Was the Jackson Hole burger ever good?
There are probably some hamburgers out there worth a 20-minute subway ride and a 20 minute walk involving traversing the BQE. Sadly the cheeseburger at Jackson Hole is not one of them. The loosely packed behemoth is steam griddled, that is to say cooked on a flat top under a dome. A burger should breath free—sputtering and sizzling on the flat top or under a salamander—not suffocate in its own fetid vapors.
Ordered medium rare it was a mushy flavorless gray travesty of a burger utterly devoid of a char. I found myself wishing Tommy DeVito would walk in and put two in the back of my head so that I didn’t have to finish thing.
I did not bother to ask what type of meat it was, it could have a blend of unicorn chuck and golden calf short rib for all I care, the cooking process would still turn it into drek. There’s only tasty steamed burger out there kids: White Castle.
All that said the decor can’t be beat. There’s a reason the folks behind Goodfellas used it in a scene, the exterior of the diner is iconic, all stainless and neon. It’s evokes a time that was simpler and also more glamorous. I’ll bet it was a time when people gave a shit about how their burger tasted.
Jackson Hole, 69-35 Astoria Blvd., Astoria, 718-204-7070
Hands down the best burger in Queens – Constantines Deli in Flushing/Bayside. Seriously. The “Paul’s Burger” cooked to a perfect medium every single time. You will never look elsewhere for a burger.
60 Beans Kitchen on Ditmars has two spectacular burgers on their menu right now. I’ve had them both, they were flavorful & perfectly cooked. Looking forward to getting back to try the rest of their menu which looks equally good as those burgers!
Finally someone else agrees with me. Ate there once and left to barf. Disgusting food.
Jackson Hole has always been horrible
Joe, To answer the question in the caption: no, JH’s burger was never good.
Jackson Hole Burgers have always been offensive, maybe why NY burgers were never taken seriously until recently. Steaming lumps of chopped meat not a taste sensation or a good idea. The Fries aren’t bad if I recall.