Best burger in Boston ????? any successors to Tim's on Columbus Ave
Has anyone found a burger as good as Tim's? I had a delish one at the Bristol Lounge/Four Seasons but it cost $18.00... Yikes!!!!!!!!!! THE BEST BURGER should also have great fries, I think ...
oleanatypefood
Jan 03, 2007 09:37PM
Tim's was a great local place, however IMO Bartley's, O'Sullivans, Audobon, Miracle of Science (to name a few) all have better burgers than Tim's did when they were in operation. You will find numerous burger threads here if you search.
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Oh, I STRONGLY disagree, Gabatta. Perhaps RFOs is comparable, but the others don't even come close to Tim's (at least IMO). Especially not Bartley's. Hugely overrated (again, IMO of course).
Audobon Circle and Miracle of Science have very good burgers, but I knew Tim's...Tim's was a friend of mine...(you get where I'm going).
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I'm with you BB3. Tim's burger was really perfection 10 oz. of fresh ground beef, hand formed, and cooked to order. It really could not be improved upon.
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I'm hyperventilating over your dis of Bartley's. I'd never pass up a Bartley's burger for RFO. I'm not particularly good about articulating what I like in a burger, but everytime I eat at Bartley's, I know it's got it!
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I love me some Miracle, but their burgers are really a big ol' *yawn*. Good, but nothing to go out of the way for IMHO.
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We went to Miracle a couple of weeks ago and my wife's cheeseburger was flat (i.e. looked pre-made) and completely uninspired. Did something change there? Random bad night? Substitute cook?
The steak tips (I forget what they call them) were great as usual, which made it even wierder.
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I eat there a lot b/c I work nearby. I'd be surprised if they were using pre-made burgers.
Try the grilled shrimp if you haven't had them. Spicy and great flavor.
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FYI
321 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge MA
1246 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge MA
282 Beacon St Somerville MA
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Tim's was a great spot. I lived within walking distance for some time. I know a lot of people here have a sentimental attachment, and I loved the atmosphere. However, I found the cooking of the burgers to be quite inconsistent.
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I'm just going by my experience. NEVER had a burger at Tim's that wasn't cooked just-as-ordered (medium rare on the rare side). And I probably had well over 100 Tim's burgers in my life.
Still, I obviously can't speak for everyone (try as I might:))
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I also used to live right by Tim's, but only had an incorrectly cooked burger maybe twice in about 50 visits, a much better records than Sully's in my experience. The bacon and cheddar, medium rare was a thing of beauty at Tim's. The fries/rings were nothing special, but I still dream about the burgers ... mmm burger dreams.
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The burger at the Druid is a special burger. It's enormous, properly prepared, not-overly seasoned and fresh.
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I'm a big fan of the Druid burger - BIG fan - but it is pretty heavily seasoned with fresh herbs. I recall that many 'hounds did not like it. And sometimes I need to add extra salt, but that could be my own little addiction. :-)
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I also would not describe it as enormous. Big enough, but not enormous.
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The Bristol Lounge burger is not about the burger alone, the fries, atmosphere, and a good drink round out the $18 tab.
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The $18 does not include the good drink however.
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admittedly not the same type of joint as Tim's at all, but Blu has a great cheeseburger club. their shoestring fries that come with it are excellent, too. but, for the price of a burger and fries there, you could have had a monster burger, two beers, a shot of Hypnotiq and seven songs on Boston's best juke box at Tim's...
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I've said this before and I'll say it again, but I think the burger at Costello's in JP comes the closest to a Tim's burger. Almost always cooked correctly, a nice flavorful burger w a good chargrilled taste. The hand-cut fries are delicious and just add to the experience. Plus the atmosphere at Costello's comes the closest to replicating a Tim's experience. An old-school bar filled with an eclectic mix of people --runs the gamut from old-man regulars to jp locals.
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I really like Casablanca, the burger reminds me of Bartley's and the fries are fantastic.
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The best pub style burgers I've had recently are as follows, in order
1)Solas
2)Abe and Louie's
3)Bouchee
4)75 Chestnut
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Our students & faculty really like the burgers at Mission Bar & Grill in Brigham Circle.
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They're pretty good. Not great IMO, but okay.
The Misson DOES have some decent food overall though.
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I also miss Tim's - I work in the neighborhood. That said, I have to agree that the burgers at Solas are great. (Irish pub in the Lennox hotel on Boylston St.)
