Sunday, March 11, 2012

Inside the New Forest Hills Bareburger

They let me take a peek into the new Bareburger on Austin St.
It opens at 5 p.m. on Monday...



Posted by at 4:29 PM
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36 comments:

  1. Saw people eating there tonight.

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  2. They had a friends and family event.

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  3. It opens today.

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  4. The interior looks great with the exception of the banquettes. They could have come up with a nicer looking design than that.

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  5. The pics posted make it look very industrial and uncomfortable? Im hoping it will be nicer in person. If the food is fresh and tasty, and the prices reasonable it should do OK here. WHo are they competing with? Cheburger and Dirty Pierre's? Lets see who makes the best burger.

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    1. It is much better in person.

      And no, they are not competing with Cheeburger and Dirty Pierre's. They would be competing with Shake Shack (if we had one). This is a high-end hamburger/sandwich place.

      For comparison purposes: Low-tier casual dining burger place: McDonald's. Mid-tier: Cheeburger; Upper tier - Bareburger.

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    2. Drake, I understand what you're saying and I agree with your tier breakdown, BUT in the end Bareburger will be competing with existing eateries in FH, not Shake Shack which isn't even in our neighborhood.

      I also believe they will only thrive if they can deliver a better burger and dining experience than other places in the hood. At the end of the day, most want to go to the place with the tastiest food for their dollar, no?

      BTW what is the average cost of a basic beef burger at bareburger? Anyone know yet?

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    3. I agree with Drake. BareBurger is not competing with Cheeburger or Dirty Pierre's. Just as Nicks pizza does not compete with Dominos. They are totally different customers. You get what you pay for in the end. More importantly, BB uses organic, free range, grass-fed beef and uses organic all natural cheese and works with local farmers on sustainable foods for their branches. Their burgers range from 11-12 dollars. If you are only interested in taste and value, then this is not your place. That's what the dollar menu at McDonalds is for.

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    4. There's a variety of types of burgers.. The Classic is $8.95 - I'll scan the menu and post it for you since there are too many choices for me to summarize here.

      I never said it would compete with Shake Shack. I said that is the level it is on. You will see what I mean when I post the menu.

      This is not a typical hamburger place.

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    5. Bareburger began on the corner of my old block in Astoria. It is AMAZING! I gained 8 pounds because their burgers (and ESPECIALLY their fries) are TO DIE FOR.

      I am bummed though.. they are apparently not delivering or taking take out orders at the FH location. I guess they're still working out the kinks.

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  6. It is nicer looking in person. It will even look better filled with customers!

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  7. I agree - totally different crowd than dirty pierres and cheeburger. Im guessing this is going to be the same crowd that shops at Natural and goes to Boulangerie. Cant wait to go! The location in astoria is usually at least an hour wait on weekends - i wonder if ours will expand shortly since it looks alittle small...still worth the wait though!

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    1. It has seating for about 50 they told me.

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  8. The majority of the restaurants in forest hills serve crap ..bareburger is a very welcome addition in my opinion

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    1. Yes and yes, thank you!

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  9. Plastic chairs? That's not upscale in my opinion and organic beef is used by most restaurants nowadays.

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  10. Those are not plastic chairs. They are classic Marais chairs from France. Made of steel with a color powder coat paint. They were originally found in the traditional bistros across France. Been in production for about 75 yrs. Cost is about 150$ each. My guess is that the designer selected them to go along with the industrial look of the space.

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  11. Well the chairs may not be crap but the food is NOT exceptional and NOT anything to write home about. Simply NOT impressed.

    I actually ate there tonight and our meal for three people came to 72.00. I mean come on. Three hamburgers, 1 order of fries, four sodas, and some pickles.

    The question is - Where's the beef?! 6 oz? I do not believe it. A McDonald's quarter pounder is bigger. And, the CASH ONLY? Come on people get your act together.

    I will go again - only to try ostrich. And, then that will be all.

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    1. Then I hope you don't like that ostrich. Really hate to think of you going the rest of your life without it.

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    2. Seriously, it is their opening night-why so negative????? Go have your delicious and inexpensive burger at McDonalds.

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    3. 4 sodas for 3 people????

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  12. bareburger portions are perfect. Im so tired of people putting quantity over quality. How much food do you really need? Wouldnt you rather have great quality ingredients? and also, 72 dollars for 3 people is very affordable. Thats 24 bucks a person! Most meals out in NY are at least 50 dollars a person. Im sure the cash only is only until they get their machines going. All of the other bareburgers accept creditcards, i cant see why ours wouldn't.

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  13. Maybe the lack of pink slime turned Anonymous off. : )

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  14. I can't believe someone would complain about the size of the burger, probably the same person who complained that Craft does not have salt and pepper shakers at their tables. Lol. Anyway, cheeburger would have been a better fit for someone looking for a huge fatty burger, maybe he should have gone there. McDonalds burgers are the worst so how anyone could say they were better on size alone is beyond me. BB is definitely not competing with Dirty Pierre's, way different clientele (try to bring kids there? Didn't think so) and cheeburger is for people looking to gorge themselves. Bb is for people who want an inventive menu with healthy ingredients (bison is leaner than cow meat) an their fries with sauces are amazing. Went to the village locale and it was great. Burgers are better than shake shack which tend to be hit and miss oddly enough. Love the eco friendly construction as well.

