Sunday, February 27, 2011
Paul’s Da Burger Joint @9:30 pm
East Village
Live from New York, it’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night! Starring Paul’s Da Burger Joint and featuring the ready for prime beef player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen...Paul’s Da Burger Joint!
Okay, it's a little chilly out, but I thought I'd walk over to Paul's, so here we go, out into the night.
Here's Union Square Park. Even though it's cold out, there's still some people hanging out here. When the weather gets warmer, this place is packed on a Saturday night.
99 miles to philly. This place has great cheesesteak sandwiches. I'll have to stop in and get one soon, it's been a while since I've been here.
Here's Julian who was getting ready to make some deliveries on this chilly Saturday night.
And here we are at Paul's. I've been here in the past a few times, but I have to give credit to MAD commenter Tim "Clacky" Clack for suggesting the place. He took a picture of the place when he was here last year and sent it to me and suggested I go here on a Cheeseburger Saturday Night. Thanks for the suggestion, Clacky and I suggest you all check out Tim's entertaining blog, Tales From the Bunt's Side.
We'll see about that!
Now that's a burger Wimpy would be proud of.
Wow, the place is packed, not a table to be had and there's a line out the door.
But I spy a seat at the counter, let's go snag it.
There's two cooks working the burger grill and they are really busy. Here's one...
And here's the other. I'm not even going to try to get their name's, it'll be enough of a challenge to place an order up here. I've sat at the counter before in here and when it's crowded it's tough to get your order in. There's just one guy who'll take it and he's running the cash register, answering the phone and ignoring everyone at the counter. It's kind of a sport to get your order in.
The burgers are steam cooked at the grill here by placing metal pans over the ground sirloin.
I was seated next to this sign. I made sure not to cross the line, there was only one waitress on duty and she didn't seem to be in a very good mood.
And some orders are up. So far I've been here five minutes and haven't gotten the register guy's attention.
Finally I made eye contact with the register guy and screamed out, "Give me a Soul Burger, medium with cheddar cheese and an order of onion rings and a Budweiser."
Here's some of the other burgers up on the wall. There's 20 different varieties to be had here.
It's too jammed to do any meet and greet photos in here. Here's the view from my counter stool.
Knick knacks and signs hang above the tables on the wall.
There's plenty of attitude in here, the register man said I couldn't take his picture and that he'd charge me a dollar for everyone I took in here. I'm hoping he was kidding, or this could be a big bill.
One of the cook's takes an order, I'm tired just watching these guys.
Some buns waiting to be burgerized.
And look, it's Elvis! Sorry Elvis, I didn't see a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich on the menu.
Condiments!
And here's the burger and onion rings. Whenever I've ordered from the counter here, I've never gotten the burger I order. I ordered the Soul Burger, but just got a plain burger. I'm not going to send it back though, because I'm starving and don't want to wait for another one. I just loaded this one up with mustard and it was delicious without any toppings. So all is well.
Walking home I came across a protest at the Continental Bar. The owner has been accused of racial bigotry by not allowing certain people through the door. His defense is a dress code that isn't visible anywhere at the bar. You can read more about it at the fine EV Grieve blog.
I have to admit while I was there, everyone in line got admitted. Of course the only people I saw in line were what appeared to be white bridge and tunnel yobbos.
This gentleman was taking photos for the Liberation News.
His name's Eddie and the fact that it says, "5 Shots of Anything," at the top of this photo is a happy accident. I'd like to say I framed it that way, but I just lucked out as usual. Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.
Review
In the last couple years there’s been an explosion of burger joints opening up in New York City. Paul’s has beat them all by a couple of decades. Owner Paul Koval opened the doors to Paul’s Palace in 1989. The name has changed since then, but everything else remains the same. Your eyeballs get assaulted before your taste buds do in this burger emporium. Kitch and kaboodle hang from the walls and ceilings, intermingling with signs reminding you that they’re not Burger King. The tables are covered with red and black checkered table cloths and there’s a pot of pickles at every one. There’s also counter seating up front, where you can watch the kitchen and the burger cookers in action. If you do sit at the counter and it’s busy, prepare to be aggressive when you order, or you might be sitting there till closing time and never get served.
While Paul’s boast’s that it’s home to the “best burger in NYC,” there’s a lot more to the menu than just burgers. There’s 24 hot and cold sandwiches on the menu including: Italian Sausage Hero, served with pepper and onions; Tuna Melt; Chicken Filet and a Fried Egg Sandwich. Also on the extensive menu are Chopped Steak, Turkey and Fried Chicken platters and 16 varieties of omelettes.
Now, onto the signature dish, Paul’s burgers. They have 20 different kinds of burgers including: a Bacon Cheeseburger, Monterey Jack Cheeseburger, Mushroom Burger and a Soul Burger which is a bacon burger cheeseburger with ham and fried onions. I ordered the Soul Burger, but ended up with just a plain burger and while I can’t say it’s the absolute best burger I’ve had in New York, it’s right up there at the top of the list. Expect some attitude when you come in here from the staff, but remember, it’s all done in good humor...most of the time.
Paul’s Da Burger Joint
131 Second Ave. (Near St. Marks Place)
212-529-3033
Further reading: New York Magazine, Village Voice, BCNY and Grub Street.
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