Goodburger earns its name; fails to surpass it.

A couple of weeks ago, my officemate Liz and I took a walk down to 54th and Lexington to try the burgers at Goodburger - Liz's husband Josh works in the neighborhood, too, and his coworkers had been buzzing about this relatively new burger joint.

It's right on the corner, with windows that fold back, allowing the outside in. Remember, however, that this is 54th and Lex, so the outside is not so much idyllic as loud and choked with bus exhaust. Still, it was nice to sit with my back to the spring sunshine and feel the breeze a bit as we waited for our orders: a fries and a burger, medium-rare, with all the fixins (me), fries and a burger, medium, with no pickles or onions or mustard (Liz).

You place your order, and you then have the option of either claiming a seat in the crowded space or huddling near the counter, the better to hear your number called - since there's no loudspeaker, and the place is deafeningly loud, thanks mainly to the aforementioned buses. We're still in our twenties and blessed with good ears, so we chose the former option to await our food's arrival.

When it came, it was good. Solid. But not great. The fries are tasty and crisp, and well-salted. The burgers are cooked to order, and as someone who loves lots of stuff on mine, I was pleased with the pile of onions, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles that graced my patty. But the meat is a bit greasy, and we each had significant pools of congealing fat left in the bottom of our translucent burger bag thingies.

The price is right - about $10 for burger, fries and soda - particularly when you factor in that, no matter its faults, this burger is far better than one from McDonald's or Burger King. If you're in the neighborhood, it's worth a visit (indeed, Goodburgers are popping up all over Manhattan, so you might be in another neighborhood), but certainly nothing to go out of your way to visit.