Burger 20: Burger Shack's The Don Burger

Burger Shack, located in Lynbrook, New York, is a small dine-in or take-out type of restaurant.  Open for a little over two years, this place had people coming and going the entire time I was there.  There are six tables that seat four, and window seating that could seat another three or four people.  I walked into this place and was reminded of why I am doing this quest.  It is small burger joints like this one that leave an impression on me, and show me the type of business I would open given the opportunity.   

The menu is mainly burgers ("Burger Shack"), and also has sections with grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, wings, and an entire array of different fries.  Some burgers are your ordinary burgers, and some are a little bit more...creative.  Burger Shack has the Mac and Cheese Burger, which is fried mac and cheese, topped with nacho cheese.  The Big P Burger is topped with Swiss cheese, pastrami, lettuce, and Russian dressing.  The B.E.C. Burger is a bacon, egg, and cheese AND a burger on the same roll.  And perhaps the most exotic of all...The Adam Bomb.  The Adam Bomb is a bacon, egg, and cheese, served on a glazed donut, with maple syrup.  I will be going back here to try these other items, along with a few grilled cheeses, maybe some wings...I might become a regular at Burger Shack because of the variety of their specific menu. 

The Don Burger: Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Onion Rings, BBQ Sauce, and Ranch Dressing 

The Beef:  The 4 oz. beef patty was well-seasoned and, as advertised, fresh and never frozen.  The patty was very flat, and was almost hidden through all the toppings.  2 out of 4.

The Bun:  The bun may not look like much, but this bun was pretty great.  It was nicely toasted on the inside, and felt like I was biting into a cloud on the outside.  The only thing is the bun was a lot of air, and not much bread (hence ,biting into a cloud).  3 out of 4.

The Beef to Bun Ratio:  The TTBR (Topping to Bun Ratio) was spot on.  So many toppings.  However, with a 4 oz. burger, there was possibly too many toppings, and not enough burger.  The ratio here falls to a 2 out of 4, because of the size of the patty versus the size of the bun. 

The Presentation:  Toppings stacked so high you need a wooden spear to hold it all in place.  The stacking of all these toppings and contained in such a fine manner, gives this burger a 3 out of 4 for presentation.

The Cheese: The cheese was melted everywhere.  I fear the yellow American cheese corners that do not melt, but in this case, the cheese was gooey everywhere.  One slice was more than enough for the 4-ounce patty. 2 out of 3. 

The Sear:  The patty had a nice sear around its edges and a little less seared towards the center of the patty.  2 out of 3. 

Overall Taste:  This burger was a delight to the mouth.  As I said, I would love to go back and try their numerous, creative burgers, but I am glad the man at the counter chose this one for me.  The barbecue sauce and ranch dressing gave some contrasting textures to go with the deep-fried onion rings, and crispy bacon.  Suggestion: Go for the double.  Not because it's bigger, but because it would bring out the burger so much more.  3 out of 5.  

BBSR: 17 / 27

Burger 19: Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Burger

Outback Steakhouse is an Australian-themed casual dining restaurant chain, founded in 1988 in Tampa, Florida.  There are over 1,200 locations in 23 countries.  But why Outback Steakhouse?  Why do I add this restaurant on to my quest for the perfect burger?  There is always a reason for everything I do.  I began the burger quest in fast food chains in my immediate vicinity, then moved up to fast casual restaurants; now I am experiencing the casual restaurant burgers.  I have a list of potential burger spots that are listed as definite pit stops along my journey.  Since some of these stops are steakhouses, I thought I would begin the list of steakhouses in a similar way, and start with the "fast food of steakhouses". 

The Bloomin' Burger is a whopping 78 grams of fat (33 grams saturated fat) and 1,073 calories, cannot compare to the Aussie Cheese Fries that weigh in at 155 grams of fat (55 grams saturated) and 1,743 calories...but don't worry because we ordered those to go with the burger. 

The Bloomin' Burger: Bloomin' Onion petals, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Bloomin' sauce. 

The Beef: The beef was cooked to order, and had a nice pink center.  After biting into this hunk of sodium...I mean beef (but c'mon, 2000 mg?), it had a somewhat pleasant taste.  The burger patty was a pre-formed piece of meat, but we weren't expecting handmade burgers at Outback, were we?   2 out of 4.

The Bun: The bun was toasted nicely, and had a glaze on the outside which really made a nice contrast since you had the crisp on the inside and the chew on the outside.  2 out of 4.

