Burger Bash Redux

Even though its 100 years later in Unilocal time, I am still going to write a brief review because this was such a great night. One of the few Unilocal events where there was way WAY more food than people! Burger Bistro did an amazing job keeping food and beer rolling out– maybe too good a job because by the end of the night I was questioning my consumption choices. The lamb burger was hands down my favorite, the Portobello my least, and the ice cream sandwiches/​waffles at the end were to die for.
This place has REALLY good food. If I could be so bold as to make one suggestion, they desperately need a new sign. The sign/​font is a major reason I’ve never thought to go in there before. Glad that I know the secret now though!

I was lucky to be apart of the First Burger Bash in Bay Ridge. This was way back in 2011. It was a total different setting with live music, a backyard and giant tub of beer. Things weren’t as crazy as the first one, but it was still a fun time.
I can say with confidence that EVERYONE had a bite to eat. The food just kept on coming out non-​stop. We really got to taste what Burger Bistro has to offer. The food was amazing and the selection of beers were refreshing.
Thanks to Peter D for another great event and the staff of Burger Bistro for hosting us. The entire staff were extremely cool and really nice. Kudos!

Is it possible to OD on burgers? If so, I think I may have just done that…7−8 burgers in 2 hours with some beers, may just be too much for me… but I just couldn’t stop. Their burgers are pretty awesome. So many varieties… now I need to go try some of the other stuff… the more unique stuff (like ostrich! or kangaroo!).
So here’s what they had:
–portobella burger with eggplant and tomato (served cold)
–chicken burger
–turkey burger
–cheeseburger
–hamburger
–venison burger
–tuna slider
–lamb w/​goat cheese
–lamb with swiss
–buffalo shrimp slider with blue cheese
–spicy sausage
–kobe beef
Sides include:
–fries with bbq sauce
–fries with chipotle mayo
–buffalo tots (absolute fav)
Desserts include:
–belgian waffle with strawberry ice cream
–belgian waffle with mudslide ice cream
–short bread cookie ice cream sandwiches with red velvet or mudslide ice cream
–chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich with red velvet or mudslide ice cream
My fav items and a must try:
–lamb & goat cheese
–spicy sausage and cheese
–buffalo tots
–short bread with mudslide ice cream cookie sandwich
The staff was super awesome. I met some new people and caught up with some old friends. Peter… I was roll-​me-​home full… in a good way. Awesome event!

This was definitely a burger paradise event! The space is small, cute and perfect for a small gathering.
I was overwhelmed by the different kinds of food which was served here. There were so many different kinds of burgers which we were able to taste. Here is the long list —
* Veggie burger with eggplant and mushroom
* Chicken burger
* Lamb slider with goat chesse
* Tuna slider
* Shrimp burger
* Venison Burger
* Hot sausage
* Kobe beef burger
Apart from these we had the company of buffalo tater tots, fries with two different kinds of dipping sauce. My favorite burger was Hot sausage and lamb burger. The sausage had the right amount seasoning. I simply loved it.
There was plenty of food and lots of beer at this event, though I stayed away from beer. We were very stuffed after 30 mins into the event. They also served desserts in the end, cookies stuffed with ice cream and waffles with ice cream.
Staff was very courteous and caring. Definitely coming back here to try more food.
Thanks to Peter for organizing another great event!

Could anything be as good as the BYOB party?
Yeah.
The food was terrific, the company was brilliant (thanks to Nyota, Daniel, Jaimie, and James for fascinating conversations and being genuinely interesting), and the setting pleasant.
Let’s hit the highlights: Every burger, french fry (served in large shot glasses with sauce at the bottom — clever!), and tater tot (that and farro are foods to watch in 2013) was excellent. The desserts were stellar: Frozen two-​bite ice cream sandwiches. That’d be a dessert I’d always want (like the chocolate marshmallow graham cracker cake from Speedy Romeo).

