More from the Rumor Mill: Is The Shake Shack Coming to Chestnut Hill?

Two years ago, it appeared that New York City's Shake Shack may be coming to downtown Boston, but that never materialized. Now, according to one of the members of The Phantom Gourmet, the popular burger stand could be coming to the Boston area after all, with a possible opening a few miles west of the city.

According to Michael Andelman (who teams up with brothers Dave and Dan on the Phantom's Saturday radio show on 96.9 FM - WTKK), The Shake Shack may be looking to open somewhere in Chestnut Hill. Andelman, who mentioned this during the "restaurant news" section of the radio show, did not give a specific source for the news, though he did indicate that it was someone in the real estate industry. We are currently waiting to hear back from the eatery on this possibility; as soon as we find out any new information from then, we will post an update here.

The Shake Shack is a group of food stands that feature such items as burgers, hot dogs, frozen custard, shakes, and alcoholic beverages. Locations of the eatery can be found in Madison Square Park, the Theater District, Battery Park City, the Upper East Side, and the Upper West Side in Manhattan, as well as in Brooklyn, Queens, Saratoga Springs, Westport, CT, Washington, DC, and Miami Beach, FL.

The space that The Shake Shack had been looking at in Boston is the former rest room on Boston Common near Tremont Street. (A dining spot called the Earl of Sandwich will be opening in that space.)

The website for The Shake Shack can be found at http://shakeshack.com/

[November 29 update: We just heard back from The Shake Shack, with a spokesperson telling us the following: "...we have openly expressed our intention to bring Shake Shack to compelling sites in great neighborhoods. As such, rumors often circulate about potential openings. We have decided not to comment on any of these rumors until we have something concrete to share." She also went on to say that "at this time we are focusing our efforts on our existing Shacks as well as those scheduled to open in the next year: Brooklyn (mid-December), Philadelphia (mid-2012), Coral Gables (mid-2012) and Long Island (late 2012).]

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Burger Dive Is Opening at Somerville's Assembly Row

As mentioned yesterday, the group behind Papagayo in the Fort Point section of Boston are looking into opening a second location of the Mexican restaurant in Somerville, and they are also planning a new burger concept as well. More information is now out about the burger restaurant, including a name for the place.

According to 451 Marketing, Burger Dive is looking to open at the entrance to the upcoming Assembly Row complex in the Assembly Square section of the city (near the Route 93/28 intersection). It appears that Burger Dive could be open by the early to middle part of 2012, depending on progress on the Assembly Row project. (See earlier post: Assembly Row to Bring a Number of New Restaurants to Somerville)

[August 17, 2012 update: Grub Street Boston reports that Burger Dive is hoping to open sometime in the middle of September. The article mentions that the restaurant will also have a "burger car."]

[November 26, 2012 update: According to their Facebook page, Burger Dive is now open for business (and it appears that their burger car will be used for catering events). Their website is at http://www.burgerdive.com/]

The folks behind Burger Dive (Legendary Restaurant Group) also operate Papagayo, Scollay Square, Max and Dylan's, Tavern on the Water, and Andiamo, all of which are located in Boston.

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Today Is National Double Cheeseburger Day (September 15, 2011)

September 15 is National Double Cheeseburger Day, and burger lovers everywhere will likely be celebrating the day at their favorite burger places. A number of spots in the Boston area in New England offer double cheeseburgers, and not all of them are chains. Two such places that our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) has reviewed include Flat Patties in Cambridge's Harvard Square and Grumpy White's in Quincy. (Reviews of the restaurants can be found below.)

FLAT PATTIES:
http://www.hiddenboston.com/FlatPatties.html

GRUMPY WHITES:
http://www.hiddenboston.com/GrumpyWhites.html

A few other places to get double cheeseburgers include:

Cappy's Tavern, Readville
Four Burgers, Cambridge and Boston
Tasty Burger, Boston
UBurger, Boston
Charlie's Kitchen, Cambridge

What are some of your favorite places to get double cheeseburgers in the Boston area? Post your answers in the "Comments" section below, and have a great National Double Cheeseburger Day!

(Thanks to Foodimentary for letting us know about National Double Cheeseburger Day.)

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Update: The Ugly American in Fall River Is Closing, Moving to Providence

About a month after we first reported that a popular Fall River eatery was planning to open a second location in Providence, it now appears that the original location will be shutting down.

According to The Herald News, The Ugly American at 240 New Boston Road in Fall River will close sometime within the next few days, as the owner decided that it would be too difficult to maintain two separate outlets of the restaurant. The article mentions that the new location of The Ugly American should be open later this month at 167 Ives Street in Providence's Fox Point neighborhood.

