chewy’s – blue burger


A while back, a friend posted this photo of buffalo tots from Chewy’s, a Philly food truck. Ever since I saw that, I’ve wanted to go, yet I unfortunately never happened to be lunchless when I was around.

Luckily for me, I was lunchless last week and finally got a chance to come by. Unluckily for me, buffalo tots were no longer on the menu, though I was told that they’re trying to get it back on the menu! This wasn’t the end of the world, as Chewy’s offers seven different burgers! Their burgers are offered in three different proteins: beef, turkey, or veggie. They’re also all served on a toasted Martin’s seeded bun.


I went with the Blue Burger. The beef was topped with crumbled blue, caramelized onions and mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatoes. The burger was cooked to medium-medium-well. All burgers are cooked to the same temperature, yet it was juicy and tasty. The onions and mushrooms were very flavorful. I would have loved more, though that would have been messy. The soft Martin’s bun made for that nostalgic, “backyard burger” feel. The did think there was a smidge too much lettuce, as you can see in the cross section. They’re also reasonably priced at $6!

In addition to the burgers, they have fried chicken…all the best (dark) parts, too. They’re sold at $1.50 a piece. I had $1.50 left in my pocket. I regret not getting a thigh! There’s always next time…buffalo tots & a fried chicken thigh.

Chewy’s
(multiple locations) mainly on the south side of Market St. between 34th & 36th Sts.
Philadelphia, PA

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ela – burger


I finally made it out to Ela this weekend. Due to the intense social gatherings (parties) that have been going on, there was no way I could stomach any cocktails from their awesome Brand New inspired cocktail list. I was, however, ready for a burger.

Ela’s burger consists of an 8 oz. (I believe) beef patty which is topped with aged cheddar, shiitake mushroom jam, a Chinese black bean sauce (not the dark sauce you find at the Asian grocery, this stuff is made in house), and shredded kale. (Chef Jason Cichonski told me that they normally use watercress.) It’s sandwiched between a housemade black sesame bun.


I was kind of speechless and slightly confused while eating this. I ordered it medium-rare and it was cooked medium-rare, yet looked rather red and rare. I also started to question whether it was beef that was used. The meat was really juicy and very flavorful…so flavorful that I even thought it may have been a huge sausage patty. I asked the waiter about the meat and he said that they fold in some of the Asian sauce when they form the patties. That is incredible. I’ve never had a burger this juicy, and that sure explains why it was abnormally red and overly juicy. I think the flavors of the cheese and mushroom jam were secondary to the flavor of the burger as the meat was just that flavorful. The black sesame seeded bun held up to the juiciness despite its airiness and flakiness. The burger to bun ratio was perfect as no bite was burgerless. Accompanying the burger on the plate are fried gnocchi “tater tots”. These were a great complement to the plate. They had a nice salty, crispy exterior with an airy, pillowy interior.

This burger is definitely one of the most unique ones I’ve had. It’s tasty and worth checking out! I’ll be back to have some Brand New cocktails and other food (other items on the menu look pretty awesome, too).

Ela
627 S 3rd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
267.687.8512

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bridges, burgers & beer turns three!

On October 5, 2012, my blog turned three. For some reason, I always seem to forget that it’s my blog anniversary. That shouldn’t happen anymore since I created a yearly reminder in my calendar.

The past year has been fun and difficult. Besides having burgers in my usual coverage areas of Philly and New York, I was able to try a bunch on vacation when I was out in Seattle and Portland. After vacation in late summer, I hit a rough patch as I was overwhelmed with moving and other life issues so I thought it was best to take a hiatus. Luckily, that hiatus only lasted a month. I decided that my previous posting timetable of Tuesdays and Thursdays was just too intense for my schedule, wallet, and (probably) health, haha. Two burgers a week isn’t really a healthy habit, is it? From here on out I’ll be posting once a week, on Wednesdays.

Instead of recapping favorite posts as I did in past years, I’m going to go through some of the favorite burgers I’ve had (in no particular order):


Name: Daily Cheeseburger
Location: Daily Burger at Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
A burger from a sports arena which is served on an English muffin topped with American cheese and bacon-onion jam? Yes, please. Did I also mention they’re cooked medium-rare? It’s a shame there’s no hockey season this year so I don’t think I’ll be having a Daily Cheeseburger for a while.


Name: Five Leaves Burger
Location: Five Leaves – Brooklyn, NY
When I first saw a pickled beet as a topping, I was a little skeptical. After the first bite, I was a fan. The flavor profile of the Five Leaves Burger was unique and delicious, combining sharpness from the cheddar, sweetness from the pineapple, and tartness from the beet. Easily in the running for one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.


Name: Ohayou Gozaimasu
Location: Katsu Burger – Seattle, WA
This Japanese inspired burger joint in Seattle serves their version of a breakfast burger. The meat is served katsu style, meaning tempura battered and deep fried. A totally novel idea that could have turned out poorly but in fact was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.


