Original American Burgers

Grabbed lunch today at Original American Burgers in RVC. It’s putatively on Sunrise Highway, but can be accessed only from the parking lot behind the south side of the block just east of North Park Avenue.

My cheeseburger was very respectable: 7 ounces of juicy beef on a sesame bun cooked to a perfect medium-rare. The burger stayed juicy even though the grillwoman flattened it while it cooked. During the last few minutes of its grilling, she covered it with an inverted metal bowl. This method of steam-grilling the burger is widely used (at Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace, for one), but in this case I think there was too much steaming and not enough grilling because the burger never developed the char it (or I) deserved. Still, this was a good burger experience, and a relatively cheap one: $7 for my burger and a soda.

OAB is a great-looking little place, decorated (or cluttered, depending on your point of view) with a jukebox, vintage posters (Elvis, JFK, Marilyn, etc.) and lots and lots of wonderful old license plates. The menu lists 50 different state burgers (New York: American cheese, grilled onions and a grilled tomato; Georgia: mozzarella and green peppers) and almost as many international burgers: The Norway, topped with blue and feta cheeses; hamburgueza Domnicana, topped with grilled plantain and grilled onions; the China, topped with soy sauce; the India, a veggie burger. You can also get chili, fajitas, quesadillas or a salad.

Original American Burger is at 326A Sunrise Hwy., Rockville Centre, 516-766-2227.