Burger 41: Jimmy Hays' McCluskey's Bar Burger

Let's begin with Jimmy McCluskey.  Jimmy McCluskey was a legend of his time.  He successfully owned and operated McCluskey's, a steakhouse and restaurant, for close to 75 years before he left this world and moved on to another.  Continuing the tradition of a fine food and dining experience, Jimmy McCluskey's grandson, Jimmy Hays, is the proud owner of Jimmy Hays Steakhouse located in Island Park, New York.  Now if you're from far and wide, Jimmy Hays is, as the Sandlot boys would say, "the sultan of swat, the king of crash, the colossus of clout, the great bambino" of steakhouses.

With great power, comes great responsibility (feeling a little high on the movie quotes), and the responsibility to not only have great steaks, but to also have great burgers is a must.  I made the trip to Jimmy Hays and ordered McCluskey's Bar Burger with American cheese.

McCluskey's Bar Burger: Ground porterhouse steak served with lettuce, tomato, and white onion. 

The Beef:  Let me describe this beef for you.  Ordering this burger medium, and as it comes out and is placed in front of you, you notice already that the juices are escaping.  You take the first bite.  The beef cooked on the outer edges, the pink surrounding the majority of the burger and a touch of red in the center was a perfect medium.  The beef itself, the ground porterhouse steak, was absolutely amazing.  Apparently Jimmy himself hand picks the cuts of steaks, which I would assume include the cuts which are to be ground for hamburger meat.  He picked the golden ticket with this one.  4 out of 4.

The Bun:  To be honest, the bun was not anything crazy.  It was bready, and fluffy, and white, and nice, but really didn't jump out in any way.  It was not toasted, which made the aforementioned juices seep into the bread and create a soggy bun on bottom.  Does the bourgeoisie not get their buns toasted? Maybe had I been wearing my burger necktie, they would have toasted my bun.  3 out of 4.

The Beef to Bun Ratio:  As you can see from the picture, the bun is noticeably larger than the patty.  The bun is either too large, or the patty was too small in this situation.  I, personally, thought the patty was the perfect size, so this would make the bun a little too large for the ratio here.  3 out of 4.

Presentation: I wish I had a better picture, but let me describe this experience for you.  Let's call it...eating in the dark.  It was around five o'clock in the evening when I ventured to Jimmy Hays to rate the famous burger.  I walked in and felt as if I had gone blind.  The entire restaurant seemed to be lit by a single candle, and if there was the slightest breeze, that candle would flicker, and be extinguished causing eternal darkness in the entire restaurant.  What is the reasoning behind dimming the lights to the point you cannot see the person across the table from you? I did not understand.  Seriously, this picture was taken with infrared rays just so you could see it.  Maybe it was so I could not tell that my bun was not toasted.  But I could.  So the joke is on you, Jimmy.  The presentation was average.  Burger, Bun, Cheese, toppings, and a small portion of fries on a plate.  3 out of 4.

The Cheese: Wow.  Let's take a look at this cheddar cheese.  It was melted to the point it almost formed a liquid mixture atop my burger.  I have yet to have a cheese melted so perfectly, so gooey, and so delicious on my burger.  Perfect.  3 out of 3.

The Sear:  Obviously there is going to be an excellent sear at a steakhouse where searing steak is their specialty.  They sear that steak on a 900 degree grill like it is their job...well, it is their job.  So when I tell you that everything about this sear was awesome, hands down awesome, it is almost taken for granted.  But really.  The sear on this burger and the tastes accompanied with it deserve a 3 out of 3.

Overall:  Overall, I would have liked to see some more effort with the bun.  Also, I would have like to have something a little more detailed on the plate.  The effort put into presentation was definitely lacking, but then again, if it is too dark to see the plate, maybe it is not their priority.  4 out of 5.

BBSR: 23 / 27

Burger 40: Bungalow West's Buffalo Burger

A couple of years ago, the West End of Long Beach, New York was graced with the opening of The Bungalow West.  After continued success at the original location 3 miles east of here, The Bungalow West opened and began serving a variety of food immediately.  The menu consists of breakfast all day, which is top of the line, and lunch and dinner where you can order anything from tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, to panini sandwiches, protein shakes, and of course, burgers.

