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Really good.
I'm still waiting for mine.
I know the owner.
Maybe I could do something about it.
MOTZ: For years, I've been crisscrossing America
in search of the best hamburgers.
I've written books about burgers,
even made a film about them,
and I found that burgers aren't the same everywhere.
From state to state, they tell a very regional story.
In my hometown of New York City,
I'm heading to three world-class burger joints,
all with their own spin on the classic hamburger
and a new burger that's making a name for itself --
this one wrapped in Hungarian dough
and deep fried to perfection.
I'm not out here to eat just any burgers.
My job is to find the good ones, the really good ones,
the ones that have been around forever,
and some that are destined to become future classics.
The ones that are made with fresh ground beef.
Those are the burgers that I want to eat.
Look at that thing. [ Growls ]
I'm on a mission to preserve the all-American hamburger,
and my mission is far from over.
I'm George Motz, and this is my journey.
This is "Burger Land."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
There's no place like New York City. There really isn't.
New York City has great museums,
world-class shopping,
amazing neighborhoods,
and some of the most iconic architecture in the world.
And the people of New York City --
There's nothing like a New Yorker.
For hundreds of years, people from all over the world
have made New York City their home.
And that cultural mash-up
means that tons of great food from around the globe
can be found here.
So, when it comes to the classic burger,
it has to stand out.
The writer Calvin Trillin once said,
"Anyone who thinks that
"their hometown doesn't have the best burger
is a sissy."
Fortunately for me, I've got a ton of choices.
When it comes to burgers, you can get
pretty much whatever you want, which is great,
but it can be kind of confusing when you have that many choices.
When I eat a cheeseburger,
I don't need gimmicks and crazy toppings.
I usually crave
an uncomplicated, no-nonsense burger.
People don't realize it,
but burgers like that can actually still be found here.
You just have to know where to look.
So, let's narrow New York City down to its classics.
I'm headed to J.G. Melon on the Upper East Side
for a classic New York City cheeseburger.
J.G. Melon is a humble, no-nonsense tavern
that dates back to 1972.
Original co-owner Jack O'Neill
has helped make J.G. Melon a popular spot
for over 40 years.
And a reason for that popularity
is the J.G. Melon cheeseburger.
Good to see you, guy.
Welcome to Melon's.
There are so many burgers in New York City,
but there aren't standards.
This is a standard.
You look in the dictionary under hamburger,
and there is this burger, right?
Will you say that again?
[ Both laugh ]
You know, back in the '70s when we opened,
there were only about three or four
important burger places --
maybe a half a dozen in New York that people knew.
Let's face it -- Burgers in the old days
were the poor man's steak.
Burger culture has exploded in New York City, obviously.
To say the least.
It really has been crazy.
Some of the most important chefs now
are featuring gourmet burgers.
I mean, come on.
[ Both laugh ]
Let's talk about the burger -- cheeseburger.
What do you want? The secrets, right?
Sure, why not? No, no.
Everybody has their own concept.
There's no getting away from that.
We start with the chuck,
and then we do the tips of the sirloin,
and one of the more secretive things is,
Ahh.
Definitely.
Short ribs will add sweetness for sure.
And you have to have a fat content
Right.
I don't like it too much,
but without it, it's a dry burger.
Sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We have a flat grill,
and it's usually hot nearly all the time,
Right, right, right.
What it does -- It sears it right up,
so it keeps the juices in.
You don't turn it until it's ready to be turned,
and then we also have a soft bun with it,
because it absorbs some of the juices,
so you get the full flavor of the burger.
It's not the biggest one in New York City,
but I think it's one of that tastiest.
What is the clientele like here?
The clientele is -- is varied.
We've had Paul Newman at the bar.
We've had the Kennedy boy.
We used to get the Knicks in here,
and the center of the Knicks used to come in and have four.
I don't put anybody ahead of anybody.
That's one of the secrets. I don't care.
Jackie Onassis came in with her sister, Lee.
I said, "I'm sorry, Lee, but it's a 15-minute wait."
