Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville / Universal City Walk - Never Judge a Burger By Its Song

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

http://www.margaritavilleorlando.com/
6000 Universal Blvd # 704

Orlando, FL 32819

THE STORY

Don't lie, whether you like it or not, you know every word to the song...


If you have been to a Frat bar, college house party, Florida, wedding, bachelorette party, an ocean oasis, the beach, the "19th hole" or listened to a classic rock or easy listening station, you have heard Jimmy Buffett sing his #1 hit about being drunk on margaritas.

Chances are, you also know this one...

While I can't say I am a fan of this South Floridian's "island escapism" style music, you can't deny the popularity, nor the sentiment of the songs. Drinking, sitting in the sun and eating cheese burgers? This is the life we all yearn to live. Perhaps that is why his greatest hits, "Songs You Know By Heart" was the ONLY CD my father owned.

The story goes like this, Jimmy was out on a boat trip gone bad with only peanut butter to live on. Their boat came ashore on Tortola in the US Virgin Islands. They approached a local bar and ordered a cheeseburger which, as legend goes, was over cooked and served on a burnt bun. But the experience was so good, it inspired the song. Several restaurants lay came to being that burger. Le Select in St. Bart's, Ma Ruby's in the Bahamas and the leader in the claims, Stanley's Welcome Bar in Tortola.

Well somewhere along the lines, the people at OSI Restaurants decided to make these 2 very popular songs into dining establishments, Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise. Capitalizing on the myth of this magical burger, prepared in a fashion that no self respecting burgerist would enjoy, both of them carry the magical burger named in the song.

While at Universal Studios celebrating my 1 year anniversary my wonderful wife Cara, we worked up a sizable hunger after an afternoon of thrill rides. I suggested we exit the park and check out the food options in Universal City Walk. City Walk is the area that connects the two Universal parks and is filled with food, shopping and clubs. Unfortunately during the day, there aren't really options for table service dining other than Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. But we wanted to sit, relax and have a drink, so we went in and got a table.

Having been down the path of chain restaurant burgers, my better intuitions told me to avoid getting a burger here. I was about to order a salad, along with my Mai Tai, when I decided to ask our waiter if the burgers were fresh or frozen. When he assured me they were made fresh, I just couldn't say no. Damn it Dad!

THE BURGER
In attempt to not go totally overboard, I opted for a side salad instead of french fries. The red wine vinaigrette dressing I ordered was garlicky and delicious. I did not regret the decision. But when my Hickory Cheeseburger showed up, it came with fries anyway. So much for healthy options!

With much trepidation, I picked up the sandwich and took a bite. Hmmm. Was my mind fooled? Was I going crazy? Was this a burger as tasty as the song claims? I took another bite and another and another. Cara looked at me and asked "well??? How is it?" I can't lie to you, this burger is pretty good! They cooked it medium-rare just like I asked. The salty beef patty was juicy, dripping with grease and filled with a fresh salty beef flavor. The Hickory sauce was not unlike that of the beloved Apple Pan in LA, a smoky ketchup /BBQ sauce hybrid. It was really tasty. The sesame seed bun, although a little big on top and a little small on bottom (perhaps just a bad slicing job) was soft and fit the sandwich just right. If you want to get a burger while at Universal Orlando, this is the spot!

I might not like the music but I can't argue with the man's sentiments; "Warm beer and bread they said could raise the dead."


7 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

Confisco / Universal Islands of Adventure - "2 Amazing Theme Parks," 1 OK Burger

Confisco / Universal Islands of Adventure
http://www.universalorlando.com/Amusement_Parks/Islands_of_Adventure/Restaurants/confisco.aspx?intsrch=confisco

6000 Universal Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819

THE STORY
1 Year ago today, I was happily wed to my beautiful wife Cara. To celebrate the wonderful year we have spent together as husband and wife, we took a short trip to Orlando to have some fun at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. On the day of the wedding, I took all the wedding guests who had traveled from out of town out to eat a burger at the Iron Horse in Westwood, NJ. It was and still is the most attended Burger Conquest yet. So how to celebrate both of these events 1 year later? A Burger Conquest for 2!!

