Celebrity eats
Comparing newly arrived celebrity brands
Take-out burgers with a national tie-in have invaded the region and go under scrutiny of our restaurant critic.
Ghost kitchens without brick-and-mortar locations, delivery-only businesses and appbased orders have been fasttracked by the pandemic's stayhome orders and social distancing. Restaurants that could move online did so, and new businesses opened with userfriendly tech and third-party delivery baked in.
In addition to locally owned options, news of celebrity-driven collaborations keeps breaking, too, with many structured through companies like Virtual Dining Concepts, operated by the founder of Planet Hollywood. It markets "Jersey Shore" star DJ Pauly D’s Italian subs, Tyga’s chicken nuggets and Mariah Carey cookies.
If pandemic pizza and takeout tacos were the breakout stars of 2020, in 2021 burger restaurants are booming. Mrbeast, a 22year-old Youtuber with 55 million subscribers, opened 300 Mrbeast Burger concepts overnight with a delivery-only business grafted onto Buca di Beppo and other chain locations. At the same time, Guy Fieri, the chef, restaurateur and Food Network star, opened Flavortown Kitchen, another ghost kitchen out of Buca di Beppo. In New York, there are two Flavortown locations — one on Wolf Road in Colonie, the other in Times Square in Manhattan.
Capitalizing on customer interest in celebrity brands is not new, but using the kitchen footprint of chain restaurants to create a new market for fast food feels parasitic while independent restaurants race for survival. I don’t believe we should route our dollars to soulless, profit-hungry fast-food models based on opportunity and hype while local restaurants are successfully adapting to online orders and curbside delivery. Independent businesses are the lifeblood of communities, with owners who care about the food they make and safe, contactless ways of reaching their customer base.
But they’re here. So we put the celebrity burgers to the test, pitting them against locally owned Juicy Burger Co. in The Cloud Food Hall in Albany and two tech-focused burger joints: Juicy Burgers & More in Milton and Prime Burger and Shakehouse, a vendor in Troy’s River Market. On the bill: double burgers, chicken sandwiches and fries.
Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen, 44 Wolf Road (Buca di Beppo), Colonie
I wanted to pick up food to see how it was coming out of the Buca di Beppo kitchen, but the delivery-only platform meant ordering to the parking lot and intercepting the order at the takeout window before a Doordash driver. Staff confirmed people do it all the time. Just stay close or you’ll be asking every delivery driver.
What we got: Real Cheezy Burger ($11.99), The Chicken Guy! Classic $11.99), Flavortown fries ($4.99).
Speed: 15 minutes. Text alerts through Doordash. Order to the parking lot to pick up onsite.
Taste test: The Real Cheezy's smashed patties had serious crusts but lacked seasoning or meaty flavor, and the cheese slice was still stiff. Guy’s special sauce and a glossy, garlic-buttered brioche bun saved it. A large, darkly fried chicken fillet in The Chicken Guy! sandwich protruded from either side of a shiny bun but was as hard and chewy as jerky. Thick-cut fries had a crisp outside with fluffy middles, and the standup cardboard box stopped them from getting soft.
Verdict: In spite of rock-star packaging, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen got lost on the way to flavortown. Only a step up from fast-food burger chains, so the $12 price tag, flavorless patties and chewy chicken earned two thumbs down.
Mrbeast Burger, 44 Wolf Road (Buca di Beppo), Colonie
Also delivery only. Chances are you won’t know Youtube star Mrbeast (Jimmy Donaldson) or his co-stars (Chris, Chandler, Karl) unless you’re one of his 55.8 million subscribers. The team is known for viral videos showcasing them ordering water and leaving tips up to $10,000, staying overnight in an asylum and buying everything in a store. Their celebrity is bankrolled by corporate sponsors hungry for access to millions of viewers. For the overnight launch of 300 Mrbeast locations they handed out cash, gave away a car and racked up more than 50 million video views.
What we got: Beast Style Double Burger and crispy chicken tender sandwich (both $6.99), seasoned crinkle-cut fries ($3.25), Beast Style Fries ($4.99).
Speed: 15 minutes. Text alerts through Doordash. Order to the parking lot to pick up onsite.
