The Great Burger Debate: Cooked-to-Order Vs. One Style Only
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

It’s the ultimate debate: Any conversation about burgers uncovers the preferences of the eaters, whether they are purists or gourmands, and if they prefer griddles or grills, thick-in-the-middle patties, or ones that are evenly formed. (Such talks are inevitably seasoned with plenty of ooohs and ahhhs.)
Favoritism aside, one important question to ask is how the city’s great cooked-to-order burgers stand up to those at eateries where a diner’s craving cannot be sated by a chosen doneness: Restaurants such as Five Guys cook burgers one way — and one way only, without any input from the customer. Is this really the way to serve the mighty burger in the city? Are the resulting burgers worthy of a good eater’s consideration? Below is our survey.
In order to focus on the meat itself, burgers made from nontraditional cuts or animals, such as beef cheeks, lamb, or foie gras, were avoided. Also eschewed were exotic or atypical burgers, with toppings such as pineapple, beets, and fried eggs, that went beyond the standard-issue lettuce, tomato, onion, and optional cheese.
You can choose your own burger adventure by viewing the slideshow below.