I really hadn't planned on eating a burger while there. I had planned on riding The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Dr. Doom, Dueling Dragons, The Mummy, Jaws, Men In Black, The Simpson's Ride and the Hollywood Rip Rockit Roller Coaster. If you have ever been to Universal, you already know, no attention to detail is spared. When you are walking around Seuss Landing, everything, even the trash cans are themed to the island. In Jurassic Park, the food stands and restaurants are dinosaur themed. Even posters advertising the Universal Express Pass in each section of the park are themed to that Island or ride. That's not all! Find yourself bored to tears while waiting for your favorite amusement ride? Not at Universal! Even the lines are built as part of the attraction. While waiting for the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, you'll stroll the newspaper offices of the Daily Bugle. That's the newspaper that Peter Parker (the man behind the mask) works when he isn't web-slinging across the city. Funny videos help entertain and teach you the rules of each ride. It's pretty unbelievable how much detail has gone into the planning of the park.

But I digress.. When I happened upon a sing outside Confisco's at the entrance to the park, that said "Specialty Burgers," I began to reconsider.

THE BURGER
I had high hopes when the EXTREMELY friendly waitress asked how I would like my burger cooked, which of course was medium-rare. While I waited for the burger to arrive I sipped on what must've been the largest fountain Diet Coke I have ever had outside a 7-11. This is just a bad idea because if you put it in front of me, I will drink it...twice over.

The burger is served with a little pink plastic stick stuck into it, denoting that the burger has been indeed cooked medium-rare and on a sesame seed bun. I ordered mine with cheddar which much like the meat, was undercooked. However, in the world of cheese, this is no good. I can't say for sure but I am willing to put a fiver that this burger was a frozen patty plucked from a stack that arrived in a large box. Thus being the case, a medium-rare cook is actually no good, especially if the burger has not been totally thawed. A let down indeed but honestly, not as bad as some of the other burgers I have had. As Universal is a MASSIVE corporation operating an amusement park serving thousands of hungry thrill seekers, one shouldn't expect gourmet quality from the food.

If you want a delicious burger while at Universal Orlando, go here.


5 out of 10 ounce
-Rev





I'll be very excited to return in 2010 when the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter opens (nerd alert.)

Thunder Jackson's - A Dirty Victory

Thunder Jackson's
http://www.thunderjackson.com
169 Bleecker
New York, NY 10018

THE STORY
When we picked a date for a Burger Conquest double date with our friends Dawn and Paul, I asked if we could go to J.G. Melon. At the time hadn't even considered that the New York Yankees would be playing the Philadelphia Phillies for what could be the final game of the World Series on the same evening. As big Yanks fans, there was no way we were going to miss out on watching the game. Even though J.G. promised me the game would be on, the long wait, cramped bar and quick turn over of tables just wasn't going to work for prime game viewing.

Enter Kyle and Ian, owners of Thunder Jackon's. Thunder Jackson's, the so called "Urban Roadhouse" and purveyors of the "Dirty Burger." This little bad boy and it's dirty wings, ribs, fries and other friends are a unique approach to spicing up a burger, but you can read more about all of that from our last visit. TJ's also worked well because Dawn is a veggie and according to my pal Jen, has the 2nd best veggie burger in NYC. My friend's Scott and Gary hit me up to see where we planned watch the game and when I told them TJ's, it was officially a party.

THE BURGER
Admittedly, I did order the Dirty Turkey Burger so at least I had something new to talk about but the burger Gods were just not having it. The kitchen was extremely busy, there was barely even standing room in the over packed bar, so I forgive them for serving me beef. Besides, how can beef over turkey ever be considered a loss?? Great as always, my burger was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of spices to give it a unique flavor but not overpower the beef itself. The extremely squishy bun holds up just enough to not melt under the meat and makes for one delicious sandwich.

Be sure to order your fries "dirty" and don't miss out on the homemade ketchup or truffle butter. All good eaters relish in the beauty of dips and Thunder Jackson's does not disappoint. Of honorable mention are the hot wings (go "pissed" if you like them hot) and the fall-off-the-bone tender BBQ wings. So good are the dips, fries and wings, that I made a little "fat sandwich" of all of them. WINNER, just like the 2009 World Champion NY YANKEES!!!

The food was great, the company was awesome and the victory was oh, so sweet. When the Yankees won, the place went absolutely bananas! TJ's ended up being the perfect place to watch the game.


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

Bar Americain - Always Bet on Bobby

Bar Americain
http://www.baramericain.com/

152 W 52nd St

New York, NY 10019-6004

THE STORY
At 12:19 AM last night, I get an email from my friend Scott who works at Chrysalis Music. Here is the whole email;
________________________________
From: Scott
Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 12:19 AM
To: Rev
Subject: Been to The Burger Joint?