And she said, "Well, we're not gonna wait."
And then Jackie said,
"Come on, Lee. Let's have a beer."
The bar was about three deep,
and it opened up, and they just moved to the bar.
Every sitting New York City Mayor
for the last 40 years
has also felt comfortable at J.G. Melon,
but arguably none have been more passionate about hamburgers
than Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
If you said to me,
you can eat only one thing for the rest of your life,
morning, noon, and night,
Really?
The burger's the great American food.
I'm building two buildings in London for my company,
and I'm gonna have restaurants,
and one of the things we're gonna have
are great burgers -- American burgers.
I love that. Good.
Even if nobody in London wants them,
I want them when I'm there.
So, what is it about J.G. Melon?
There's just something about the ambiance.
Whether it's the size --
Maybe it's the people that work here.
You know, they're New Yorkers
in the sense of things happen quickly
and there's no...fluff.
On the other hand, they really couldn't be nicer.
And then it's the food.
I mean, I think this hamburger
is as good a hamburger as you can ever have.
Great. Thank you.
How do you ask for your burger?
Medium, medium-well?
Uh, medium, medium-well. Yeah.
The classics in New York do need to be appreciated.
What is it about someone like Jack O'Neill,
who has made the same burger consistently
for over 40 years now?
For some things, there is a consistency --
a test of time.
This place -- They do everything
the way they did it a while ago.
Smoking is different.
Short of that, I don't know if they've changed anything.
[ Laughs ]
Mayor Bloomberg is a busy man,
but I'm not leaving until I get my cheeseburger.
Oh, look at that.
I mean, that is just hamburger perfection right there.
Nothing on there, because that is all you need.
Uncomplicated, simple, and perfect.
It's not trying to wow you.
It's trying to comfort you.
That's what a classic New York City burger does --
It comforts you.
Oh.
Watch this.
Look at that. [ Chuckles ]
The juices are running down my hands.
Burger juices, cheese,
and a toasted bun -- That's all you need.
That is a New York City burger.
The combination of classic ground chuck,
sirloin tips, and short rib
gives this seven-ounce patty a seared, steak-like taste
with just a touch of sweetness.
This burger's flavor comes almost entirely from the meat.
That's it.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Laughs ]
J.G. Melon has an incredible cheeseburger
that has stood the test of time,
but downtown, Minetta Tavern has taken tradition
and transformed it into a brand-new classic.
You would know.
It's tough to be burger-famous in this town,
because there's so much competition,
but not just competition from other burger joints.
You're actually competing
with the cuisine of the entire world here.
The burger worth seeking out should be
the one that you bite into and never forget.
When it comes to restaurants in New York City,
nothing gets more classic than this.
Minetta Tavern dates back to the 1930s.
People like F. Scott Fitzgerald,
Ernest Hemingway, Dylan Thomas
used to come here for a bite to eat
and a few drinks.
Maybe more than a few drinks.
Along with partners, Chef Lee Hanson
renovated this Greenwich Village mainstay in 2008,
but kept its signature ambiance intact.
They came up with a new menu
that features the Black Label Burger.
So, there was no burger on the menu
when it was the original Minetta's a few years ago.
Red-sauce place. Right.
So, you guys introduced a classic New York burger
to a place that's been around for almost 90 years, right?
Yeah, and a burger is the perfect representation
of that kind of meal that people are looking for.
How does the Black Label Burger fit into
the incredibly confusing burger-scape of New York City?
It's a classic burger, especially for this place.
We're known for our steaks, as well,
so it's like a steakhouse burger, in a way.
No. No.
You walk in here, you have
this old restaurant that's been around here for 80 years,
you have this kind of
really warm, classic feel to it,
and I think the burger suits the whole vibe.
What's in the burger?
In the Black Label, we have four cuts, and they're all prime.
You have short rib, skirt, brisket,
and, of course, the dry-age rib eye.
What does dry aging do to beef?
It's tenderizing it.
