For those of you in NYC who are wondering just what the deal with PJ Clarke's is, well I'm with you! It's pretty famous for their burgers amongst other things but I'm here to tell you to stay away from them. My wife and I have been to PJ Clarke's near Lincoln Square a few times. The initial time was because we've heard so much about their burgers and me being a big burger fan wanted to try it out and make my own opinions. To put it plainly, I was disappointed. But first, keep in mind everything is ala carte so you'll have to spend a few bucks here.

Now back to the burger. When someone says "good burger", I'm thinking two things. One, it tastes good and two, it's size. PJ Clarke's struck out on both counts. I've had better tasting burgers at Johnny Rockets and have had bigger burgers at McDonald's. But that's not it. Because the burgers are small, you'll have to order a side; but do yourself a favor, skip the fries and the onion strings. The fries look like they came from McDonald's (just more expensive) while the onion strings are hard to eat, too thin to stab with a fork and too small and messy to be finger food. I think you'll need a spoon for them.

Follow up:

Trying to forget about our first experience there, we decided to head back for another meal. We figured, why not give it another shot? Strike two and three! Because the price is a bit high for a "bar", you can expect certain things that come with paying a premium. This includes cleanliness and good service. Our recent table was full of dirty food stains and because we went during brunch and at the beginning of the day, we knew the stain was probably from the previous evening. I guess they don't wash their table cloths either.

Next comes the service. We had a 3rd person join us a few minutes late and when he showed up it took at least 10 minutes for our waiter to acknowledge our friend's presence. And this is after he asked for a drink from another waiter. But instead of saying, "certainly" and giving the order to our waiter, he simple said, "hold on, let me get your waiter." I expect this reaction at a hole in the wall but not at a place like this.

Once the food came, it was hit and miss. My glorified mac and cheese was good while my side of homefries was horribly under seasoned and stale. My wife's Reuben sandwich came with corn beef so thick she had to use a knife just to cut through it. Ever heard of adjusting your deli slicer? My wife also gave the fries another shot and it stunk it up.

The bottom line is they are overrated. Sure, this review doesn't apply to their other locations but rest assured, the Lincoln Square location is only good for two things, bad food and dirty laundry.