Name: Breakfast Burger
Location: Lucky Old Souls – Philadelphia, PA
A delicious burger with flavors of salty from the bacon, heat from the habanero cheddar, and sweet from the blueberry jam. Served on a local challah bun with homemade and local ingredients, LOS’s breakfast burger is a must try.


Name: Red Mill Deluxe w/ Cheese
Location: Red Mill Burgers – Seattle, WA
Ever had a Burger King Whopper? I used to eat these often, back when I was a fat middle schooler. The Red Mill Deluxe w/ Cheese from Red Mill Burgers in Seattle recreates that flavor profile, yet tastier and with much better ingredients. I wish this place wasn’t all the way across the country.


Name: Angus Burger
Location: Royal Tavern – Philadelphia, PA
Unlike several burgers I’ve had, Royal Tavern’s Angus Burger uses smoked gouda and a pickled longhot as toppings. Both served as delicious toppings for a properly cooked burger.


Name: Supper Burger
Location: Supper – Philadelphia, PA
Supper’s burger uses crisp country ham which adds a nice porkiness and crispness without the overplayed bacon. Cooked perfectly and served with delicious duck fat potatoes.

To further celebrate three years, I’m having my first giveaway on the blog! The folks over at City Dining Cards sent me a pack to give away.

If you haven’t heard, City Dining Cards is a deck of 50 cards, each one representing a restaurant. Each card features a $10 discount on a check of $30 or more, excluding tax, tip, and alcohol. The idea behind City Dining Cards is to promote local eating, as all the participating restaurants are in Philly and 5% of deck sales go towards The Food Trust. The decks cost $20 and can be bought at their site, City Dining Cards. Want to win one? I’ve had lots of burgers in Philly and there are still a lot that I haven’t tried. Simply leave a comment below with a Philly burger suggestion and why I should have it! The contest will close on Tuesday, October 30 at midnight and a winner will be chosen at random.

Thanks again to all you readers out there. It feels great to be back writing and eating burgers again!

Check out my second anniversary and first anniversary entries!

UPDATE: 11/1/12 – Congrats John for winning the deck of City Dining Cards! I’ll be contacting you! Thanks all for leaving your feedback!

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67 burger – the 67 burger


It took me a bit to get out to 67 Burger. I’ve been reading a lot about them and it’s been on my list for some time now. Last weekend, I planned a trip to Brooklyn and having 67 Burger for lunch was perfect since it was walking distance to the NY Transit Museum.

Their menu features several different burger combinations, though you can always customize it with the large selection of toppings. In addition to a beef patty, they offer other protein options such as turkey, chicken, veggie (soy based), and tofu. Certainly a fan of this place offering a tofu option.


Of course, since this was my first burger here, I went for The 67 Burger with beef. Served on a toasted sesame seeded bun, the 67 Burger is made up of a daily ground, grass-fed, all natural beef patty topped with creamy blue cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickles. The bacon was plentiful and crisp. The cheese was sharp and served as a nice “sauce” compared to regular crumbled blue. They gave you the right amount of red onions, as some places give you too much that they overwhelm your palate. The toasted bun held up to the large burger. The meat, however, was its downfall. I ordered it medium-rare. It was cooked to about that temperature, though I don’t think the grill was hot enough when the burger hit it. After a few bites, half the burger crumbled apart and fell onto the plate. I don’t discriminate against messy burgers, but the meat should somewhat stay intact during consumption. My friend ordered a 67 Burger, too, except rare. His came out a couple minutes after mine and was cooked to medium. His did not appear to fall apart. Perhaps the plates were switched?


In addition to the burger, a friend and I split an order of fries and onion rings. Both were pretty good, though I was partial to the onion rings. They were done perfectly.

After all that I’ve heard, I really, really wanted to like this burger. That crumbling patty was definitely a let down. I believe that this was purely just an off day. I’ll be back to give it another shot sometime.

67 Burger
67 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718.797.7150

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prohibition taproom – pub burger


It took me long enough to try Prohibition’s burger. I’ve been here several times for drinks and food, but never tried the burger. I caught up with a friend last Sunday who comes here quite often and after being told several times that I’ve gotta try it, I finally did.

The Pub Burger is made up of an 8 oz. chuck patty that’s topped with lettuce, roasted cowboy onions, tomato, and your choice of cheese (jack, cheddar, blue, or brie). You also get to choose whether you want the burger served on a white or ciabatta bun. I ordered it on ciabatta and with blue.


This burger was delicious. The meat was cooked to medium-rare and was very juicy and tasty. I was skeptical about a ciabatta bun at first, but I soon realized I made a good decision. The fresh bun had a somewhat delicate, airy inside while maintaining a harder exterior. It held up against the burger juices yet wasn’t hard enough that all the ingredients slid off during every bite. The Pub Burger is served with a few pickle slices and some house cut fries. As the seasons change, I heard they substitute tomato jam for the tomato. I’m really looking forward to that!

Also, Sundays are BYOV (bring your own vinyl). They play a couple tracks from the vinyl you bring AND you get 20% off your check. It’s pretty awesome.

Don’t skip over this burger next time you’re at Prohibition. It’s quite good.

Prohibition Taproom
501 N 13th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215.238.1818

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