RI’s Best Burgers Part 2: The Classics
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Part two of our burger challenge (what—you missed part one last week? Shame on you!) features local Rhode Island burger joints that make classic, old school, basic burgers. No fancy preparations or ingredients, just beef, a bun, maybe some cheese. Hungry yet? Read on…
GRAND PRIZE: Stanley's, Central Falls
Since 1932, burger-hungry Rhode Islanders have been celebrating polish immigrant Stanley Kryla and his humble burger. Fast forward almost eight decades and we remain eternally grateful! In the 25 or so years that Stanley's has been under the watch of Gregory Raheb, Stanley's has grown to a second location and a more diverse menu of sandwiches and seafood to complement the burger selections. But let’s be honest—we came for the beef! Thin patties of well-done griddled beef are topped with grilled
onions and pickles to form that perfect bite of burger. The acid from the pickles provides the needed balance to the richness of the burger and bite of the grilled onions. As a matter of fact, is it lunch time yet? 535 Dexter St, Central Falls, 726-9689; 371 Richmond St, Providence, 270-9292.
SECOND PLACE: Crazy Burger Cafe and Juice Bar, Narragansett
Perhaps no place on either of our lists pushes the burger envelope quite like Crazy Burger in Narragansett. Lamb, beef, salmon, chicken, turkey, ostrich or even vegan burgers are served in a fun and funky beach atmosphere. But don't let the flip flops fool you, Crazy Burger is the real deal. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, this is everything you want in a beach burger joint. The menu is huge and varied, with something for everyone. We love the Ma-Ma Mumbai Burger. Gosh, where to begin—ground turkey infused with rosemary, curry, cumin, allspice and ginger root, finished with gooey smoked gouda and apples and served on a bolo.
We can't even begin to make you understand how good this burger is. Sweet and smoky and spicy and, somehow with turkey, juicy, it's a tour de force. Pair it with some of their incredible sweet potato fries and a smoothie. 144 Boon St, Narragansett, 783-1810. GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
THIRD PLACE: Dave's Bar and Grille, Warwick
If you are looking for a quiet place to enjoy a burger in a relaxed atmosphere, Dave's is definitely not for you. But if you like a loud and fun sports bar that has good food and great people watching, Dave’s is your place! Always bustling with folks young and old enjoying the Sox or Pats on one of the many televisions, Dave's jumped on our list for an odd reason in a place as crazy as this...simplicity. Amongst the action of everything going on at Dave's came a simple, delicious burger that had us questioning our need for 9,000 toppings. Dave's bacon cheeseburger comes with cheese, bacon, mayo, lettuce and tomato. This is a classic American burger; perfectly cooked meat with smoky bacon and cool mayo. It doesn't need caramelized onions or any of the other standard bells and whistles. It reminds us that sometimes, less is more! 2339 Post Rd, Warwick, 739-7444.
FOURTH PLACE: Harry's Burger Bar, Providence
When Harry's opened on North Main Street in the spot that housed Chinese Laundry, we were suspicious that the folks at Chow Fun Food Group were launching yet another “concept” at us. Our first foray to Harry's began with the ominous discovery that the Lilliputian restaurant serves mini-burgers or "sliders." After all, the humble hamburger is not easy to cook properly and it can dry out very quickly. When you make the burger smaller you make it even more difficult to pull off a good, juicy burger. So we generally avoid sliders. But we gotta give it to Harry’s. These were cooked properly and they were juicy and, wait—what? We can have two different burgers in one trip to the burger joint? Harry, you speak our language! The minis are all great but the pastrami-covered burger gets us every time. 121 North Main St, Providence, 228-7437.
FIFTH PLACE: Effin's Last Resort, Smithfield
Burger fans, and fans of fun in general, have a cool place to enjoy a great burger, some live music and sports. And dare we say—is this the only bar and restaurant that has a swimming pool? Effin's features a large menu with the usual pub fare done very well. The burgers are thick and juicy and served on typical supermarket buns, but it all tastes really, really, good. We love the Buffalo Bleu Burger—a half pound of ground beef that is drenched in Buffalo sauce, grilled and topped with a blue cheese dressing, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. It's hot and cool and tasty! A close second is the portabella and Swiss burger with red peppers. Either way you won't go wrong. Just keep the mustard out of the pool. 325 Farnum Pike, Smithfield, 349-3500.
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