The Perfect Burger
So, I’m pretty much on a continual search for the perfect burger. I dream of the day when I will find the ideal blend of meat, toppings, and bun — the combination that will supersede all other possible worldly combinations. I want to find a burger worthy of rhapsodizing: just like Marshall does in “How I Met Your Mother” when he tastes the best burger in NYC.
Marshall’s speech:
Just a Burger? Just a burger. Robin, it’s so much more than “just a burger”. I mean…that first bite—oh what heaven that first bite is! The bun like a sesame freckled breast of an angel resting gently on the ketchup and mustard below—flavors mingling in a seductive pas-de-deux And then…a pickle…the most playful little pickle! Then a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce and a…a patty of ground beef so exquisite; swirling in your mouth breaking apart and combining again in a fugue of sweets and savor so delightful. This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread, Robin: this is God…speaking to us in food.
Last night, I tasted closer to God.
After tasting the incredible truffle fries at The Cellar on Mass Ave (first you taste salt, then a burst of that deep truffle flavor), I yearned to try the burger there. The ingredients sounded top notch: made with local beef, arugula, rosemary aoili, and placed atop a brioche bun. It would be many months between when I first tasted the truffle fries that hinted at the top-notch quality of the food there, and when I finally had the opportunity to taste their stab at perfection, yesterday one chilly October eve.
This burger is pretty close to heaven. Succulent, flavorful meat graced my tongue, laced with the bitter accent of the arugula. Shortly after, the pair was embraced by rosemary and soft, sweet bread. This — now this — is a worthy contender for my heart.
While Eagle’s Deli will always be special to me for providing the carnal experience of snarling and tearing my way through a pound of meat, and Miracle of Science will always issue forth a solid and filling medley of blue cheese and beef, the Cellar now holds the scepter. I anticipate that its reign may be short lived, however. I hear that RF O’Sullivan’s, a tiny pub just down the street, has a burger - with a sausage patty sitting atop the beef patty - that will crush my burger expectations and rebirth my burger dreams to new levels of taste elevation.
Bring it.
