A new burger place opened in Clifton recently so, of course, YDKJ was on it.
Zinburger - Clifton
Zinburger is on Route 3 in one of a new line of shopping places that we call “The Horrible Place.” The area near Michael’s and Bed Bath and Beyond is the worst of them but the newer one down the street was only marginally better in terms of parking, layout and quantities of people. Near Zinburger was a frozen yogurt place and a gym so there were a lot of teens milling around and gym rats trying to zoom into spots closest to the LA Fitness. Once we found parking, we sat through a half hour wait for a table which was slightly tempered by free WiFi in the restaurant so we didn’t rack up too many data charges on our phones while we waited. All in all, not the greatest start to the experience.
Interior of Zinburger
Once we were seated, we were informed that Wednesday is Half Price Wine by the Bottle Day. The evening just got a little better! We chose a Washington State Reisling called Snoqualmie because we’ve been to Snoqualmie and we like Reislings. We were not disappointed. It was very fruity and light which ended up going nicely with our burgers because it lent a high note to all the earthy cheese and beef flavors of the burgers.
Snoqualmie Reisling
We all ordered Zinburgers but with differing toppings.
I got it as listed on the menu with manchego cheese (a spanish hard cheese that had buttery and nutty flavors and stood up nicely to the beef), Zinfandel braised onions (yum!!), shredded lettuce and mayo. I ordered it medium rare and it came out pretty rare which I like but made me a little worried about raw meat. Luckily, nothing ended up being raw inside the burger and their ground-in-restaurant and never frozen beef proved to be delicious. The buns were toasted and buttery which really made a nice holder for all that beef and the toppings.
My dining companions chose a Zinburger with Pepper Jack cheese and those wonderful braised onions and another Zinburger with no cheese but with the onions and mayo. Those two burgers were ordered medium which ended up being the best choice. Those burgers were nicely pink inside but held together better than my medium rare burger. Very delicious!!
Sweet and white potato fries were sampled and approved. Nice and crispy. A Kit Kat Milkshake was also sampled and was so thick that it was practically just Kit Kat Ice Cream in a glass. No problem with that!
Other menu items that we were interested in but didn’t try were the “Almost Famous” Vegetable Burger, an Ahi Sandwich and a Kobe Burger. The burger of the week also sounded good and was a beef burger with brie and a truffle aioli.
All in all, it was a very nice up-scale burger place. I kind of wish that there was a wine pairing with each burger and the seating limitations should wind down once the “new”-ness of the restaurant wains. We’ll be returning in a few months for more half-price wine and to try some different burgers besides the namesake.
Promenade Shops at Clifton
850 State Route 3, #105
Clifton, NJ 07012
Phone: 973.272.1492
Fax: 973.272.1495
11am to 11pm Sunday – Thursday
11am to 12am Friday & Saturday
Happy Hour - 3pm to 6pm daily – $1.00 off draught and bottled beer $1.00 off all cocktails
1/2 price bottles of wine Wednesdays only, all day
1/2 price on 4 side items on menu
Plain and simple burger at $5
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