It's adding that kind of funky flavor to it --
condensing the flavors of the meat,
'cause you're essentially drying it.
Exactly.
The funky taste is in there, but you would not taste it
if you were covering it up with all this other stuff
like cheese and, you know, other weird toppings.
We let the meat stand for itself.
You know, we don't have the special sauce
or some kind of funky bun or anything like that.
The only that we put on there is the caramelized onions,
and it's such a rich burger, we feel like
the caramelized onions kind of sweeten it up a bit.
In a time when so many people right now
are trying to step out and do crazy things with burgers,
you know, your crazy thing you've done with the burger
is actually very classic.
And you're treating this burger
with the greatest amount of respect, which I love.
I think I see the funkiness in there. I see the dry aging.
You can see little brown spots.
Oh, that's flavor.
So, the first step is salt.
You don't salt, obviously,
until you're just about to go on, right?
Yeah. Or it'll suck all the moisture out.
That's it.
Because that's all you need.
Do a little bongo action.
[ Chuckles ]
How long does it cook for?
We treat it like steak, so we're gonna get a sear
and maybe, now, four minutes, five minutes,
and then we're gonna keep it up here and let it rest.
You can see it browns pretty quickly.
Yeah, I see it. [ Chuckles ]
So, we flip, and then we, uh --
This is the butter and fat.
How many times do you actually put butter on there?
I guess four, maybe.
That's why it's so good, man.
I don't know anybody else who does that.
I would know.
There are very few people that actually
put butter on the burger while it's cooking.
Those are rare?
You can see that juice coming out.
All those juices will pull back in.
Just like a steak would rest, right? Yeah.
I mean, it's such a big patty, too.
If you would take that right from now and eat it,
you'd bite it, and it would just -- whoosh.
Right, right.
Mmm. Look at that sear.
That is -- That's incredible sear.
Yeah, the crisp --
That taste of the crispness is nice, too.
And combined with those onions.
Look, that's it.
That is beautiful. That is a thing of beauty.
The Black Label Burger is a treat,
and since it's in my hometown,
my buddy Seth isn't going to let me eat one by myself.
Oh, my God.
First time I came here -- true story --
I had a complete out-of-body experience.
I took my first bite,
and then everything went, like, weird,
and I had tunnel vision.
And then you woke up, and the plate was empty.
That burger disappeared inside of 40 seconds.
No, this one is special.
Oh, yes.
PAUL: The Black Labels for you here.
Thank you, Paul.
Now, that's what I'm talking about.
That is a hamburger.
It's an exercise in simplicity.
It's totally uncomplicated. Ooh.
[ Breathes deeply ]
Ooh, you just squirted on yourself.
Ah!
That was so worth it.
Oh, God.
Oh, wow.
That is spectacular.
What's another burger that tastes like that?
I mean, there isn't.
No. It's cooked perfectly.
It's all about the cuts of beef --
rib eye, brisket.
It's dry-aged beef, which adds
a tremendous amount of funkiness to it.
The combination of the butter that it's cooked in,
the salt -- perfectly salted --
is a great hamburger package.
It's simple, but you can tell
that a lot of care was taken in it.
This is why I eat hamburgers, right here.
And that was a Black Label Burger
at Minetta.
Oh. I need a nap.
[ Laughs ]
Minetta Tavern and J.G. Melon
are two great examples of classic burgers in Manhattan,
but my next stop -- Donovan's in Woodside, Queens --
has a burger that's worth jumping on the 7 train for.
Is it seasoned?
It's classified. If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
Well, I'd like to live to see another burger.
[ Laughter ]
MOTZ: The next stop on my New York City burger tour
is in Queens.
Donovan's Pub is located underneath the 7 train
in Woodside, Queens,
which rumbles by every few minutes.
Smart people know to get off the train
and get down here for a classic New York cheeseburger.
This local landmark was recently purchased
by regulars Jimmy Jacobson and Danny Connor.
For 82 years, it's been a gathering place for all types,
but its most famous attraction
is the flame-broiled cheeseburger.
