Z-Love and the Special Sauce

Ziggiz (Gramercy), 333 3rd Ave. (bet. 24th and 25th)

Good burgers are surprisingly tough to come by in the city even though the streets are littered with burger joints with gimmicks (On 9th avenue and 35th, you can get them with cupcakes). Hmm. Let’s see. There’s Better Burger, Burger Heaven, Burger joint, BLT Burger—all trying to create their own spin on the burger and surreptitiously corner the market. It seems like most cultish burgers (like the Bistro Burger from Corner Bistro) only rise to stardom after a humble upbringing, a slow-growing fan base, and lots of drunken men. (I’m pretty sure that McDonald’s and Aerosmith would agree). Ziggiz doesn’t advertise their burger and they don’t really need to—spillover from Mad Hatter, Hairy Monk, Molly’s Shebeen, and other pubs creates main arteries to Ziggiz. At $3.95, Ziggiz’s burger is a steal, and at naively thought it was a well-kept secret. Then, once after ordering, the cashier looked me in the eye and said knowingly, in a sage-like voice, “You like the burger,” nodding slowly in agreement. I knew the secret was long past secret, but why so good? Their no nondescript pinky-orangish mystery sauce is a fantastic complement to this juicy, yet manageable burger. The fries are also pretty tasty too—thin, crispy, hot and a never-ending supply make them also perfect for those hard-to-get-out-of-bed-Saturdays. The veggie quesadilla ($5.90) is a nice vegetarian option, packed with onions, tomatoes and zucchini.