Burgertify

Burgertify has a clever antique arcade game theme and gives arcade game related names to all the burgers. But that’s not really enough to elevate the décor to any level beyond what we’ve seen at 180 Burger Bar and Pérez H. If Burgertify is going to go down in the anals of burger history, it will have to earn its points based on the burgers, not on the ambiance.

And it may well have achieved that.

The burgers are outstanding. There’s nothing really elaborate on the ingredient list. No black truffles or pineapples slices. Just the usual line-up of fresh burger ingredients. What distinguishes Burgertify from the rest of burger joints is that it piles two big patties and two slices of cheese on to that bottom burger bun before piling on the ingredients.

I had the burger called the Game Over and that may well describe what the competition will be seeing on the video screen after the burger-loving public gets their hands on this one.

I’d say the beef patties had somewhere between the ideal 25% and 30% fat (hurray!) and a perfect loose and course grind. They were seared on the hot grill until they were almost crispy. But the medium rare burger I ordered was exactly what I got despite the super-sear. They cooked this burger perfectly. That’s a word you don’t hear me say very often!

And all the care put into the mix, the grind, the cheese and the ingredients paid off. This was a delicious, indulgent cheeseburger.

The French fries were sort of like over-sized McDonald’s fries. Slightly fatter. Slightly shorter. They were good but could have been a bit crispier.

Salt shakers, extra mayonnaise and tasty Heinz catsup and mustard were available in big squeeze-bottles. Just in case that faux-Big-Mac sauce that comes on the Game Over isn’t enough oozing goodness for your Pac-Man a la Super-Mario burger.

A bad or mediocre burger doesn’t drip. Good burgers do. It’s that simple. You can just hold that burger and give it a baby-squeeze and if it drips it’s likely going to be a darn good burger.

As you can see from the slider, this one was oozing with goodness. And amazingly, the puffy domed bun managed to hold all this goodness together until the final bite. A handheld triumph!

I guess you can see where this is all leading. Despite the lack of ambience at this little burger joint, and the lack of table service, the burgers are about as good as it gets. The price for the burger and fries was a bit more than at nearby Pérez H, but only slightly more, and the burgers were slightly bigger with more goodies piled on at Burgertify. I’d have to say that the relation between what you get and what you pay is about the same at both restaurants.

Bottom line. An outstanding burger. Leaps and bounds better than the rubbery burgers being served up at nearby Williamsburg. Big leaps. Big bounds!