You guys are the new owners.
That's fantastic.
From what I understand, you've been a bartender here forever.
Well, I started as a busboy.
Made my way up to the top, yeah.
You're part-owner. That's amazing. That's great.
Can't go any higher.
I'd love a beer.
Thanks, man. [ Laughs ]
I love that he's part-owner, but he's still bartending.
He's one of the best we got. That's why.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you, Jimmy.
How are you two connected?
Our families grew up together in the neighborhood.
We've both lived here our whole lives.
The thing that's amazed us the most about the neighborhood
is when we bought the place,
a lot of people congratulated us.
The amount of people that are actually thanking us
is what's really blowing us away.
This is kind of the nucleus of Woodside.
It's where everybody kind of comes to.
It has a special place in our hearts. It really does.
They can't beat that, right?
That's like -- That's the subway.
That's part of being in Woodside.
That train runs right through the heart of Woodside.
We don't even notice it.
This neighborhood has changed a lot
in the last like 80 years.
When we were in grammar school and high school,
it was a predominately Irish neighborhood.
So, that was through the '80s.
And then it started to change, I guess,
What is it like now?
Now, you'll see people from every country.
Asian, Spanish -- from everywhere.
Lately, we've been getting a lot of hipsters --
Hipsters.
Yeah, I guess they're calling them now.
Hipsters love hamburgers.
[ Laughter ]
The burger. The burger is world-class.
This burger is fantastic.
There is a special blend of meat.
There is a type of, we'll say, steak
that goes in there that's shredded down into the burger,
and then there's some seasonings,
but, uh, that's all we will say.
[ Laughter ]
It's ground fresh by a butcher in the Bronx, right?
In the Bronx, daily.
It's all put together by hand every day
and brought upstairs and cooked to order.
On a broiler.
Like a steak.
And we got, like, the Cadillac of broilers back there.
That's another thing that really helps.
Cooks it fast and seals in all those juices.
Yeah. That's a very juicy burger.
It's also a big burger.
It's usually anywhere between 8 and 10 ounces,
yeah, 'cause they're shaped by hand.
I notice that you don't put the cheese on the burger.
You put the cheese on the bun.
Yeah. It's a little different.
It looks a little better on our presentation for us --
the cheese melting over the bun.
It lets people prepare their burger the way they want.
I need a cheeseburger.
Medium.
Yes, sir. Thank you.
What do you think about the fact
that these guys bought the place?
Love it -- Known these guys
a really long time,
and it would be a shame
if this place just didn't stay around.
It was in danger of becoming a bank.
Supermarket, yeah.
I don't need another supermarket.
I need a burger. I need a place to come and eat.
Thank you.
Oh, look at that thing.
That's a big burger.
Uncomplicated, simple, perfect.
As the subway rolls by.
[ Laughter ]
Oh!
You want to step back and eat a classic?
That's it right there. That's it.
Guys, thanks for not changing a thing.
Yeah. Exactly.
We're crazy, but we're not stupid.
[ Laughter ]
See that? Know what that is?
[ Laughs ]
Because of the broiling technique,
the juices are locked in there.
Mmm. That's what you want.
What's great about this burger is that it tastes like beef.
That's the way it's supposed to be, right?
That is the first of several hundred
that we will sell today.
MOTZ: It's no wonder Donovan's moves so many burgers.
This well-seasoned patty is an inch thick,
and the first bite reveals a delicate exterior char
that can barely contain the tender, loose beef inside.
When they blend it,
they do a little something to it.
It's classified. If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
Well, I'd like to live to see another burger, so...
[ Laughter ]
...do not kill me.
That is a satisfying burger right there,
cooked perfectly to temperature.
Even to the last bite. Look at that.
The juicy simplicity of its burger
and the decades of tradition
puts Donovan's firmly among the classics
in the burger-scape of New York City,
but my next stop, Korzo in Brooklyn,
proves that, sometimes,
being a bit unorthodox can be a delicious idea.