Beef to Bun Ratio:  The beef to bun ratio was disappointing.  The burger did not take up anywhere near the entire bun.  If I only ate bites where the burger was on a bun, and saved the bun that had no burger, I would've had at least one-third of the bun leftover with no meat on it.  My suggestion would be a larger burger, or a smaller bun.  2 out of 4.

Presentation:  This presentation is not going to score well.  I understand Outback's fries are one of the fattiest, worst foods you can eat, but I hate that you are only served a half of a handful on your plate.  At least put on a couple more of those fat sticks to make the plate look nice.  Otherwise it looks like the waiting staff was eating my food before they brought it to my table.  Also, the burger was lopsided and the onion petals were scattered randomly, more to one side than the other.  2 out of 4.

Cheese:  Do you see the corners of the cheese? Is the cheese added at the last second before being brought out? No parts of the two slices of cheese were melted on the burger.  When you see the corners of your typical yellow American cheese, something ain't right.  1 out of 3.

Sear:  The sear on this burger was decent.  It was grilled, not microwaved, and seasoned with 16 different spices in Outback's special blend seasoning.  2 out of 3.

Overall Taste:  What I tasted was the burger, the cheese, the bun, and a little of the onion petals.  The entire Bloomin' Burger concept is a scam.  It's a scam to put the Bloomin' name on yet another menu item, brand it with a reserved rights emblem, and add on 22 more grams of fat just by adding on super-fried onions and Bloomin' sauce.  While these 22 grams of fat are normally delicious on their own, the taste was hidden on this burger.  3 out of 5. 

BBSR:  14 / 27

Burger 18: George Martin Burger Bar Black Jack Burger

The story of the George Martin restaurants is actually quite interesting.  The founder, George Korten, graduated from Cornell University with a degree in hotel administration.  In 1987, he opened his first restaurant in Syosset, New York.  Only two years later, George Martin opened in Rockville Centre, New York, then Nick DiAngelo in Merrick, New York, and Max's Grille & Tavern, also in Rockville Centre.  Korten then completely transformed his idea of a restaurant and opened Grillfire in Hanover, Maryland.  Today, there are four operating Grillfire restaurants, plus four other restaurants owned by Korten.  

The GM Burger Bar concept was developed to serve as a neighborhood casual restaurant.  Currently there is only one, but there are plans to open at least two more in 2015.  

I walked into the burger bar at 3:00PM on a Sunday afternoon.  The place was full.  There is a full service bar and table seating.  On Sundays, there is a bottomless beverage brunch which is why most people were there (at least I think).  Since it was crowded, I decided to get burger number 18 "to-go".  I ordered the Black Jack Burger, and sat down to wait for the 8 ounces of heaven to be prepared.  I decided on this burger because there were no "signature" burgers, or burgers named after the restaurant, so I decided on the first one listed on the menu.  

Black Jack Burger:  8 oz, exclusive blend, candied bacon, pepper jack cheese, black jack sauce, & cherry peppers on brioche roll.  

The Beef: The beef was really well-seasoned, and cooked to amazingness.  After biting into the burger, the ground beef fell apart in my mouth.  Isolating just the beef was difficult to do with all of the different flavors on this burger, but to rate this a 3 out 4 would be debatably underrated.  

The Bun: Usually, I am not a fan of brioche, but this brioche was an exception.  It was not quite as dense and thick as normal brioche rolls, and at this point I may just be trying to see how many times I could say brioche before you realize the over abundance of brioche...or in this case lack thereof, which found that happy medium.  While the top bun would have been rated extremely well, the bottom bun was soaked.  I'm not talking damp, I'm not talking moist, I'm not talking a little burger grease.  I'm talking the chef must have put this bottom bun in the kitchen sink and let the water run over it all night and all through brunch.  It was wet to touch, and made those bites not quite as enjoyable.  2 out of 4.  

The Beef to Bun Ratio:  Putting the wet bun to the side, since this rating is based on the beef-to-bun only, I think this is what you'd call the "golden ratio".  The 8 ounces of pure delicious beef mixed with a perfectly sized brioche roll, made this truly something special.  This burger is well-deserving of the utmost rating.  4 out of 4.  

Presentation: The burger was in an aluminum "to-go" container, yet the presentation was still beautiful.  The cheese was melted nicely over the beef, the bacon swirled around the finely diced cherry peppers, and the lettuce, tomato, and onion (which was there just for show because those went immediately in the garbage, because of all the other toppings) was stacked neatly around the container.  The presentation was a solid 3 out of 4. 

