I'd Gladly Pay you Tuesday

New Yorkers are currently and always will be obsessed about two things: pizza and hamburgers, most recently we've added ramen to the mix. Depending on what publication you read or who you talk to on where to find the best hamburger in the city, there is much debate. This is where I weigh in and put my two cents. I will not be comparing burgers with foie bourgeoisie, or Wagyu wannabe Kobe, this is based on the all-American beef.

One of my more recent trips out to have a burger was at JG Melon on the upper east side. It was a Wednesday and I had nothing in particular to do but figure out where to have lunch. I decided since I had a veggie burger the other day, let's go for the real McCoy. JG Melon feels like walking into Cheers. As a regular patron you're greeted warmly and immediately seated at your table. I saw what the deal was and headed straight to the bar ordering while taking off my jacket. Smooth move. :) Most times, dining at the bar is far more interesting than sitting at a table, you get to people watch. Oh, and was there juicy gossip to be heard...

Burger- juicy and moist, cooked Medium about 6oz. (I usually keep it safe with anything grounded.) Buns- fresh rolls slightly toasted. Served with pickles, iceberg lettuce and sliced red onions. Fries- cooked to golden perfection, crinkle cut chips. There were so many toppings to chose from but, I wanted to keep it honest with just a little ketchup on the side. It made me such a happy girl I decided to walk the 13 blocks home and work off all that beef and fried goodness.

I have listed a few places that I can recall off the top of my head and assigned them grades.

A= Blue Smoke. Houston's (yes, you heard me, I did not stutter) Shorty's.32. JG Melon. Fanelli's Cafe. SoHo Park. P.J Clarke's.

B= Shake Shack. Burger Joint. Better Burger. Good Burger. Jackson Hole. BLT Burger. Balthazar's. NoHo Star. Kinsale. Johnny Rocket's. Les Halles.

B/C= Lucky Strike. Silver Spur's. Pop Burger. Blue 9 Burgers.

C= Corner Bistro. Sassy's Sliders. McDonald's. Cart burger on the corner of 55th St./Madison St.

*People, White Castle doesn't count, I don't even think it's 100% beef. I'll save mystery meat for another entry to write about...

Happy eating!