The Ugly American first started out in Fall River in 2007, though the owner had originally hoped to open Providence or Newport, RI back then, according to The Herald News. The rents were too high in those two cities, causing him to look over the border in Fall River.

The website for The Ugly American can be found at http://www.uglyamericanburger.com/

Thanks to Grub Street Boston for bringing this to our attention.

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News Elsewhere: The Ugly American in Fall River to Open Location in Providence

A dining spot in Fall River that features burgers, hot dogs, and fries is going to be opening another location in Providence.

According to The Herald News, The Ugly American, which is located on New Boston Road in Fall River, is looking to open another branch on Ives Street in the Fox Point section of Providence. The article mentions that the original Ugly American will apparently remain open in Fall River--at least for the time being--as the owner is in talks with the landlord to extend the lease.

The Ugly American first opened in Fall River in 2007. Its website can be found at http://www.uglyamericanburger.com/

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Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive -Ins, and Dives Is Featuring Merritt Canteen in Bridgeport, CT, Tonight

Food Network host Guy Fieri is back in New England, this time featuring a roadside restaurant in Connecticut on his show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," with the episode airing tonight.

According to the Food Network's website, Merritt Canteen in Bridgeport, CT, is being featured this evening, with the Main Street dining spot being one of three places mentioned on tonight's show (the other two being Katie's Restaurant in New Orleans and Jersey Cafe in Carmel, IN). It appears that Guy Fieri will focus on the hot dogs, burgers, and seafood served at this eatery, which our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) featured awhile back. (The blog entry is at this link: http://www.hiddenboston.com/blogentries/nyc-ct-restaurants-0207.html)

The show can be seen from 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM tonight on the Food Network, and again from 12:00 AM to 12:30 AM.

The address for the Merritt Canteen is: Merritt Canteen, 4355 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT, 06606.

For more on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" (as well as the Food Network in general), please go to the following link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html

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News Elsewhere: USA Today Includes a Northampton Restaurant Among Its 51 Great Burger Joints

USA Today recently came out with a list of 51 great burger joints across the United States, and a restaurant in Northampton has been included within the list.

According to the article, Local Burger and Fries is the newspaper's pick for the state of Massachusetts, citing the grass-fed beef and locally source vegetables used for the hamburgers. USA Today also mentions the sweet potato fries served at the dining spot, which is located on Route 9 along the eastern edge of the downtown area.

In addition to hamburgers, Local Burger and Fries also offers turkey burgers, veggie burgers, portobello burgers, hot dogs, wings, French fries, onion rings, and milkshakes. The restaurant has a children's menu as well.

Other New England restaurants making USA Today's list of burger joints include Ted's in Meriden, CT; Fat Boy Drive In in Brunswick, ME; The Barley House in Concord, NH; Stanley's Famous Hamburgers in Providence, RI; and The Farmhouse Tap & Grill in Burlington, VT.

The address for Local Burger and Fries is: Local Burger and Fries, 16 Main Street, Northampton, MA, 01060. The phone number is (413) 586-5857. And their website can be found at: http://www.localnorthampton.com/

For a complete list of burger joints that make the list, please go to the following link:

51 great burger joints across the USA

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News Elsewhere: In-N-Out Burger Moves East, But Not Far Enough

A chain of fast-food burger places that has only had locations in the southwestern part of the United States is opening its first restaurant outside of the area, though it will be nowhere near the Boston area or New England.

According to the SideDish section of Dallas-based D Magazine, In-N-Out Burger will be opening in Firewheel Town Center in Garland, which is a city just northeast of Dallas. Until now, the restaurant chain has limited its locations to California (where it is based), Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, with the most restaurants in California (about 200).

For years, rumors have been circulating about In-N-Out Burger coming to the Northeast, but nothing has ever been substantiated. This does appear to be a big step in the expansion of the chain to other parts of the country, however, so stay tuned....

The website for In-N-Out Burger can be found at: http://www.in-n-out.com/

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Results of the Twitter Burger Poll

Last month, we took an informal pizza poll on the Twitter site, with Santarpio's in East Boston coming in first place and Pizzeria Regina in the North End coming in second. And this month, we just wrapped up an eight-day Boston-area burger poll on Twitter, with the results being as follows:

1) Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, Cambridge (15%)
2) RF O'Sullivan's, Somerville (11%)
3) Boston Burger Company, Somerville (7%)
3) Craigie on Main, Cambridge (7%)
3) The Junction, South Boston (7%)
3) UBurger, Boston (7%)

A number of other dining spots where picked in the Twitter burger poll, including American Craft (Brookline), b.good (various locations), Brendon Crocker's Wild Horse Cafe (Beverly), Christopher's (Cambridge), Doyle's (Jamaica Plain), The Druid (Cambridge), Garden at the Cellar (Cambridge), Grumpy White's (Quincy), Kingston Station (Boston), Miracle of Science (Cambridge), River Gods (Cambridge), and Wild Willy's (Watertown).

