such), but sadly my lengua is bigger than my sesos and I eat more than I think. (Bottomline: they’re still quite good, even if not as spectacular as they were when Tim M. was in charge.)
I can’t abide the round burgers at O’Sullivan’s. They taste fine, but when I want a burger, I don’t want a giant meatball. My favorite is the Craigie burger, as well as the Strip T’s. I haven’t had the Alden & Harlow since I usually want to eat other stuff when I’m there. And in the only thing I’d eat there category is the burger at Back Bay Social Club, which is surprisingly good.
I have to agree about not enjoying the round burgers at O’Sullivan’s. The experience in general was really fun, but I much prefer a flatter burger. My husband and I had a similar reaction to the burger at Bronwyn. It was really thick and had a small diameter, and was cooked well past the requested med-rare. Give me a fairly even circular, not spherical, burger charred outside and juicy red inside.
Not a gourmet burger but a lot better than Five Guys is the cheeseburger club at Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown. Cooked to your preference (yay! pink!) with cheese and toast of your choice. If you are not in the mood for fries you can sub a salad and it is above-average: very fresh baby lettuce mix with halved grape tomatoes, sliced cukes, sliced radishes and a pleasant vinaigrette.
We had very good burgers at Red Bird in Waltham tonight. The burgers were juicy and at the requested med-rare. They were topped with gruyere, gouda, arugula, “French” onions (in beef stock and aioli. The accompanying fries were excellent. The brioche bun didn’t hold up towards the end, but it was a satisfying burger overall.
