Back in March, during National Hamburger Day, or Week, or Month (I had no idea it was a “thing”) Groupon featured a ton of burger joints — sadly not the Burger Joint — offering half-price certificates, and I scooped up a bunch. Only one restaurant was in my area, so of course I snatched up that deal.
Burger Zone opened last September, to no fanfare. Why they decided to open on Second Avenue, just a horrible place to own a business right now thanks to the current subway construction, is a mystery to me. But there they are, four tables, a small counter in the window, and seating for perhaps a dozen.
The menu offers a wide range of burgers and chicken dishes, and with just two obvious misspellings. I always wonder if the business still pays full price when that happens.
There will not be any pork products available, however. And no cheeseburgers.
Burger Zone shines in its “dressings” list: while you could get mustard or ketchup or mayo, you could get over a dozen more interesting sauces: honey mustard, for instance, or chimichurri, both of which I added to my burger.
In the absence of delicious bacon, I opted for the standard Burger Zone burger, it being my first visit, to get a feel for what they can do with “simple”. Since it was lunchtime, I got the Special price, with fries and a bottle of soda for $9.95. It’s a well-constructed burger — I opted for grilled onions to go with the lettuce-tomato-pickle basics and the aforementioned toppings — and I really appreciate when a place toasts my bun.
Do you see that deliciousness? First bite, I could tell this was a little different. It starts with that homemade bun: it was like… pastry! Somewhat sweet, light and fluffy, and held up very well to the juicy, medium-ish burger. And the beef is a bit different than usual, too. Parsley flecks the patty, and while it’s thoroughly lost in the pile of onion, tomato, chimichurri and so forth, it’s an interesting touch. It seems a little more Middle Eastern-ish (kofta burger?) than I would have expected.
I could have received onion rings with the meal, but again, this is my first visit, we’ll check out the french fries. These, like everything else, arrived wrapped in foil, and while there weren’t a ton of fries, it was the right amount. These were well-fried, too, crisp on the exterior (no limp ones in the bunch) and pillowy-potato centered. I think these are sourced elsewhere rather than sliced in-house, but they’re good, so I’m fine with that. I really ought to have chosen spicy fries, but I spaced when I ordered. Next time, next time.
Next up on this lovely day, the “shnitzel”. I’ll allow the spelling variation, as this isn’t really anything like German schnitzel, it’s just a deep-fried breaded chicken breast, dressed with lettuce, tomato, and a ton of grilled onions.
It’s presented the same way as the burger, but rather a departure in enjoyment. This came put pretty dry, and I think any future purchases would need a mayonnaise-based topping to counteract that. That was my fault for not ordering anything extra for this. It certainly tasted like a breaded chicken breast fried in oil, though.
Overall, I recommend Burger Zone for its burgers and fries. The meat is tasty, no question. I’m not really a fan of chicken sandwiches to start with, but the place isn’t called Chicken Zone now, is it? Service at the counter was friendly, and I was the only person with an order to place, but it’s a bit on the slow side as everything is cooked to order. And I could see a person balking at the regular $11.50 price for a meal at a restaurant that’s more fast-food than sit-down. But it’s a really good burger, and there are so many variations with those dressings!
As I do, I’ll close with my Second Avenue plea: if you have the option, try to support the businesses impacted by the subway construction during these tough times. I want my subway but I would rather not kill off the variety of shops and restaurants along Second in the process.
CT says
Looks pretty good – nice of you to support the little guys along 2nd ave!
chakrateeze says
Beer,
You’re not on Facebook?
Tracie
BeerBoor says
Sure I am! Just not as “The Beer Boor”: as myself. Why do you ask?
chakrateeze says
I finally got around to liking Feisty and was going to do the same to you. As inane as “like” kinda is…
Tracie
BeerBoor says
Awww. A “Like” for The Feisty Foodie encompasses all of us in her stable of writers, so I thank you!
chakrateeze says
Stable? Hope she doesn’t ride you too hard. (snigger)
Tracie
T.C. says
Hooray BURGER!