Thanks once again to all of you who participated in our Twitter Boston-area burger poll. Expect to see more polls like this one soon at http://twitter.com/hiddenboston.

Update: Todd English Might Open a Burger Bar In the Theater District

More than two years after we first reported it, Todd English's idea for an upscale burger joint may finally be coming to fruition. According to Zagat Buzz, the celebrity chef known for such places as Olives, Kingfish Hall, and Figs should have the dining spot open in the Theater District of Boston later this fall. The unnamed burger place will open at 255 Tremont Street (just south of Stuart Street), where Dominic’s Restaurant used to reside.

[December 11 update: Todd English's new burger place isn't open yet, but according to the Boston Herald, a major hurdle was passed recently when they received approval for a liquor license. The Herald also mentions that the restaurant will have a capacity of a little under 200.]

[January 6, 2010 update: According to Grub Street Boston, Todd English's still-unnamed burger bar should be opening in late March.]

[February 8, 2010 update: According to an article in yesterday's Boston Globe, Todd English's burger bar is "off the table, for now." If and when it looks like it may be in the works again, we will post a new update here.]

The Boston Herald reports that the restaurant will feature burgers paired with craft beers and wines, with prices being moderate and the atmosphere being that of an American bistro. The Herald also mentions that upstairs will be an upscale lounge with a sushi bar.

For more information on Todd English's soon-to-open burger bar in the Theater District, please go to the Boston Herald link below:

Todd English’s new burger joint

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Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage May Be Featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives"

Food Network host Guy Fieri has apparently been in the Boston area this week, showing up at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square at one point yesterday. According to the blog Loaded Gun Boston and several other sources, the spiky-haired star of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" showed up in his classic Chevy Camaro and he and his crew filmed a segment inside the popular Cambridge burger joint.

Whether Mr. Bartley's will definitely make it onto "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" is speculation at this point, as it is unclear whether every restaurant that gets filmed ends up on the show. But at this point, there seems to be a very good possibility that Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage may indeed be featured on Mr. Fieri's show at some point in the future.

For more information on the filming of Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage for "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," please go to the Loaded Gun Boston link below:

Food Network's Fieri tapes segment at Mr. Bartley's

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Five Guys Burgers Is Now Open in Swampscott

Five Guys Burgers has just opened another location in the Boston area. The burger chain is now open for business on Route 1A in Swampscott, according to the Chowhound poster bluesjack and the Lynn Daily Item.

Five Guys Burgers presently has four locations in the Boston area, including Dedham, Foxborough, Marlborough, and the new one in Swampscott. Another location will be opening in Randolph soon.

The address for this new burger joint in Swampscott is: Five Guys Burgers, 980 Paradise Road (Route 1A), Swampscott, MA 01907. The phone number is (781) 595-1300.

For more information on the opening of Five Guys Burgers in Swampscott, please go to the Daily Item of Lynn link below:

New eatery a hit in Swampscott

Five Guys Burgers Coming to Swampscott, Randolph

Five Guys Burgers, a rapidly growing national chain of hamburger joints, is opening two more stores in the Boston area. The first one will be located at 980 Paradise Road in Swampscott (Route 1A in the Vinnin Square area), and should be open sometime in June. The second one will be located a 7 Warren Street in Randolph (intersection of Route 139 west and Route 28), with the specific date for opening unknown at this time.

Five Guys Burgers presently has three locations in the Boston area, including Dedham, Foxborough, and Marlborough. There is also one opening soon in Nashua, NH.

Review: Fuddruckers, Saugus

Several of us went over to Fuddruckers on Route 1 in Saugus over the weekend. I had only been to a Fuddruckers once--and that was for a very quick burger before an IMAX show at Jordan's Furniture in Reading--so it was nice to be able to have a more leisurely meal this time around.

Fuddruckers was fairly crowded when we walked in toward the end of the lunch hour. The line went very quickly, so we soon ordered our food and looked for a place to sit. The main room was busy and loud, and there were a lot of people milling about the beautifully restored Chevy Bel Air that sat in the middle of the room, so we opted for the quieter room to the right that was mostly separate from the rest of the place.