This is officially one of the strangest things
I've ever seen in the hamburger world.
I just had three classic New York City burgers,
and my next burger is a complete departure.
Korzo is a newer burger place,
opened by Slovakian owners
Maria and Otto Zizak.
I rely on a network of hamburger lovers
to guide me into the next great hamburger spot.
In New York City,
my expert burger taster is the Rev.
He writes a blog called Burger Conquest,
and he's told me that Korzo, which is right in
my own neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn,
has an excellent cheeseburger
that's wrapped in Hungarian dough
and deep-fried.
Yeah, deep-fried...
Hey, Rev.
...and I've been dying to try it.
Ah, look at this place. Awesome.
OTTO: Hey, guys.
Pleasure. Otto.
Otto.
When did you open?
We are going on our sixth year.
Been here six years.
So, where are you from?
I was born in Czechoslovakia.
I came when I was 13 years old, 1989.
Do you own the bar with your wife?
Yes, yes, yes.
We met in second grade -- me and Maria --
Wow.
Maria is the executive chef, yeah.
She's our boss.
[ Laughter ]
Now, I like to say a good burger
starts with good meat.
We get our meat from farms, grass-fed.
The patty is grilled, after which
it's wrapped in the raw lángos dough.
Lángos is the traditional
Slovak/Hungarian rising dough.
They make flatbreads out of it...
...and dropped in a deep fryer.
Ah. [ Chuckles ]
So, this is clearly a departure
from the classic New York City burger.
While definitely a departure,
Chef Maria Zizak's idea to combine Eastern European dough
with the all-American hamburger
is a great example of the cultural mash-up
that is signature New York City.
I make the dough here with my hands, no machines.
It's just the way my mother and grandmother used to do it.
It's very common in Hungary, Slovakia.
But everybody has their own recipe, basically, you know?
So, the burgers are cooked first
on a flame grill -- indoor flame.
These burgers then go where?
We're gonna wrap them.
Before it's wrapped in the lángos dough,
the patty is topped with Edam cheese, pickles,
and a house-made mustard.
You put the patty on top,
and then you stretch it around.
That's incredible.
Wow.
Oh, so that goes right in the deep fryer.
This is officially one of the strangest things
I've ever seen in the hamburger world.
[ Laughs ]
And I like it.
REV: Yay!
MOTZ: That is insane-looking.
Enjoy.
I am, like, blown away. This is unbelievable.
Without a doubt, the most unique burger
Has to be.
So, are we gonna keep talking about it,
We're gonna eat it.
Mmm! Mmm!
Holy [bleep]
The beef is fantastic.
It's a very loose grind.
The pickles add a dill component.
Also, the cheese is not American.
It's good, though.
I thought it'd be like, "Oh, no, here we go.
It's gonna be too overpowering."
It's perfect.
The heat and the juices
are all staying inside this pastry,
which actually tastes like a doughnut.
The way the lángos cradle the insides
keeps you from needing three, four, six, seven napkins.
Have you thought about bringing this back to Slovakia?
The president of Slovakia has eaten here.
And he's had one of these, yeah.
We're a small country, so...
anytime somebody does something that works,
people know about it.
That was a great, great
hamburger experience to have --
not just in New York City, but I think anywhere.
I would call that a magic food moment.
That was definitely -- He's right.
Excellent.
That is -- That was a magic food moment.
There's no question about it
that the hamburger's roots can be traced to New York City.
As Mayor Bloomberg once said,
no place epitomizes the American experience
and the American spirit
more than New York City.
This vibrant metropolis has welcomed people for centuries.
Spirit and diversity pulse through the streets
and make New York a place that's rich with history
but also constantly evolving.
It's difficult to define New York City,
and that's a big part of its appeal.
The innovative burger found at Korzo represents the city
just as much as traditional classics
like Donovan's, J.G. Melon, or Minetta Tavern.
It's just a small part of what makes
the cultural mash-up of New York City so amazing
and why I'm proud to call it my home.