Brooklyn Diner USA
212 West 57th Street
212-977-2280
Most discussions of burger greatness begin and end with the beef: It's chuck vs. round vs. sirloin. Not to mention tenderloin. There's also the fat-to-lean ratio and the grind to consider; the thickness of the patty; when to salt; how long to cook it; and, oh, yes, what to cook it in, on, or over. But a burger at its best is a package deal, also known among coffee-shop habitues as a "deluxe," and the apotheosis of that lavish treatment is the bacon cheeseburger deluxe at Brooklyn Diner USA ($11.95). There, attention is doled out equally among the burger's usually undersung bit players. The juicy beef is freshly ground, the patty loosely packed and nicely caramelized, but the bacon -- three fat slices that haven't been decomposing all day on the grill -- lifts it into a higher dimension of smoky flavor. The melted cheddar is the real thing from Vermont; the pickles are Guss's full sour, from a barrel, not pre-sliced from a can. The whole glorious thing comes together between a properly soft, grill-toasted brioche bun that melds gradually into compliance with the meat. The fries, -- which elsewhere so often seem like an afterthought -- are first-rate, are hand-cut thin and crispy, and, along with frizzy spirals of onion rings, are naturally included in the deal. That's what makes it deluxe.
Click here for Best of New York 2000 Index!


Neil Patrick Harris in Sleep No More

Justin Davidson on Driving in New York
Idris Elba's Day Off
Nitsuh Abebe on the Scissor Sisters
Look Book: Clara Zinovoy, Retiree
Hakkasan Is Ruby Foo’s for Rich People
A Modernist Beach House in Long Beach
Surveying Summer’s Cold-Brew Coffees
Obama’s Senior Strategists on Beating Romney 
Parents of Transgender Kids Face a Tough Decision
A New York Times Whodunit
The Secretive World of Supreme Court Clerks


Join the Discussion
Read All Comments | Add Yours
Recent Comments On This Article