Ten Best Restaurant Burgers: Greenwich to New Haven 2013

One year, hundreds of miles, close to thirty pounds of various cuts and blends of meat, thousands of fries…searching for the ten best hamburgers.

Nestled between Shad Roe, Bahn Mi, Shrimp & Grits, Nonni's Meatballs and Montauk Black Bass was “The Burger.” It was the equalizing dish amongst the best chefs in the area.  As I tasted the creativity that each of the chefs placed into their version of this 100+ year old tradition, I was in awe. The combinations were brilliant, how the flavors balanced and complemented each other, the choices that they made to place their individual mark on this dish, each was unique. 

Most of the meat was sourced locally, many from the same vendor with slight variations in blend and grind...some used a medium-grind while others requested a third, finer grind. Cheese and bacon played a major supporting roll, and the choices varied amongst the chefs.

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How to Make a Great Burger - Start with Great Meat

Want to start an argument…talk hamburgers. This simple grilled piece of ground meat is one of the most polarizing topics in the culinary world. Websites are fully dedicated to hamburgers, magazines run covers and full articles on hamburgers, super-chefs are sent to their knees if their hamburger is not on par with their foie gras, and the backyard griller will season and treat his hamburger like haute cuisine.

Why does a simple patty of cooked ground meat on a bun with toppings generate such love and vitriol, simultaneously?

Let’s start with the meat. There are currently numerous choices…local farm, commercial farm, grass-fed, grain-fed, dry-aged, wet-aged, medium grind, fine grind, single grind, double grind, so many permutations, and so little time. I reached out to Ryan Fibiger of Saugatuck Craft Butchery for some sage advice. His response, “come in and I can show you how our best burger meat is cut, blended and ground.” So one afternoon Ryan gave me a two-hour butchery course as he broke down the front quarter of a cow, combined and ground the cuts, and finally prepared and served two different hamburger blends.

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Burger Blast Roundup: The Prequel to Perfection Part 1

The last year has been filled with brisket, sirloin, Wagyu, chuck and short rib, all ground, seasoned and grilled to various degrees of perfection. The current count of visited restaurants now tops 60, including a wide range of venues. From non-chain fast food, to bars where burgers share the stage with great beers, to restaurants where the burger has become an “underground challenge” to high-end chefs, the list grows from Greenwich to New Haven.

But only the top 10 will be chosen for the “Non-Chain Fast Food and Bar Burgers” and another 10 for the “Restaurant Burgers” lists. Many of those visited and tasted were the result of suggestions we received from our readers. With sixty+ burgers and thousands of fries under our belts (pun intended), CTbites begins this series of prequels to give quick thoughts on several that were enjoyed and others not so much.

Let’s randomly roll through a few selected burgers in CTbites new weekly column…The Burger Blast.

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Nola Oyster Bar Brings Seafood to South Norwalk

Several weeks ago CTbites first announced the opening of Nola Oyster Bar in South Norwalk, described as a seafood restaurant with dishes from Maine to New Orleans. After my initial visit, it is apparent that much of the food is influenced by the great flavors and traditions of New Orleans, but the creative interpretations are singularly of Chef Dan Kardos.

Exposed brick walls, wood and tin columns, and wrought iron rails dominate the interior with white “antique” chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to create a very New Orleans visual. The front area includes a large, arced granite-topped bar that seats 10, plus a large reclaimed “Bankers’ Table” that seats an additional eight guests overlooking the floor to ceiling windows. The center section of the restaurant overlooks the kitchen, plus the rear room is available for regular dining or a private event.  

Nola Oyster Bar is a place for fun, drinks and great food.

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CTbites 2013 Burger Round-Up Needs Your Help

CTbites is gathering candidates for the 2013 Best Burger Round Up and we need your help.

What restaurants do you think are deserving of a spot on our Third Annual List of BEST BURGERS? Post the names of your favorite Burger spots below and we will do our best to sample your suggestions. 