Wanna go manana?
Let me know
________________________________

I was a little surprised because Scott lives in LA, but he's referring to The Burger Joint at the Parker Meridien Hotel in NYC. It's a great burger but when Scott suggested a 1 pm lunch, I told him no way. The line would easily be 60-90 minutes and I just didn't have that time in the middle of the work day. Scott loves himself some beef and I did not want to disappoint so I suggested celebrity chef's Bobby Flay's Bar Americain. We had business to chat about anyway, even though Scott was in town to attend the Yankees World Series games. Bobby started his career off at famed New York City theater district's Joe Allen's on restaurant row at the age of 17. From there he attended school at the French Culinary Institute where is now a master and has gone on to create a string of successful restaurants and cook books, none of which I have ever eaten at or read. It was time for the shame to end. Bar Americain is Bobby's American Brasserie and since the guy also has his own burger chain, I figured it was a safe bet.

THE BURGER
After a quick peek at the menu, I looked at Jackie and said "damn! That Grilled Pizza with Smoked Bacon, Caramelized Onions and Toasted Garlic sounds great!" Jackie agreed and we chose to go, as my Dad used to say, "justa-justa," on the pizza and a Burger Americain with Gruyere. The burger arrived on a platter with 3 sauce pots (ketchup, mustard and roasted reed pepper) in sauce pot holes, I thought that was pretty nifty. The burger was cooked absolutely perfectly and was a site to behold on it's sturdy yet soft sesame seed bun. I was a little weirded out by the grilled onion that was refrigerated and decide to 86ed it from my sandwich.

Mmmmmm. It was juicy yet not greasy and full of quality saltiness that one expects in a burger. Gruyere is a great cheese and the slice on this burger definitely good but I wish I had opted for the more intense flavor of cheddar cheese. The red pepper spread was so good that I didn't even bother with the mustard. I even took to dipping the greasy and delicious french fries into it.

As for the pizza...holy moley...I want to take this home and raise it like my own. It was amazing! The bacon was amazing and exploding with great salted pork flavor. Mix that with salty cheese and salty garlic and you have on savory party happening on your tongue! I don't know what kind of olive oil they used to make it but I want to buy a bottle and never use any other brand again! I was really glad we decided to go halfsies on it!

Mr. Flay, you have made one tasty burger and I looked forward to someday eating at your burger palace.


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

Bill's Bar - The First Ever Burger Conquest Costume Burger Ball

Bill's Bar
http://www.billsbarandburger.com/
22 Ninth Ave
New York, NY 10014

THE STORY
You've seen "Back to the Future" right? Kid from the future has a crazy inventor friend who makes a time machine. In a random turn of events, he ends up in the past as a high school student at his parent's school and is instantly the cool new guy on the block, thus changing his parents lives and in turn his own future? Well that's kind of like the B.R. Guest restaurant in NYC, Bill's Bar. Follow me...

About 3 weeks ago, Bill's Bar opened and the Burgeratti all exploded onto the nets with praise and adoration; A Hamburger Today, Hamburger America, The Feedbag, Eater, Grub Street.
So Marty McFly = Bill's Bar and High School = New York City, although I am not sure who is Biff Tannen in this comparison. Maybe Josh Ozersky (ha!) Actually, since he introduced me to Donna at B.R. Guests, I guess that makes him more like George McFly...but I digress.

Bill's Bar is located in NYC's where The Hog Pit used to be in the meat packing district. They use the ever popular Pat La Frieda for their ground beef and prepare their burgers smash style (wad of beef literally gets smashed onto the cooking surface) on a Keating Miraclean flat top griddle. So with the promise of tasty burgers and the need to come up with my own review but stand out from the rest of my burger buds, I emailed Team Burger and invited them too...

THE FIRST EVER BURGER CONQUEST COSTUME BURGER BALL!!

THE BURGER
13 of us rolled into Bill's this rainy Halloween even ready to do some damage. The extremely friendly and accommodating staff lead us to 3 tables in the back where we stared to look over the menu. Bill's serves up 6 choices of burgers including the Burgeratti fave, "The Bobcat." The inspiration behind this burger topped with green chiles and jack cheese is from the famed Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe, NM. Which is what I ordered. When I asked "how are the burgers prepared" I was told that the 5 ounces patties are "cooked for about 90 seconds but we'll try to get it as rare as possible for you."

