Quick Bites: The Penn 6 Burger

[Pigging by Wilfrid: February 9, 2015]

Word of mouth on the Penn 6 cheeseburger has been in the air for at least a year. A Pat LaFrieda "special" blend in an anonymous tavern near Madison Square Garden.

 

I put it on my list, as I am in that neighborhood frequently, and finally got around to confirming that, yes, it's better than the average burger.

Speaking of the average burger, I had a benchmark from a couple of blocks away. The Greek Diner, on the corner of 28th and 7th, feels like it's been there for ever. And let's be honest, it does its job, which consists of the friendly refuelling of a busy, mixed, lunch crowd.

But there's this sign in the window, boasting the best burgers in town.  "Try and compare," it enthuses. I can't resist that kind of thing.

I should resist, of course. It was a diner burger, hand-shaped patty, inexpensive sliced cheese.  But it was under eight bucks, and served as a salutary reminder of how burgers used to be; when you needed to go to Corner Bistro, or J.G. Melon, or Molly's Shebeen to do better than this.

The Penn 6 platter is a more stately affair, as it should be at $19 (it automatically comes de luxe). The room is tall, imposing; flat-screen TVs are huge; and burgers are surrounded on the menu by a raw bar, and everything from pizza and pasta to shishito peppers and monkfish bucco.

Simple reactions to the burger: it's a big patty--ten ounces?--the dry-aged meat is good, the cheese (Jasper Hill cheddar) is notably flavorful, and the potato bun holds up. Fries were fresh and hot. In some ways this should be the simplest thing in the world, but we must just pause and remember how bad anonymous bar burgers once were.