October 3, 2011
Live from New York it’s Cheeseburger Sunday Night! Starring Island Burgers and Shakes and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Island Burgers and Shakes!
I skipped Cheeseburger Saturday Night after hearing about the death of Bob Arihood. Shawn and Lindsay were kind enough to call me up and we hung out and reminisced about Bob. But, the show must go on, so I thought I'd do the cheeseburger thing tonight for Sunday dinner, let's go inside and check it out.
Wow, it's crowded for a Sunday night, but luckily there's a couple free chairs at the small bar up front, let's snag one.
And no sooner do I sit down, than Paul, the friendly host/bartender serves up a bottle of Red Stripe. Perfect!
The view of the narrow, railroad restaurant. Close quarters in here!
The specials hang over the tables on this chalk board.
A shot from the back of the restaurant. It's a casual place with kitschy signs hanging on the walls. I like it in here.
Here's an acid-flashback inducing painting of the restaurant on the front wall.
A bucket of iced wine sits atop the bar.
And here's some of the beers on tap.
Okay, some condiments in a box are placed before me, I think it's going to be cheeseburger time any minute now!
I got the cowboy burger and it looks delicious!
It's a great burger, but impossible to eat with your hands.
So I attacked it with my fork.
Burp. Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.
My Meal
I got the Cowboy which is a burger topped with barbecue sauce, onion, bacon, cheddar, ranch and it’s served on bakery-fresh soft sourdough bread. it was spicy and delicious. I also had french fries on the side and a couple of bottles of Red Stripe to wash it all down. I was going to try one of their famous shakes or a malt for dessert, but I was too stuffed, maybe next time.
If you like different styles of burgers, this is your place. They have over 60 varieties including: The Clyde which is a blackened burger topped with bleu cheese, salsa and bacon; The Bourbon Street, another blackened burger with, bacon, jack cheese, bayou mayo, onion on sourdough; It’s a Mad Mad World, topped with pesto, salsa, swiss, pickle relish, pita and The Napalm a blackened burger with barbecue sauce, jalapeno, cheddar, habanero sauce, hot stuff indeed! All the varieties are also served as Churascos, which is a grilled chicken sandwich. Appetizers and salads are also on the menu along with baked potatoes with such toppings as cheddar, guacamole, peppers and chili.
If you have a sweet tooth, they serve fresh fountain milkshakes, malts and ice cream floats. Homemade cookies are also available and there’s five bottled beers to choose from including: Red Stripe, Corona, Chimay Rouge and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Burger Rating
Four Wimpys, an outsanding Cheeseburger that Wimpy would be proud of!
Island Burgers and Shakes
766 Ninth Ave. (Near 51st St.)
212-307-7934
Further reading: New York Magazine, NY Times and Trip Advisor.
Here's wishing you the bluest sky,
And hoping something better comes tomorrow.
24 Comments
Reader Comments (24)
Every time I read your blog, even after I myself have just eaten, my mouth gets watery and I'm hungry again. Damn, you have such nice food that you chew away contentedly. I'm jealous...and hungry all over again :(
I second that - your blog makes me hungry. We have around 150lbs of ground beef in our freezer right now - perhaps I should start experimenting more with different flavors!
Those wonderful cheeseburgers,,,,what a life. This one looked thick,,,and a tad too well done for me,,,but awesome anyways. A rather 50's sign, kinda like Run Devil Run.
@Mykola Mick Demetiuk: Sorry for creating the hunger pangs! You should check this place out when you come to the city, I'll be making a return visit soon, they have the biggest burger selection I've ever seen.
@Britta: That answers the age-old question, "Where's the beef?" If you do experiment, post a picture on your blog!
@Al: Ha! It does look like the Run Devil Run sign! I forgot all about that McCartney album, nice reference! And the sourdough bread really made this burger. It was so fresh, one of the best burgers so far.
From what one can tell by the picture I'd say 4 Wimpy's indeed.
Damn.....I should have got a burger last night! Will do on Thursday, my next night off! Looked mighty tasty! Good choice of music.........Will be seeing Ray Davies in November at the Pabst! Last time he was here, He went to a local pub with a member of the Bodeans and stayed way beyond bar closing time! Cheers!
@Bob: Definitely a Wimpy-approved burger and they have 59 other selections!
