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it's restaurant conglomerate versus restaurant conglomerate here; i can't imagine a burger from the same people as blue water grill would be any good but . . . . i want some of those veggie fries!

If you haven't already left NYC, I recommend a place called Italia Pizza in the Bensonhurst/Gravesend area of Brooklyn. Like Di Fara, it is located on a street corner, but obviously not the same one. It's a family owned shop. Their ovens are made of steel as well. That's where the similarities end though. At Di Fara's, Dom is the only one making the pies. Not the case here, but it is still a great slice. Nor, do they finish the pie with fresh basil, oil, or more cheese. While Di Fara's looks like a hole in the wall pizza joint, the decor at Italia is much more modern and updated. You can get a regular slice, along with both, Sicilian and grandma slices. If I remember correctly, their hours are from 11/11:30AM to the earliest closing around 10PM.
If you're willing to trek out there, this place is on Kings Highway and West 6TH Street. To get there, you take the N train to Kings Highway in Brooklyn. If you are coming in from Manhattan, you would have to be in, or near the last car. From there, once you are out of the station, make a right, that corner would be Kings Highway and West 7TH Street. Walk down one more block, and you will find yourself on the diagonal corner of the restaurant. Their Sicilian slices are good, but grandma slices are phenomenal, if you like thin, crispy crusts for your slices. I usually get the grandma slices for $2.50.
Other than Di Fara's, that is the only pizzeria I would go out of my way for.

At Bill's Burger, the Fat Cat was a wonderful thing, due in part to the carmelized onions. However, its still the meat that shone through brightest, and for that, Bill's Burger is less deserving of any accolades than those mad meat scientists downtown. Asside from those carmelized onions, my burger sported a seasame bun (I custom ordered this but maybe I should try it as is with the english muffin next time) and American cheese. Clearly, this isn't the most brilliant example of a LaFrieda burger. I'm not saying simple is bad. All I'm saying is, true praise is deserved only when you take a fundamentally great ingredient and make it greater through your own ingenuity. And that is why Shake Shack wins. Meyer's Shack sauce is a maddening addition to the meat that mystifies and excites (Direct quote from the gf trying her first Shack burger: "Yo, why is this so good?! Like seriously... why!?"). Bill's is a little more straighforward. Also, I prefer the way Shack griddles the patties, not smashing them as severely as they do at Bill's, where a juicy medium rare is unattainable because the meat is pressed so thin. The upshot is, I'm nitpicking, and really, I loved Bill's burger. But unlike you, Ed, choosing between Shack and Bill is not like choosing between two of my equally loved children. It's like choosing between two of my children, one of whom is uglier and less intelligent. (I'm jk, I don't have children and I wouldn't, at least I don't think I would, love an uglier child less)

Ed, you need to get somewhere to try a Smashburger. I would love, love, love to know how they compare in the field of smashed burgers.

To my the Shake Shack hamburger is TOTALLY overated. If it had been good the long line was worth it - but to me it was a simple nothing special hamburger. It didn't break my tooth but I also say never again.
Thank you for your excellent write ups anyhow.

wnet to Shake Shack for the first time and promptly bit into a bone that almost broke my molar. NEVER AGAIN!

I can't wait to try RUB's burger. I'm not a fan of bbq, but I do love a good burger.

Nice write up. I love the shake shack burger. I have yet to have a burger at Rub though and I've never been to Bill's... on the list now!

I saw Alan Richman's review. I don't think he understands the potential appeal of a thin, crisp, smashed burger. Clearly the burgers he ate at Bill's were not juicy at all. One problem at Bill's that perhaps I should have written about is that nobody at the restaurant wants to tell you that when you order a burger you can ask for it extra juicy. When I asked the chef, Paul Sale, about that he explained that the difference between extra juicy and regular at Bill's is about 10 seconds on its super-hot griddle. Extra juicy just means there will be some visibly pink meat in the burger. Maybe I will see if Alan will go with me to Bill's and have an extra juicy burger.

I think Bill's serves a nice burger, significantly better than average and worth trying. I think however, that certain burger pundits have gotten carried away by claiming that its special -- much less the best burger in New York (which seems to me a wildly unsubstantiated claim).

I enjoyed the Fat Cat at Bill's, as the fried onions make up for the overcooked burger. I thought though that the Bobcat was much less sucessful, as the more austere toppings made me wish for a juicier patty.

I think that the smashed burger "trend" is a media created invention planted by the PR people at BR Guest. I don't think that the smashedness of the Shake Shack burger is in any way its most salient defining charactaristic, and it is only through use of this false construct that Bill's can be compared to the Shack Burger.

While I think Bill's is worth a visit, I think that smashed and overcooked burgers are a retrograde step, that should not be glorified. Bill's serves a nice burger, but let's not get carried away.

I guess Alan Richman dosen't share everybody's love of the Bill Burger. Don't have the link but it can be found on GQ. Ed, What do you think of his review?

Bouchon For 2 - Mel
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