Well done, in more ways than one

Burger source

I was on the way to the Staten Island Ferry with the family – the view of the Statue of Liberty and, apparently, a trip to the mall were on the agenda – and wanted lunch en route. The criteria were simple: good reviews, somewhere to sit, and no detour. 77 Burger on Pearl Street ticked all three. This was very much a neighbourhood burger place, so set your expectations accordingly, sort of the US equivalent of a pub burger, I guess.

The order

A bacon cheeseburger – as y’all know, this is my normal paradigm for a burger – with fries included. There’s a choice of cheese and I went for American – in keeping with the tradition, and enjoying, as I do, the gooey meltiness that only ultra processed cheese can deliver. Doneness is also offered, which is a rare (sic) thing, so I asked for medium. You order at the counter, the food was ready in about 15 minutes, and there was no queue to speak of at lunchtime. Sauces are self-serve – mustard, mayo, ketchup and chipotle – allowing maximum flex, and maximum homestyling with your burger or hot dog selection (that makes up the majority of the menu, though grilled chicken I think was also on offer).

The meat of it

Let’s take a look. The box arrived open and looked just as it does in the photo – decent. The top bun sits off to one side with its lettuce, a perfect round of red onion and a thick slice of a large tomato – not so much cheffy presentation as practicality, to allow for aforementioned self-saucing. The bottom half is heaped with thin, ruffled bacon on melted orange American cheese, and a modest pile of fries sits alongside.

Closed up, it’s a glossy, domed bun over lettuce, bacon and cheese, with the fries piled up in front.

In cross section there’s a thick 8oz patty, grey-brown all the way through – decidedly not the medium I asked for, and the kids – who asked for well done – got exactly the same. Homestyle, I guess.

First bite… let’s take it bit by bit. The meat – good quality, smoky, juicy, with a lovely grill sear, BUT slightly under-seasoned, dense and overcooked. I guess it needs to hold together for grill cooking but even so… The cheese and bacon – melty American, and crisp, thin American rashers – did the work of making up any missing umami. The bun – brioche with a light sweetness that would have been a good contrast to the umami elsewhere – was untoasted. Net result – it lent stodge and little else, just a slightly unnecessarily stiff, bready texture. The red onion and lettuce brought a bright freshness, but again as regular readers know – I don’t believe in tomato in a burger, particularly – so I ate it separately. The sauces – I helped myself to mustard, mayo, ketchup (leaving the chipotle on offer for another day) – and they all worked well together.

Now, onto the fries. These were medium-cut, skin on and golden, with a few darker edges – and they were amazing. They seemed at least double-fried, or from a part-fried frozen batch, and were crisp on the outside and squidgy in the middle, and perfectly seasoned. Could eat these all day.

Overall, the experience was a good one, despite the constraints of the subgenre. It’s a neighbourhood, homestyle burger (have I mentioned that?) rather than a gourmet one, and still a joy to share with the family. Toast the bun, cook it as asked and season the patty a bit more and it would be [chef’s kiss].

Monkey finger rating

• Bun – 3/5. Untoasted, so more stodge than contrast.
• Build – 4/5. Decent assembly.
• Burger – 3.5/5. Smoky, juicy, lovely sear, but slightly too densely packed, under-seasoned and overcooked.
• Taste – 4/5. Bacon, cheese and the self-applied sauces made up for the light seasoning.
• Sides – 5/5. Crisp outside, squidgy inside and properly good.
• Value – 4.5/5. Cheap for New York at US$16.99 with fries.
• Burger rating – 4/5. A great neighbourhood burger, if not a notable gourmet one.

The deets

77 Burger – 77 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10004

A little over five minutes’ walk from the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Order at the counter.