Served on a squishy sesame seed bun and with lettuce, this burger packs a tasty flavor. The meat is slightly crisp on the outside and had a very salty flavor, which is exactly how I like it! I expected the chiles to be a little hotter and a little smokier but the cheese really blended into the overall flavor of the sandwich. Maybe this bad boy was way too hyped up but I expected to love it more than I did.

And that is exactly why, I ordered a 2nd burger, this time with just cheese and lettuce. I am glad I did because the 2nd burger was fantastic. As much as I love a burger with bacon, egg, cheese, peanut butter and fried bananas (see Vortex), I'm really quite happy with a simple bun, lettuce, cheese and patty combo. The Bill's Classic was fantastic and bursting with burgery goodness. In retro, getting both burgers was the right call, although I will say, the bottom half of the bun really held no support for the sandwich.

With a decent selection of beers, Bill's offers more than just a great burger. We also tried the creamsicle shake which was creamy and delicious and an Oreo Shake with Jameson Whiskey in it. This thing was sent down to us from the food and liquor heavens and thank you to Tom for having the head space to order it. The fries were crispy and good but the real potato win was the NJ influenced "Disco Fries" smothered in cheese sauce and gravy. We also dove into a plate of boneless wings and as much I would like to tell you whether the sauce was good or not, they were simply covered in Frank's Red Hot. How can you go wrong with that? The specialty food item of the menu, Crispy Veggie Fries. The name is a bit of a misnomer as these are more like tempura vegetables and are damn tasty.

With all this foodie goodness, I have to tell you the absolute winner here, and Matt will agree with me, especially after his double patty chili covered monstrosity (I love you Matt) that the Beer Battered Onion Rings were the best God Damn Onion Rings on the planet! I have never had better tasting, more perfectly fried O-Rings in my life. Don't you hate it when you bite into them and the stringy onion comes slopping out of the fried batter like a tape worm trying to escape a hole? Gross. NOT THESE SUCKERS! Every bite goes right through to give you a perfect mix of onion and batter.

Thanks to the Bill's Bar staff and B.R. Guest for a great time and a great meal. Thanks to Team Burger for eating in costume. Me, I am the black colored robot from the future named Bronar, shoving a burger into my mechanical face.


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

Stand - Getting Sucked In AGAIN By the Weissman

Stand
http://www.standburger.com/
24 E. 12th St
New York, NY 10003

THE STORY
After eating burgers or steak for 6 days straight, I swore I would eat healthy today. I had been doing really good until I got up from my desk to go get a soda at the University Place Gourmet and ran into my business partner Mark. Mark is one of the nicest and most passionate people I have ever met. When he gets into something, he goes the full distance and commits himself 110% It makes him a great business man, friend, husband and father of 2. It also makes him an absolutely fiendish, crack-like addicted fan of Stand. While Matt, Adam and I were on our way to the bodega, we bumped into Mark who begged us to go get lunch with him at Stand. This has happened before so I really shouldn't be surprised.

THE BURGER
While I had already eaten a grilled chicken and green beans Lean Cuisine, I wasn't all that hungry, but if you know me, I can't turn down a burger. I ordered a mini-burger with white American. It's served on a tiny little brioche with ketchup and pickles, both of which I asked to not be on the burger. I also asked for the burger to be served medium-rare which at this size, is a pretty difficult task. Now don't get confused, these are not sliders (generally served smashed and greasy) this was literally a smaller version of their regular-sized burger. The cheese to burger ratio was on the heavy side, due to small size of the patty, but I had no complaints about that! It was a tasty little treat and honestly made me want to go back a 3rd time and finally get the real deal.


7 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

Schnipper's Quality Kitchen - Getting Stoned With an Idol

Schnipper's Quality Kitchen
http://www.schnippers.com/
620 8th Ave
New York, NY 10018

THE STORY
When I started Burger Conquest, it was merely with the intention of sharing my love of burgers with my friends and creating a journal of our burger eating exploits. As the posts went and up and my obsession for burgers grew, I learned of a man, some might call him a legend. His name is George Motz (pronounced Moehts) and he is considered the foremost expert on burgers. How did George earn this level of notoriety? As an award-winning Director of Photography, while looking for a new project to film, George decided to make a film documentary about 8 of his favorite places to eat his favorite food, the hamburger.

In 2005 the film "Hamburger America" debuted on the Sundance Channel. Not one to sit still, George combing his 2 passions, then co-created the NYC Food and Film Festival. Shortly thereafter came the book of the same title but this time with 100 different burger joints reviewed within. He's taught a burger course at NYU and even designed the burger at the NY Water Taxi Beach, appropriately named, the Motz Burger. As burger joints come and go, the book and movie are just not enough to keep the burger community appeased, so George runs a regular blog to keep his fans up to date on his burger adventures. Motz, as most people call him, is the definition of "dedication to a craft." As far as I'm concerned, he is the Indiana Jones of burgers.

