My dear friend Hungry has a special birthday tradition of taking herself out for a lunch treat. This year, she chose Minetta Tavern to check out the hoopla surrounding their famed Black Label burger, and invited TC and I to join her. Would burger nirvana be reached?
A celebratory occasion calls for a celebratory drink! I chose the Gin Blossom, made with Plymouth gin, St. Germaine liqueur, aperol and fresh grapefruit juice. It was just that shade slightly too bitter for my taste, but refreshing nonetheless. Also, I really don’t like Plymouth gin – something about their combination of botanicals doesn’t sit well with my tongue. I’d totally drink this made with Bombay Sapphire, though (my gin of choice).
But you’re here to find out about the burger. It arrived fairly quickly – mine ordered medium rare – and hot, juicy.
It was cooked to my specifications, and it looked glorious. However… at $26 for the burger… I must say, it was tasty. BUT. And this is a huge BUT. It wasn’t super flavorful on its own; I requested mayo (my preferred burger condiment) to add to my burger after I’d taken a few bites, because it was missing something. Not enough salt/seasoning, perhaps? It just didn’t do it for me. I noted to my dining companions that while this was definitely a very good burger, it wasn’t twice as tasty as Brindle Room‘s burger though it was twice as expensive. So… yes, it’s a great burger. But for $26, I want it to be perfect and arrive at my table so good, I inhale it without thinking twice and without having to do a single thing to it.
Yvo says: Sure, it’s a good thing to experience at least once – if you love burgers the way I do – but I don’t think it’s necessarily “oh my god, you have to go get one or you’re totally missing out!” And it really isn’t burger nirvana at all. Or even close. Sorry to be the one to tell you…
it’s a good burger, but not the best in NYC
Sarah says
I love mayo on my burger, too! Incidentally, what is your favorite nyc burger?
Feisty Foodie says
Well, that’s kind of a complicated story. The single-Shack has been graduated to Hall of Fame status (and I’ve eaten it enough times at enough locations over the years that I don’t freak out when the line at MSP is reasonable and insist on eating one even when I’ve just eaten – yes, I’ve done that, multiple times, in the past), so I won’t include that… and Brindle Room WAS my favorite (at the writing of this post, thus the comparison). However, the last few times I’ve returned to Brindle Room (post-writing the above), it’s been incredibly disappointing – enough that I am considering stripping it of that title, since it clearly wasn’t just a one-off experience, it’s becoming the rule.
tl,dr: I don’t have one right now, sadly.
Baydog says
Still trying to figure out why it was $26 with no foie gras in the middle…….
Feisty Foodie says
Foie gras burgers range from $30-80 (and possibly more, I suppose)!
T.C. says
Very glad to be able to go out to birthday lunch for Hungry.
The burger was okay for me. Not life-changing.
I’d still pick Shake and Brindle before it. Plus I can inhale two of my fav burgers, Luger’s, at that price.
Feisty Foodie says
Still looking for burger nirvana…
skippymom says
I could be a millionaire and wouldn’t be able to pay $26 for a hamburger. That is just silly to me, great or not.
I like the choice of bun and it does look perfectly cooked, but…..
Feisty Foodie says
Part of me agrees… I’m pretty sure, actually, that at one point, I ranted about that very issue on this very site. A trend emerged for a while where restaurants were competing to make the most expensive burger, it seemed, which annoyed me to no end, and I couldn’t have justified a $26 burger (and I had a steady, well-paying job at the time, too). I still can’t, but this was a special occasion, and I did want to see what the fuss was.
However, I probably should have explained how they justify the cost of this burger. Whether or not a person agrees with their justification, the Black Label burger at Minetta Tavern (because they do offer a cheaper, non-Black Label burger) is comprised of dry aged steak trimmings, so the meat quality is higher than that of a regular ground chuck/sirloin/whatever burger that may be offered elsewhere. The meat is definitely higher quality, and noticeably so; however, the overall burger experience did not do it for me. Other people disagree with my assessment, but that’s okay: different opinions are what makes the world go ’round.
hungry says
Yeah, I felt the same way. Good for the one time but not repeat. Damn, I wanted cheese on that thing.
Feisty Foodie says
I had an idea that with the price tag and the hype, neither of us would wind up being blown away. I didn’t realize about the reservations until you mentioned it in your post though… just annoying.