TABLE FOR ONE: FIVE NAPKIN BURGER

Last week I decided to try a new "burger" spot that opened up in Hells Kitchen called Five Napkin Burger. This spot comes to us from Restaurateur Simon Oren who has a nice pedigree of restaurants (Nice Matin, Marseille, Nizza, etc.), so I looked forward to trying his new "burger" spot and to see if it competes with the best burgers in NYC.

The place is large and open and there is plenty of room. I liked the design of the space (it used to be the restaurant Jezebel). I ordered the Bacon-Cheddar Burger ($14.95). The burger was very big (10oz), thick, and juicy and came with lettuce and tomato. Overall I thought it was a good burger.

Unfortunately, it came with fries that were cold. Now, the restaurant had only been open for around a week, so I guess the kitchen still has some kinks, but if you are going to highlight your burger in the name of your restaurant, you better get the fries right too! Had the fries been warm I probably would have thought they were good, but to serve cold fries is a huge error, and I do hope they fix that mistake.

Also, there is sushi on the menu! Some people might think of this as a nice option, I personally think the restaurant might have an identity issue. I didn't try the sushi, so it might be good. But I'm not going back until they heat up their fries.

Five Napkin Burger
630 Ninth Avenue (at 45th Street)
New York, NY 10036

JG MELON

Last night my roommate and I decided to grab a burger at JG Melon on the Upper East Side. I have heard from different people that the burger at JG Melon was one of the best in NYC and I was excited to try it out.

When you think of great burgers in NYC, such destinations that come to mind are Corner Bistro, Burger Joint, and PG Clarkes, to name a few that are always in many people's "Top Burgers List". The burger that has stood out to me so far as being the best I've had, has come from Blue Smoke, Danny Meyer's barbecue joint on 27th street, off Park Avenue South. 

After a thirty minute wait we were seated at one of the front tables by the bar. I first ordered a cup of chili with cheese and onions ($5.75) I would never had ordered chili, but my good friend recommended it, saying that it would be good to dip their cottage fries in. Now, I'm no chili connoisseur, but I will say that it was one of the best cups of chili I have ever had. There was a big sweetness to it that I really enjoyed. 

Then came what we were all waiting for: the Bacon Cheeseburger ($9) It was nice and thick, but not overly big. The bacon was crisp and the bun was lightly toasted, just the way I like it. On the side of the plate came onions and pickles and I added a bit to give it some crunch. After adding some ketchup I took one bite and was pleased. Very pleased. This was a great burger. It was nice and juicy and perfectly cooked medium. Our cottage fries ($3.75) came out at the same time, but I couldn't really bother with them, for I was enjoying the burger too much. I downed the burger pretty quickly and moved to the fries. They were a tad dry and definitely needed some seasoning, so I added some pepper. I took my friend's recommendation and dipped them into the chili which was fine. But the real star of this meal was of course that burger.

Does JG Melon have the best burger in NYC? That is hard to say. Obviously it is all subjective and there is no one answer. From what I can remember, I think Blue Smoke's burger was a tad juicier, but I haven't had it in a while. Will I be coming back to have another one of JG Melon's burgers soon? Yes. So for one of New York City's top burgers, JG Melon's is a great destination.

JG Melon
1291 3rd Ave (at 74th St.)

New York, NY 10021