We soon received our meals and went over to the area in the main room where you could add your favorite toppings (lettuce, onions, tomatoes, etc.). I opted for lettuce only for my half-pound cheeseburger, since there wasn't a whole lot of room for anything else. We were certainly impressed by the food overall, especially considering that this is a chain. The cheese fries with bacon were pretty decadent, but the freshly-made fries were delicious and there wasn't so much cheese and bacon as to overwhelm the dish. The burgers were as good as I remember, with freshly-ground beef used and hamburger buns that were actually made from scratch, which surprised me. And the shakes (which I didn't order) looked positively sinful and received a thumbs-up for taste.

While I like the burgers at Fuddruckers very much, I feel as if I have been spoiled a bit by another chain--Five Guys Burgers, which has a location in Dedham (and will soon have others in the area, including Swampscott). To me, the burgers at Five Guys have a bit more flavor, perhaps from the way they grill them, or maybe from the seasonings (or a mix of the two). But that doesn't take anything away from the Fuddruckers burgers. The one I had the other day could easily be in my top 10 for burgers in the Boston area; and considering all the burgers I have had around Boston, top 10 isn't a bad place to be at all.

Boston Burger Company in Davis Square Is Now Open

Just wanted to post a quick update: The Boston Burger Company is now open in the Davis Square section of Somerville. It is located in the spot where the Italian restaurant Antonio's used to be, right in the heart of the square (37 Davis Square).

Thanks to the poster from Chowhound for letting us know that the Boston Burger Company is now indeed open...

Burger King to Stop Using Trans Fats

Burger King, the number two hamburger chain in the United States, said on Thursday that it is switching to trans fat free oils at all of its restaurants in this country.

According to the Associated Press, all of the foods at Burger King will have zero grams of trans fat by the beginning of November this year.

Trans fats, or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, are considered to be "bad" fats that can cause bad cholesterol to increase and good cholesterol to decrease, and also cause heart problems.

Burger King Corp. currently operates more than 11,000 restaurants worldwide, including a number of locations in the Boston area.

Fire at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Cambridge

Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square is closed indefinitely because of a kitchen fire that occurred over the weekend.

According to the Harvard Crimson, the fire broke out on Saturday morning at the famous Cambridge burger joint, causing about $10,000 in damage. The Crimson goes on to report that the owner of Mr. Bartley's is not sure when the restaurant will open its doors again.

No injuries were reported in the fire.

For more information on the fire at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, please go to the Harvard Crimson link below:

Kitchen Fire Closes Bartley's

BurgerWorks in Beverly Is Now Open

According to Paul Leighton of the Salem News (and as posted on the Eagle-Tribune blog), BurgerWorks, a burger joint in Beverly, is now open. BurgerWorks, which takes over the spot vacated by Big Bully's in 2007, is located in the North Beverly Plaza on Route 1A, just north of the Route 128 exit.

As mentioned in an earlier blog entry on this site (and as reported by the Salem News), BurgerWorks is owned by the folks who used to own Yanks, a now-closed upscale restaurant that was in Beverly Farms (Zoes Tapas and Bar now resides where Yanks used to be).

Below is a link to the note posted on the Eagle-Tribune blog:

New burger joint open in North Beverly

Red Robin Opens at Patriot Place (Next to Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has become the first restaurant to open at Patriot Place’s north lifestyle center in Foxborough.

According to the Boston Business Journal, Red Robin became the first business to open at Patriot Place’s north lifestyle center when it opened on Monday. Eventually, more than 60 restaurants, shops, and entertainment spots will reside in Patriot Place’s north lifestyle center, which is located next to Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots) on Route 1 in Foxborough.

Red Robin, which started out in 1969, has more than 400 restaurants across the United States and Canada today. The restaurant chain, which is based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, offers more than 20 burgers on their menu, as well as soups, salads, and other entrees.

For more information on the opening of Red Robin in Foxborough, please go to the Boston Business Journal link below:

Burger joint first at Patriot Place

BurgerWorks Coming Soon to North Beverly

A new burger joint is coming to North Beverly next month. According to the Salem News, BurgerWorks will be opening in the spot where Big Bully's used to be on Route 1A in the North Beverly Plaza, and it will be run by the people who used to own Yanks, a high-end restaurant that is located in Beverly Farms.

The Salem News mentions that sliders, or mini-burgers, will be offered at BurgerWorks, in addition to regular burgers.

To read more about the opening of BurgerWorks in North Beverly, please click on the Salem News link below:

http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_206001647.html