THE LIKENESS OF BURGERS

Boston Burger Blog’s Richard Chudy weighs in weekly in all matters meat.

Where do burgers fit in all of this anyway? All of this being the local food and restaurant scene, and aside from my ever-growing belly, I’m not sure of their place. Why do burgers exist on some menu’s but not on others? We expect them in a diner, a fast-food joint or a pub. And we’ve seemingly come to expect them in a snooty bistro, a seafood-centric restaurant or even an Indian place. Since it’s the quintessential American food, it should be an all or nothing kind of a premise. Either every establishment (within reason of course) selling food has their own spin on a burger, or only a select few should be able to dabble in my most beloved food group. (a burger is a food group, right?) The discrepancy is curious; why does Radius have a burger but No. 9 Park doesn’t? I find that either a chef is trying to accommodate the masses by offering the burger, or they refuse to play the game. But I don’t believe it’s as easy as conformity versus defiance. Then again, maybe it is.

It might not be as complicated as I’m making it, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the majority of restaurants have their version of a burger. Unfortunately, more often than not there is no original rendition, it’s the same old clichéd burger no matter what the setting. Ironically, the higher end establishments don’t push the creativity as you might expect; mostly it’s about using the best beef possible, which is alright with me. Radius is the exception, that burger is more about the toppings than the beef. It’s good beef, but not $19 good, as Gary from Pig Trip points out, if anyone other than Michael Schlow is attached to that burger, it probably doesn’t cost more than $12. Horseradish sauce, onion strings and Vermont Cheddar does not add up to such a cost indulgent burger. The Radius burger is ultimately successful because it’s familiar, yet different enough to be special. But shouldn’t we be allowed to have a little more than just great beef at that price point? Can’t you give me at least some glimpse of something that’s never been done? Or maybe we’ve achieved all we can, perhaps the future of burgers is already here; forget the Foie Gras, never mind the duck eggs and the sous-vide, the future of burgers is the past; flat, griddled, and simple. We all know I love that West Coast style, but I wish we perfected the burger of the present before we jump ahead to the supposed future.

Perhaps it’s just happenstance, because most of the time it feels like a burger is slapped onto a menu just for the hell of it. It’s that easy item a restaurant can get away with by not trying to amp it up because it’s so familiar. For those who don’t know what to order or are afraid to try something new, there sits the good old standby that everyone loves. But do the higher end places want you to order the burger? When on the surface it appears the burger has no place, it usually doesn’t. Is there actual thought and passion behind it, or do chefs put a burger on the menu just to say they have one? The expansion of burgers across the board in every restaurant on every block eliminates the niche market that it used to be. Burgers are “in,” now more than ever, which hopefully makes my argument. They are put on the menu because it’s trendy; it’s easy to cook a burger and even easier to source the ingredients. Some doofus will always order it (ie; me) but it’s up to the restaurants and the chefs to make it stand out. When everyone else is doing it, the skill set and the nuance diminishes; dare to be different I say, or you just end up serving the same crap as everyone else.

READ MORE RICHARD AT THE BOSTON BURGER BLOG