Brewster, NY: Red Rooster Drive-In's Cheeseburger

It’s pretty hard to break too much new ground in describing the often-praised burgers at this roadside throwback so I won’t even try.  I’ll just let the picture speak for itself and direct you to some great reviews elsewhere (NYT – Hamburger Heaven), including the listing that originally piqued my interest over at Roadfood.com.

What I can add is this – I have never had a fast food-style cheeseburger with as much flavor as this one.  It seems incongruous because there doesn’t appear to be much to this equation.  Just a 1/4 lb(ish) hand-formed beef patty cooked up fresh right before your eyes then crowned with perfectly melted yellow American cheese and a cadre of exceedingly fresh toppings all wrapped up in a squishy white bun.  Nope, no magic there, but somewhere along the way this burger picks up a depth of flavor that blew me away.  In an era of ever-increasingly complex burgers, it takes a basic set-up like Red Rooster’s to remind me what it is I truly enjoy about burgers – the powerful taste of simple, fresh ingredients.  No secret sauce, no proprietary blends, no artisan baked rolls, no celebrity chef, no trendy decor…nada.  Just pure happiness on a paper plate.

If you are heading upstate out of New York City (perhaps on your way to Joe Beez in Kingston) look for this candy-striped A-framed hut, it is truly a worthwhile stop.  Grab one of their stellar milkshakes and if you have time, fit in a game of mini-golf and then rue the fact that when your parents were kids places like the Red Rooster were a dime a dozen.

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Red Rooster Drive-In

1566 Route 22

Brewster, NY‎

(845) 279-8046‎

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