@P_Monk_Key Seriously?
@NYC Food Guy We pay for all of the food we review at Serious Eats. There are no behind the scenes photos. City Hall has an open kitchen of sorts - the burger on the grill images were taken from the dining room as was the the pictures of Chef Meer who was working the pass that night. He had no idea I was coming (to be honest I am not sure he even knows what AHT is) and I had already eaten the burger when I took the pictures of the him and the grill.
Thanks so much for the kind words everyone (even Simon) I look forward to my return and am bracing for the nitpicking (nickpicking?)
Photo credit should read: Nick Solares
@rsurfer I think you will find that the common consensus around SE writers and indeed amongst NYC steak lovers is that Keen's is an EXCELLENT steakhouse. One of the best in the city, which is to say one of the best in the world. If your statement about the only good thing there being the steak I think that that is all that is required of a steakhouse. But I think that the sides and the service at Keen's are generally much better than adequate. I had a chuckle when you mentioned Luger's as you will hear often hear the same complaint about them.
@Fallopian Tube What is fabricated at about the story? The burger is available for sale at B&B. I am sure that Capon will be very upset that an internet troll doesn't respect him.
@jakethemate I assure you there was nothing unintentional about my choice of words.
@zedmund It really is.
@amusebouche1 You will have to wait for out yearly roundup in December.
@JohnNOLA The burger is about a great many things. The purist, minimal burger you describe is almost precisely (I prefer a griddle over a grill) what I recommended in my review.
@SeriousB Thanks, I didn't think that too many people would notice a comment on an old post.
@sarar Sorry, I should have mentioned that I will be reviewing B&B next week and will cover the White Truffle burger and the more affordable options as well.
@gargupie Salted but under dressed.Didn't get to the crostini.
@chiffonte No one is denying that we have always had plenty of Italian restaurants in NYC. But in the last few years Eataly, 'intoteca, SD26, A Voce and Bar Stuzz have all opened within a few blocks of each other (that is what I meant when I said "local") That is significant. A few years ago the only lines in the vicinity were for burgers at Shake Shack, now there are lines outside of Eataly.
@carreet The pizza I had was very far from the "great" that you describe. I will agree that it is a work in progress. I can't recommend L'asso simply because it is the only game in town or because 2 $16 pies are enough for 6 people. I agree that is more interesting than doing another thin crust pie, but that doesn't excuse the execution.
@Prairie You would be disappointed. A picture may be worth a thousand words but it won't tell you how something tastes.
@ Seriousb: It is grated ricotta salata, there was mozzarella underneath (although not nearly enough) I don't think it was a mistake as their website has an image of the pie with the shredded cheese on top.
@piztaster The burger contains pork which is the reason they only serve it cooked through.
@gargupie yes, a decent sized basket of fresh tasting white rolls and an excellent raisin crisp bread was provided. Jackets required (but not ties)
@bronsonman You certainly have a lot of rules. Is there anything else we should be banned from photographing? How about buildings or people or animals or sunsets? What exactly is disgusting about photographing food? Who says that those that photograph their food are not enjoying it? And what exactly constitutes "taking it to far"? Earth to bronsonman - you are on a FOOD BLOG. What do you expect to find here??? Or perhaps more saliently - what are you doing here?
@SeriousB/AK It isn't the narrow DOF or the lack of flash, both of these are attainable with digital. Infact one could argue that digital has exceeded film in low light capability. My Nikon D700 for example has usable ISO up to 6400 and with a 50mm f1.2 lens I can get incredibly narrow DOF in very low light. The new D3S reportedly goes up ISO 128,000! (Canon's offerings are, I am sure, comparable although I am not familiar with their line) But what separates digital from film in my eyes is what Norman alludes to - color rendition and saturation. There is a vividness and a three dimensionality that I see in film that is not entirely present in digital.
Of course digital has come a long way and from a pro's perspective (especially for sports shooters and news photographers) the convenience and the cost and time savings tend to out weigh the aesthetic consideration.
Check this article out for more on the technical differences:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/filmdig.htm
@tomk2 Because that burger was ordered a la carte with toppings added, rather than ordering the Americana which comes with cheese.
@foodinmouth I am in the quality over quantity camp. Other than that I couldn't care less about the petty feuds between TV personalities whose shows I don't watch.
@rcrocco When you ordered your burger and you were asked how you wanted it what did you reply? Rare, medium rare, well done perhaps? I am assuming that you didn't want it cooked all the way through. So instead of complaining about it afterwords on a blog, why didn't you simply take it back to the counter and request a new one or a refund?
Line cooks make mistakes, I noted that in my review when the second burger I had was cooked longer than ordered. But I found the meat to still be juicy even cooked beyond medium. I have a hard time believing that your burger really had the consistency of shoe leather.
As for your charge that the review was paid for by the owners - do you honestly think we need to do that here?
@DavidPD & Pizzablogger I still have the D700 but these days I mostly use a manual focus 50mm f1.2 nikkor lens. Also I replaced the Panasonic GF1 with the G2 (but kept the 20mm lens)
@gustoct, exflexitarian & Simon I think Gotham is a generally excellent restaurant and perhaps the review came off more negatively than I intended. The steak was disappointing but nothing else about the meal was. I will give it another try in the fall.
