Stand4... standburger

sorry for the blurriness... last minute decision.

The Friday before last, before a summer birthday, my favorite and I decided to have dinner out in the City. We made a quick trip to the Barnes and Noble in Union Square to pick up some light reading (A Game of Thrones!!!!!!!!!), and then headed down to 12th street for Stand4. I heard extraordinarily great things about this burger spot, but our experience was far from that...

almost ready for a packed night... and disappointment

We decided to start our experience off right with the joint's famed Toasted Marshmallow MilkShakes. I read so many great things on a variety of websites that allow for customer ratings, ranging from its orgasmic qualities to the cannot miss factor. Even our little waiter proclaimed the deliciousness of this milkshake. Too bad it fell short. The anticlimactic desert tasted no better than a McCafe shake from McDonald's (to me anyway)- despite the gourmet flavor. It was well-presented, but lacked the magic I was rightfully expecting.

toasted marshmallow milkshake

The two of us ordered the same burger. This happens so frequently because we really like the same things. We ordered the Bacon Cheddar Burger and spiced it up with the fried egg add-on. I am just going to say, fried eggs atop a burger is one of the most amazing combos EVER. In London at my favorite chain of pubs, me and my friend, Ivan, would always order the Big Ben Burger (burger, cheese, british "bacon" aka ham, egg and a delightful bbq sauce). Unfortunately this gourmet Stand burger, did not even surpass the taste of the mass-produced pubstyle Big Ben Burger. It was way too salty! I know that bacon can be salty and cheese and even eggs when fried in salted butter can be too, but the actual meat was too salty. The whole combination resulted in a salt overload. This is also reminiscent of a time my family and I went to eat at Bobby Flay's Burger Palace by where my sister goes to school in Philly. We were lucky enough to catch the new burger recipe (if you can sense the sarcasm, well done), which included tablespoons of salt incorporated into the meat. I bet you can guess our reaction....(if not.. YUCK). In both instances, I could not taste the meat (the most important part) or the toppings, just the overcompensation in the form of salt.

looks good...but less than appetizing

If our salt mutilated burgers were not enough, we ordered two sides to accompany them. They deffo looked promising; onion rings and sweet potato fries. Boy were we wrong...again. We were already considering the onion rings, and ordered them on the recommendation of our server. He said that they were light and covered in some kind of Pankoesque batter, crunchy but not too crunchy. He also highlighted the saltiness of the batter made for the secret ingredient in the "tasty" onion rings. Forget the onions or the batter, salt once again was the star. These too were incredibly salty. Beautiful to look at but not so easy on the tastebuds.

beautiful onion rings

My boyfriend and I love most anything sweet potato (he does a little more than me), so we figured the sweet potato fries would be a lovely addition. They were less salt encrusted than the rest of our meal, but had little to no flavor. I know I should not compare adult, real world food to food at the Ratty (on of Brown University's dining halls), but the sweet potato fries at Stand4 paled in comparison. Sometimes a little grease and salt (though not too much) bring out the great flavors in things. I recall these sweet potato fries being parched and needing to be chased by the over-sweet but under-flavored Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake.

bland sweet potato fries

I feel awful, still, because this adventure was all my fault. A while back, working at Ricky's, chatting with customers who just wandered in after a meal at Johnny Rockets, the topic of burgers casually came up. Apparently, this couple were burger fiends and dished on all the best places to grab a burger in the City. Stand4 was on the tippytop of their list. I am afraid to try any of the others. It's so disappointing eating a bad burger, especially when dining. My favorite suggested that we just make our own burgers from now on. I agree...for now.

Anyone have any burger spot suggestions in the City?
xx