@Professor Dungpie: Send in a photo of your burger if you get a chance. Very cool about the Ray Davies show and great that he went bar-hopping in Milwaukee. Cheers to Ray and cheers to you, Professor!
Slightly off track: I've always wondered; the pretty, thick, neon chalk favored by eateries for their specials menu; are they really hard to erase? I've always imagined they are, and have been glad it wasn't I who had to rewrite the menu signs.
Damn also making me hungry and I just ate lunch! Grilled onions and bacon and toast, perfection. And the fries are my kind of fries. I would have tried to force down a shake though. You know, just for the full experience. Glad you had a good dinner!
@csp: I have to admit, I've never pondered that one. But if I were the menu eraser, I'd wipe them off with a wet towel, let it dry and oingo boingo, you're ready for the next day's specials.
@kari: It was a great dinner. Next time I'll skip the fries and try a milkshake, they really looked good.
@MAD: Oingo Boingo You've inspired me to replace OMG with OMD.
Marty how about eating that lettuce on your plate? I worry about your diet . Green vegetables are important to eat every day and you never eat any. Do you hate broccoli like George Bush or is it some childhood veggie dislike thing?
@csp: Great link! And I'm stumped over, OMD? Probably some obvious thing that's going over my shallow brain pool!
@Your Paris pen pal: I eat lots of vegetables and salads through the week, I just don't post that online. I eat pretty healthy offline, it's just kind of boring so it doesn't make the blog. I appreciate your concern though!
every time I think about giving up beef I read your blog and think...... NO FUCKING WAY! I LOVE the idea of eating a burger with a fork and knife. There are no good burger places anywhere near where I live.
@MAD: Sometimes it's better not to get a joke.
Relieved to hear about your secret healthy eating habit. I'd wondered about Island - glad you tried it out. It looks like a nice place. Have to say though, I prefer a straight up medium rare burger & well done fries with plenty of salt, no cheese or fancy stuff. And beer, of course!
well hell even w/ MAD's secret "healthy" diet i still say MAD seems to eat better than me...have to agree w/ co-pilot Al that did look a little on the well side but must have inpressed MAD to get FOUR Wimpy's...
off topic...but shawn's tribute to Bob posted one of my favorite snaps of Bob's many...
Sometimes I thank God... for cheeseburgers.
~ Garth Brooks
rr
@Green Monkey: The next time you're in the city, check out this place, GREAT burgers! Let me know and I'll buy you a beer or three!
@csp: Oh...you are so right! Now that song's stuck in my head. Aaaahhhh!
@onemorefoldedsunset: Yes, outside of a hotdog here and there, I eat healthy on most weeknights, no red mieat, salads, vegetables, etc. That way I can go a little overboard on Saturday and Sundays. You can get a straight-up burger there as well.
@rr: It was impressive! I love that Bob photo on Shawn's tribute as well. We lost a real talent and a great guy, I'm so glad I was able to be friends with him the short while I was. Perfect quote, as always, glad to see you commenting again!
my fave kinks song.. if it is possible to have one...was actually singing that the last day...
cheeseburger looks yummy
i was gonna make blue cheese stuffed burgers for dinner but i was cleaning the oven and i found out you cant use the stove when the oven is cleaning.. I never knew that...
so i will use the meat and make blue cheese stuffed meatloaf on another day....
@Gidget: That song is one of my favorite Kinks songs too. I've heard he wrote it for Chrissie Hynde after they broke up. Blue cheese stuffed meatloaf? Holy moley, that sounds delicious, send me a photo of it if you can, or better still, send me some slices of it!
Veggies? We ain't got no veggies. We don't need no veggies! I don't have to eat any stinkin' veggies!
Remember that Foster's beer commercial. Steak…Salad….Beer.
@Crazy Eddie: "Steak…Salad….Beer." Aaahh, the three staples of life! Wise words, my friend!
I'd have to agree with Al - that burger's a little overdone for me, but it still looks pretty yummy. Although, I'm not sure about it being served on bread. Because I've always said, and have truly believed, that the sign of a really good burger is whether or not it's served on a buttered, toasted bun. But now I see that Wendy's has come out with a Dave's Special Angus somethinerother...which is an extra big burger on guess what? A toasted bun! So I may have to rethink that litmus test.
@Biff: Usually I'd agree with the bun theory, but their sourdough bread tops any buns, except Charlize Theron's.