You walk into events like these with an empty stomach and a head full of beefy bravado. «Man they’re gonna need an extra grill just for me.»
Ten minutes later you have the burger sleepies and try to cram in every last tater tot your potato bucket can take. The staff at Burger Bistro would not stop and probably served us the equivalent of what they go through on a Saturday night. While a good burger is a good burger I really admired their different meats and their perfect tot.
What is the perfect tot?
1. A rough, crunchy shell. You should have to bite into it a little bit.
2. A moist, steamy but not mushy interior
3. The perfect barrel shape
4. The right sauce! In this case a mix of (ranch?) and buffalo.
I love burgers but the tots… I’ll hip check your grandma for some tots.

Mouthwatering burgers and sliders were plentiful at the event. Blue Point Brewing provided nonstop ale to help us wash down the burgers and fries too. I couldn’t keep up at one point and skipped the veggie and venison options (definitely missed opportunities). Yet, no matter how stuffed, there’s ALWAYS room for dessert, right? Most definitely! Circulating the room were ice cream sandwiches (two options: shortbread and chocolate chip cookies). I devoured the red velvet ice cream sandwiched between chocolate chip cookies – delish!
And the folks at Burger Bistro were pretty cool and even worked the room to check in on how we were enjoying the food and drinks. Ya gotta love the attentiveness! It’s been a while since I’ve ventured over to 5^th for some good eats. Burger Bistro is a good reason to go back and explore their menu further. Peter D and his team sure know how to throw an event. ;)

Burger Bistro put it out there the other night. They kept arriving with platter after platter of burgers and beer for the Unilocal elite crew that just about halfway through this event I was rubbing my tummy and wondering how I got so full. But as good as the beers and company were last night and dripped burger juice all over myself on the first bite, I couldn’t find a burger that was fall apart medium rare. A couple of us discussed and came up with a few possibilities. That the meat was leaner than the average fatty meat, or that they were smaller and harder to cook, or that they were grass fed meats. Either way, the burgers were still delicious and the consistency worked well for hand holding. Glad to meet a few new Unilocalers, and happy to be in the slope for an event.

let’s start backwards.
i was in a food coma and thought we were done with all of the delicious burgers but no, the staff at burger bistro had a little somethin somethin extra up their sleeves. my sweet tooth is the size of my ego (large and in charge) so i was unable to forgo the cookie sandwiches. RED VELVET ice cream?! say whattttttttttttt oh no wait, you will serve it to me now on a waffle?! gtfo. that right there folks did me in.
i really had no issue with anything that was served but a few selections stood out.
the lamb burger slider w/​goat cheese was phenom and i was all aboard the tuna/​ginger train. that being said the traditional cheddar cheeseburger was fantastic as well.
meet a few lovely ladies and was real into the blueberry beer!
way to go peter! another one for the books

The best gets better…
The Burger Bash 3 years ago was the reason I strived to become a Unilocal elite member, having my first event under my belt-​officially as an elite member– I plan to add a few more this spring/​summer.
I got here about 30 minutes late, but it didnt seem to matter, I must have missed out on a few shotglasses filled with frenchfries and the bistros awesome sauces. Within 10 minutes of my arrival I had a beer in hand (bluepoint hoptical illusion, IPA’s FTW!), a delicious lamb/​goat cheese burger, and some new friends to talk to.
I stayed in the back of the restaurant for most of the evening, as thats where the food came out of — I wanted to see these burgers roll out of the kitchen piping fresh.
…an hour and a half, a few more beers, about 8 more sliders (i remember spicy sausage x2, kobe beef w/​cheddar, burger w/​swiss x2, and a few other burgers that unfortunately I couldn’t remember with all the cholesterol on my brain), and some great pictures later and the night was coming to an end.
Extra points for the awesome soundtrack the bistro was pumping, I heard at least 3 Clapton songs, The Ocean from Led Zeppelin, and maybe some Talking Heads.
Thanks so much to the Unilocal staff, and the Burger Bistro, and the rest of you eliters for making this a wonderful evening. If I had one suggestion for next time — try not to have this over passover, so I can be a little less of a self loathing Jew.
Oh and I forgot to mention the desserts! Strawberry/​Red Velvet, and Rocky Road ices cream sandwiches and scooped over waffles? Yeah I’ll have a few more of those.

