No matter how hard he may try, a chef can never truly make a cheeseburger pretentious. As soon as one bite is taken, juices come flooding out of the beef, while ketchup and every other condiment begin to bleed their way out from in between the tomato and lettuce, both of which are sliding out from underneath the bun. Cheeseburgers are at the same time both messy and fabulous. They are a classic symbol of childhood: simple, delicious and unpretentious, three things that all foods should be.
I never realized just how much I enjoyed cheeseburgers until April 30, 2007– the day my father died. He had always valued the simple things in life, and cheeseburgers were one thing that he had placed atop his culinary pedestal. No matter where we went he would order a burger, whether we were at a five-star restaurant in Paris or a hole-in-the-wall diner in New Jersey. A few months after his death, I was sitting in a restaurant in Brussels with my older brother. It was one of those fancy, ‘jackets are necessary, and ties are recommended’ places. After being thoroughly disappointed by most of the menu, we decided to start a new tradition: every time we traveled to a new city, we would eat a burger for dad. That’s exactly what we did that night, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing ever since.
“Een Meester Biefburger.”
It was a cold, windy evening in Amsterdam. The snow had just started coming down unexpectedly, and frowns filled the small restaurant. Apparently no one had thought to bring an umbrella. Despite the dreary weather, smiles suddenly returned as the scent of Blonde d’Aquitaine beef filled the air at Burgermeester, Amsterdam’s most successful mom-and-pop burger joint.
Situated only one block away from the famous Albert Cuyp market, in the trendy de Pijp neighborhood, Burgermeester is a haven for burger lovers. While the menu is filled with colorful creations, ranging from a lamb burger with spicy jalapeño mayo to the tilapia burger with asparagus and saffron sauce, the most popular is certainly the infamous Meester Biefburger…
Made with a perfectly sized beef patty of Blonde d’Aquitaine – a hardy cattle from the Aquitaine region of France – the Meester Biefburger is then placed on a homemade roll, and is then topped off with grilled vegetables (usually eggplant and zucchini) and a special sauce they call “dragon mayo.” Addictive, simply addictive.
But more importantly, the Meester Biefburger is messy, and filled with luscious juices that trickle out as soon as your teeth tear away at the beef. A word of advice: at least four or five napkins are mandatory when eating the Meester Biefburger.
While the Meester Biefburger is a personal favorite, all of the burgers served at Burgermeester are delicious. And what if you simply cannot pick just one? Then order three of them. For only €9, the chefs at Burgermeester will make three miniature burgers, allowing any customer to try some of their other culinary achievements. For example, the falafel burger with chickpeas and Parmesan, covered in a homemade relish. Or one of Burgermeester’s newest creations, the tuna burger: a patty of Albacore tuna covered in sautéed Shitake mushrooms, with an electrifying wasabi mayo drizzled on top.
“I really cannot begin to describe them,” said Pieter van Kampen, 67, a longtime resident of de Pijp and a frequent customer of Burgermeester. “They’re the perfect cross between gourmet and…”
“McDonalds,” says his wife, Olivia van Kampen, 63, an American who moved to the Netherlands after getting married nearly thirty years ago. “They are extremely messy, but at the same time, they are just so satisfying and delicious.”
“And you aren’t just another customer here, you’re a part of the family,” she added.
“When our son was still studying at Universiteit van Amsterdam, he would just come here for lunch, and end up staying for two, three hours,” said Pieter van Kampen. “It’s just that kind of place.”
The van Kampen’s are right. Burgermeester is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. The cozy restaurant consists of only five tables, which each seat four people, and all of the tables face the open kitchen, allowing the customers to see just how fresh their burgers really are. At the same time, the small and cozy atmosphere allows every customer to join the Burgermeester family. In fact, on any given day, you could easily strike up a conversation with anyone from the chef or the cashier to the owner.
“This is my fifty-eighth burger for the day, and I’m going to be here for three more hours,” laughs assistant chef Jan Bakker, 27, from behind the counter as he prepares the monthly special: the Kalkoenburger, which is a turkey burger topped with a mild tomato salsa and pancetta.
“But there are always fun people here to talk to, so it never gets old,” he added.
As I finished my burger, it was still snowing outside, even harder than before. I wrapped myself in my heavy coat and scarf, and headed for the door, bidding the chef goodnight. Before sending myself out into the blizzard that took Amsterdam by surprise, I turned around, taking one final look at Burgermeester. Laughter filled the warm restaurant, and for one brief second, I felt like a little boy again, sitting at McDonalds in between my parents, happy and forever young.
INFORMATION:
Address: Albert Cuypstraat 48
Phone: +31 (0)20 670 93 39
Hours: Daily 12pm to 11 pm
Location: de Pijp, just west of the Albert Cuypmarkt.
Trams: 16 or 24 to Albert Cuypstraat.
Attire: Casual. Very casual.
Payment: Cash and European “PIN” card
Price: All the burgers are under €7 for full size and under €3.50 for a mini version. And what to do if you cannot pick just one? Try three mini burgers for just €9. All homemade shakes and side dishes are under €7 as well.
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