Taste test: Mrbeast hits a familiar Mcdonald’s note with seasoned smashed beef patties, soft buns, pickles, onions and special sauce, and the whole burger is soft enough to gum down in a few toothless bites. Meaty in flavor, the crisp beef patties are greasy with melted cheese and mayo. The friedchicken sandwich is a raft for four chicken nuggets with an admirably craggy batter crunch, but it's hard to find much chicken inside. We detected a hit of spicy red pepper in the crinklecut seasoned fries but no sign of the promised “garlic, paprika, sugar and a hint of lime.” The loaded Beast Style Fries are a no. Limp and sweaty in a waxlined box with a grainy, split cheese sauce and torn pickles, it looks like something you might find on the street after a raucous Saturday night.
Verdict: Better value and flavor than Flavortown, but if you’re aiming for Mcd's-quality fast food, you’re better with that chain's dollar menu. Mrbeast’s standard size crinkle-cut fries barely filled a corner of the small paper bag. Short-changed.
Juicy Burgers & More, 15 Trieble Ave. (Milton Center Plaza), Milton
Open since 2009, this original Juicy Burger location is brightly colored, squeaky clean and ingredient driven, and its detailed, web-based ordering platform was made for times like these. We customized every part of the order from bun (or lettuce wrap) to toppings, patty temp (“red, pink or brown”), and a 15-minute window pickup time.
What we got: Double builda-burger with Yukon gold fries (combo, $13.50), grilled chicken burger with bacon-nacho fries (combo, $13.50).
Speed: The first time slot was booked, so I picked one 30 minutes out, and the food was hot on arrival. Picked up onsite.
Taste test: Juicy Burgers & More wins for thick, juicy, 100percent Usda-choice sirloin and chuck beef patties in bri
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oche buns. Unlike others’ double smashed patties, two of these stack up to a jaw-aching height. They nailed the request for pink centers, and the lettuce, onion and pickles still had crunch. No fried chicken here; instead, we had a grilled chicken breast with thin-cut salt-andpepper fries that stayed crunchy for the ride home. Only the bacon-nacho fries cooled and were damp under the cheese sauce.
Verdict: Locally owned, ingredient driven, and easy to customize with options like
Thai chile, teriyaki and horseradish mayo, they take the “have it your way” tagline to new levels.
Juicy Burger Co., The Cloud Food Hall, 55 Columbia St., Albany
The Cloud Food Hall app has 12 mix-and-match menus, from halal to Mexican food, with the Juicy Burger Co. as its newest addition. Download the app, place your order and set your pickup time. Owner Cory Nelson has literally poured his heart, soul and cans of bubblegum-colored paint into his flagship setting. You can take your food to go, but the artsily designed space is open for indoor dining, with velvet chairs, goldframed mirrors and custombuilt waterfalls. Food is served on wooden-handled trays. Outdoor seating coming later this spring.
What we got: Double Cloud Burger ($5.99), Little Chicken Cloud Burger ($3.99), french fries ($2.99).
Speed: Having selected a pickup time via the app, we walked in, gave the order number at the window, and our food was ready to go.
Taste test: Falling in the range between fast-food burgers and higher-end fast-casual concepts, the Double Cloud Burger patties are a little smaller in size, thin and crusty with good flavor, and the fried chicken is crunchy and juicy. Both come with fresh leaf lettuce, tomato and sauce. Crisp coated fries keep their crunch in sturdy compostable packaging.
Verdict: A killer price point, fast app ordering and an attractive eat-in location made this a flexible favorite.
Prime Burger and Shakehouse, River Street Market, 433 River St. (Hedley Park Place), Troy
River Street Market lost vendors in the lockdown, but Prime Burger, from area restaurateur Jamie Ortiz (677 Prime, Toro Cantina) has continued apace with online ordering, delivery or curbside pickup, and ample space for socially distanced in-house dining. Known for a commitment to Usda-prime beef (there’s a dry-aged Black Angus option for $2 more) and milkshakes studded with candy and cake, Prime Burger straddles the line between fast food and gourmet burgers at a competitive price.
What we got: Double Prime beef burger (chuck and brisket) with cheese ($10.88); friedchicken sandwich Toro-style with salsa verde-chipotle aioli ($8.68), french fries ($3.84), dressed fries with cheddar cheese sauce ($5.84).
Speed: About 15 minutes from order to table.
Taste test: Thinner, smashstyle patties pack serious flavor even before you up the ante with gochujang ketchup, horseradish truffle aioli or ssamjang mayo. Fried chicken is crisp if a little dry, and crinkle-cut fries hold their crunch with cheese sauce on the side.
Verdict: Made to order in brioche buns (gluten-free or lettuce “buns” are options), Prime earns the popular vote for taste and speed. Quality ingredients with the appeal of fast food at a largely competitive price, except the $2 upcharge for cheese sauce with $4 fries.
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