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  15. Does Anonymous realize that a quarter pounder is 4oz? Quick math lesson, a full pound is 16 oz, so divide that by 4 to get a pre cook weight of a McD patty. 6oz is objectively larger. No way is McD ever going to be generous with portions as all patties are manufactured, formed and frozen prior to being shipped to the individual franchise. Not exactly the way I like to think about my ideal burger, but we can't all be food snobs :)

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  16. I don't think you can compare BB to Cheeburger anyway and its definitely better then mcdonalds!

    Will it be for everyone? of course not. But it is a good sign for the neighborhood to get a restaurant like this in..they have locations in the city and two in Astoria and they all do well...Forest Hills is in desperate need of edible food...there is not much here that tastes good and no one can argue that fact lol if you compare food options in FH to Astoria or Jackson Heights you would realize FH is a culinary desert and it doesnt have to be...it shouldnt be.

    .hopefully Forest Hills will start to appeal to other restaurants and food quality will improve as will our options :)

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  17. I ate a Bareburger last night. We were 3 as well. The bill with the tip came to about 85.00.

    Maybe it was all the hype that influenced my experience. I did not find that the grass fed beef was tastier than a regular burger. It is probably healthier. My experience was that the burger being leaner is drier. I ordered the burger at medium rare. The burger was cooked to temperature. Honestly, I missed the grease. The cubby burger - is way, way, way too small. Since we had never eaten at a bareburger before, the waiter should have explained that to us.

    The fried pickles - need to have a batter upgrade.

    On a scale of 1 to 10 - experience was a 5.5 for now. Will go back after the hype has died down to re-review. Every resteraunt, unless the staff is absolutely rude, deserves a second chance to impress.

    So, people should NOT be so critical. I will try them again and wish them luck.

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  18. I really hope they succeed for themselves but also to possibly bring in other higher end restaurants to forest hills. Everyone craving good food in forest hills has to leave the area - I am guilty of it myself - I spend my weekends in manhattan. Maybe places like this will start to encourage us to stay local and actually be able to enjoy our own neighborhood and not just use it as a place to sleep becuase rents in manhattan are too expensive.

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  19. I agree with Anonymous above. Bareburger is a nice addition. I ate there today. I probably will not go back unless everyone else in the group wants to. The size of the burger is the size, I cannot complain about it. Did I wish it to be bigger, of course. But, the owners have overhead, costs, etc. You cannot give something away and stay in business.

    With that said, I found the burger to be on the dry side. But, lean does mean less fat, less fat means less of the flavor that I find tasty. It was NOT a bad burger. It was a slight disappointment. I think I may have been influenced by others like the other anonymous.

    Everyone should try it. Make their own judgment. I for one hope they make it because we need more high end restaurants. What about seafood?

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    1. Actually, I agree with what others have written here. When you say "The size of the burger is the size, I cannot complain about it. Did I wish it to be bigger, of course." you imply that everyone should agree with you. I would respond, that, of course, I do not wish it to be bigger. I find it absolutely fine the size it is. It has never even occurred to me that the size of the burgers there are any issue at all. By the time I am finished having the burger, their delectable pickles, cole slaw and a shake I am so full I could burst.

      As for the dry side. I have found that depends on the type of meat you get. My favorite is the Bison. I couldn't believe how much I like it. It tastes great, is filling, but I don't feel nauseous like after eating a greasy low-quality burger. My mother-in-law also had me try the Ostrich burger. Also really good as well!

      How crowded was it when you ate there? No one has mentioned anything much about how crowded it has been since opening. I am pretty confident they will have no trouble being successful here judging by the interest (the traffic to this blog has gone through the roof since I posted the menu), but still the proof is in the crowds.

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  20. Drake. I will only disagree with you about the size. I did find it to be a slight issue. It is not a negative comment nor is it a positive. It is what it is. They deserve to make money. I would have liked an 8 oz burger or 10 oz. I am not a fan of milk shakes, so I would not be as filled. But, again that is not a negative comment. It is just my opinion. I had the beef - I found it dry. I did not say it was bad nor did I say it was over cooked. I just found it to be dry.

    However, I love to be proven wrong. So on your recommendation, I will go back and have the bison. I am always open to new things. I did not say that the beef was low-quality. Nor, does my statement imply it. A burger made from "prime meat" is not low quality but it will be juicy because it is highly marbelized. It will cost 25 to 30 dollars for the burger depending on where you go. It will be at least 10 oz or so. I did not complain about the price. I just commented that it was not what I expected.

    Just so the record is straight. A juicy burger does not mean low quality meat. Organic meat is only certified organic and is not rated prime or choice.

    With that said, the place was full when I ate there but not crowded. The servers were nice and attentive. The chinese lady who I think is the owner was nice and pleasant as well.

    Again, while I am not a FAN thus far, I am rooting for them. I think you misread and misunderstood what I wrote. And, again, on YOUR suggestion I am going to have the Bison. And, we shall see.

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    1. Ok, Ok... geez... I didn't mean it to be an inquisition. It's just a blog. Enjoy the new place! It's better than an Olive Garden! ;)

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  21. Personally I think it is hillarious how polarizing an organic burger joint has been on this blog. Who knew there was so much drama in burgers????

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    1. Give me liberty or give me death! ... And a good burger!

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    2. It seems to be an underlying example of class warfare, the blue collar long timers of Forest Hills and the newer and younger white collar inhabitants that have been purchasing apts like the Windsor at 600K for a 1 bedroom. Who knew a burger place could be so deep?

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  22. Could not get in there tonight . Will try again tomorrow.

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