Casimir
103-105 Avenue B (Between 6th & 7th)
New York, NY 10009
(212) 358-9683
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 4/5
Notes:
- Burger: A good, standard patty that was not seasoned with anything special but was cooked just right and quite juicy without being overly greasy.
- Bun: We were impressed with this hearty white-bread bun. It was big enough to stand up to the patty and to handle the juice without falling apart. This might be the best bun we’ve had so far.
- Garnish: Casimir calls this “Burger New Orleans,” and they serve it with bacon and tartar sauce. Our initial worries about the sauce were brought on by bad memories of fillet o’ fish sandwiches at McDonald’s. Thankfully, that was not the case with the tarter sauce on this burger. It complemented the smoky flavor of the bacon beautifully without being overpowering. On second thought, tartar sauce is not that unusual. Tartar’s second cousin, Thousand Island Dressing, has held the moniker of “special sauce” on many a burger menu. Along with the tarter sauce and bacon, the garnish also included two thin and unremarkable tomato slices, but no lettuce or onion.
- Mess factor: After biting into this burger, we were prepared to ask for extra napkins. More than a couple of tablespoons of burger juice dripped onto the plate and the ample portion of tarter sauce also left it’s mark everywhere else. However, subsequent bites did not yield the same explosive mess potential. Credit goes to the good bun and not overly greasy burger.
- Fries: We debated whether the fries were under-seasoned or flavored just right. One thing that we agreed upon immediately was that they were not chock-full of potato flavor.
- Price: ~$12
- Bordeaux: 2003 Rocher Figeac Saint Emillion. We’ve seen a string of very drinkable wines lately, and this one was no exception. Unfortunately, we’ve been left feeling like these wines don’t really stand up the meaty goodness of a fine burger. In this particular case, the Saint Emillion left us wondering if perhaps it was time to expand our horizons beyond Bordeaux to find a better partner for a hearty burger. Too bad about the domain name.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: Casimir has all the trappings that we like about New York style French bistros. The tables are close together, the lighting is dim and the tin signs and ceilings and ample mirrors reflect the sounds of diners enjoying their conversations. Mix in a bit of funky jazz music and it makes for an energy filled, fun atmosphere – but not a place to carry on an intimate conversation. There is also a garden out back, which the weather had closed on the evening we visited. Casimir ends up earning a hotly contested “4″. We went back and forth on the pros — the unique addition of tartar sauce along with a commendable bun and a properly cooked, medium-rare burger; and the cons — a standard patty coupled with lackluster fries. In the end, it was the tarter and bun that secured the 4. NB: The steak tartare looked quite good too.
April 17th, 2006
Petite Abeille
(multiple locations)
401 East 20th Street (at First Avenue)
New York, NY 10010
(212) 727-1505
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 3.75/5
Notes:
- Burger: The great thing about this burger is that it comes with a nice, thin slice of pancetta, which offers all the benefits of bacon with the texture and intensity of cured meat. In fact, it was the pancetta that originally got our attention when we glanced at the menu in front of their West Broadway location. It went great with blue cheese and it really makes a standout hamburger out of an otherwise average patty.
- Bun: An effective white-bread bun; it held up to the juicy burger.
- Garnish: The tomatoes actually tasted good and the red onions were sliced nice and thin. The lettuce came as a little salad of mixed greens that presumably you could put on top of your burger. In reality, the lettuce lacked crunchiness and therefore didn’t make for a great garnish. The burger also came with “special sauce” but despite our best efforts, we couldn’t distinguish it beyond the mayonnaise. It probably wasn’t ketchup & mayonnaise and it definitely wasn’t thousand island dressing. Perhaps they should have served it with the fries (see below).
- Mess factor: The best of both worlds here — a nice, juicy burger with no mess.
- Fries: Since this is a Belgian restaurant, we were looking forward to the fries and, perhaps, some interesting mayonnaise. The fries were Belgian style, a bit thicker than the shoestring variety we are so fond of. Unfortunately, these were a bit on the soggy side. The lemony mayonnaise that accompanied the fries was shortly replaced with ketchup which was not enough to help bring them back to life. The .25 points that keep Petite Abeille away from a 4-point rating were lost soley on the sad tale of these fries.
- Price: $12
- Bordeaux: 2001 Chateau Cadillac. A drinkable wine, but nothing special. We should have known as much when selecting a wine that carries the namesake of either a General Motors brand or the founder of Detroit (we’re not really sure what the vintner was going for here).
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: When you walk into Petite Abeille, the newness of the space and the cookie cutter bistro decor makes it feel a little like a chain restaurant, which it is, albeit local. We chose the location on the Stuytown/Peter Cooper Village corridor — a neighborhood enjoyably devoid of any hipness*. The restaurant was humming with business, mostly locals out for dinner on one of the first nice nights of spring. The outdoor tables on 20th Street were full, as was most of the restaurant inside. Generally, we don’t comment on service, but the staff was attentive and jovial amidst all the buzz of a busy spring evening. We had a drinkable bottle of wine, a great hamburger, and we walked away feeling like we could recommend this place to anyone who isn’t 100% adamant about good fries. N.B. We’re willing to give the fries a second chance at “Moules à go go”, Petite Abeille’s all you can eat mussel night on Wednesdays.
* We harbor no ill will toward the far-east 20’s, in fact, J.P. is ready to look for an apartment there. This is a move that will do nothing but reduce whatever charm or hipness this neighborhood has going for it. So for that, we apologise in advance.
April 4th, 2006