Posts filed under 'East 20's'
Pamplona
37 East 28th Street
New York, NY 10016
(212) 213-2328
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 3.5/5
Notes:
- Burger: Pamplona’s tapas menu offers a pair of slider-sized burgers made of a tasty mixture of ground beef and chorizo. The sausage imparted a smoky flavor into the neatly packed miniature patties, which arrived perfectly medium rare – slightly charred on the outside and a nice pinkish red hue inside.
- Bun: These little snack burgers are served on a white bread bun that holds together nicely, in part because the patties are so lean.
- Garnish: Garnished with leaf lettuce, a thin cut of tasty tomato, and a hearty slice of white onion that went perfectly with the sausage-flavored burger.
- Mess factor: These sliders are so small and the meat so spare that there’s nothing messy to speak of at all.
- Fries: The fries were thick and crunchy, but unfortunately without any flavor.
- Price: $14, with the fries.
- Bordeaux: We selected a 2001 Coto de Imaz Rioja Riserva with rich tones of berries and vanilla. The wine was the highlight of our evening – low on the tannins, highly drinkable, very smooth with a clean finish.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: Pamplona has an international vibe, with world music and a medley of languages filling the air. They maintain a low-key profile tucked away on a side street above Madison Square Park. The comfortably modern and simple décor consists of dark wood tones, high ceilings, and large round white light shades. The menu is straight-up tapas – we were equal parts surprised and excited when we heard they included a burger. Unfortunately, the little sandwiches don’t stand up to some of the other small plates they offer – the dates wrapped in smoky, crisp bacon easily outshone them. Plus, the burgers are too small to settle for just a couple – if you’re hungry, like we always are when it’s burger night, you should probably order 4 of these babies.
September 4th, 2008
Blue Smoke
116 E. 27th (@ b/t Park and Lexington)
New York, NY 10016
(212) 447-7733
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 4/5
Notes:
- Burger: Blue Smoke offers a very good patty made of high-quality beef seasoned lightly and cooked just as we ordered. This was a delicious, tight, tall burger that tasted of the smokey wood flavor of the barbecue.
- Bun: The bun here is a seeded brioche, which earns extra points for both character and a nice buttery flavor, but ultimately proved to be the wrong bun for a burger this juicy. We knew within the first few bites that the bun wouldn’t be able to hold up to the ample juices dripping onto the plate.
- Garnish: We ordered our burgers topped with cheddar cheese and the “house-smoked bacon,” which probably would have earned better marks had we not just had the best bacon in the world at our last outing at Barmarché. The lettuce, tomato, and fat onion slice were gratuitous, although the pickles added a nice flavor. Since Blue Smoke is all about the barbecue, you get to pick from a selection of better-than-average sauces that are lined up on the table. The sweet and spicy sauce gave the burger a nice tangy kick.
- Mess factor: This is not just your average messy hamburger. This is the kind of sandwich where you find yourself holding onto a slight shred of bun thoroughly sogged with juice, wondering why you don’t just go ahead and pick up the patty with your hands already.
- Fries: The fries were fine – nothing to write home about. Or to write here about, either. Our advice: skip the fries and order a side of delicous macaroni and cheese.
- Price: $13 – eleven for the base burger, and a dollar each for the cheddar and bacon.
- Bordeaux: With no wines from Bordeaux on the menu, we were happy to turn to a California cabernet to help wash down our burger. We chose a 2001 vintage from Koves-Newlan and we were more than delighted with the oaky, fruity flavor of this wine. The wine had plenty of tannins and a creamy texture that we loved. De-f’in-licous.
- Atmosphere: You could definitely take a girl here.
- Overall: We came to Blue Smoke in search of a “5″, because we expected that they would produce a hamburger on par with their St. Louis style spare ribs. The burger was great, but when it comes time for our next visit to East 27th, it will not be for a hamburger. Unfortunately, our next visit will not include the ‘01 Koves-Newlan Cab since we consumed their last bottle, ever. If you find this wine somewhere, get it (and let us know where you found it). Now, a word about the macaroni and cheese: Scrumptious. This is probably the best mac and cheese going — super creamy and loaded with cheese. A destination side dish if there ever was one.
May 30th, 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