Apr 30, 2009 9:27 - By: Kayt Sukel
The Burger Joint may be the last kind of place you’d expect to find in the lobby of the posh Le Parker Meridien hotel in New York City. But that may be why it’s expertly hidden — the handmade, cockeyed menu boards and old naugahyde booths might stick out a bit amidst the lobby’s clean, fussy marble.
And this is part of the Joint’s charm. New Yorkers, you see, seem to be on a never-ending quest to find the best burger in the city. I know this because I saw it on an episode of “How I Met Your Mother.” And the Burger Joint is definitely a contender for the honor. If only because it is the kind of place that requires an insider’s knowledge mixed with a dash of adventure to find.
Enter the hotel, wander, and you’ll soon see it. A small neon burger displayed on the wall, nearly hidden behind a large, red curtain shows you where to go. And if that one small indicator of the Burger Joint’s location is obscured, then the line of hungry NYC natives, representing all walks of life from Wall Street to panhandler, happily queueing up behind it will surely point you in the right direction.
I’ve heard tell of the Burger Joint on several previous visits to the city. But as soon as Le Parker Meridien was mentioned as the location, I’ll admit that I balked. Not that I have anything against the hotel – it’s a gorgeous property with a great bar. But, you know, I can get a $30 hotel burger just about anywhere in Manhattan and not have to go on what amounts to a quest to find it. And I don’t have to wait in line in a dark, crowded hidey-hole for the privilege either.
But this time around, my host insisted. “It’s the best burger in Manhattan,” he said. “Plus, they have fantastic milkshakes.” But it was his final sentence that sealed the deal for me. “And the burgers are like only $7.00,” he exclaimed. A $7 burger in New York City? Was that even possible? I had to find out.
And sure enough, it’s all true. I don’t know if it is the “best” burger on the island – I don’t know if I can afford to sample them all – but it was really, really good. But keep in mind that the Burger Joint is definitely a no muss-no fuss type of operation. You stand in line, ask for a burger from a guy who aspires to be the Soup Nazi, pay in cash (and only in cash) and then hope against hope that you’ll manage to snag one of the few tables before your order is up. If not, you’ll snarf your food standing against a fake wood-paneled wall adorned with a Sopranos poster, get some ketchup on your shirt in the process and like it.
But you know, maybe they put something in those burgers, because I’d happily return. But this time, I’m holding out for a booth.
———-
The Burger Joint
Le Parker Meridien New York
119 W. 56th Street
New York, NY 10019
212.245.5000
http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php
Hours:
Sunday through Thursday: 11:30-11:30
Friday and Saturday: 11:30-midnight