The last entrant for Burger Diva ranking consideration in 2024 comes from Strange Flavor, a food window inside The Johnson’s in Bushwick. Its legion of fans was always shocked to hear I hadn’t tried this spot so I wanted to make a point of getting here before the year drew to a close.
Strange Flavor has a solid menu and ALL items have a vegetarian counterpart - even the corn dog! Pretty much all of my friends and online reviewers of the outpost agree, though, that between the two burger options, the Chop burger reigns supreme over the Pop burger.
The Chop ($12.75) has a double patty with charred cabbage, peanut, pickles, cilantro + scallion, mustard and mala glaze and the Pop (same price!) is more of a “classic” set up of two patties, cheese, special sauce, LTO and pickles.
I arrived pretty set on getting my Chop on with my friends Francis and Kit, who would then be teaching me how to play pool. I met both of them on Twitter dot net and then the two of them became friends through a party I threw so I’m kind of a beautiful matchmaker here! They’re both billiard freaks too so it was a nice two birds one stone arrangement.
At the order window I encountered some horrible news: there was an ingredient shortage and they were only slinging Pop burgers for the day. Well, I was already there and hungry so in a BD first, I decided I would be evaluating multiple burgers from one spot. I ordered my Pop and nestled into the back corner of the joint to watch Kit and Francis do their dance around the table until it was my turn to give it a go.
In the meantime, I chowed down on my order. I’ve become fond of a double patty when it comes to a smash burger, so this had a great weight to it. The sauce was slightly salty and mustard forward, and between this and the Chop burger I’m starting to…appreciate? Mustard? I hate finding things out about myself.
The shredduce gave me a nice crunch and stayed contained but the tomato didn’t really add much here. That could be attributed to it being late November, far outside the realm of Tomato Season™. The pickle was a nice thick crinkle cut, my fave, but I wished the onion here was sturdier, a complaint that I feel comes up a lot with a saucier burger. Please, I’m begging the burger builders at large to consider the results of TIA (toppings in action).
The bottom bun got pretty weak towards the end but I tried to avoid a slow dough demise and sped up my eating, especially because my friends were eager to get me to play. Ultimately it was a good smash burger, but the flavors needed a couple of bites to co-mingle and really pack a punch.
Once I wrapped up my meal, I hopped on the table. I have really poor hand-eye coordination and lack confidence in most of my bodily movements outside of a dance floor setting so I had a feeling I’d be amaaaaazing at pool. All things considered I wasn’t awful and was really grateful to have some kind teachers here - more pool in 2025! But no one look at me while I play please.
I needed to plan my return trip to The Johnson’s and discovered a great gathering reason: a Secret Santa gift exchange. It was actually one of three that I organized because I have a very specific illness. The Johnson’s has a lot of larger seating options, good drinks and food if anyone came hungry. With most of the gifters residing in Bushwick and Ridgewood, it felt like a no-brainer to pitch.
Luckily on this visit, all of the components were available and I got my Chop. It’s a salt + umami bomb of a burger in the best way. The pickles and cabbage serve as a perfect counter to the rich and nutty flavors of the sauces and peanuts that really elevate this burger.
I was a bit nervous about the cabbage, especially with how finely it was chopped because it can sometimes have a slick and slimy texture but the char eliminated that completely. I wish the mala glaze was a hair spicier and more evenly distributed but wow what an interesting bite!
This supremely savory bite was a perfect pairing with the bar’s frozen painkiller. Or two. Or more! It’s not my discretion to share that final figure.
Both burgers were great, but what folks were saying about the Chop is true. I’ll be sure to make a return trip just for that! Ranking wise, I’m placing the Pop at 12, between Rippers and Dram Shop and the Chop at 8, between Ingas Bar and Leo’s.
Next week, I’ll be closing ranks and sharing what’s to come for Burger Diva in 2025. See you there!
