Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen is a fast food joint in a diner environment. Food is made to order and rather quickly for that matter. Their burgers are surprisingly good and the mac and joe is one of my favorites. They serve wine and beer to complement your meal as well has handcrafted milk shakes and unlimited refills of fountain drinks. Their sweet potato fries are popular amongst the crowd; I haven’t tried yet it, but I will on my next visit. There’s plenty of seating indoor and out (when weather permits) with a rest room intended only for customers (door code on the receipt). Schnippers is not the most healthiest of places to grab a bit nor is it a “must try”, but they do have decent food and it’s worth trying for individuals longing for a burger in the theater district. Be warned, Schnippers is a bit pricy and if you’re ordering a burger remember to state how you’d like it cooked, or else it will be served medium.

Mac and Joe – $6.99

Hamburger and Fries – $8.25 (5.50+2.75)

Burger King has unveiled a hipper and fancier line of burger joints built around their Whopper brand. The Whopper Bar as they call it, is mini restaurant that has a generation Y-oriented atmosphere. It serves ten premium variations of the Whopper, including Bourbon Whoppers, Pepper Bacon Steakhouse XT, Texas Double Whopper and the spicy onion-topped Angry Whopper. Customers are also be given the opportunity to personalize their Whoppers with 22 different toppings such as peppers, guacamole, smoked bacon, and steak sauce. The idea of serving alcohol at the Whopper Bar is also being thrown around, but there are no plans to implement that offering as of yet.

The first Whopper Bar opened last week at the Universal CityWalk in Orlando, Florida and is garnered a lot of buzz. The company plans to roll out six to ten more Whopper Bars around the globe by the end of 2009, with the next set to open in Munich, Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

178 Eight Avenue at 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-989-6688
www.betterburgernyc.com
Subway: A, C, E, L to 14th St-8th Ave; C, E to 23rd St-8th Ave
Price Range: $$
Rating: **

Better Burger is a burger joint that aims at being healthy. They state that most of their meat are organic and 100% meat, no fillers. Their fries are air baked and organic, and so are their buns. They have a total of three locations (Murry Hill, Chelsea, and Midtown West), I had dinner at their Chelsea branch.

I’m all about being healthy and when I came across a burger joint that prefaced being healthy I couldn’t help, but give it a try. I order the 1/2 pound classic beef burger ($8.59) and add the combo ($3.50), which includes your choice of bottled water or soda and a better side (fries, smash potato, veggie chili or slaw, or fruit salad). The burger is made to order and is served with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles. I requested my burger be made medium-rare, but their version of medium-rare happens to be well-done (next time, I need to order my burger rare). The burger was very dry and I had to load it up with condiments in order to make it eatable. The 1/2 pound burgers are actually very small and not enough to stratify a grown man yet alone a child, and this is coming from a person that eats very little portions. Their fries are very soggy, I guess that’s how healthy fries are suppose to taste like.

The final verdict is Better Burger is an alternative to McDonalds and the like, but they are a lot more expensive (about $10 more per meal) and they are not as tasty, but are a healthy option. I personally would not step foot in another Better Burger.