The winner, but which is it?

When times get tough, the tough eat burgers and drink beer, or at least we do. We thought it would be fitting to kick off Burger Wars by pitting a couple of wallet-friendly burger + beer deals against one another.

The Competitors:

I. Molly’s Pub & Restaurant: 287 3rd Avenue (22nd & 23rd).  Molly’s Jumbo 10 ounce pub burger with your choice of cheddar, american, swiss, mozzarella, or blue cheese, served with french fries, potato salad, mashed potatoes, or onion rings (other toppings available for $1). Cost: $11 (+ cost of beer).

II. The Smith: 55 3rd Avenue (10th & 11th).  The Smith Sunday “Get a burger and a beer for $12″- Burger with cheddar cheese, french fries, and your choice of beer. Cost: $12. The final verdict after the jump…

The Final Verdict: The unanimous winner of Burger Wars Part I = Molly’s.

Jill’s Winner: Molly’s cheeseburger was the clear victor out of these two burgers- it wasn’t even close.  First of all, let’s talk burger…  Molly’s burger was large, juicy, and perfectly medium rare.  It had a charcoal black crispy outside with ridiculously amazing rare and dripping meat inside.  The cheese was perfectly melted into the traditional style burger bun (which in turn melted into the burger as the juices flowed at first bite/cut).  This is a real burger- forget adding the lettuce, tomatoes, and fixings (although the pickle was a delight- very crisp and sour).  I added a bit of ketchup and was in heaven.  Definitely the best burger I have had in a while.  When you bite into it, expect savory juices to flow all over your hands and plate.  You could really taste the meat- no need for heavy seasoning.  I ordered the onion rings but had a few of Andy’s fries and found both to be top quality and fresh.  There are more burger wars to come, but Molly’s is one of my early favorites in NYC (and completely underrated).

The Smith burger was good and for the price and ambiance, it still gets a thumbs up from me, but it is not even in the same category as the Molly’s burger.  The Smith burger was a nice size and my cheddar cheeseburger was cooked well.  The french fries were thin, crisp, and tasty.  The Smith burger came with all the fixings already on it- including what appeared to be a mayo-based special sauce.  I would have added all the fixings anyway (for the extra flavor that the Molly’s burger didn’t need), so I was happy with the pre-assembly.  The best part was the amazing beers on draft that came with the $12 burger meal (and a nice size glass).  I chose a Blue Point Toasted Lager which complimented my cheeseburger and fries perfectly.  I would certainly come back to The Smith (I LOVE their brunch and their dinner menu- the caramelized brussel sprouts are amazing).  You really can’t go wrong for a $12 tasty burger that comes with a beer from their great draft beer selection, but with Molly’s calling my name only 10 blocks north, I think I’ll be returning to The Smith when I am in need of something other than a burger fix.

Andy’s Winner: Also, hands down, the Molly’s burger takes the prize. I know it’s a bold statement, but this may have been the best NYC burger I’ve ever had. I think I said “This is the best burger I’ve ever had,” between just about every bite I took. Even the bun was amazing and had perfect grill marks. When my burger first arrived I was a bit disappointed cause I thought it was overcooked. Man was I wrong. This burger was cooked to perfection. It had this perfect char on the outside leading to a perfect juicy medium rare on the inside. I was dying to go back in the kitchen and ask the chef what their secret is. I asked our server and all she offered up is that they add ”a little bit of love” to every burger. I cannot believe people wait for places like J.G. Mellon and Shake Shack and probably haven’t even heard of the Molly’s burger. Molly’s is a true Irish bar…sawdust on the floor, Murphy’s on tap and Irish tunes on the jukebox. I had to request they put American football on the TV. They agreed, but only for the Notre Dame game. I kinda feel bad for The Smith that it had to face such stiff competition. Their burger was cooked perfectly medium rare and I got to wash it down with a Sixpoint Bengali IPA (all for only $12). I just found the condiments to be overly invasive with the default inclusion of the special sauce (think Big Mac) and that they keep this burger from reaching its full potential. I also found the bun to be a bit too ”bready.” Just never got that nirvana moment of “Wow, I’m eating something special here,” like I did with the Molly’s burger. On a 100-point scale, I’d give the Molly’s burger a 98 and I’d give The Smith’s burger an 89. I’ll be back for the $12 burger + beer special, but when friends come to town and want to try one of NYC’s best burgers, we’re headin’ to Molly’s.

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