My wife and I tried this new joint that has recently hopped the pond from the UK to find a home on our shores on 19th street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
The concept of this place is pretty fucking simple, which I like. They offer three dishes: a burger, a grilled or steamed lobster, or a lobster roll. Each comes with fries and a salad, and each costs $20.
For the burger, what we have is a great 8oz blend of Pat LaFrieda prime meats, topped with American and cheddar cheeses, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. Bacon is free to add on top as well. I got mine on the side.
The bun is really nice. It was durable, yet soft, warm and toasty. The black and white sesame seeds were a nice touch. The burger meat itself was delicious. The patty had a nice char and was well seasoned. It was cooked nicely to my specifications:
The grilled lobster was really nice too. The weight of these babies come in at 1.5lbs each, so it’s a pretty good deal when you think about it. It was cooked perfectly, had tons of great flavor, and the grilling technique imparted a nice char.
I’m going to go ahead and say that this lobster roll is the best that I’ve had. I haven’t had too many yet, but this whopper has 6oz of meat, not much filler by way of mayo or chopped veggies, and it is dressed and seasoned perfectly. The meat was so juicy, tender and lumpy. The bun was perfection. It had a light taste of butter, was toasted and firm on the outside, but soft and warm on the inside.
The fries were like McDonalds, but better, which is high praise for me since I love those Mickey D’s fries.
The salad was nice too. A mix of garden greens with some sliced radish, croutons, red onion and a light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese – all dressed deftly with a basic vinaigrette.
Decor is nice in here too, and the space is absolutely MASSIVE.
A variety of condiments and a neat set of shell crackers are on the tables, and you even get a cool plastic lobster bib to rock while you stuff your face with delicious food.
UPDATE 3/11/17 – PRESS REVIEW OF NEW MENU ITEMS
My wife and I came back in to try some new specialty items that were added to the menu. I must say, I was impressed!
First off, they added a smaller burgers to the menu for those with a lighter appetite. But they didn’t stop there. They also used that smaller patty for some specialty burgers. To make up for the smaller 6oz patty, they’ve added amazing toppings like lobster meat, pulled pork and foie gras. We tried both the lobster burger, called “The Beast,” and “The Frenchman,” which had foie gras on top.
Both were great. The foie burger was both funky and sweet: Funky from that rich goose fat, and sweet from the cranberry jam. I mean, look at this – perfection!
Take a look at this tall and proud lobster-topped burger.
It also gets a pop of great flavor from the truffle mayo. That’s Swiss cheese on top, too. So nicely balanced with equal portions of lobster meat and high quality Pat LaFrieda beef.
Now let’s get down to the new lobster roll items. You can see them flanking the original on the menu below.
We tried “The 7 Samurai” and passed on “The Fiesta.” Next time.
This beauty is a lobster roll dressed with ginger mayo, cucumber, sesame and Japanese spices. Really awesome. This was my favorite item of the day. The cucumber, ginger and sesame added a really daring Japanese flavor profile to this New England classic.
And I really can’t say enough good things about the bread they use for the lobster rolls here. I started getting into it in my old review above, but I want to expand a bit on it. It’s like a very thick slice of loaf bread with a half slice or pocket in the center for filling with lobster. The outside is toasted and buttery, but not wet or greasy.
It really is the perfect vehicle for delivering the lobster into your mouth. And everything you order here, as I mentioned above, comes with both fries AND a salad. Both are great.
I don’t know how we managed to fit dessert, but I guess there is a separate, second stomach designated just for dessert in the anatomy of food crazy freaks like me. Chocolate mousse. Awesome.
BURGER & LOBSTER
39 W. 19th St.
New York, NY 10011
