You all know how I love baseball, but the past few months has seen me watching more football than I’ve watched in my entire life, for one simple reason: fantasy football. This year was my inaugural fantasy football season, and I think I dig it… What’s this got to do with Peter Luger, you ask? Well, the winner (not me) received a lunch at Peter Luger, courtesy of the losers (one of which was me). I would finally get to try this burger everyone’s raving about!
The bread basket was so monstrous, someone requested I take a photo of it. I mean, there WERE 7 of us (one of us had to bow out due to prior obligations).
My medium rare burger with a slab of bacon on top – I wanted nothing else. Actually, I ate the bacon alone. It was tasty.
Cheese’s vibrantly green broccoli. It was sufficient.
As for my burger… cooked to my request of medium rare. I don’t see the appeal. Was it an off day? I find it hard to believe that people rave about what I received: the bread overwhelmed the patty at times, and parts of my burger were incredibly salty. I added nothing but a slick of mayo, and I just wasn’t wow’d. The meat was OK, but didn’t stand out; the crust on the outside was barely noticeable, and just… meh. I eventually began eating just the burger patty, to see if removing the offensive bread would help, but it still needed a lot of help. I wasn’t impressed. I would seriously pass on this next time – and just get steak! (I can’t be mad about a decision like that.)
TC had enough room afterwards for the Mad Cow sundae… I didn’t try any, but I did think the little cow chocolate on top was adorable.
Yvo says: I went to Peter Luger once upon a time, long before I began taking photographs of what I ate, and found it fine but nothing amazing. This time, I was just seriously disappointed by the burger that everyone says is life changing. It was OK. Nothing that special. I may give it another try just because I feel it must’ve been an off-day, although everyone else at my table enjoyed their burgers (and steak… the winner chose steak, of course) and I was the only one unhappy. Ah well.
meh
TT says
prices?
that bacon is awesome yet ridiculous at the same time.
Congrats, Goats?
Feisty Foodie says
The burger alone is like $12 I believe and to add bacon is… $3? It wasn’t anything shocking, I knew going in how much it was going to be.
Why the ? – you know Goats won.
TT says
you didn’t give him the recognition he deserves in the post.
Feisty Foodie says
He’s gotten plenty of recognition! Don’t add to his ego.
Goats says
Thanks TT! T’was a great first time steak at PL and a great overall meal, though I was goatsing the sundae after. I was full!
I’ve had the burger and enjoyed it as well, but it was steak time! I would go back for either in a heartbeat—or at the least:
WHEN I REPEAT AS CHAMP OF THE LUGER LEAGUE NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!
The nutcracker won’t be going anywhere!!!!!
BeerBoor says
Damnit, don’t remind me about the walk across the bridge!
Feisty Foodie says
Wait, you really threw up? Ewww.
Aimee Self says
You could beat someone over the head with that slab of bacon!
Feisty Foodie says
I believe during lunch, I wanted to…
Sarah says
Oh, I hope it was just an off day! I really love the Peter Luger burger. If you want to go back for a second try, I will volunteer myself!
Feisty Foodie says
Let’s do this!
BeerBoor says
I remember you weren’t thrilled with your burger, but mine was wonderful – meat-to-bun ratio was perfectly fine, the bun had a nice texture and that slightly-sweet flavor one looks for in a roll, there was char and a good (but not overwhelming) dose of salt…really, I suspect yours was just not the same as ours, somehow.
The burger is a bit less $12, then $1.50 for cheese and $4 for that bacon slab. Still a great deal, probably since it’s a cash-only place (unless you have an expense account with them).
Feisty Foodie says
It’s been 6 weeks since I had the burger, and multiple conversations with everyone – those at the table, those who have eaten this burger other times, those I don’t know and those I do know – and the conclusion has always been that something was wrong with *my* burger. I find this agitating and upsetting on so many levels, though I’m willing to accept that, because I have similar burger tastes to some people who were at our table and they all liked it. As I find consistency part of the appeal of some places, while I’ll give this a re-do, the necessity for one will affect my final opinion as well.
tl;dr: my burger was different and that sucks.
Sammy says
Maybe medium rare isn’t the way to to for their burger? I find burgers are usually better medium or above otherwise it taste like ground meat in my opinion!
Feisty Foodie says
Sammy, I like my burgers medium rare, and have had plenty of excellent burgers that are MR. If a place needs to have their food ordered a specific way for it to be good, then I don’t think the place is doing a burger properly – they’re doing one thing properly, that’s all. Personal opinion of course 😉
BeerBoor says
It really is annoying that your experience wasn’t on-par with the rest of the table. (Mine was medium rare also.) At least you’re willing to give it another shot!
hungry says
Actually, I think the burger without cheese is $10. Add cheese for $1.50. Bacon – $3.
I still love this burger and have had it about 3 times now. Some times are better than others. But overall one of my favorites in NYC.
hungry says
And please get cheese on it next time. Cheeseburger > Hamburger.
Feisty Foodie says
That may be true, but I don’t often get cheese on burgers. I’m a burger or bacon burger (no cheese) girl, when given the option. If it comes with cheese (Brindle Room) I eat it as is.
T.C. says
One of my fav. burgers in NYC. It hasn’t disappointed me yet.
I eat mine with cheese and the raw onion (not big on onions but this burger is that good to me). It doesn’t need anything else.
The slab bacon is okay as a starter but not necessary for my burger purposes.
Luger > Brindle Room & Minetta Tavern, but I’m a cheeseburger eater and maybe that’s why Minetta wasn’t as impressive to me (price tag/value too).
The Holy Cow hot fudge sundae was delicious! SCHLAG!!
Feisty Foodie says
Minetta… well, that review is coming.