Hungry says
That almost looks like meatloaf to me.
BeerBoor says
You almost look like meatloaf to me.
I was seriously tempted to ask whether I was given a lamb burger instead, but I figured that would be a ridiculous mistake. At any rate it didn’t have that signature… I guess some people call it gameyness, but it was rather good and definitely not meatloaf-y in person.
Pitcher says
Constructive criticism: Taking pictures of half eaten food and posting them on the internet is one of the cardinal sins of food photography, and that is because it is really gross. For example, If you want to post the inside of burger, just cut it in half and take a picture. If you don’t know if the burger is good enough to post, take the photo before you dig in and taste it and use it if it is in fact good enough to eat. Yes, this requires a tiny bit of planning, but it is this type of attention to detail and forethought that occasional food blog readers like myself appreciate. I know I’m a picky guy, but it’s not that hard. I have friends that post half eaten food on Facebook and merely one offense is enough to lose all credibility you may have had.
Feisty Foodie says
Hi Pitcher! Though I’m not the one who wrote this post nor took these pictures, I have to say that I think this is a matter of opinion. Credibility is lost when a person doesn’t eat what they’re showing you, in my opinion. Not to say that I feel food bloggers should ‘prove’ they’re eating the food they post!
Also, I do not like it when the kitchen sends me a burger that they’ve cut in half to plate. I would not cut my own burger in half to eat it. The alternative, then, would be not to show a picture of the inside of a burger. I would prefer not to do that. I think we are going to have to agree to disagree, and I’m sorry if that makes you feel like I have no credibility in terms of talking about food.
Cheers, thanks for letting me know your thoughts!
BeerBoor says
I’d like to add that I don’t post pictures of food I’ve taken a bite from, if I think a reasonable person would look at it and think it to look gross. Neither of those pictures in this post, for example, look like anything other than sandwich cross-sections. Sure, maybe a meat particle or two could have been swept away, but there’s nothing to be squeamish about regarding how the cross-sections look, unless you are a squeamish person in the first place.
If I posted photographs of partially-digested food, I’d think you’d have a point. In this case, we’ll have to agree to disagree, as I (and most bloggers of this sort) see no issue with this type of photo. The “tiny bit of planning” of taking a “before” photo of the food is of course done with each such post.
I’d like to point out that slicing a burger in half, especially for photographic purposes, is a cardinal sin in my book. Anyone doing so should not be allowed to eat a burger again.
TT says
You should check out my blog foodinmyteeth dot com.
Pitcher says
I am fine with not cutting a burger in half to take a picture of it, just take the picture from the top.
I’m not going to accept that because “most bloggers of this sort” post pictures of half-eaten food (they don’t) makes it ok. It’s very unappealing. Sometimes I look at my old photos of trips I’ve taken and I have pictures of half-eaten tacos and I’m like “what the hell was I thinking?”
Pitcher says
Here’s an example, taken at Apple Pan in Los Angeles.
http://twitpic.com/4tdb32
Now doesn’t that make you want to take a bite?
p.s. If I were a blogger and was going to post it on a food site I would have found a way to prop it up without using my hand and I would have used a better camera than my iPhone.
p.p.s. Guess who just decided to make cheeseburgers for his family tonight?
BeerBoor says
Where to begin…
As you’ll note, there is a picture of the burger, whole (not from the top as that shows no detail), also posted. The interior shot is of course useful, to show detail, but that is lost on you. But then, as one to whom the idea of a shot of the interior is gross, you don’t care about that. To each his own.
Also, this blog has had literally hundreds of interior shots without a single issue. I stand by my original statement.
Your burger photo shows me no burger at all. I don’t know how well they cook it, if the meat is just beef or with additives, if there is a char on the outside… Really, I see a cheese curtain and some sort of sauce. I have no reaction at all to that picture. It doesn’t make your food look interesting or appetizing, but that’s just me I suppose.
BeerBoor says
Sadly, Burger Zone is gone, another victim of the Second Avenue Subway construction. No more pictures of half-eaten Burger Zone burgers.