Photo of Pop Burgers borrowed from Flickr.

Every culture has its signature dish, and in this country there is perhaps no food more American than the burger. What beats a minced meat patty, properly seasoned and sandwiched in a bun? Maybe a minced meat patty, properly seasoned, sandwiched in a bun and served on a gold platter by Brad Pitt. But that's about it. Inevitably, in a city like New York, with so many restaurants, it's easy to become flustered by all the varieties out there. We know which spots we like for red meat, but what about our fellow New Yorkers? We took to the streets and talked to locals to find out about the best in burger breeds. Consult our findings in our Battle of the Burgers feature. The opinions might vary, from the advocate of the get-what-you-want-on-it DuMont Burger, to the traditionalist with a preference for Corner Bistro. But if you're craving a burger and need some inspiration, here's a little guidance from your fellow citizens.  

The requester: A friend

The request: "It's my brother's birthday and the family wants to get together to celebrate. He's a vegetarian who doesn't consider pasta a good alternative; the restaurant needs to be good for groups as we'll be a party of 11; it needs to be good for kids, since we'll have 4, aged 1 to 13; it needs to be on the West Side since many will be coming in from New Jersey; and it needs to be a spot that can take us early, like 5:30, on a Sunday night."

The suggestions: The Chinese/pan-Asian menu at Buddakan is so huge that there will be something for everyone. There's an entire section devoted to tofu and vegetables, and the enormous space has plenty of tables and nooks comfortable for large groups. Landmarc in the Time Warner Center is also good for groups and they are known for catering to kids. They don't have the largest vegetarian choices but there are plenty of entree-sized salads and one of their signature dishes, goat cheese profiteroles, is vegetarian. Everyone will enjoy the Central Park views. If you're in the mood for Indian, Bombay Talkie in Chelsea has a communal table, vast veggie choices, and is stylish enough to feel celebratory. The kids might like the DIY barbecue at Village Korean Do Hwa, whose veggie selections include a great spicy kimchee and tofu stew. Finally, Meatpacking's Fig and Olive has a nice choice of sharable dishes, like crostini and carpaccio (including a delightful zucchini version), plenty of vegetarian options and a space that accommodates groups well.

This week in review-land takes us to two areas of the city I usually try to avoid like the plague, at least when it comes to restaurants. The Meatpacking District and the Flatiron District take a lot of flack for their scene-driven dining options, and frankly, most of that is well-deserved. But everyone once in awhile, a gem sneaks through--do either Merkato 55 or Kellari's Parea fit the bill? Click through to read our reviews of these and 8 more new and notable restaurants.

Morimoto isn't alone in offering its $24.07 Restaurant Week lunch deal all year round, but it's probably offering the most generous deal around. I popped in for what I thought was going to be a "light" lunch recently, choosing the prix-fixe chef's choice of sushi. First, a tofu miso soup arrived, followed by a mizuna salad nicely dressed with kabosu vinaigrette and crispy shallots. Then--wham--came a giant circular platter with a whopping nine pieces of sushi (chu-toro, toro, ika, fluke, saba, eel, hamachi, shrimp, and salmon) and a six-piece roll (the terrific spicy hamachi and scallion). Given that the lunchtime toro tartare appetizer alone is $28, the hamachi roll $9 a la carte, and that single pieces average $6 a pop, this is one, giant ichiban bargain for the books.

(Photo courtesy of Morimoto)

Despite Eater's very-confirmed-sounding report that Pizza Bar in Meatpacking District has closed for good, I noticed this sign in the window last night. Paper was up in the windows, but I could peek through enough to tell that something was going on. Is this just the old ruse of "Closed for renovations ... until we announce the new name/concept" or are meat-heads really getting their postparty pie spot back?

Say what you will about the Meatpacking District and restaurant empires--when the restaurant is Spice Market and the empire is Jean-Georges', you know you're in for a whiz-bang experience. Last night's release party for his new cookbook, Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges, was pretty much the model for how these shindigs should go: no attitude at the door, the guest of honor greeting partyers as they came down the stairway, and Tim and Nina Zagat and Mark Bittman were in attendance. Most importantly, top-notch food was flying out of the kitchen faster than you can remember how to say "Vongerichten." Sadly, no overheard gossip regarding J-G's rumored soba place.

Since when does a user review of any restaurant need to reference a Fall Out Boy song? (Or am I just that old?)

This Ain't a Scene...
It's a damn good restaurant! If you didn't catch that reference to Fall Out Boy, then nevermind. The point is, I'd heard so much about the scene at ------- that I didn't really know what to expect from the food ...

Three guesses as to which nearly in the Meatpacking District restaurant reminds diners of Pete Wentz? Is it (A) Craftsteak, (B) Buddakan, (C) Morimoto? ... Click through to find out.

Find more funny user reviews.

I can't imagine what a taco would have to be stuffed with for me to not think $18 is too much to pay. Cod, however fresh, is not it. Of course Los Dados, the new upscale taqueria from Suenos' Sue Torres, is located in the Meatpacking District, where the subtotal line of receipts rises proportionately with hemlines and heel lengths. So if that's how you roll, is the Dados worth a gamble?

Also in the hopper is Accademia di Vino, which earns points for not pretending it's housed in an awkward basement space but loses a few for some spacey service and an uneven menu. Click through for our critics' takes on these two and other new and notable restaurants.

(Photo by Zandy Mangold)

When it opened last year, the Inn LW12 in the Meatpacking District really, really tried to work the understated Canadian gastropub thing. Apparently, that proved hard to do with $16 drinks, and Eater is reporting a rumor that the chef has left and the menu is being revamped with a more "mass market" approach. One thing's for sure: The place is not so understated in its signage anymore. Where once there was just a sign from the space's former restaurant, Rio Mar, now there's not one but two signs proclaiming the current one. Is that cheese curds and gravy we smell, or the slight whiff of desperation?