Meg Hearts Astoria’s Burgers

Yes, it’s true – I love the burgers. In Astoria we have quite the scene, too – some say it’s too much, and I can see their point. That said, some of my favorite burgers include, of course, the Astor Burger, which I talked about recently; the veggie burger sliders (I much prefer the sliders to the big mama veggie burger, but that’s excellent, too) at 5 Napkin; the Bareburger Original (with beef) at Bareburger; the yum-yum-yummy burger at Sweet Afton; and the simple burger at Sparrow Tavern, which I’m going to talk about today.

We’ve mentioned it before, many times, but it truly is a classic and a standout among burgers in this town, and deserves some new attention. I find this burger in particular has an earthiness to it that really speaks to me when I want red meat. I totally crave it in particular.

I think I had my first real burger crush as an adult at Sparrow. It taught me that a burger doesn’t need ketchup (I love ketchup), but just needs to be made with good beef and cooked properly. Properly for me is not cooked within an inch of its life. I like my meat medium to medium-well, and they do a great job there. I like that it comes simply between a nice bun and topped with raw red onion. I also like cheese on it – gruyere all the way!

This burger also comes with fries, herb or “spiced” – do not mistake this for “spicy” or you may be disappointed. They are ok fried but the far superior choice is the herb fries, which come with leaves of deep fried rosemary, which are fabulous to nibble on. Don’t miss them.

What do I drink with my Sparrow burger? Anything from a glass of red wine to a nut brown ale. Both go well with it.

Sometimes I also get an order of their pork tacos, which is one of the tastiest things in all Astoria. Also their chicken wings, which make my mouth water as I think about them. But those are for another day.

Sparrow Tavern, 24-01 29th St., Astoria, NY 11102; (718) 606-2260; thesparrowtavern.com (GMAP)