I love burgers and I love Unilocal elite events. Thanks for marrying the two! I loved watching endless burgers being offered until I finally had to tap out like Hulk Hogan. Was that a sausage burger? Yum. My friend described the burgers best– this place makes those amazing burgers that you’d like to make for yourself at home– scrumptious and oversized– Just better!

Now that I have gained consciousness from my burger coma, I can finally post about the awesome time at Burger Bistro last night! (wait, I think I have some crumbs on me still…)
The sliders were all great and it seemed like everyone’s favorites was pretty much split down the middle. My favorite was the … traditional burger with cheddar! Something about it just tasted like Summer and was super comforting. I wanted it in a big boy size and low and behold … that came around 10 minutes later!
I think most people were surprised by the selection of burgers. All the types were covered: pork, lamb, tuna, portobello, beef, chicken, shrimp… The BBQ sauce served with the french fries was also yummy. I stuck my burger in the cup (^_​_​^)
Julia and Cait were excellent servers last night. They genuinely seemed interested in hearing what we thought about the food. They even went downstairs to get a few extra tater tots for me when the night was over!
Thanks for a great night out Burger Bistro & Unilocal! I’m heading to the gym … and I’ll BE BACK!

I loved everything about this event! The endless amounts of burgers, fries, beers, ice cream sandwiches, EVERYTHING! I also really enjoyed the smaller sized gathering of this event as well.
It’s amazing to me that I was full within 15 minutes of arriving at this event. My favorite burger of the night was the kobe burger. Despite not being able to handle spicy food most of the time, I really enjoyed the spicy italian sausage and the fries with the spicy mayo! They were that good!
I love sweets and Burger Bistro really knew how to serve up dessert. I ate all of the desserts. I’m pretty sure at one point I was just sitting with 3 ice cream sandwiches in front of me (okay, maybe 2 ice cream sandwiches and the waffle!). The waffle was delicious — slightly crispy on the outside and soft once you bite in. Also despite the red velet ice cream sandwich tasting just like strawberry ice cream and cookies, I really liked that one as well.
Honestly, I thought it was odd that this event was only 2 hours but there would be absolutely no way I could eat for 3 hours straight. I already had a massive food baby when I left.
Awesome event!!! Thanks Peter, Burger Bistro and the amazing staff!

Whenever I get a email confirmation for an elite event there is a part that says, «You might want to plan to eat something before or after the event.» Well I assure you, no one needed to eat before or after this event.
I came here with the intentions of just chugging some Blue Points, I’m leaving for Texas in a couple of days and need my glutinous appetite to rest before I depart. (How else am I suppose to eat all the amazing BBQ and Tex-​Mex down there?) However I have no will power when it comes to amazing sliders. I was able to ignore some but I had to try the ones that caught my eye. I first took the plunge with the basic beef burger with the works. Much larger than the other sliders, super juicy and tasty. Then I got a lamb burger with goat cheese. A true slider, this bad boy was delicious. I was then presented with the Hot Italian Sausage slider which was good and got that kick I was looking for. (Not from the staff, that would be rude. I would write a negative review and notify my mother.) The tuna slider was unique and provided some variety. (I was able to stay away from anything that was just typical) But then the king of the evening showed up, the venison burger. I was in heaven. Real delicious and succulent.
The Blue Points kept rolling out and I kept chugging away. I tried a whole new bunch I never had. My favorite was the cooper ale and in a close second was their white IPA.
Then it happened. DESSERT. «Please be something I can resist, please be something I can resist, please be something I can resist. FUCK.» Mini chocolate cookies with scoops of mud pie ice cream. «Alright I’ll just have that one, I can resist the other one. Wait!!! That’s red velvet, not strawberry! FUCK!» Then of course the bring out scoops on small pieces of waffle. My poor stomach.
The staff was super awesome. They kept bringing out more and more and more until people couldn’t have any more. Five sliders, three desserts and a ton of beer satisfied me. I talked to the manager (Sean, Shawn, Shaun, Shone, Chone, one of those variations), was a real friendly guy. The staff here went above and beyond.
Big thanks to the staff at Burger Bistro. Big thanks to the Unilocal staff. Big thanks to Peter D, though my stomach is quite unhappy with you

