Bare Burger

Every time we get burgers, I jot down notes on a napkin, THE NEW YORKER, a receipt, or whatever paper product I might find on the table or in my infinite purse. This works, and not to mention is a type of recycling in itself, I might add. Until I subsequently throw away my notes without realizing it. Every. Time. So I would like to report to you that Bare Burger receives its Piedmontese beef from Wyoming, with a slight chance that state is Wisconsin. (Definitely a "W" state.) One thing I didn't have to write down to remember: the cows are definitely, as the term goes, "happy" (i.e. grass feed). Happy cows do taste differently, especially in texture. The meat is softer, more pliable, and tastes a bit earthier.


Bare Burger's buns are cooked daily through local artisans. Everything, everything, everything, right on down to the ketchup is organic. The fries are fried in peanut oil and dashed with sea salt. Bare Burger even serves fair trade coffee. The restaurant's ceiling is made from recycled tin (look out, Good Fork!), wallpaper and menus are printed on recycled paper, and cork tiles cover the wall as a sustainable alternative to paneling, and provide a way to see a "final product" to some of what we put in the blue recycling containers every week. In other words, Bare Burger will make you feel like such a good person, surrounded by other such good people, that you will leave thinking: maybe we won't be wiped out in an apocalypse after all. And how often does that happen? Eh? Whose with me? So Anna rates Bare Burger with a chipper:





Bex:
These guys really care. They care about the environment, they care about using fresh organic meat and produce, and they care about you and me. This place has good vibes all around. The burger was good too.


I loved the toppings: fresh shredded lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, aged cheddar cheese, and delicious "Bareburger" special sauce. The freshly baked brioche bun was light and slightly chewy, with a similar texture to a Martin's potato bun. Piedmontese beef was my meat of choice and it was cooked as ordered to medium rare, and I liked it, although I can't say the meat was my favorite part of the overall burger. Good times in Astoria though. Bex rates:





Roger:
I agree with my colleagues. The burger was pretty good even with the organic ketchup. The fries, also damn tasty.




But we did have one snag. The location. None of the BCNY members live in Queens so Bare Burger was sort of a destination burger. A destination that involved 2-3 transfers for this one coming from Clinton Hill. It was an ordeal getting there. Also, it was pouring outside and I forgot an umbrella. I remember actually taking time to breathe and telling myself to relax. One of the members almost called it quits halfway through their travels because of the confusion on the trains. This was our experience getting there. I'm not saying it will be like that for everyone. But it was enough for me to think twice about making the trek. Roger rates:






Bare Burger
www.bareburger.com
3321 31st Ave
Astoria, NY 11106-1430