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Showing posts with label chili cheese fries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chili cheese fries. Show all posts

Monday, January 3, 2011

"Sliders" at the Sheraton Brooklyn (New York)

After 2 flights (about 6 hours flight time) from Vancouver, and a cab ride to downtown Brooklyn, we were rather tired, so decided to have a drink and something to eat at the hotel bar. The hotel was built mid-year 2010, so was rather new. The bar was amazing, and the bar tender very friendly (thanks Aaron!).

"Grubstake Bar" at the Sheraton Brooklyn, New York

After a few drinks at the bar, I spotted 'mini sliders' on the menu. Most burger puritans will tell you that sliders are not just mini burgers, but are burgers cooked in a certain way (often the pattie is cooked on top of a bed of onions). Regardless, I couldn't say no.

The sliders came with one meat pattie each, a slice of cheese, bacon and a slice of pickle. Basic, but great. They were quite tasty, and somewhat of a novelty for me, as I am yet to find sliders in Australia. There were 3 sliders in the pack, which came with fries. I can't recall the price, and there doesn't seem to be a menu online.

Slider - Sheraton Brooklyn, New York (screenshot from video)


Meat:
The patties were obviously small, but they were cooked well and were basic (a good thing). Due to the small size, they were cooked evenly throughout (with the crust being the exception). It's hard to praise something that takes 2-3 bites to eat, but they were good.

Score: 3/5


Cheese:
The cheese was ok. It was the standard yellow american cheese, but it seemed a bit more 'plasticy' than most. It melted ok, but seemed to stick to everything unusually. It tasted ok, but didn't differ too much from the Kraft Singles we get here.

Score: 2.5/5


Bun:
The tiny buns were ok. They seemed to be "Brioche" buns, due to the shiny top and rich flavour. They were a bit dry, and tasted average. Nothing to write home about, but they did their job.

Score: 2.5/5


Extras:
There weren't too many extras to comment on, as is normal with sliders, or mini-burgers. There was bacon, and a pickle slice. The pickles were good, tangy and crisp. The bacon was a bit soft, but had a good flavour. It would be hard to fit much more in these things, and I think they picked the right things to cram in.

Score: 3/5


Fries:
By the time I got to the fries, they were soggy. I like this though, so I didn't complain. They were well seasoned, and were quite tasty. In addition, the serving size was huge (but hey, it's America!). I've had better, but there isn't much to complain about regarding these fries - solid.

Score: 3.5/5


Two sliders (I think)...

To be honest, the best thing about these sliders was the novelty. Having said that, they were decent, and I did enjoy them. The cheese could be improved, and the overall freshness, but all in all they weren't too bad. I would likely try something else on the menu next time, but wouldn't be disappointed if I had them again. Maybe someone should introduce sliders to the Australian market!


Total score: 14.5/25


(Decent, worth a shot.)

Fatburger - Vancouver, Canada

I had heard about Fatburger a while back, and read that they were similar to In n' Out burger. I found one in downtown Vancouver, and had to eat there.

I ordered the King XXL with bacon and cheese. The burger contained 2 meat patties, 3 pieces of american cheese (melty!), applewood smoked bacon, tomato, lettuce and "special sauce".


King XXL with bacon and cheese

The burger was amazing - one of the best I've had. The beef was cooked medium, the cheese melted perfectly, and the lettuce/tomato were fresh. The bun was great also.

Meat:
The patties were perfectly cooked - still pink on the inside. They were moist and tasted great. There was very little added to the patties, most likely just salt and pepper.

Score: 4.5/5


Cheese:
Cheese is an optional extra on burgers at Fatburger. A burger isn't a burger without cheese though! I had 3 slices of yellow, salty, melty American cheese. The closest I've found here in Australia is processed cheese (ie: Kraft Singles), but it's not quite the same. The cheese melted perfectly, and had a mild but great taste.

Score: 4/5


Bun:
The bun was soft (fresh) and a good size. It wasn't too big that you couldn't taste anything else, and also wasn't so small that after a few bites, your hands are covered in meat and cheese grease. There's not much that can usually be said about a bun - but this one was pretty good.

Score: 4.5/5


Extras:
As mentioned at the start of this post, the burger came with tomato and lettuce, and I added smoked bacon. The bacon was perfectly cooked, and was very crispy. The smoked flavour wasn't over-powering, it was great. The tomato and lettuce were surprisingly fresh (I hate soft, mealy tomato), and added a good crunch to the burger.

Score: 4/5



Chili Cheese Fries


Fries: 
I decided to try something a little different at Fatburger. Throughout North America, chili cheese fries are common. They generally consist of fries, american cheese, and chili (minced meat, tomato, chili, beans, spices). I had tried chili cheese fries before, part of the reason I decided to have some more! The fries here were great. Cooked well, and tasty. The chili and cheese went perfectly with the fries. All it really needed was bacon! Really can't fault these, a nice change from the standard fries.

Score: 5/5




There is no question that I would go to Fatburger again. The prices are very reasonable (especially compared to burgers in Australia), however the cost of the airfare changes that. It's hard to say how the burgers here compare to In n' Out burger. Regardless, they are fantastic.


Total score: 22/25

(Brilliant, go now!)

ABB.

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