The Cheese: The great proportion of pepper jack cheese was melted perfectly onto my 8 ounces of awesome.  Definitely a far way away from your ordinary yellow American cheese.  3 out of 3.  

The Sear:  The sear around the edges of the burger was decent, but I wouldn't say it was one of the stand out features.  2 out of 3. 

Overall Taste:  Let's take everything into consideration as I relive my ingestion of this savory meal.  Biting into this burger there was the juiciness of the 8 ounces of beef, the sweetness of the candied bacon, the kick of the pepper jack cheese, the heat of the cherry peppers, and the tanginess of the black jack sauce...then, the soggy, wetness of the bun which is responsible for this being a 4 out of 5.  

BBSR:  21 / 27

Burger 17: Shake Shack Shack Burger

From its beginning in 2004, Shake Shack was not originally designed to be a chain restaurant.  Opening in Madison Square Park, in New York City, Shake Shack started out as a kiosk offering a basic menu of burgers, hot dogs, and shakes.  As this location proved to be very successful, the owners saw the market for expansion.  On January 29, 2015 Shake Shack went public and opened at $21 per share.  On the morning of January 30, 2015, the stock had risen to $47 per share.  I did not buy any shares.  Today there are 63 Shake Shacks in business, and I wish I bought equally as many shares.

The Shake Shack I trekked to is in Garden City, New York.  I ordered my Shack Burger, took my "buzzer" (because it's inappropriate to call them "vibrators" judging from the disapproving look on the female cashier when I called it that), and sat down and waited for my food.  After about five or so minutes, my "buzzer" vibrated (because it didn't "buzz"), and I went up to the counter to claim burger number seventeen.  The burger, my drink, and fries all assembled this way and that on a silver metal tray...and I digress.

Let's talk about these metal trays.  BurgerFi uses them.  Burger Bandit uses them.  Shake Shack uses them.  Here's an idea: Maybe Oscar is such a grouch because all of these fast casual places keep cutting his home apart, flattening it down, and serving my food on a former garbage can with a cusped edge.  I don't see the benefit.

And now I return my focus to the Shack Burger.

Shack Burger: two beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Shack Sauce

The Beef: The double beef patty had a tender, juicy taste.  By tender and juicy, I am obviously referring to the grease soaked insides which creates the tenderness.  2 out of 4.

The Bun: It must be a pairing with the metal tray, because every metal tray establishment so far has served their burgers on a plain potato roll, and everyone knows how I feel about those.  They're mush.  I would've stood up and yelled about this "mush" in the middle of Shake Shack, but then my sled dogs would have thought I wanted to go and they would have taken me straight out of there (mush?).  1 out of 4.

The Beef to Bun Ratio: With all the aforementioned mush, it made the beef very outstanding on this sandwich.  It's the one good thing about potato rolls, they bump up your beef to bun ratio a considerable amount.  3 out of 4.

Presentation:  I visited this venue at a slow hour (meaning there were only a few tables available instead of a line out the door).  So when I got my burger, and my lettuce and tomato weren't even on the burger but playing hide and seek in the wax paper wrapping, I was confused.  The assembly man must have been trying to break the world record for fastest assembly, even though it wasn't really quite assembled.  2 out of 4.

The Cheese: The perfectly melted yellow cheese engulfed the burger patties and there wasn't a single section that wasn't ooey, gooey, and delightful (in that order with the Oxford comma). 2 out of 3.

The Sear:  The sear was consistent around the edges but lost its kick in the middle, where it faded to the brownish meat, that doesn't look near as appetizing as the seared meat.  I suppose that is what the bun is for. 2 out of 3.

Overall Taste: Between the Shack Sauce, American cheese, and beef, biting into this burger again and again was enjoyable.  I wish the potato roll would have been toasted, or completely replaced with a different kind of roll...especially when you're selling these little guys for $7.35 a pop.  3 out of 5.

BBSR: 15 / 27

Burger 16: Burger Bandit's Original Bandit Double

Burger Bandit opened in late February 2015 in Lynbrook, New York.  Established by Jonathan Cheban, a former Hofstra student, but more famously known as being very good friends with Kim Kardashian, the burger store has been his dream since college.  Cheban likes to think of himself as a self-made foodie, and more importantly, an "expert" on burgers. 

