As I set out on this journey in late February, I knew I would have to go to some places and keep my mouth and my mind open as I rated their burger on an effective rating scale. This blog, this quest, this entire journey would have absolutely no purpose if I wasn't being honest with myself. And let's all face it: if you say All-American Hamburger Drive In, also known as All-American, has the best hamburger...you are lying to yourself.
After approximately three and one-half minutes of research on Google (a semi-popular search engine), I discovered that All-American was voted best hamburger on Long Island every year since at least 2010. To me, this says a few things...
- Maybe All-American is like a sports team. The sports team is great for a couple of years, and people develop an allegiance to it. Over time, the allegiance becomes so strong that its not the quality that matters anymore, but its the name that allows people to make certain psychological connections. If All-American was a sports team they'd be the 2015 New York Knicks. And no, I'm not being extreme.
- Maybe Long Islanders have never had another hamburger before, and trust me (I've had 14 burgers in 17 days), to vote this the best is a travesty. I take that back...to vote Dairy Queen as the best would be a travesty; this is just upsetting.
- This is why the United States of America has an electoral college. Imagine...if Long Islanders truly think All-American is the best hamburger, would you trust these people to elect a president?!
Don't get me wrong. I'll drive the 45 minutes out of my way to get one of these $3.10 burgers with a vanilla shake, and homemade fries. I've done it before, and I'll do it again, but to rate this the best burger on Long Island is madness.
Located in Massapequa, New York, All-American has been in business since 1963, family owned and operated. From the time the doors open at 10AM (most days), until they close at 10PM, the register line is always crowded with hungry people waiting to order regardless of the time of year, or the weather outside. It is the typical drive-in eatery, being that there is no seating except the seats of your car, or the tailgate of your truck. Let's get to the ratings.
The Beef: Let's take a look at the picture. The beef is a cookie-cutter shaped, perfect circle, that stays in its form even when put on a flat top and grilled. While the beef is not as low of a grade as some fast food chains, it still isn't up to par with your average restaurant. 2 out of 4.
The Bun: The bun was a typical white bread, sesame seed bun, lightly toasted, and sized well to match the burger. There was nothing special about the bun except it contained "Long Island's Best Hamburger". 1 out of 4.
The Beef to Bun Ratio: The ratio saves this burger. The bun, nicely sized, was not too thick, and not too thin. It was almost the perfect sized bun for a quarter pound patty. Every bite of bun, was nicely complemented with equal and necessary proportions of beef. 3 out of 4.
Presentation: Since we're dealing with a drive-in burger joint, all food is wrapped and placed in paper bags. The presentation category includes how well the burger is put together, and how it is served. Since it was served in an aluminum foil pocket, inside a paper bag, the burger will have to lose some points here, but since the toppings were evenly distributed over the burger, and the burger itself was put together nicely (especially for the amount they crank out on a daily basis), this burger gets a 2 out of 4 for presentation.
The Cheese: The cheese was very nicely melted on not one, but two (as in both) sides of the quarter pound patty. Bun. Cheese. Patty. More Cheese. Toppings. Bun. Cheese is a 2 out of 3.
The Sear: The semi-seared burger had some places of a good sear, and some places with no sear at all. This was also evident while eating the burger. Some bites were a lot better than others. The entire burger should have a same consistency. 2 out of 3.
Overall Taste: The burger, topped with ketchup, pickles, onions, and cheese, had an original taste. This original taste and recipe which the restaurant owners have been using since 1963 (without changing), might be that certain taste that so many LI'ers crave and absent-mindedly vote the "best". 2 out of 5.
BBSR: 14 / 27
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