Secret Burger

After hearing about the "hidden" burger joint in the lobby of the Parker Meridien Hotel, I had to check it out. It really was exactly as it was described to me: walk through a fancy hotel lobby, until you see dark hallway behind the check-in desk, lit only by a little neon sign in the shape of a burger. At the end of the hall you're greeted by a little room completely incongruous with the building it's set in: straight up burger bar, complete with booths, stools and writing all over the wooden walls. There's a handwritten sign giving your instructions ("Know what you want to order or go the end of the line!" kind of stuff.) I joined the queue, which went from the middle of the back wall to the entranceway, and took only a few minutes to order: cheeseburger, medium rare, with everything hold the onions, and fries ($12). I stood around in a very small space for a few minutes more until the cook yells my name, and proceeded to find a stool at a little bar sandwiched between a family from San Francisco and a Korean tourist couple. I think this place is in the guide books, but who cares?

It tastes better than it looks.

Blame my photography skills.

The construction reminded me a bit of In'n'Out, and the way the condiments mixed was also reminiscent of In'n'Out's "sauce." However the patty was much more substantial, and amazingly managed to be thick without being to ball-shaped which meant that it was easy to eat. I find that some "gourmet" burger types like to do a huge thick patty but do not consider how the customer is actually supposed to eat it: in particular the middle is super thick, but tapers quickly to the outside, not to mention as a result it is too small for the bun. Not so at this burger joint. To top it off, the burger was exactly medium rare, and managed to have substantial charring on the outside, so thumbs up all around. The fries were skinny McD-type frozen fries; edible, but nothing to write home about (yet here I am).

Having just tried Shake Shack I think I'm not 100% sold on the Parker-Meridien burger joint, but I sure wouldn't discount it if I were hungry mid-town.