For years I would end up at steak houses and feel bad about ordering a burger. I would have to argue with my dinner guests about why I was ordering a burger when there were all these great steaks on the menu. And that is precisely why I ordered a burger. Many great restaurants and steak houses grind their own meat and use the uneven ends or cuts that are underweight for the 12 ounce strip or the 8 or 10 oz filet mignon. So all that great meat ends up in the grinder and in my burger.
There are many places in Manhattan to get a great burger and although I don’t consider myself an expert, I recently had the opportunity to have one staying at The Greenporter and dining in la Cuvee. So for tips on where to get some of the best burgers around, check out Darren the Burger Man at dmanburger.wordpress.com for everything you’ll ever need to know about burgers.
Greenporter Burger
Serves 4
10 oz ground chuck
5 oz ground sirloin
5 oz ground filet mignon or flat iron cut (both tender cuts)
At la Cuvee we form the burgers into 10 oz patties and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a dash of salt before putting on the grill. Grilling is my preferred method of cooking such a big burger but a stove top grill pan or griddle make a great burger too. You just need to make sure the pan is very hot so that you get that great crust on the exterior of the burger.
The fixins
We use a brioche bun which is very soft and slightly sweet. We find that dense crusty breads detract from a burger. For our smaller kid’s burger we use a potato bun, also soft and pillowy.
Slice some tomatoes, onion rounds and serve with romaine hearts.
I like my burgers with mustard and a tiny bit of mayo but we also serve the condiments on the side. We also have a spicy Siracha ketchup that’s good on our shoestring fries too. If you want to impress that special someone, there is nothing like a candlelite dinner and a bottle of great red wine to accompany your gourmet burger dinner. Try it this weekend!
Wine: “Oregon Road” red blend from Sherwood House Vineyards, www.sherwoodhousevineyards.com this rich red blend is great for red meat and game and will stand up to a juicy burger.
And if you’re not a beef eater, stay tuned for my posting on alternative burgers: tuna, turkey and vegan.
