GM Burger Bar revives patty love
Burger joints are leaving grill marks all over Long Island, with new establishments popping up on a seemingly regular basis. Most of these patty peddlers tend to run a common thread of flavors and are about as distinguishable as one sesame seed to another. But with its latest offering, George Martin Group restaurants sears a dynamic new burger joint into the local eatery landscape.
GM Burger Bar opened its Massapequa Park outpost in the shopping center at 4902 Merrick Rd. last month after first hitting the ground in Rockville Centre in 2013. The new spot, designed with subway tiles, exposed brick, wooden beams and eye-catching wall art, separates itself from the swelling Long Island burger pack with compellingly creative dishes conceived with an attention to detail evident in every bite.
The bites begin with GM Burger Bar’s starters menu, where the culinary imagination of chef Frank Greco first grabs the attention of eaters and refuses to relent through dinner and after dessert. Appetizer offerings include crispy Brussels Sprouts, beer-battered onion rings and chili pop shrimp, but perhaps most memorable are the chicken meatball lollipops and the pretzel baked brie.
Decidedly Asian inspired, the chicken meatball lollipops are served with honey sriracha, crushed peanuts and scallions. The meatball morsels are presented on sticks and resemble cake pops, but are far better as they are made of juicy, perfectly spiced chicken. The pretzel baked brie is the kind of bready appetizer worth filling up on. It is a buttery, salty pretzel stuffed with melty, gooey brie cheese and served with a fig jam dipping sauce. It’s the kind of appetizer that renders a table silent, with full mouths marveling at the sheer ingredient ingenuity.
For dinner, GM Burger Bar delves into comfort foods like rotisserie chicken, mac and cheese, meatloaf; tacos and quesadillas; and a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches. However, the true draw to GM Burger Bar is clearly in the restaurant’s name: the burgers. As with other George Martin entities, the burgers here use an exact lean-to-fat ratio, with a little more fat than at most other establishments, to maximize flavor. Don’t let anyone tell you any different: fat equals flavor. A fact you can taste at GM Burger Bar.
Among the burger offerings are a classic burger; the Moody Bleu, with a port wine glaze, melted bleu cheese and onion rings on a brioche bun; Bacon ‘N Eggs, a beef and bacon smash burger with black forest ham, fried egg and Hollandaise on an oversized English muffin; the Juicy Lucy, a three cheese stuffed beef and bacon smash burger basted with Worcestershire on brioche; and more.
Eaters can’t go wrong starting with GM Burger Bar’s award-winning creation, the Black Jack. This eight-ounce exclusive blend burger is topped with candied bacon, pepper jack cheese, black jack sauce and spicy, diced cherry peppers on brioche. The toppings bring a perfect combination of spicy and sweet, with the candied bacon leading the flavor brigade and the cherry peppers waking up each bite. But toppings aside, the burger itself is made with such care that it is a star all on its own. The chef gives the burger a good sear, locking in the juice and all those intense beef flavor notes. This is easily a multi-napkin burger, with plenty of juice like a delicious badge of honor left on the eater’s chin.
The chef’s care and love is also found in, of all places, its vegetarian burger option; the Spa Veggie Quinoa Burger. The quinoa patty in this burger is no joke; it is packed with robust flavors and lots of texture. While there is no doubt in the eater’s mind that it is vegetarian, it is certainly miles ahead of most burger places’ pathetic by comparison veggie options.
GM Burger Bar also offers patrons the option of building their own burgers, with a range of cheese and toppings ready to be draped over the expertly crafted burgers.
And the magic continues after dinner. Chef Greco is also a master of sweets, with ice cream sandwiches served on freshly baked cookies leading the way. Beyond desserts, GM Burger Bar also graciously offers ice cream floats and premium shakes, as well as spiked shakes and floats. The spiked cinnamon French toast shake with vanilla ice cream, Fireball cinnamon whiskey, RumChata and a maple syrup drizzle features everything awesome about shakes and adds booze to the mix.
As the island’s burger scene continues to grow, so will our waistlines. But if that means more GM Burger Bars, so be it.
GM Burger Bar in Massapequa Park is currently open for dinner and will add lunch and delivery options in the coming weeks. For more information, visit www.gmburgerbar.com.