This excerpt was taken from a Newsday article written in February 2015...
" “I don’t like them so big that everything falls out of the bun,” he said. “I don’t like those brioche buns — too much bun. I don’t like all those different kinds of cheeses. I don’t like it when the burgers are rock-hard; I like them mushy and delicious.” "

While some of these points are agreeable, does this really sound like it is coming from an expert on burgers? I don't think so.  Especially when the burger, or lack thereof, only ranked in at a 14 on the BBSR.  If you are looking to have a bite to eat, and that's about all...a bite...then this place is great.  I'll explain why...

Original Bandit Double: 2 beef patties, lettuce, tomato, Bandit sauce, pickles, and cheese, on a potato roll. 

The Beef:  The two beef patties were smaller than small.  I felt like even with the double patty, this would still be valued as a large slider, at best.  The beef was okay.  Soaked in grease and hard on the edges, there was nothing spectacular about this beef.  Cheban says in the Newsday article that he doesn't like burgers so big that they fall out of the bun, so he definitely found a solution to that by placing barely 3 ounces of meat on a potato roll. 2 out of 4.

The Bun:  Cheban says he doesn't "like those brioche buns - too much bun."  I agree with Cheban on this, but how can you say that your choice bun is a potato roll that hasn't even been toasted?  You take a bite of a potato roll and in your mouth is instant mush.  Remember, this guy claims to be an expert on burgers.  1 out of 4.

The Beef to Bun Ratio: The ratio on this burger was good.  That's because between the mini potato roll that instantly turned to mush in your mouth and the small amount of meat, the meat took a prominent role in the two-and-a-half-bite burger.  The ratio (while it lasted) was a 3 out of 4.

The Presentation:  After saying that I was going to stay and eat, they still insisted on wrapping my burger in paper like I was taking it to go.  But the toppings and the look on the metal tray (very BurgerFi-ish), gives their presentation a 2 out of 4. 

The Cheese:  Stating that you don't like "all those different kinds of cheeses" is only saying one thing.  You have no creativity in making original burgers.  What exactly makes the Original Bandit burger original? Is it the Bandit sauce (that I would be willing to bet is the same recipe as BurgerFi sauce, Joe sauce, Mac sauce, etc.)?  "All those different kinds of cheeses" are what separates your burger from the rest.  If you want to use basic yellow cheese on your burger, half-melted, don't expect a rating any higher than a 1 out of 3.

The Sear:  The semi-seared burgers were obviously cooked on a flat top (you can watch them grill the burgers from the counter).  The sear was decent, and made a nice contrast between inner- and outer-beef.  2 out of 3. 

Overall Taste: The overall taste of this burger was good.  It was below great, but above fair.  $5.00 for a couple bites was a lot of money to pay for this burger.  If I was actually having a meal here, I would suggest four double cheeseburgers, and fries to attempt to fill you up.  But that might mean you'd have to take out a second mortgage on your home.  I can't complain about the size, because ultimately, its burgers of this size which will keep me alive and my arterial walls intact while completing my journey of 100 burgers...but seriously, these burgers need to be a little more Kim-sized, or a little less pricey. 3 out of 5.

BBSR: 14 / 27 

Burger 15: Checkers/Rally's Big Buford

Checkers and Rally's began as two separate entities.  Checkers was founded in Mobile, Alabama in 1985 by Jim Mattei.  Rally's was founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1986 by CKE Restaurants (same company that operates Carl's Jr. and Hardee's).  It was until a merger in 1999 when Checkers and Rally's conformed their look to fit one another.  Except for the name, the two restaurants now look almost identical, and there are over 800 restaurants operating in the United States.

If you haven't heard of Checkers/Rally's it's time you do.  I suggest taking a trip for the fries alone.  No fast food restaurant I have been to sells fries that are so completely and utterly delicious, it is impossible to just get a small or medium order.  If America wasn't so fat and had to disgrace us by eliminating the XL size option from menus across the country I would go for that size.  Instead...I just buy two larges and call it a day.

Side Note: Checkers restaurants are known for their double drive-thru. This means if you are somewhat absent minded, like me, and go through the lane with the window on the passenger side of the vehicle, and you are alone in the car, you are going to have to do some serious leaning to get your food.  I took off the seatbelt, put one leg over the e-brake, reached as far as I could (as did the drive-thru guy through the window), and we performed a fast food version of the True Lies scene where Arnold is holding Jamie Lee by his fingertips outside the helicopter.

Big Buford: I don't know who or what Buford is but it sure is Big. Two big beefy patties, two slices of cheese, generous amounts of lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onions, ketchup, and mayo, all on a toasted bun, makes a burger so large I actually had a difficult time putting my mouth around it. 