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I almost hate to do this. What happens if I tell you fellow Chowhounds where to find the best burger...and then I can never belly up to the bar and get one again b/c the place is so crowded? Well...given the number of great rec's I've gotten from Da Hound...I guess I'll share :)
Washington Square Tavern, Brookline. $13. Juicy, cooked perfectly, great portion. Comes with cheddar of blue cheese. Pickle and delish fries.
Add a pint and it's heaven.
(and for some reason, the Beacon Street Tavern burger isn't as good?)
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If you are correct about this burger, you may never have to pay for another one yourself again. :)
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I'll second the burger at Washington Square Tavern in Brookline. Washington Square Tavern is probably my favorite spot in the entire Metro Boston region, and the burgers are fantastic. Read my review here http://onefoodguy.blogspot.com/2006/0...
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I lived in Coolidge Corner for over 2 years, ate everywhere in sight including Washington Square Tavern at least twice, and never had what is reportedly a great burger? How does this happen?
For what it's worth, now that I'm back on the Cambridge side of the river, I've enjoyed plenty a burger at O'Sullivan's and Bartley's (both very good but with fatal flaws), and a number of convenience burgers at Krazy Karry's in Arlington center (really nothing to write home about). I also enjoyed the Druid burger, though feel it's really a meatloaf burger. My recent favorite, although I've only had it once, was at Gargoyle's. In fact I'm just about due for another.
:)
BK
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I think the O'Sullivan burger is too lean.
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Because the Beacon Street Tavern is an abomination of the first order. Worthless.
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I think that spot is haunted. Every restaurant that opens up there goes belly-up very quickly.
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Put me down as another fan of the WST burger. Great with a juicy red from their very reasonable winelist.
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I too love to eat at the Washington Square Tavern, and though I've never had their burger, my reluctance is not in the food itself, but in getting to the food... I've never been able to get a table there in under 30 minutes, and often have waited just as long to have orders taken and/or have meals served. I love the food and the atmosphere, once seated, but I think the best burger in Boston should be qualified in part by the experience of getting a table. The Washington Square Tavern -- much as I love it -- is a real let down in this respect.
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"Because the Beacon Street Tavern is an abomination of the first order. Worthless."
where else are you going to get that kind of clear-cut commentary? that's awesome.
I was at the Bristol the other night and noticed the price of the burger had gone up to $18 from $16 a couple years ago. I was never blown away by it and I thought the fries were a little too much like the new fangled Burger King fries.
I think the old stand-by's have been covered but I wanted to mention the burger at the Aegean on the lunch menu. It's a surprisingly good combo of bacon and feta cheese and I think they throw some of that tzatiki sauce on there. Plus it's huge. Not a bad alternative to the gyro if you're so inclined.
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Someone needs to try the burger at Lower Depths. Made with rendered bacon fat!
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I just read that Coda, which will be in the old TIm's space, obtained Tim's burger recipe and will attempt to duplicate. I never had the Tim's burger, but will look forward to trying Coda's version.
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I'm glad something's going in there, even though that may be the worst restaurant name since Apocrypha. I sure do miss Tim's burgers. Any idea of a target opening date?
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Pass by frequently and the renovations seem to be going along quite well, the owner thinks it should only be another month, at the most two. On a side note, the people doing the food at Costello's are opening a kitchen at JJ Foley's and if the atmosphere at coda doesn't replicate Tim's, JJ's does, so that might be worth a try in a month as well.
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Which Costello's / which JJ Foley's? I'm hoping you are referring to the Costello's and JJ Foley's Fireside Tavern versions in JP...
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Might you mean the J.J. Foley's on East Berkeley St in the South End? I quite like Katie's food at Costello's in JP. It would be nice to have a similarly decent pub-food option in the South End, and nice to have food at that Foley's, which is a fine casual bar otherwise.
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Yeah, it must be that one. Other than chips and the occasional sandwich made by a bartender (or holiday and Super Bowl pot lucks), the only food I've ever seen at JJ Foley's Fireside Tavern in JP is the pizza I bring in on Friday's sometimes.
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Those are the two I was referring to MC, thank you, I should have clarified.
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They've been doing a lot of construction to the room adjacent to the bar at JJ Foley's, I guess this must be the reason. I hope the food is good... the S. End is severely lacking in pubs and pub grub.
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Coda?! Why not just call it "Closing"? :-b The name makes me think of that really horrid Led Zeppelin record that came out after Bonham kicked the bucket.
