Quest for Rye’s Best Burger

Whether you like your burger grilled, broiled, or baked, with or without cheese, bacon, or veggies—a juicy burger cooked to perfection can make for a satisfying meal. With so many variations on an American classic, which restaurants in Rye have the best burger? I recently sampled some of Rye's burgers on a quest for the best.

Rye Grill and Bar

The three-story colonial Rye Grill & Bar across from the train station was my first stop. The old-school tavern style restaurant has a grilled Angus burger with onion rings and fries ($11) on its lunch, dinner and brunch menu. Adding on cheese, bacon, mushrooms and/or onions will cost you an extra $1 each. I had mine with jack cheese, served with lettuce, tomato and crispy onion rings all on the side. The burger was deliciously moist with a warm toasted bun on top. The underside of the bun was lightly buttered but quickly became soggy and started to crumble as I ate.

The thin onion rings added a crunch to sandwich. The thoroughly melted jack cheese with a mild taste was just the right amount and didn't overwhelm the taste of the meat. The overall portion of the fries and burger was huge and the fries, which were crispy and not overly salted, could be substituted for a side salad for diners who want to cut the fat content of this meal. 

Aurora

The Tuscan-influenced Aurora is often packed with diners sitting outside. This restaurant offered the most creative interpretation of the burger. A certified Angus burger with Gorgonzola cheese, bacon, grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and French fries ($11) is a fixture on the restaurant's lunch menu. The burger came across as overly ambitious. It was charred and crispy on the outside but retained its moisture on the inside.

This was a large piece of meat, and the meat to bread ratio was out of balance. The bun was lightly toasted and firm on the bottom and it didn't crumble in my hands as I ate it. The bread however was flaky and didn't taste fresh. On the burger came lettuce, raw onions, and tomatoes. The smoked bacon was undercooked and the triangle slab of Gorgonzola cheese was warm, but not close to melted. However, it did add a pleasantly spicy taste to the burger. Both the thin crispy fries and burger were too salty. The entire dish tasted as if someone had poured a saltshaker over the plate and I found myself reaching for lemonade with every bite.

Rye Roadhouse

Later that day I tried the burger at Rye Roadhouse. The fairly new restaurant, established in 2007 and located on the outskirts of town, put my three-point-turn driving to the test as it took me several tries to find the place. Once seated however, things started to get better. The Roadhouse Burger is a homemade 8 oz. burger that comes regular or blackened with lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions ($10.95) with a choice of homemade sweet potato or regular fries. Bacon, chili, caramelized onions, hot peppers, and/or cheese cost $.50 extra each.

I opted for the blackened burger and the sweet potato fries. This sandwich had the best ratio of bread to burger with neither overpowering the other. The roll was warm but not toasted. The  lettuce, tomato, and onions came already on the burger with slightly too much shredded lettuce. The burger was exceptionally moist with the juices spilling out with each bite and the bun held up throughout the meal. However, I was excepting a little more from my choice of the blackened burger. While the burger was clearly blackened, it lacked the normal spice. The homemade sweet potato fries were a nice balance of sweet and salty. The dish was reminiscent of good ole' comfort food.

The verdict: With its pricy but large portion, moist meat, toasted bun, and crispy onion rings Rye Grill & Bar's burger is the one I'll be going back to have.

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