Comment Card: Donovan's Pub

A Donavan's Pub Hamburger. Meh.

Last Sunday afternoon, en route to a beer garden in Queens, Sabina, Jason and I made a pit-stop to Donovan's Pub to sample their much lauded burger, which was favorably assessed on Burgerrankings.com's Burger of the Month review. Based on my experience at this Irish pub, I must admit that I wholeheartedly disagree with BOTM's collective opinion.

Getting There
If you quaffed a mixture of vodka-based cocktails and slushy mickey finns in celebration of your birthday the night before, the train ride to Queens will seem interminable. However, if you"re not suffering from a horrendous Sunday morning hangover, then the 20 minute train ride to Queens from downtown Manhattan will be tolerable, or perhaps enjoyable.

Once we arrived, we were greeted with this glaring sign:

                                          You wish.

...our expectations were lofty and our stomachs were rumbling with hunger. All of us needed some nourishment, preferably in the form of a big, juicy hamburger.

The Verdict
I eagerly ordered a hamburger and a coke. Sabina and Jason ordered cheeseburgers. We painstakingly requested medium-rare burgers--all to be served with lettuce and tomato and a side order of steak fries. When we received our plates, the cooked meat was not made to order, which was disappointing and a sign hardly indicative of its supposed #1 standing. My burger was a dull piece of dry, crumbly beef patty, even with a generous amount of ketchup splattered on it.



The bun was the best part of the burger--nothing special, but well-toasted and fresh. Had I ordered a cheeseburger, like my lunch companions, the burger would have been moister. We did not get anything CLOSE to juicy. Plus, the waitress forgot my coke!

Good points? The meal was affordable and the venue displayed some Celtic charm and cozy whimsy (more appealing during the winter months), but the food was, at best, second-rate.

Donovan's Pub

57-24 Roosevelt Ave., Queens, NY 11377  at 58th St.  718-429-9339

Vittles for the Week: Big Food, Food Fights, and Whole Foods

The McSurf 'n Turf: This should be the universal sign for blood-curdling indigestion. Findings like this fast-food monstrosity have secured a book deal for the bloggers of the site, This is Why You're Fat.

Via: This is Why You're Fat
The Harper Studio

Food: The Enemy of the People? A new report explores the comparisons between Big Tobacco and Big Food.
Via: The Atlantic

Food Fight! The people versus mass-produced food.
Via: The New York Times

Why Whole Foods Sorta Sucks: A man gets canned for "stealing" a tuna fish sandwich.
Via: Gothamist

PEACE!!!!! A man writes out his resignation on a huge-ass sheet cake. Better to read than eat. Blergh!
Via: Telegraph.co.uk
Enjoy!

Vittles for the Week: Cake Pops, Pig Problems, Slow Food, and the Best Burger in NYC

Food related links from the interweb...

PRECIOUS! How to Make Cake Pops: What a charming idea for a dessert! Looks pretty easy to make too...
Via: Apartment Therapy and Bakerella

A Pig Problem: 2 Commentary pieces (Our Pigs, Our Food, Our Health, and Pathogens in our Pork) by Nicolas Kristof detailing the health risks that Americans may encounter because of the overuse of antibiotics on livestock. "Seventy percent of all antibiotics in the United States go to healthy livestock, according to a careful study by the Union of Concerned Scientists — and that’s one reason we’re seeing the rise of pathogens that defy antibiotics."
Via: The New York Times

Alice Waters and Slow Food: She seems slightly affected, but her accomplishments are commendable.

Via: CBS Videos Online

BLIND New York Hamburger Taste-test: Not sure if I agree with the results...
Via: Always Hungry.com

Cheap Chow: Another restaurant guide for the budget conscious. Will be hitting some of these places soon.

Via: Three Buck Bites

Was there an actual General Tso?: A very speedy and articulate explanation of the origins and evolution of Chinese food in America. This came out a few months ago, but I stumbled across it this week, so fascinating I had to share...
Via: Ted.com

Comment Card: Corner Bistro

Hamburger Diary: I've been coming to this place ever since I moved to New York. Back in the day, after making several booze-addled rounds at the piano bars and West Village dives, a juicy hamburger at Corner Bistro was the most sublime late night treat, sure to kick off my Pavlovian instincts into high gear. Although my blood alcohol content levels have waned upon each visit over the years, my enjoyment and appreciation for the food at this place never has...

Last night, I met my two friends, Ben and Ravi, and we all ordered a hamburger each, 2 sides of fries to share, and a few pints of the McSorley's Ale. The hamburger was big and a bit of a mouthful, but juicy and cooked perfectly (I've heard that Corner Bistro has a consistency issue with cooking to order ...). If you are like me and tend to load on the fixings (ketchup, mayo, tomatoes, onions and extra pickles), the buns WILL soak up moisture and fall apart on you. If they had grilled or toasted the bun a bit longer, it would have prevented the soggy bun predicament. I was left with somewhat of a mutilated mess for dinner, and needed a fork to finish; nevertheless, it still tasted great. The boys gobbled up their food a lot faster than me, so weren't plagued with a condiment-logged bun.

The Corner Bistro hamburger is simple with no frills. There is also nothing pretentious about the bar: wood-panelled interior, juke-box tunes, and a few flat screens scattered around with the game on.

Warning: It does get extraordinarily crowded, so try to score a spot at the bar and order your food through the bartender. I wouldn't bother waiting more than 30 minutes for a table, you'll just get frustrated and turned off by the place.

What we ordered:

3 Hamburgers with Lettuce, Onion and Tomato
Ketchup and Mayo on Side
2 Orders of Fries
Several Pints of Mc Sorley's Ale ($2)
The cost for everything was $46. Not bad.

Food: Simple but tasty
Service: Brisk
Ambiance: Convivial and Divey
Price: Cheap
Verdict: Check it out, but don't wait in line for a table.


Corner Bistro

331 W 4th St New York, NY 10014 Mon-Sat 11:30am- 4:00am Sun 12:00pm- 4:00am Tel: (212) 242-9502

Vittles for the Week: Lambrusco, Top Chef, Hamburger Fun!

Drink: Lambrusco is back in, less cloyingly sweet with a drier finish. Wonderful treat, if you aren't in the mood for something heavy. I've seen Lambrusco pop up on menus such at Per Bacco, Gusto, and Roberta's (Bushwick). Via Tasting Table

Diversion: More Top Chef Nonsense, a preview of Season 6's chef-testants. Via Eater

Impulse Shopping: Aren't hamburgers the cutest? Especially when they vacuum up table crumbs! Via Gizmodo

Local Shopping: A list of the Greenmarkets and Farmer's Markets in New York State
Via New York State of Agriculture


Off-the Menu Fast Food: Off- the menu hamburgers that aren't so cute--The McGang-Bang.
Via Eat Me Daily

Co-op Cooking: I like the time-saving aspects and potential variety of meals over the course of a week, but sitting and eating together seems like a drag on agoraphobic days. Zip-locking should be an option. Via Bitten Blog; Also See Ethicurean

Recession Deals: Cheap eats! Looking for deals in New York?
Via Gothamist