PrintReview: Peter Luger Steakhouse
Some men have grilled hamburgers all their lives. I imagine some have cooked tens of thousands of burgers and could probably flip a burger at the perfect moment while finishing the tie-breaking game of a best-of-seven chess match with Bobby Fischer. Unfortunately for our nameless hero, his skills are for naught without the right meat. A lump of day-old ground chuck will never compare to the prime beef used at Peter Luger.
For the last 22 years, Peter Luger has been named the top New York steakhouse, and I've got to agree. A year and a half ago, I went for the first time and shared a huge cut of prime-aged porterhouse. To this day, I can still taste the steak as well as Luger's orgasm-inducing bacon. The thought of the porterhouse in burger form was nearly too much for me. All of that delicious meat, nicely ground, broiled, and placed between a sesame-seed bun sounded like heaven, and I didn't want to tarnish my vision. Two weeks ago, I decided to chance it and turn my dream into reality.
Going for a burger at Peter Luger can be a challenge, as it is only served on the lunch menu (lunch served until 3 p.m.). Thankfully, Luger's serves the full lunch menu on weekends, so I didn't need to take a day off work to visit. Peter Luger Steakhouse has been around since 1887, and I don't think they've done much decorating since. The rooms are covered in wood and have a rustic flavor—perfect for enjoying a piece of meat. There are no exotic floral arrangements or architectural flourishes to distract from your mission. It's just you, your friends, an uncovered wood table, and your meat of choice.
My girlfriend and I both ordered our burgers with American cheese and cooked medium-rare. They arrived ten minutes later with a slice of raw onion and a side of fries. I was immediately excited by the sesame-seed bun—crispy on the outside but fluffy and soft in the middle, my ideal burger delivery device. The raw onions aren't something I'd typically put on a burger, but I imagined myself as a famished working-class Brooklynite visiting Peter Luger in the late-nineteenth century and knew my fictional self wouldn't throw aside a ring of raw onion.
Finally, it was time to taste the burger. Thus far, my dream of the perfect burger was in line with reality. Then, I took a bite. First contact was delicious. The meat had a strong flavor and a smooth texture despite the coarse grind. I took a few more bites and approached the center. Uh oh. The middle of my burger was bright red and nowhere near the pink I was hoping to see. In the dead center it was nearly raw.
Like so many others, I had discovered the downfall of the Luger burger—the chefs don't know how to properly cook a hamburger. Frank Bruni discovered this in February of 2005, Andrea Strong in October of last year, and Josh "Mister Cutlets" Ozersky mentioned this phenomenon before anything else when I mentioned my visit to him.
Well, did this ruin the burger? For me, no. About 80 percent of my burger was cooked to my liking and tasted divine. Yes, the middle was undercooked and lacked all flavor as a result, but I was able to overlook this. My concern is that Peter Luger's inconsistency could be much worse. Bruni wrote:
None of the burgers hit their marks. Mine arrived medium to medium-well. The one that was supposed to be medium was much more done than that. The one that was supposed to be rare verged on raw. Its center was scarily cold.
This type of inconsistency makes it tough to say this is a top burger in the city. The meat is top notch, the accoutrements were perfect, and the ambiance is spot-on, but the possibility of getting a raw, cold center is not acceptible. Of course, if the joint could iron out the inconsistencies in the kitchen, this could possibly be the best burger in the city, which is why I think it's worth giving it a shot. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
PETER LUGER STEAKHOUSE
Website: www.peterluger.com
Phone: 718-387-7400
Location: 178 Broadway, Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY 11211 [map]
Price: $7.95 for a burger (cheese is $1.50, fries are $1.95, and bacon is $2.50)
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7 Comments:
I agree Matty. They should stick to steaks and slab bacon. Your short film of the burger is downright spooky.
Hamburger Hamburger America at 3:06PM on 04/29/06
Forewarned is forarmed. After reading Bruni's review, I knew I'd have to order mine medium, even though I eat everything I can medium rare. Also, i just asked for "cheese" and let the kitchen decide which one is best. Lastly, I scored my burger on top of an amazing onion roll, rather than sesame. and it was absolutely cooked to perfection. It was out of this freakin world. And being that medium-rare is raw in the middle for them, I'd say medium ended up being a touch past rare, not overdone at all.
Peter Luger's, especially when it comes to their burgers, strikes me as a place where you want to say "make it good" to the waiters, as they'll reward your faith in the joint with a superlative piece of meat.
Hamburger Paul Smalera at 10:35AM on 05/04/06
I have had the Luger Burger many times and it is far and away my favorite in the world. My personal preference is for really rare meat and I would almost eat it raw if I could [hey why can't I...hmmm...good idea]. So the red center doesn't detract from the burger for me. That said, if you ask for it medium and get a red center then there really is something wrong. Medium does not mean rare, medium means medium.
Hamburger Danny at 11:58PM on 05/05/06
Yeow! As a watcher (unfortunately never tryer) of Peter Luger as the best steakhouse in the world, it saddens me to the max that their burger is anything but the best in the world. Someday I'll make it there--it's my holy grail--and I'll see if they paid attention to your experience!
Hamburger nick at 10:04PM on 05/14/06
it is totally overrated. i'd waited weeks to go to the place and have their burger, but the waiter who served us totally ruined my day and actually made me cry. he just couldn't be any ruder. my mom and i got there and had to wait for more than 10 minutes to order. when we finally got the hamburgers after about half an hour, i asked for tomatoes and lettuce which i expected to be served with the burger. the waiter seemed alittle annoyed by it somehow, but he could have let us know when taking the order. as he didn't bring lettuce with the slice of tomato, i had to ask him again, and this time i asked for ketchup too. with the burger cooling down right in front of me, i had to wait again and again. there he comes with some lettuce but no ketchup. so i said "ketchup?" and he just ignored me. so i shouted "ketchup??" and he yelled "ok! ok!" i honestly didn't do anything to make him feel bad or anything. i was a happy person when walking in the restaurant. but from drinks, to ketchup he slammed the damn things on the table and made us wait so long everytime we asked for something. and he didn't even bother to ask us while being so friendly to the people right next table to us asking how everything is. the burger was extremely overpriced, and i'll never wanna go back there. i'm totally aware of how unhealthy the food is at mcdonald's, but i'd rather go there. at least i wouldn't have to pay 15 bucks for a cheeseburger and get treated like crap by a waiter.
Hamburger hj at 10:18PM on 08/22/06
I cannot believe how lucky you are. Almost every time I have eaten at Luger's the meat has been overcooked. Oh how I long for a truly rare, or even better black and blue burger from Luger's. The inability of the kitchen to get the temperature right is , unfortunately, not restricted to the burgers. I have had to send numerous steaks back because the kitchen failed to turn out a true black and blue, yet the quality of the beef is so exceptional and the dry aging so perfect that I keep going back. On the two occasions that I have ordered burgers (as appetizers, I love burgers but I am not traveling to Bklyn for a burger alone, though strangely I will go to CT and NJ) they have been overcooked. Personally there are many places I prefer to go for burgers that are closer to my Manhattan home.
Hamburger Beef Aficionado at 2:47AM on 05/01/07
Peter Luger is the most overrated burger on the planet, why the hell would I pay 15 bucks for a burger??? I could get better quality at Fatburger in Long Island or Joe's Bestburger in Queens. The service in Brooklyn is RUDE. Go to the Great Neck location instead.
Hamburger Jeff at 4:31PM on 05/11/07