The Beef: The beef was a fast food beef, but very thick and very juicy. It tasted like it was chargrilled as opposed to the standard microwaved beef taste. Checkers does beef the way fast food should do beef...slightly better than failing. 2 out of 4. 

The Bun: The bun wasn't your standard sesame seed bun. This bun was toasted. Actually toasted. This bun was bready and not that standard "bite into and turn to mush" fast food bun. This bun was a 2 out of 4. 

The Beef to Bun Ratio: Remember when I said I couldn't put my mouth around this burger? Partly due to the toppings, largely due to the two meaty beef patties underneath all those toppings, this burger had enough meat to finish and feel a sense of accomplishment after. As I sat in my car thinking about what I just ate, this burger had my blood and my mind at a standstill. Enough beef for a 3 out of 4 on the BTBR. 

Presentation: Wrapped in foil and placed in a bag, there's not much presentation here. But the ability to stack everything but the kitchen sink into this bun was impressive in itself. 2 out of 4. 

The Cheese: Checkers uses a standard typical yellow cheese that does not quite melt (because let's face it, you're going to need something more than a hot burger to melt plastic). 1 out of 3. 

The Sear: I looked at the patties and each patty looked as if it had been grilled and seared to a pretty good chargrill for a fast food burger. 2 out of 3. 

Overall Taste: I ordered the Big Buford which is enough calories and saturated fat (happiness) for me to take on by itself.  But the drive-thru guy decided it was a great idea to add bacon to this sandwich and charge me 0.79 cents extra for it. Well this is what I have to say about that: I hope he gets employee of the month because that is some initiative to assume I want bacon on my burger. Overall the tastes mixed well, the abundance of meat and toppings tally up to a 3 out of 5. 

BBSR: 15 / 27

Burger 14: The Good Life's Good Life Burger

The Good Life, located in Massapequa Park, New York, opened its doors in 2010.  The English themed pub and restaurant, with an American spin on its dishes, features an old style British telephone booth as the entrance.  Upon entering there is a bar and a dining room located up a half-flight of stairs.  I climbed these stairs not knowing what I was about to bite into.  Also, climbing these stairs reminded me of how great of an impact these burgers are having on me.  The waitress placed two menus in front of us, but let's face it.  I already visited the website, I already viewed the menu, and I already knew exactly what I was going to get before I even got into my car to travel here...


The Good Life Burger: Gruyere Cheese, Blue Cheese Fondue, Bacon Jam.

The Beef:  The beef was a freshly formed, thick and juicy, serving of beef.  It was very well-seasoned, and cooked to order.  3 out of 4. 

The Bun:  The bun was gigantic to the eye.  The top bun was of normal proportions, then looking at the bottom bun, it seemed as if its purpose was to put this almighty burger up on a pedestal.  And that's exactly what this burger deserved.  The bottom bun was over an inch thick! Between the toasted insides, and the smooth glaze on the outside, this was an all-around delicious bun. 3 out of 4. 

The Beef to Bun Ratio:  Remember how I said this bun was gigantic to the eye? This burger-holding-pedestal was there just for show.  As soon as the top bun was placed over the burger, and bitten into, the bun immediately shrunk down to normal size.  Unlike normal brioche buns, which are thick and dense throughout, this was light and airy.  Therefore, the beef to bun ratio was a great proportion of beef to bun.  3 out of 4.  

The Presentation:  Served with sweet potato tater tots, a pickle spear, and a side of ketchup and mustard, the finely topped burger sat on my plate staring at me.  The kitchen definitely took the time to prepare this burger and top it to the best of their ability.  Between the gruyere cheese, blue cheese, bacon jam, and finely sprinkled scallion garnish, this presentation is worthy of a 3 out of 4. 

The Cheese:  The cheese was very prominent in this burger.  The explosion of the blue cheese mixed with the creaminess, and sweetness of the gruyere cheese was an excellent mixture.  The cheese would rank in on a 2 out 3.  

The Sear:  I would like to take a moment to congratulate The Good Life for obtaining the first perfect rating on any part of the BBSR rubric.  This sear could not have been better.  After peeking at this beef patty under the bottom bun, the entire burger was perfectly cooked and seasoned on the outside, creating a distinct and delicious taste upon taking each bite.  3 out of 3.

Overall Taste:  The combination of cheeses, the hint of bacon jam (which wasn't overpowering the burger as bacon sometimes does), the generous portion of beef, the toasted fluffy bun, all combine for a well-deserved 4 out of 5 rating.  

BBSR: 21 / 27