bobby's burger palace

Ever since seeing this place mentioned on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate- Hamburgers, I've wanted to visit Bobby's Burger Palace.  The Bobby in the restaurant name would be Bobby Flay, accomplished NYC chef turned omni-present Food Network star.  Lucky for me, the closest establishment (hard to call it restaurant, let alone palace) is only a 25-minute drive away.  As we were eating with an infant and two children, we chose to arrive early at 11:30 to beat the lunch crowd.

When entering, you line up to place an order.  The menu of basically 10 burgers, (low-carbers can choose a "topless burger salad"— a burger atop a bed of greens) shakes, and beverages, is printed on the wall by the registers.

image from Bobby's Burger Palace.com

After placing the order, you are given a number and then make your way to sit at a winding counter or a communal table and eagerly await the order.  


We chose the Crunchburger, Kid's Meal,

Philadelphia Burger, crunchified,

and Bobby Blue Burger, crunchified (bacon was extra.)

The Angus beef burgers were juicy, not greasy, cooked perfectly medium (slightly pink) with decent char.  I think the idea of crunchified is novel, as it adds an textural dimension to the burger.

Onion rings were well executed, though I am not one for thicker onion rings.  Fries were decent, but not amazing, though the chipotle mayonnaise was super tasty.  The shake, (we chose black and white,) was delicious.  Creamy and not overly thick.  Bobby has several condiments for your choosing.  Aside from ketchup and mustard, he offers Chipotle Ketchup, Jalapeno Sauce, and Burger Sauce.  The Chipotle Ketchup had a good kick, but the Burger Sauce was weirdly sweet- it had too much brown sugar in it.

The Real Deal is the Kid's Meal.  The Burger is the same size as the regular menu's offering and you get Fries AND a Beverage.  Alas, that's for 12 and under only.  No Big Kids Allowed.

image from NY Daily News

In other burger news, Shake Shack just opened a new outpost in Times Square, at 44th and 8th.  Love the place!  Love the frozen custard!  And it's opened until midnight, if you get the late-night munchies.