Archive for October, 2006
Landmarc Restaurant
179 West Broadway
New York, NY 10013
(212) 243-3883
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 3/5
Notes:
- Burger: Landmarc serves a well charred, thick, juicy burger that is a little too lightly seasoned. But oh, that nice char flavor from the grill…
- Bun: A hearty white bun with a crusty top that was able to absorb the juice from the burger without falling apart completely.
- Garnish: The burger comes with a healthy dose of pickle slices, a thick slice of tomato, and an even thicker round of red onion and can be topped with American, gruyere, blue, or mozzarella cheese. We both ordered ours with American, which melted nicely across the top of the grilled patty.
- Mess factor: The substantial and juicy burger topped by the extra-thick vegetables made the cloth napkins a requirement.
- Fries: Thick, meaty fries, that were crispy but lacked any seasoning.
- Price: $13 (cheese adds $1).
- Bordeaux: Despite Landmarc’s notorious “bargain” wine list, we had a hard time selecting a wine that didn’t break the $50 mark. Rather than a Bordeaux, we opted for a Burgundy that paired nicely with the hamburger. This 2003 Santenay-Beauregard Premier Cru from Roger Belland was a bold, fruity wine that was very even and just a hint dry. We found this wine thoroughly drinkable.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: Landmarc is the kind of restaurant where you might hope for a really great burger. The décor is modern with dark wood and candle lights. The windows overlook a quiet section of West Broadway. The upstairs dining room is a nice hideaway but downstairs, the open grill behind the bar gives the restaurant a nice smoky smell that primes your appetite for a burger. We had been once before, to celebrate JP’s birthday, and we both had a great dinner. But this time, the hamburger suffered from too many narrow misses to garner a very high mark: the patty was inadequately seasoned; the garnish was cut too thick; the bun wasn’t quite able to stand up to the task; and the fries were devoid of flavor.
October 26th, 2006
DuMont Restaurant
432 Union Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11206
(718) 486-7717
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 3/5
Notes:
- Burger: While the patty was cooked exactly as we had requested and had the heft and density of a great burger, it wasn’t particularly flavorful – it lacked in seasoning and in the char-grilled taste that we’ve come to look forward to.
- Bun: A nice brioche bun that had good flavor and texture and held together until the last bite.
- Garnish: The sweet and sour pickle slices were the real stars here. On its own, the pickled onion was also quite tasty but did not add much to the flavor experience of the burger. This was a burger that could have benefited from the sharp bite from a raw onion. The bacon is a necessary accompaniment here, bringing a necessary bit of flavor to an somewhat lacking sandwich.
- Mess factor: Pleasantly little mess for such a larger and juicy burger.
- Fries: Thick fries, crunchy on the outside, chewy in the middle and seasoned with parsley and salt. Nice, if not fantastic.
- Price: $12 (with cheese and fries; bacon adds $1.50).
- Bordeaux: We enjoyed a very nice 2001 Moulis-en-Médoc from Château Biston-Brillette. This was a fruity, dry wine made from a blend of about half Cabernet and Merlot. The clean finish went well with the juicy burger, and the flavor of the wine far outpaced the taste of the sandwich.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: We were a little disappointed by this sandwich. It hardly seemed worthy of inspiring its own establishment (DuMont Burger: 314 Bedford, 718-384-6127). It was definitely a high quality patty, just not tasty enough for our palate. The décor had several elements of the bistro inspired New York dining room: Tile floors, a candle-lit room, off-white walls, and a menu written on a chalk board). But, somehow, it didn’t feel like we were sitting at L’Express or one of its clones. Perhaps it was because they chose to write their menu on a chalkboard as opposed to a mirror. Or, maybe it was the music that shuffled between Peter Tosh, Massive Attack and The Clash. No complaints there and one would never hear Hate & War at French Roast. Then again, it could have been the lack of vintage, French advertisements. A fair number of patrons opted to drink and dine in the back garden on this autumn night leaving the front dining room fairly quiet until a bit later. Unfortunately, the nice vibe and great wine weren’t enough to rescue this burger from a “3”.
October 12th, 2006
Alias Restaurant
76 Clinton Street (@ Rivington)
New York, NY 10002
(212) 505-5011
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 5/5
Notes:
- Burger: A fat, fat burger, maybe slightly more than a mouthful. Very reminiscent of a homemade–and therefore hand formed–patty. No indication of over-seasoning whatsoever. Very, very juicy.
- Bun: An excellent bun in the brioche style. Toasting the bun on the grill added a nice charred flavor but the size and juiciness of this burger might have been asking a bit too much of the slightly delicate brioche dough.
- Garnish: The traditional lettuce, tomato, and raw onion garnish are nowhere to be found on this plate. Instead, the Alias burger sits atop a thick slice of grilled onion and is topped with an extremely flavorful Russian dressing. The sharp Vermont cheddar cheese is highly recommended here. Its sharpness adds to the experience. Further, if you are not adverse to pork products, this is a great burger to add some bacon to.
- Mess factor: The sheer girth of this burger adds to the mess factor quite a bit. Not having additional layers of lettuce and tomatoes helps, but the juice and Russian dressing send this into “two napkin” territory. Thankfully, Alias provides nice, cloth napkins, so only one is really needed and an experienced burger eater should escape without too much embarrassment.
- Fries: Awesome! Fried up just right and nicely seasoned with salt and pepper these steak fries were a perfect accompaniment for this burger. There is a heavy bias towards shoestring fries on this site. So for some fries of the steak variety to warrant an awesome description, they must really be something; these were.
- Price: $9 (fries add $3, cheese adds $1, bacon adds $1)
- Bordeaux: Alas, Alias has no Bordeaux on their brief wine menu, and the South American wine that they describe as a classic-Bordeaux style was unavailable the night of our visit. We opted for a 2004 Bourgogne Pinot Noir from Domaine Joseph Voillot. This wine had not matured enough to be very interesting yet. While it was drinkable, we wouldn’t order it again – or recommend it to anyone else.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: This was the result of a second visit to the restaurant and it was really worth the trip. The menu calls this sandwich a “mega burger” and the first bite was pure heaven. All of the ingredients combine to make for a really wonderful hamburger experience. Granted, this is a very juicy burger, but the intense flavor experience is certainly worth a little mess. As for the restaurant itself, it is a cozy little place on Clinton Street with nice large windows overlooking a quiet corner of the Lower East Side. The dining room has a modern feel to it with exposed brick walls and a nice wooden floor. We visited on a Wednesday evening and found the dining room comfortably sparse. On a Friday or Saturday evening, the tightly packed tables might seem a little too close for comfort.
October 4th, 2006