Many Manhattanites and residents of the five boroughs never seem to think that going a bit east into Long Island can actually be beneficial to one’s palate. Long Island to most is known for The Hamptons, Montauk, unique accents and where Mariah Carey & Billy Joel came from, but there is also a ton of great places where food reigns supreme. Outside of the everyday chain restaurant you will find some really great places to chow down on, whether you are looking for a wrap, slice of pizza, delicious seafood, and so much more. Take a look at our picks for where to go the next time you find yourself on the LIRR.
[Read more…] about Where to Eat When Visiting Long Island… The Must List
dirty burger
Dirty Burger- Capitalizing on Burgers, Spice and Everything Nice
You must be a damn good restaurant if I feel to the need to do a follow up on you for Manhattan Digest. Most of the times on my publication, a lot of places that I review happen to be one and done’s regardless of how good the experience is. Dirty Burger, located in Plainview, Long Island, is proof that the second time around can be just as good as the first time.

I first reviewed Dirty Burger for Manhattan Digest literally one year ago and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the meal that I had on top of the hospitality that was provided to myself and my friend during the experience. Even though I am a native Long Islander (growing up in Huntington), a good portion of my life is spent in NYC. I had heard about a lot of exciting updates regarding Dirty Burger, and decided to take my sister and my two beautiful nephews there this past Saturday to update myself on a place that I fell in love with a year ago. Doing this experience a second time around proves that you don’t need to just go down the block and try your local burger joint, you can hop on the LIRR, take the train to Bethpage and hop on over to Dirty Burger to really grasp why this place is so unique in a sea of places that are ordinary and basic. There is so much more to Dirty Burger and the brand than a burger a fries on a plate. This is something that is hopefully going to be a nationwide phenomenon and a force to be reckoned with for the culinary world in 2016 and beyond.

Let’s get down to the food at the location of course. When I last came in, the things I raved about were there award winning wings (voted “Best Wings On Long Island”), as well as their great line of burgers with the dirty blend in them and their great line of shakes. However, since I checked in last time the location has added some great items to their menu that I would definitely recommend trying out. So obviously they are known for their burgers, hence the title of their restaurant, so I have to rave about the burgers for a bit. Ones that I would definitely recommend trying are the Dirty Double (pictured above) with one pound of beef wedged between all the fixins’ and their signature dirty dust. For the veggie lovers out there who still want that burger type experience, I would go with the Dirty Veggie, which is a savory veggie burger Dirty dipped and honey grilled. Served with curry mayo, avocado, & lemon vinaigrette mixed greens on a toasted brioche bun. My personal favorite of all the burgers is the Dirty Oscar, which is an 8 OZ Dirty Burger topped with melted honey goat cheese, then placed on a toasted brioche over a bed of roasted & hot pepper slaw topped with crispy fried onion strings.

On top of their burger selections, they also have a ton of other great options as well all under the Dirty brand. A great choice for that is the Dirty Porterhouse Steak (pictured above), skirt steak or hanger, all delicious tasting and at fantastic prices. They also have an amazing line of Barley Bowls that come with sauteed spinach and choices from Dirty Lamb (a popular burger as well), Ahi Tuna, Salmon Steak and so much more. Great if you are looking for something a bit more light yet still packing a ton of flavor and punch.

Want to know more about the Dirty brand and its visionary in Chef Ian Russo? Read on.
The Dirty concept and style of cooking has been proven with DirtyBurger which is currently the only restaurant to experience this revolutionary taste. The Chef is on the culinary circuit and ready to share his talent and creations with families and friends at home. The possibilities for the home cook and entertainer are endless when you cook Dirty. Ian’s style of cooking is a perfect match for the beginner to the advanced cook in any kitchen. With a simple mix, sprinkle dip or blend of the spice, Dirty transforms existing flavors and introduces a new dimension to any original recipe. For those looking to get a little more adventurous, someone could study the properties of Dirty, its heat and flavor and apply its compliment, honey to begin the caramelizing process and adding some sweet the the heat! The spice easily creates a family of Dirty creations throughout the entire kitchen. Dirty transforms and enhances everything from, popcorn, meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, soda, beer, chocolate and more!
Ian has begun discussions with several meat manufacturers and distributors who have expressed an interest in creating a pre-dipped Dirty burger that would show up to ones home frozen. Ian has perfected the creation of this burger so defrosting and grilling them would make each burger delicious each and every time. Packaging these burgers with Dirty honey would definitely make the at home cook the envy of every neighborhood barbecue!