«So who wants to grab dinner after the event»… said NO ONE.
This place was pumping out food and booze like a bawse! I am pretty sure everyone would agree when I say it was difficult to tell whether we were sleeping off hangovers or food comas. Maybe both?
I’ll start with the food:
The *MOST AMAZING THING* (ever) was their lamb-​burger-​slider. Had I died after eating this, I would have died happy.
Okay, that last bit isn’t true. I’d actually be pissed I couldn’t eat any more lamb-​burger-​sliders. The goat cheese topped it off and completed the full-​circle of deliciousness.
I also had probably way too many of their mushroom /​eggplant burgers which were incredible as well… But let’s face it, nothing beats lamb right?
There were also turkey burgers which were good, and a shrimp burger which was interesting and yummy! They were also passing out shot glasses with french fries and filled about 1−2″ with either ketchup or some kind of spicy aoili (?) sauce. The spicy sauce was an instant win with me and had me eyeing the servers and staff for more.
One of my faves (other than the lamb-​burger) was the tater tots with spicy aoili and buffalo sauce. Wow. I wish I used «wow» much less in my reviews so it would drive additional impact here. Are you kidding me? The best frickin’ tots you’ll ever have!
As for the alcohol:
Blue Point brews were on the menu as well as the lips for the night, and were fantastic pairing with the food. My favorite was the White IPA in the can (I keep it classy.) I tried their other brews as well, and all are winners but IPA has always been my favorite of any brew. This one was no exception — it was bitter to perfection, with a dark and flavorful twist that will leave you begging for more in a non-​Union Square subway kind of way.
I will definitely be back. Thank you Blue Point, Burger Bistro and Peter D. + Unilocal for throwing yet another amazing Brooklyn Elite event!

Erhmahgerd. This event. It was food on food on food in the best way possible.
My expectations were to drink some beers, eat some sliders, and maybe partake in the buffalo tots after reading about them online. Multiple that by 50, and that’s how the event was.
I couldn’t even keep up with the food, it was so bountiful and delicious.
Favorite items by far:
–lamb burger with goat cheese, smaller than the others, but just as rich
–buffalo tots (this is how you improve the tot)
–shrimp burger (?) with blue cheese
Basically you were winning with whatever you put in your mouth.
The staff was amazing. They were really great about spreading out the food, and kept on coming out with items even when everyone started entering food comas. Thanks Peter for a great event!

You know the phrase «embarrassment of riches?»
Well, last night was that, when it comes to sliders. I think I’m still full. Seriously. The servers just kept emerging from the kitchen and every time they did, I wanted to grab whatever tasty thing they had on their trays. Barramee C. and I had to sit down at one point because we were just SO FULL. But it was all worth it, because Burger Bistro pulled out all the stops to make it an awesome event. My favorite sliders were definitely the spicy, juicy sausage, the tender lamb with soft goat cheese, and your olé classic cheeseburger with pickles. Oh, and the seared tuna with ginger. These guys don’t mess around when it comes to burgers.
If the Blue Point beers hadn’t been so good, I would have been tempted to save all the available room in my stomach for sliders. And fries with chipotle mayo, served adorably in shot glasses. (Why have I never thought of that?) And buffalo bites in little metal ramekins. Like I said, the list goes on and on… it was quite the selection.
Just when I thought I’d have to call it a night, the manager announced that DESSERT was on its way. And of course I had to see what that meant. And I was so glad I did. And then I ate a chocolate chip cookie slider with mud pie ice cream. And then I ate a Belgian waffle with strawberry ice cream. And then I rolled myself back down 5^th Avenue. And then I went to sleep in a delightful burger-​based food coma.
Thanks, Peter D. & Burger Bistro, for a delicious evening. I’m still recovering.

