Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I like Miller's...how about Nathan's?...I've only had their hot dogs from the grocery store...I enjoyed watching 'A Hot Dog Show' on PBS

Great write up! I am a Queens transplant to Boston and I must agree with you on the lack of good dogs, burgers, and pizza. I have yet to find an acceptable dog or slice, but definitely check out the Druid Pub in Somerville for a great burger. Flame grilled and beautifully seasoned, these guys have it down pat. The only thing I would complain about is the bread to meat ratio - the bun is a little fluffy for my liking. However, the patty is simply delicious and I think that you will enjoy it. They also have wonderful hand cut french fries, mmm.

I'm so excited about this, I live right in the West Village and I need to try so many of these places. I've heard the same thing about the Stoned Crow, though, so maybe you should check that out in your next visit.

Also, as a former Boston-ite, have you not had Pizzeria Regina?! It's completely worth the wait! And if you're looking for a great burger in Boston, go to Tim's Tavern on Clarendon between Columbus and Dartmouth. It's a total dive, I think only frequented by hardcore locals, but the burgers are unreal.

Summerfield - Oh yes, Miller's is in the book. I love that place.

Hey All - Kenji and I have made up, so no more nasty blogging please. We are both professionals and shouldn't be taken so seriously in the comments. And are getting a burger together soon (though not a Bistro Burger).

I've posted about this numerous times. Gray's Papaya, Papaya King, most of the "Papaya" knockoffs, and Katz's use the same recipe Sabrett natural casing dog. Gray's and Papaya King use the 10 to a lb, while Katz's uses a slightly larger dog. I know distributors as well as the person in charge of private label at Marathon Enterprises who have confirmed this information. Anyone who says that their dogs are made to a special recipe or "made just for them" is lying.

kenjialtci and kathrynyu, thanks for the info. I'll check out Ed's article. kenjialtci, I have Sabrett's shipped in to me from this link: http://www.pirylis.com/newyorkflavor/index.html
I believe they're on the Jersey side. I order the 5-lb bag of natural casing dogs. It's like having a blue and yellow umbrella cart in my kitchen. By the way, pretty stupendous feat, kenjialtci.

@Summerfield: SE Overlord Ed Levine, writing for the NYT, says they're made by Sabrett's parent company:

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/05/25/dining/25dogs.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I got sidetracked by the photo of the two Gray's Papaya hotdogs. Does anyone know which brand of dogs Gray's serves up?

If this trip were a dream , I don't know if it'd be a fantasy or nightmare...

Nice ambition!

If you hadn't thrown me under the bus I'd probably give you that info. For the Bistro I would suggest going back at a peak time and get your burger to go. There's something about the bistro burger that after a few minutes in a paper bag creates a moist burger experience closer to Five Guys. The burger pictured looked way wrong and nothing like what I've eaten there. Unmelted cheese? You got screwed.

@Hamburger America

Hi George - it's great to get a comment from you. I envy your burger stamina!

I was actually waiting for someone to call me out on the obvious flaw in my comparison (being that I only ate one burger, one time from each place), and I'm glad it's you who did it. My opinions should almost always be ignored anyway.

But even with just one point of reference, I still can't imagine that the burger I had at Corner Bistro could ever be great, even on their best day. There were simply too many fundamental flaws: the beef was flavorless, it was served cold, the salamander wasn't hot enough (resulting in a gray steamed-looking exterior), there was no seasoning, and it was overcooked. I supposed there's the minute possibility that on the day I chose to go there, they didn't get their usual meat delivery, the salamander broke, the regular cook was in the hospital, and they misheard me say medium-rare, but that still leaves no explanation for why it was served so cold that the cheese didn't melt.

Not that I know from experience, but I imagine that it's much like seeing a supermodel the morning after a long night out. She may look bad at the moment, but through it all you can still see that she's a supermodel. With this burger, I simply couldn't see the model through the hangover.

George - a couple quick questions: (approximately) how many other burger joints did you visit in your travels that didn't make it into the book? And also, what's your opinion on broiled vs. grilled or griddled?