Burger Joint

In at least one sense, Burger Joint is destination dining. Unless you're standing in just the right spot in Le Parker Meridien's blocklong atrium, you won't spot the only signs of this out-of-place eatery: a neon burger, and, often, a line of customers out the door. At busy times you might wait ten minutes or so to reach the counter — plenty of time to take in the mismatched wood paneling, assorted TV and movie posters, kids' drawings, and miscellaneous scrawled tributes — and another ten minutes before your order is ready.

It is a very tasty burger. I take mine medium rare, usually with tomatoes, pickles, and ketchup, and I especially like the juicy contrast with the grilled surface of the patty itself. For $6.50, though, it goes down mighty fast; you're paying for style, not size.

The shoestring fries vary from visit to visit; sometimes they're crisp, sometimes, indifferent. The shakes, available only after the lunch rush, can be on the thin side.

Burger Joint
118 West 57th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.)
(Inside Le Parker Meridien)