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Little Pub Opening Second Location in Wilton

It’s true...the murmurs, rumbles and rumors are all true! We recently had the opportunity to chat with Doug Grabe, owner of Little Pub, and they are indeed opening a second location. The new location is slated to open its doors in January 2013. The feel and the cuisine will be much the same of what we all have come to know, love and expect at Little Pub. The new spot, conveniently located at 26 Danbury Road in Wilton, will offer the same fare, and thanks to a much larger kitchen, will also be offering some new items. We're hoping that the Shepherd’s pie will be back on the radar, perfect for a cold winter’s night!

We will bring you more on this exciting new opening as the date gets closer. 

Connecticut Burgers Go National via “A Hamburger Today”

For those who love hamburgers, The Spotted Horse Tavern in Westport offers two pre-designed alternatives. The Saugatuck Craft Butchery Burger is a simple hamburger with lettuce and tomato with additional toppings available (major recommendation is the bacon) and the Black Truffle Burger includes one of my new favorite additions, a fried egg. Both offer incredibly delicious meat from Westport’s own Saugatuck Craft Butchery.

Now the “Hamburgers of Fairfield County,” as well as Connecticut, will receive justifiable attention nationally in America’s most widely read hamburger review site, A Hamburger Today. My first review focused on a long-standing favorite in New Canaan, Cherry Street East and my most recent entry presented Westport’s new entrant, The Spotted Horse, where guests can enjoy hamburgers in a relaxed and vibrant atmosphere.

“The highlight of the burgers is the incredible meat; it's one of the most flavorful patties I've ever tasted;

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Last Chance! Bacon Week @ Plan B Burger Bar in Milford

How does Plan B in Milford celebrate its 1-year birthday? With a cake? NO! This meat-loving restaurant celebrates with BACON! Bacon Week runs from September 10th - 16th at Plan B Burger Bar in Milford.  John Brennan, the executive chef was nice enough to invite me to come opening night.  I alerted my cardiologist. Armed with a big appetite and an open mind, I brought my bacon LOVING husband Marc along to help me taste everything on the menu.  The meal began with the 3 signature drinks- all made with bacon infused bourbon. Plan B prides itself on its bourbon selection, and I’m a fan. I tried the bourbon straight and it was really nice, with just a hint of the bacon- nothing overpowering.

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Shake Shack Opens in New Haven

Shake Shack has officially arrived in New Haven. The New York hamburger chain opened its first college outpost, and second in the Connecticut, in the state's Elm City on the evening of September 12 to family and friends. It will offially open to the public on September 13, 2012.

Shake Shack's founder Danny Meyer may have a not-so-hidden agenda for this first foray to college campuses – his daughter is a freshman at Yale. Facing the New Haven green on Chapel Street, Shake Shack is conveniently near the old campus of Yale University. Its location is an auspicious one – it is about a quarter of a mile away from Louis Lunch, often touted as the birthplace of the hamburger. 

The menu is similar to its sister restaurants, with a few signature Concretes including the Skull & Cones Concrete (a play on the University's Skull & Bones secret society), a combination of chocolate and vanilla with shattered sugar cones, and peanut butter sauce and chocolate truffle cookie dough, and the Boola Boola Blue Concrete (a reference to Yale's fight song), a combination vanilla custard with blueberry jam and a lemon pie.

Shake Shack New Haven is now open at 986 Chapel Street in New Haven and will be open daily from 11 am to 11 pm.

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Don't Miss "Bacon Week" at Plan B Burger in Milford

Plan B Burger knows that everything is better with bacon. Hence, in celebration of their one Year Anniversary, Plan B Milford presents “Bacon Week,” Monday September 10-Sunday September 16th. This bacon bounty includes a full menu of bacon inspired savory and sweet treats including everything from “The Divine Swine” aka “Drop Dead Burger,”  (100% ground bacon burger topped w/ thick sliced bacon, bacon aioli, bourbon bacon red onion jam, and a fried egg all sandwiched in between a grilled cheese) to Bacon Candy Bars and Bacon infused Bourbon cocktails. Did I mention the Bacon Cotton Candy? There's one for the ages. The full menu is below, but if you love pork like I love pork, I'd say make your way over to Milford. 

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