Text 22238, 102 rader
Skriven 2007-11-03 22:02:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
Ärende: A tale of 3 burgers
===========================
Found this on a blog. It made my mouth water.

The Hungry Cabbie: The Eating Adventures of a NYC Yellow Cabbie

The burger-lovers at A Hamburger Today requested that I compile a
Best Of list.  Since I call myself both Famous Fat Dave and The
Hungry Cabbie, I spent an entire shift in the yellow cab searching
for good New York burgers. I ate one for breakfast, one for lunch,
and one for dinner.  And here you have it:  The Hungry Cabbie's
picks for Best Three Hamburgers of the day, as recommended by my
fares.

My first fare of the day was through the Lincoln Tunnel to Clifton,
New Jersey. When I told her that I was really in the mood for a
burger, she said there were a couple local places, but she couldn't
think of one tastier than the Red Robin Bacon Cheeseburger with
onion straws at The Red Robin. It is a national chain along the
lines of T.G.I.Friday's or Ruby Tuesday's, but not so obnoxious. I'd
never heard of it much less been to one, but, apparently, I had been
missing out. The Red Robin felt decidedly suburban. There was the
teenage hostess who clearly said the same exact thing to everyone,
the New Jersey radio station playing only the whitest hits, and the
customers wearing fleeces and jean shorts. It seemed like middle
America. When my burger came my mouth began to water, and not just
because it was 6 pm and I hadn't eaten yet.  It looked beautiful. It
was big, but not overwhelming.  It was loaded with toppings, but the
burger was clearly the star. And once I took a bite, I felt
beautiful.  The salty onion rings that came piled onto the bottom
bun were a perfect complement to the hickory maple-smoked bacon and
juicy burger.  I had taken a chance on the suburbs, and it had paid
off in a big way. My first burger of the day was a resounding
success.

After a few fares who had no clue as to where to find a good burger,
I picked up a glowingly happy couple on their way to a Broadway
show.  They were from Australia, Tasmania to be exact, and they were
honeymooning for six months in America. I assumed they wouldn't know
any burger place since they were just tourists, but I asked them
anyway.  Thank God I did.  They told me that every Australian in New
York, whether living here or just passing through, goes to Ruby's on
Mulberry Street.  Owned by a couple of expatriate Aussies, Ruby's
serves fantastic burgers and great coffee as well. Once I drove back
downtown, I took their advice and ordered a Whaley's. It came on
baguette-like bread with a fried egg, pine- apple, and beets
(apparently, Aussies all grow up eating beets). I was skeptical,
about the beets in particular, but the moment I took my first bite I
was consumed with that rare feeling I get when I taste something so
delicious that I get angry with myself for not having eaten it
before. The ground beef was so tasty that not only did my saliva
glands switch into overdrive, but my tear ducts began to work.  I
can honestly say that the Whaley's burger brought me to tears.  The
fried egg was genius, and the beets made me a believer. My only
complaint was that the burger patty was smaller than the bread,
leaving the last couple bites meatless. The cappuccino made up for
this one small negative though.  I am not a coffee drinker because
I'm worried about getting addicted to the caffeine, but Ruby's
coffee was so good it made me reconsider my lifestyle.

It was 2 am and [..] I was hailed on Christopher Street and Bleeker
by a Dominican transvestite hooker and her pimp.  They told me to go
to Washington Heights. I asked her if there was any place for a
burger in her neighborhood at that hour, and she told me to get a
chimichurri at the Dominican pork truck on 155th Street and
Broadway.  Actually, I think I want one too, she said. So there I
was, waiting in line with a transvestite hooker and her pimp at the
Dominican pork truck in Washington Heights.  I thought to myself,
it's moments like this that remind me how much I love driving a
yellow cab. The pimp bought me a $3 chimichurri as my tip, and I was
very thankful.  They told me everyone up in Washington Heights eat
chimis late night, kind of the way people downtown get a slice of
pizza.  The crowd on the sidewalk was boisterous and rowdy, and my
presence did not go unnoticed.  But I wasn't nervous because the
pimp was with me (rather I was with the pimp), and I figured he
wouldn't let anything happen to me. My chimi was incredible.  It
came on long bread rather than a bun and the meat was much more
flavorful than your average ground beef. But whereas Ruby's meat
tasted so good because it was extremely high quality, the chimi was
so tasty because they seasoned the low quality meat beyond
recognition. [...] She pressed it on the grill and loaded it with
chopped red onions and shredded cabbage.  But the defining
characteristic was the sauce, a combination of Russian dressing,
ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce that all liquified during the
heating process.  It was a mess, but my chimi was absolutely
delicious.

I bid my new friends farewell, and headed back to the garage.
pleased with myself for finding three new burgers in one day.

Red Robin, 265 State Route 3, Clifton, New Jersey
Ruby's, Mulberry between Spring and Prince, Little Italy, Manhattan
Dominican Pork Truck, usually parked at 155th Street and Amsterdam

www.ahamburgertoday.com and www.famousfatdave.com

Cheers

YK Jim


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