I thank the Good Lord above that I did not have a pig out lunch on this day, or decide to eat anything before heading over to this event. From the get go we were basically pounded into submission with meat! I’m not kidding as they were relentless here at this new Burger Bistro location. It was almost abusive at one point. I felt like The Fattest Man in the World scene out of Monty Python.
«Just one more waffle thin mint? Eff off! And get me another bucket!»
Tray after tray after tray of burgers, fries, specialty meats, and desserts were shoved down our throats. Bottle upon bottles of Blue Point beers were poured down our gullets. It was as if the servers were evil dominatrixes and we were their submissive slaves that were forced to submit to their wills. Eat! Eat More! EAT!!!
At one point I felt totally stuffed, dirty, and ashamed I was eating and drinking so much — and we were only half way into this event at 9pm! No Mas!!!
I literally felt like I was going to explode, yet the delicious agony was such pleasure. Our gluttony was rewarded with some damn tasty burgers. Kobe, tuna, chicken, beef, hot sausage, veggie, venison, lamb, shrimp, you name it! Fries with chipotle mayo and tater tots in a buffalo sauce. All types of Blue Point beers. They just kept coming and coming. It was almost painful!
Holy crap — then dessert came out! I can’t resist ice cream. Mini chocolate chip cookies with scoops of mud pie ice cream. Shortbread cookies with red velvet ice cream. Warm waffles with with strawberry ice cream!!!
Have to give big props to the staff at Burger Bistro. They really took care of our group during this event. The owners are nice guys. Also, have to offer up thanks to the Unilocal crew and Meaty Petey Peter D for hooking us up. Now that they have opened up a spot on the UES I have one close to home too.
The food coma on the subway ride home never felt so good. So far I have only eaten a small fruit cup today. No Mas!!!

Fantastic. Slider heaven: I was quite partial to the venison and the classic cheeseburger sliders. I also especially liked the shot glasses of fries with the chipotle mayo that tasted like BBQ potato chips – I had to restrain myself from over-​indulging, lest I deprived my fellow Elites from their fair share of frites.
All that said, I’d have swapped everything for the ice-​cream sandwiches – little slider-​sized scoops of red velvet (I think?) ice cream with cookies for buns. You’d need to have a sour, sour, gherkin of a heart to not enjoy these.
The Blue Point beer was lovely, the service was terrific, and they kept the food & beer coming to such a degree that I think they might’ve broken a few Unilocalers. Loved it.

I arrived to the event a bit late. Just a bit late. But in that short amount of time everyone was telling me they were stuffed. Before I could properly ask how this was possible, I was offered several burgers and beers. Man. The folks at Burger Bistro know how to make a lady feel like a queen. That’s right. In my palatial dreams, I am showered with delicious juicy burgers and a variety of beers.
Luckily, you don’t have to be dreaming to be handsomely rewarded with such a fête because Burger Bistro has watchyaneed. I tasted the turkey, mushroom, lamb and what I affectionately called one burger; the «motherload.» It was a freakin’ juicy medium rare beef burger smothered with ketchup, lettuce, and tomato. This burger was what you envision your most perfect homemade burger to taste like. And did they really have to go make it better by slapping that magic between two soft pieces of potato bread? Buffalo tater tots made me jealous that I didn’t invent this concoction when I was a poor undergrad.
Burgers were washed down with Blue Point and the evening was made complete with chocolate chip and shortbread cookie ice cream sandwiches. Seriously. That all happened.
Thanks for the good times as always Peter D!