@Simon I did adjust the white balance which may have skewed the color somewhat, the camera I shot with (a Panasonic G2) has some WB issues that I haven't come fully to terms with.
But also hanger steak, which is located close to the heart of the steer, is saturated with more blood than other steaks so it will often appear rarer than it might be. Rather than the red and pink color you might look for in say a filet mignon, in my experience a rare hanger steak is often closer to purple.
I didn't send it back because hanger is one of the few steaks that I don't mind eating at medium. Also, I wasn't so impressed by the meat and was pressed for time.
The alternative was a Scottish salmon or a lamb loin from the farmers market.
@gargupie Bread service was provided and was very good, although restricted to a simple white roll. No a la carte and the dessert options are listed on a separate tap room menu:
In my defense I did try to make it to Dyer's but that ended up being late Saturday night after eating at about 6 BBQ restaurants during the course of the day - there was a long security line just to get on to Beale Street and the places was so crowded anyway that I just went back to the Peabody were I stayed. Huey's looked rather uninteresting despite claiming the best burger in town.
Nick Solares hasn't written a post yet.
[Photograph: jerakeen on Flickr] I like the full English breakfast, and I like pizza, but I'm not sure if I'd want to combine the two. Sure, this photo was uploaded to Flickr in 2005, but it's new to me. I just found it on oddee.com's roundup of "the 13 weirdest pizzas." Also in weird-pizza roundup posts, Urlesque does a "Pizza Is Crazy in Asia" video perp walk. But, hey, faithful Slice readers, you already knew that.... More
[Photograph: Robyn Lee] Lauren Vernet of the University of Bristol is known for having a "perfect palate for tasting meat." In this feature at The Independent, Kate Hilpern does a steak tasting with Vernet to learn about their different flavors (mushroom, malt, sour milk, and more) while getting Vernet's insight on how maturation period, breed, sex, and feed affect the flavor of beef. What's the best kind of beef? Vernet says it's based on individual preference: "Provided it's good-quality well-reared beef, you can't (as some butchers and chefs do) say one type is categorically better than another." He does say that a good steak should give three to four chews per mouthful: "You chew beef at the back of... More
Here's a list of all the burger styles we could think of--fast-food, fast-food style, sliders, mini burgers (yes, there's a distinction between diminutive burgers), steakhouse, fancypants, and many, many more. More
AHT's Tri-State correspondent Nick Solares has done an amazing job covering the (unfortunately) declining state of long-established slider joints in Northern New Jersey. In his guide to 11 slider destinations, read about the ones he's tried, plus a few places... More
Past Weeks' Dogs The Philly ComboTijuana DogsFlo's Hot Dogs, Cape Neddick, Maine The first, possibly most important thing to note about Texas Weiners is that they have absolutely nothing to do with Texas. Originating in Paterson, New Jersey, at Greek-owned hot dog restaurants, a Texas Weiner is deep fried and served with Greek sauce--a smooth, slow cooked meat sauce spiced with cayenne, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and cumin. It's more of a Greek Bolognese or Saltsa Kima than anything resembling Texas Chili. Legend has it the recipe is a closely guarded secret to this day. A Texas Weiner "all the way" includes mustard and diced onions. Texas Weiners also spread to Philadelphia and across Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania, where they... More
If I had to choose one final beefsteak dinner it would be the prime rib at Smith and Wollensky, a cut that I have been enjoying since moving to New York City in the mid 1980s. More
Yoshinobu Maruyama emigrated from his native Japan to the United States over three decades ago. After many years of work as a restaurant consultant and international trader he decided it was time to introduce shabu shabu to America. In Japanese, "shabu shabu" literally translates to "swish swish" and refers to the technique employed in preparing the dish. You take razor thin slices of beef and submerge them into a pot of boiling water—it cooks almost instantly. The beef is accompanied by an assortment of vegetables, noodles, and tofu that are also cooked in the water and served over rice. While some say the dish originated with Genghis Khan, it appeared in Maruyama's native Osaka in the early 20th century.... More
"Clarified butter is drizzled on top of the patty and copious amounts of salt and pepper are added throughout the cooking process. This is one pampered burger." In the months before Minetta Tavern re-opened under the auspices of Keith Mcnally... More
A few years ago I would have said that it was not possible but these days there is a paradigm shift occurring in high-end beef in New York City—an extraordinary cut of beef is being offered in three avant-garde but very different restaurants in the city: Tom Collichio’s Craft, David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar and Resto (with new chef Bobby Helen) collectively pose a serious challenge to the hegemony of the chophouse. More
Shopsin's General Store Stall 16, Essex Street Market, 120 Essex Street, New York NY 10002 (b/n Delancey Street and Rivington Street; map); 212-924-5160; shopsins.com The Short Order: The sliders remain excellent, but the reworked burger using "Big Marty" buns... More
Editor's note: Our man-in-burgers Nick Solares turns out to have a nose and a palate for things other than beef. He frequently eats out in serious, somewhat pricey restaurants, so we figured we'd let him out of his burger cage... More
Gourmet Burger Kitchen St. Pauls, Unit 4, Condor House, St Pauls, London, EC4M 8AL; map); (020) 7248 9199; gbkinfo.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Inconsistent but potentially decent burger using fresh ingredients and grass fed beef. Want Fries with... More
@sabuscott No one mentions that you could start a grease fire at your table because you can't.