Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Okay, I'm going to get reamed for this, but I have to share...

You guys talk about ketchup, mayo, mustard...

When I was a young, hungry and broke (in other words, attending NYU,) it was difficult to be able to afford quality anything, much less a burger. Whenever we heard someone was going out on a date, we would bribe him or her to order extra food and to bring back doggie bags so that we could share (which brings back loving memories of convincing people to go to the Great American Pancake House so they could bring back HUBCAP sized pancakes for the whole dorm to share.)

Since doggies bags didn't stretch to the whole dorm floor very well, a few of us were introduced to a special burger only found at Blimpie's.

Yep, Blimpie's. And I love me a Meridian Burger Shack burger, a Shake Shack burger, etc., but this burger holds a special place in my heart.

It was their sole hot 'wich. A 16oz microwaved slab of what appeared to be greasy Salisbury Steak, 12" hero bread cut in half, 6 slices of Cheddar Cheese (melted at the end) ... but the best part was it's toppings. The "perfect" mix was

Salad oil
Red Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Shredded lettuce
THIN sliced onions

I've tried to make the magic happen at home, but I've never been able to get the same taste. If you get a chance and are in good enough health to want to experiment, give it a shot. Maybe then someone can figure out how to distill the best part of this mess into something I can use with better burgers?

To me a good burger is...
American cheese (NO cheddar)
Mayo
Heintz only ketchup
Bacon (if crisp)
Toasted Bun

Meat should be cooked med - well (the only meat that I eat beyond rarest possible)

PS - Hey Turkishjade, I dont want to hear "NYU" and "Poor" in the same sentence, unless you are an Adjunct prof!