The Buffalo Burger: Our beef burgers are 1/2 pound, certified prime beef.  Burger is topped with buffalo sauce and melted bleu cheese.  

The Beef:  They were not joking when they said their beef burgers are 1/2 pound certified prime beef.  A lot of places may say this, and whether or not it be true is one thing.  But taking a bite out of this burger, I can assure you if there was a blue ribbon award from the Burger Bill Committee of One, this beef would be awarded.  The beef was cooked medium, with pinkness on the inside and cooked thoroughly on the outer edges.  The herbs and spices could be seen inside the patty which fell apart in your mouth as you took each bite.  This was, without a doubt (and very surprisingly), the best beef patty I have bitten into so far.  4 out of 4.

The Bun:  Brioche buns are often very dense and contain a lot of bread.  This bun was light and fluffy and did not overpower the sandwich in any way.  The toasted bun gave a nice crunch and a cloud-like softness with each bite.  3 out of 4.

The BTBR: While the bun did not overpower the sandwich, the bun was larger than the patty itself, creating some bites which contained bun and no beef.  For the portions that had equal amounts, it was made up for.  3 out of 4.

The Presentation:  This burger was ordered to go, but even in the to-go dish it was arranged exactly how it would have been on a plate.  Major props for taking time to make a to go order look presentable and not just wrapping it up and throwing it in a bag. 3 out of 4.

The Cheese: The bleu cheese was alright.  I've had better bleu cheeses on this burger quest, and I have definitely had worse cheeses.  So a 2 out of 3 is a fair rating for the fair cheese.

The Sear:  The sear on this burger was an optical illusion, as in, I do not know how they did it.  The inside of the burger fell apart inside your mouth and melted instantly.  The outside contained a firm, crunchy, bite that was present for every bite.  The grill must have been set to 1000 degrees to sear the outside of this burger so well while keeping the inside so tender and juicy.  3 out of 3.

Overall Taste:  Overall, the burger was great.  The buffalo sauce and bleu cheese could have been higher quality, and the bun a little smaller, or maybe a tiny bit more meat to compensate the size of the brioche.  This burger bellies a 4 out of 5 overall.

BBSR: 22 / 27

Burger 39: Michael's Porthole Bacon Cheddar Burger

Michael's Porthole, located in Oceanside, New York has been serving the community for multiple decades.  The restaurant and bar, located on the water, is set back where the average person does not simply drive by this establishment, unless they are lost or looking for it.  For me, I was looking for it.  This seemed like a great stop to pull in to stop number 39 on the quest for the perfect burger.  Was that perfect burger found here? Let's take a look...

Michael's Porthole Bacon Cheddar Burger: 10 oz. burger, topped with bacon and cheddar

(I agree, it is a very detailed description of the burger)

The Beef: The beef was cooked medium and contained some pink, slightly overcooked, in the center of the mass of meat.  The patty was thicker than most, and provided a nice juicy bite with every mastication.  3 out of 4.

The Bun: Just your everyday normal bun, toasted on your everyday normal toaster.  Nothing seriously special about the bun here except its cloud-like softness on the top half.  2 out of 4.

The Beef to Bun Ratio: The BTBR on this burger couldn't get more perfect.  Every bite had the golden ratio of meat to bun.  I guess it takes a 10 ounce patty to accomplish such a feat.  4 out of 4.

The Presentation:  The presentation of the burger was the average restaurant's presentation.  The burger was plated with toppings, fries, and a pickle, neatly and very appetizingly (yes, that is a word).  3 out of 4.

Cheese:  The cheese was perfectly melted, gooey, and dripping when it first came out.  Just your average cheddar cheese, and a little light for a 10 ounce burger.  Maybe melting another slice would give this the go ahead.  2 out of 3.

Sear:  The sear on this burger was great in the places it was great, and not so great in the places it was not so great.  The inconsistent sear balanced out with the capabilities this burger possessed gives the bacon cheddar burger a 2 out of 3.

Overall: One of the things that goes unnoticed about this burger is the bacon is melted into the cheese.  Normally you have a cheeseburger, topped with bacon.  This is an actual bacon cheddar burger.  The bacon and cheddar fuse to become one and form the perfect relationship on top of this ten ounce patty.  3 out of 5.

BBSR: 19 / 27