As the search continues for the best burger in New York City there is another player which has been thrown into the mix. Better Burger NYC is the name of this brand and with their three, rather central Manhattan locations they are trying to make a stand in their neighborhoods in which they exist.
Better Burger NYC plays the part of a high concept of burger joint and their mission statement says it all. Better Burger NYC uses hormone and nitrate free meat and poultry and in some cases uses organic compounds. Also all their burgers, hot dogs, meat, poultry, or fish is 100% of what it says it is with no fillers. With this ethos towards an absolute, their burgers are predominantly lower in fat. Better Burger NYC also makes fries that are organic; air baked, and has 2/3 less fat than their competitors. Even when better Burger NYC does use fat they claim that their fat is the best that there is. They use expeller pressed extra virgin olive oil and canola oil, non-hydrogenated/trans-fat free butter substitute, and reduced fat vegan mayonnaise in their crusade to rid the world of fatty hamburger or related products. (Expeller pressing is a method for extracting oil without use of chemicals, just in case you were curious.)
But not only do they do you right by their meat, they also use buns which have no artificial preservatives or refined sugar, homemade beverages which are prepared with fresh juices, and smoothies made with at least 85% organic ingredients.
With that you have to think he’s burgers were an amazing situation. A cadre of some fellow thespians and I stopped in the other day to the Hells Kitchen location on 9th ave & 42nd St and tried a couple of different products to see what was good at better Burger NYC.
Their classic beef burger was pretty good, cooked just the way we like it and available in one third or one half pound variety (as were all the burgers), the burger got pretty good reviews all around. The turkey burger which one of us also got was apparently not as good. They use many different herbs and spices which was a bit much for our one reviewer. There is also a freshly ground the daily chicken burger which is available and a veggie burger, soy burger, and the daily burger special.
Better Burger NYC also serves hot dogs; organic beef, organic turkey, and jumbo soy hotdogs are what are available at this place. Served with sauerkraut, relish, barbecue onions, the Better Burger hot dogs are available just the way you like it.
A couple of us got the Better Burger French fries which were organic and the air baked not fried (with sort of takes out the fried and just makes them French, fried but, I digress.) The Better Burger air baked French fries were actually pretty good as they were pretty light and not at all greasy like typical French fries. They also had a variety of side orders available including smashed potatoes, veggie chili, veggie coleslaw, and fresh fruit salad.
On another side of the menu there are a whole host of salads available from Better Burger including a garden salad, Caesar salad, Mediterranean salad, Harvest salad, Cobb salad, and there is a Zen Popeye Salad which has organic spinach, diced Asian seared tofu, grilled vegetables, chickpeas and avocado.
To top it off Better Burger NYC has organic smacks like jumbo chocolate chip cookie and organic popcorn made with at least 85% organic ingredients. As we walked out of the place one of my friends remarked to me that this was no place for theater people and yet I felt it was: conflicted, self-aggrandizing, self-conscious beyond belief, and always trying to do better by the world’s pithy standards.
…The search continues.
Better Burger NYC has locations in Chelsea, Midtown West, and Murray Hill. Coming soon to a strip mall near you!