But this would be very nice indeed, considering how many people miss Tim's. Looking forward to their opening!
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The Cantab near Central Sq in Cambridge claims to have Tim's Tavern's chef:
http://www.cantab-lounge.com/public_h...
I haven't tried the Cantab for grub.
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Will definitely have to check it out!
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Striper, you have to check this out asap. If it's the real (RIP Tim's) deal, I'll add it to my places to revist this June when I'm up for a wedding. If I can wait that long.
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Dax. Will check it out in the next week and report back.
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West Side Lounge in Cambridge has the BEST burger ever! Angus Beef, Sofrito, Manchego Cheese, and to die for garlic aioli with more aioli on the side for dipping the crispy fries! It's $14 bucks and worth every penny!
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Sorry, but when looking for a classic burger, in my book that does not include:
- Angus Beef
- Sofrito
- Manchego
I like the West Side Lounge a lot, but all the foofery in ingredients to me does not improve a classic. And $14 for a burger is steep.
A classic burger should have the following:
- Good old, classic ground chuck with a fat content in the 15-20% range
- Onion, tomato, lettuce
- Sharp cheddar and bacon optional (I like 'em both)
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But are we restricted to classic? That rules out one of the best burgers in town (at the Druid) where there is a secret ingredient -- shhh, fresh ginger.
Also, a friend told me today about the burger at Jurys that has cashel blue cheese and carmelized onions. Foofy? Sure, but deeeelish? Ya mon!
I like to think this world is big enough for all types of burgers. And I would like to try them all.
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I suppose... just my usual curmudgeonliness.
Call me a child of the 70s, but $14 hamburgers do bug me.
But to further dissect: Angus beef really adds nothing in terms of flavor; it is essentially a marketing gimmick for the "branding" of beef. Not free range, not organic, just a "brand" and a largely meaningless one:
http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/product/index.php
http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/pro...
Furthermore, I actually don't think manchego is that exciting a cheese. It is sort of the boring, "Colby" of Spain.
Throw on an aged gouda, a Spanish blue, heaven forbid a nice, extra sharp American Cheddar, or yes indeed, the cashel you mentioned, now you have something interesting and potentially tasty.
So now we have a burger with a nice beef "brand" and a boring Spanish cheese. Both sound very "foodie" and special, but really voila an $8 burger becomes a $14 burger.
Stuff it with foie gras and braised short rib, it might not be a burger as I think of it, but I might give it a go even for $35.
Sling a couple of foodie buzzwords that don't really add anything flavorwise and charge $14 for a burger, I generally balk at that.
Please excuse my semi-rant, but this is really why I was grousing at the earlier post. Good burger, quite possibly. But are any of those ingredients actually special?
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I think (and perhaps MichaelB actually already posted this theory because it is his) there is something about food that is supposed to be "cheap" that people blow a vessel over if it's expensive. The $12 hot dog at the butcher shop comes to mind, and a $14 burger seems to make everyone see red. You know me, I'm cheap, er, value-conscious, but I'll pay good money for a very good burger. And if you should stuff it with a braised short rib, I'll pay more. My favorite upscale burger of the moment continues to be at Gargoyles, but that one I had at Fuddruckers not long ago was 1/2 the price and just as good in its own way.
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While I agree with the sentiment in both StriperGuy's and yumyum's posts, I'll also agree that the West Side Lounge offers one excellent burger. I'll take it (and the terrific fries) over O'Sullivan's any day.
BK
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The "chef" from Tim's has resurfaced at The Cantab Lounge in Central Square. I checked out the burger and beers a couple weeks ago and it lived up to the quality of Tim's - not only in terms of the burger itself, but also in terms of the "ambiance." Yes - another relatively filthy dive with an exceptional and well-priced burger. It may not be quite as "classy" as Tim's but the bartender and staff were friendly and welcoming and there was the requisite mumbling drunk (actually "drunk" is being kind) at the bar. The good news is he was deep enough into his conversation with himself (which was only interrupted to join Willie Nelson on the juke box) that he never really bothered us. Check it out - the burger is worth it and the people are real.
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Is Little Joe Cook still the "house band" at the Cantab? :-D
This is definitely good news. I need to head over there for lunch one of these days.
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There is a God. :)
And I'll take a $5.75 Tim's/Cantab cheeseburger over the $18 Bristol version any day.
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