Pretty incredible and exciting things happening for the Dirty brand. The spice “Dirty Dust”, otherwise known as “The Dirty Chef’s secret all purpose flavor enhancing spice blend”, is available at the location or online here. Cost for the bottle is $6.99, what a steal!

So award winning wings, unique burgers and shakes, spices that you can take home for your own dirty experience, great decor and hospitality, all under one roof? Sounds like a winning combination to me for Dirty Burger. Check out their official site for more info and definitely be on the lookout for how much this brand will rise in the upcoming months!
Happy Eating Everyone!
Dirty Burger Spices Things Up On Long Island
Even though this site is called Manhattan Digest when I hear things like “Award Winning”, “New York City Food & Wine Festival” and “Best Wings In Long Island” naturally I had to go out of my way and see what all the fuss was about. This is of course related to the unique experience that me and my friend had while visiting the uber popular Dirty Burger, located in the heart of Plainview, Long Island. As a kid growing up on Long Island myself, I was really looking forward to seeing what Dirty Burger had to offer, as the restaurants out here tend to be very chain friendly and don’t offer up many one of a kind experiences when it comes to finding a great burger. This was one of those experiences.

I got to know about Dirty Burger due to their involvement in this years 2014 New York City Food & Wine Festival, in which they were invited to complete in the annual Blue Moon Burger Bash. The event was hosted by talk show host and Food Network pioneer Rachael Ray. Being invited to something that big of a deal clearly warranted a simple food blogger like myself to visit the upbeat establishment with a friend of mine and we were quite pleased with what they had to offer.

Dirty Burger’s trademark per se is the “Dirty Dust” that they put on many of their dishes, from their wings to chicken sandwiches, it is designed to enhance the flavor of whatever you are trying ten fold and elevate your taste buds to a whole other level that I myself have never experienced. According to its description on Dirty Burger’s official website, It’s a blend of spices inspired by the Chef’s world travels, using ingredients from the four corners of the world to create a uniquely different flavor enhancer. This blend takes on a bit of a spicy profile, but tends to smooth out in the cooking process, especially with the use of honey.

So let’s say you are the average Joe Schmoe looking guy like me and want to have a full experience at Dirty Burger ordering an appetizer, entree and dessert. Might I suggest the following as it is what I had and each was prepared and tasted to yummy perfection. For the appetizer, I would go with their delicious dirty wings, which their classic buffalo sauce actually won a Best Of Long Island Award. We tried it with that paired off with a cool dip and the flavors were explosive yet not overpoweringly spicy. Definitely can see why this sauce was award winning for sure. Next, for an entree there are a ton of options but seeing as this place is called Dirty Burger, I opted to try one of their best- The Dirty Double. 7 ounces of all-natural, hormone & additive free Angus beef, Dirty-dipped and honey-grilled on a steamy-soft, DB sauced bun. I have to say for someone who has tried so many different types of foods and flavors I can truthfully say I have never experienced something like this before. The flavors grow on you after the first bite or two and you can really get a sense of how influential the Dirty Dust is in making the Dirty Double that much more tastier. Really an amazing well put together burger. I would recommend a side of their sweet potato fries as the Dirty Dust really compliments the sweetness of the fries as well.
To finish things off, I always love a good milkshake so naturally I went with my favorite character from Sesame Street- The Cookie Monster. Designed for kids, but I’m a big kid at heart and the taste was super delicious and it was blue, my favorite color. Now what is great about Dirty Burger is that pretty much everything they make is Gluten Free, even the fries! That speaks volumes to people who are on a diet or can only eat gluten free products as this can be limiting sometime but everything they prepare has that option. Pretty freaking cool.
I would recommend this as a great hang out place for you and your friends or family to go on a weeknight, after work or to stop by on a cool, fall weekend. If you are ever in the Plainview area definitely check this place out.
Dirty Burger
12 Manetto Hill Mall, Plainview
516-595-7399