So when Adam Kuban, founder of A Hamburger Today, email introduced me to George, I got kind of giddy. When George suggested we get a burger together, I almost became unhinged. The opportunity to meet the lord of the burger was just too damn excited. He suggested we meet up at Schnipper's Quality Kitchen. Jackie and I couldn't wait.

Schnipper's is the creation of 2 brothers named Andrew and Jonathan Schnipper. You may have heard of them as they were the force behind Hale and Hearty Soups. Selling the company off in 2006 left them ready for new pursuits and to quote them; "soup is good food, but when you get right down to it, nothing really beats a quality burger, right?" After what sounds like an amazing road trip, eating food in all 4 corners of the US, they returned back to New York and opened their Quality Kitchen right across from the Port Authority and next to the New York Times. For those of you not familiar with either building, it's the same one that 2 people scaled before getting arrested back in 2008. Although the focus is on burgers, SQK also serves all sort of comfort food like mac and cheese, hot dogs, shakes, sloppy joe's, chicken sandwiches, fish and more. And on this rainy Wednesday, we were about to meet a burger icon inside their restaurant.

THE BURGER
After George arrived and pleasantly greeted us, he approached the the counter and asked if the Schnipper's were in. They were not so George walked us over to the counter and suggested the Hickory Bacon Blue Burger. George also threw a nod towards the Green Chile Burger but I wanted whatever he was going to get. Along with my burger, I ordered the Southwestern Mac & Cheese with roasted poblanos and green onions. George is bursting with excitement and stories and as we played the get to know me game while waiting for our Schnipper's buzzers to go off, we were barely able to complete stories without getting side tracked into other stories. The buzzers went off and we all raced over to the counter to grab our vittles.

The Hickory Bacon Blue Burger comes with bacon, blue cheese, crispy onions, hickory BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato and Schnipper sauce. A veritable cornucopia of toppings if you will. I was mighty shocked to see George order it as many of his reviews in the book beg readers not to over adorn your burger with toppings and he is constantly claiming favorites to burgers that have nothing on them other than a bun or onions. But in this case, burger monkey see, burger monkey do. When I saw George remove the tomato from his burger, much like I always do, I was stoked. I knew were more alike than I had thought.

A bite or two into the burger and a perplexed looked came across George's face. Mine was tasting pretty good so I was a little weary of what was happening. "They forgot the onions. You gotta have the crispy onions," George proclaimed right before he got up and walked over to the counter to ask for crispy onions. Just as he made his approach, Andrew Schnipper walked into the restaurant and witnessed what was happening. George returned to the table with the onions.

A few moments later, a VERY apologetic Andrew Schnipper came to our table with 2 new Hickory Bacon Blue Burgers. Not one to waste a great burger, I finished the first one before ripping into the 2nd. The 80/20 chuck blended hand-pattied burger was bursting with greasy juices and cooked absolutely perfectly. The measurement of bacon to cheese to crispy onion to meat to sauce to bun was clearly something the Schnipper's had spent hours and hours concocting. This was no ordinary burger, this was an American classic gone to the tastefully extreme.

While the magic flavors of my 2nd burger were doing the happy dance in my mouth, Andrew returned with 3 samplings of their new tomato cheddar soup. I don't like tomato soup but I kind of felt obligated to have a taste. I ATE THE WHOLE THING! It was great, very thick and tasted more like a cheesy Italian pasta sauce then the watery version of tomato soup I am familiar with. As I was putting the finishing touches on the burgers and soup, Andrew returned again with 3 hand-crafted shakes for us to try. The chocolate shake was extremely rich and syrupy, the black and white was decent but not really my bag but the brand new pumpkin spice was from another plane of existence.

While everything we ate was darn-tootin, I am sad to say that the mac & cheese was pretty forgettable. I was hoping for a deeply rich and thick cheese with a nice spicy bite but instead it was watery and the peppers had little to no flavor. Sorry guys, I feel overwhelmed with the desire to ONLY say great things about the place because I loved it, but have to be honest. Everything else though, you need to eat!

Quote of the day goes to Motz. As the meal was coming to an end, George paused, looked up at us and said "I think I'm burger stoned."


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev