Archive for March, 2006
Edward’s
136 West Broadway (Between Thomas & Duane Streets)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 233-6436
[map] [directions]
Rating: 3/5
Notes:
- Burger: Some restaurants take a burger seriously, others put the obligatory hamburger on the menu to serve that portion of their customers who always prefer to order one. Edward’s seems to have found its place in the latter category, with a burger that was simply average — cooked right on, but a plain patty with little seasoning and almost a little too juicy.
- Bun: The best thing to be said about the bun is that it did a great job of capturing the grease, but had little flavor to offer.
- Garnish: Mealy tomato, a few rings of red onion, two or three flavorless pickle slices and one leaf of butter lettuce. In short, nothing to write home about. If you really want something to write about, order the onion frizzles and don’t be shy about piling them on top of your burger (you’ll have plenty to spare).
- Mess factor: A little bit of a mess but not so much that a seasoned professional would ask for an extra napkin.
- Fries: Perfectly cooked, crispy and the right amount of seasoning, if you’re following a diabetic diet.
- Price: ~$13
- Bordeaux: 2000 Chateau Carignan. One of the highlights of the evening, low on the tannins and high on the fruit. Overall, a little less bold than we were expecting. But we drank it to the dregs (literally!) and thoroughly enjoyed it all the way.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: Compared to the other places we’ve reviewed, this was not the best burger — but we would consider coming back here to sample something else on the menu. We sat in the back of the room and, once the kids left, it was a pretty good spot. The downbeat music wasn’t too loud and the canldes lighting up the black and white leather booths and vintage mirrors made for a warm and funky diner atmosphere. Which, along with the onion frizzles and wine, were the standouts of the evening.
March 16th, 2006
Jean Luc
507 Columbus Ave (Between 84th and 85th Street)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 712-1700
[map] [directions]
Rating: 3/5
Update: It appears that Jean Luc is closed.
Notes:
- Burger: Delicious, all-star, thick patty with great garlic flavor and perfect stick-together texture.
- Bun: An English Muffin that covered such a small portion of the burger it made us wonder if the English like to have their arses hanging out.
- Garnish: Comes in two kinds at Jean-Luc: the $2.00-a-pop options (cheese, bacon, caramelized onions) and the free variety (lettuce, tomato, raw red onion, and pickle. Once we loaded up on the first-class garnishing, we pretty much discarded the freebees. The burger and toppings were already about 2-and-a-half inches tall. The little mound of coleslaw that accompanied the burger was A-OK.
- Mess factor: Since the bun only covered about a forth of the huge burger, we were left with no choice but to eat it with a fork and knife. Once that was decided, the mess factor was pretty contained.
- Fries: Standard shoestring style, cooked just right — crispy and not the slightest bit soggy.
- Price: $13.50 for the burger and $2 for each topping (which brought our burgers dangerously close to the $20 threshold).
- Bordeaux: We enjoyed a very drinkable 2001 Haut Medoc that started out tasting somewhere between berries and cherries, but by the end tasted a lot like salted French fries.
- Atmosphere: you could take a girl there.
- Overall: 3 out of 5. The burger itself was great, but there were too many other factors that a good burger and fine bottle of wine can’t overcome. Like the tiny bun. Or the plastic flowers in the back corners of the dining room. Or the television over the bar. Or the fact that despite the groovy music and French-bistro décor, Jean-Luc’s dining room was feeling particularly empty on an otherwise fine Thursday evening.
At least when there were no other tables around, there was plenty of great service to take care of us.
March 12th, 2006
Café Loup
105 West 13th Street (Between 6th and 7th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 255-4746
[map] [directions]
Rating: 4/5
Notes:
- Burger: A high quality, deliciously flavored, juicy patty.
- Bun: Besides the fact that it held together nicely, the bun was nothing special – a too small, McDonald’s bun that offered little to an otherwise straight-A burger.
- Garnish: Nice fresh lettuce, tomatoes and tasty onions sliced properly thin
- Mess factor: We thought that the small bun might not be able to hold up to such a nice hearty burger, but found ourselves pleasantly surprised that it remained intact.
- Fries: Very good fries of the shoestring variety. Well seasoned, the chef was not shy with the salt.
- Price: ~$12
- Bordeaux: We had definitely planned on having Bordeaux with our burger, but we had just left a tasting of the wines of South America, so neither of us was tempted to look at the wine list. After a long evening of paying close attention to the nuances of various Malbecs from Argentina, we had no interest in sniffing, swirling, or spitting. We just wanted something to sip between bites of our burgers.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there
- Overall: 4 out of 5. Definitely a solid recommendation. Emboldened by all the alcohol, we left declaring “that was a fucking good burger.” Without the benefit of an evening of wine tasting behind you, you may not be quite as enthusiastic. But if you are looking for a comfortable neighborhood bistro vibe in a great neighborhood and a delicious burger, you’ll be happy to happen upon Café Loup. Definitely try a Bordeaux!
March 12th, 2006