American Airlines Thinks It Serves the Best Burger in New York
Yes, you read that right. American Airlines is convinced its Flagship First burger is so good that it stands a chance against more than 30 other New York favorites from Emily, Parm, Pig Beach, Shake Shack, Five Napkin Burger and more.
The airline put its burger on display at this weekend's Burger Bash as part of the New York City Wine and Food Festival; we were in attendance as a guest of Capital One.
The burger is a single-grind sirloin patty on a brioche bun, topped with aged cheddar, red onions, arugula, beefsteak tomatoes — oh, and a bacon marmalade. You can find it at Flagship First lounges at JFK, LAX and MIA. Multiple TPG staffers have had it (including yours truly) and truth be told, it's actually really good. The verdict from the crowd? They liked it — sometimes even more than some of the more buzzy names.
Craig Messmer, an attendee at the event, told CNBC that it was his favorite because "others had a lot of condiments that were too over the top."
Even celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern called the burger's entry into the competition "smart," even though it eventually lost to... drum roll please: the New York Mets.
My personal favorite pick? The Emily burger. Sorry, American — I'm taking the upgrade on this one.