Posts filed under 'West Village'
The Spotted Pig
314 West 11th Street (@ Greenwich St.)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 620-0393
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 5/5
Notes:
- Burger: A damn good patty. Cooked to the ordered temperature and sized just right for the bun.
- Bun: The soft, brioche bun is grilled on both sides, which adds a nice crunch.
- Garnish: N/A
- Mess factor: Astoundingly little mess given the juiciness and liberal portion of gooey roquefort.
- Fries: These fries define shoestring: Thin, crispy and well seasoned with a touch of garlic. The fresh rosemary is also a nice touch. The Spotted Pig is not stingy with the fries, you’ll have plenty to share with your neighbor or pile on your burger.
- Price: $17 (stock presentation includes Roquefort cheese)
- Bordeaux: The bordeaux on offer were well beyond our price threshold. Instead, we chose a 2005 Zinfandel from Ridge “Three Valleys”. A drinkable wine–slightly upstaged by the roquefort. Those not dead-set on drinking wine may be better served by pairing this burger with one of the many fine beers available.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: Don’t let these laconic notes lead you to believe that this burger isn’t worthy of more ink–it certainly is. But, the no-bullshit presentation of this burger deserves a similar writeup. Any establishment that sends their burger out sans garnish is confident that the sandwich can stand on its own. In this case, that confidence is well founded. Both the first and second floor dining areas are cozy and, well, publike. The Spotted Pig is no secret. This coupled with its no-reservations policy leads to multiple-hour waits. If, however, you sneak in early (before 6) or late (they serve until 2 nightly), you should be rewarded with a table rather quickly.
March 13th, 2008
Deborah Restaurant
43 Carmine St (b/t Bleecker & Bedford)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-2606
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 5/5
Notes:
- Burger: This patty is packed with flavor – salt, garlic, and pepper emerge with every bite – and manages to be generously juicy without being overly greasy.
- Bun: A brown-topped white bun that is a little smaller than the burger. The bread added a little texture, but not much flavor, to the sandwich. Most importantly, it held together until the last morsel.
- Garnish: Deborah tops their patty with a nice, fat onion ring, diced tomatoes (brilliant) and melted cheddar cheese and then covers it with a thin spread of spicy aioli.
- Mess factor: A pleasantly un-messy affair, given the size and juiciness of the patty.
- Fries: Perfectly seasoned shoestring fries that are every bit as good as the burger.
- Price: $12
- Bordeaux: We found a trusted standby on the wine list at Deborah, a 2005 Cotes du Rhone Parallele 45. It is a great pair for the flavorful burger, with a nice, fruity (slightly strawberry) bouquet and a clean, dry finish.
- Atmosphere: A great place to take a girl.
- Overall: Deborah is a perfect neighborhood restaurant in the heart of the West Village that successfully manages to be overlooked by both tourists and foodies. We’ve visited the restaurant before and have always been impressed with the food, service, and the atmosphere of the tiny, brick-walled dining room. The standout here is the fully flavored patty and the onion ring garnish, which adds a great crunch to the delicious sandwich.
November 16th, 2007
BLT Burger
470 Sixth Avenue (B’twn 11th and 12th)
New York, NY 10010
(212) 243-8226
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 4/5
Notes:
- Burger: Outstanding patty. They take their meat mixture seriously and it is evident in the flavor. The first bite is an explosion of taste and juice, and the flavor is so delicious that you don’t mind the drips running down your hands.
- Bun: Stock white-bread bun, fresh.
- Garnish: Crispy iceberg lettuce, a couple slices of tomato and some mayonnaise & catsup. We chose to top our burgers with applewood smoked bacon and Vermont cheddar which contributed to the already outstanding flavor of the sandwich. On the side: A nice dill pickle wedge and a small cup of coleslaw that we didn’t try because, well, we didn’t have any forks.
- Mess factor: Even though the patty isn’t that thick, it is very, very juicy. The white-bread bun just barely holds things together here, pushing this one into multiple napkin territory.
- Fries: Perfectly cooked, thin cut fries that were a little disappointing because they lacked the right amount of seasoning. They serve a massive portion of fries for $3, certainly enough for two. The onion rings are also worth trying.
- Price: Classic Burger = $7 (cheese adds $0.50, other toppings add $1.50)
- Bordeaux: There are a couple wines available by the glass, but this is not a wine place. Choose from one of several beers available on tap or in bottles (or cans). The milkshakes also looked tempting.
- Atmosphere: Dallas strip mall.
- Overall: BLT has nailed the classic burger. All of the ingredients are of high quality, fresh and the kitchen knows how to cook the burgers to the right temperature. Only the things surrounding the burger keep this one from scoring a “5.” First off, there are three televisions in the small bar area in front. This pretty much ensures that the half of the diners facing the bar are distracted. The overall atmosphere is purposefully raw and the decorators have leaned on the bovine motif just a bit too much. We expected more from the BLT empire. The dining room was also quite loud, but not from all the interesting conversations being had over tasty burgers. Those are all drowned out by 70’s era rock and what must be the loudest blender ever at the bar. Not that we dislike The Stones or Rod Stewart or frozen drinks. Just turn the tunes down a notch and get a quieter Hamilton Beach. Even if the atmosphere sort of falls down, BLT Burger is worth a try. If you go for the $62 Kobe Beef burger, let us know what you think…
November 24th, 2006
Blue Ribbon Bakery
35 Downing Street (Downing and Bedford)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 337-0404
[map] [subway directions]
Rating: 5/5
Notes:
- Burger: Blue Ribbon’s super-tasty burger came lightly seasoned, char-grilled and cooked as ordered. The patty was the just the right size – large enough to sink your teeth into, but not so big that you couldn’t get your mouth around it. From the first bite, this juicy burger tasted of quality.
- Bun: An excellent, hardy, white bun that was dusted with sesame seeds and toasted to a light crunch. The bun was absorbent enough to capture most the burger’s juice while not falling apart. The combination of the crispy top and the juice-laden bottom really added to the texture and flavor of the sandwich.
- Garnish: Crispy iceberg lettuce, ripe tomato slices and plenty of thinly sliced red onion made for a classic garnish. This was accompanied by a nice pickle wedge.
- Mess factor: This sandwich was slightly messy, but totally worth it. Thankfully, the hardy bun helped contain the juices and held the burger together nicely.
- Fries: Classic shoestring fries with a light dusting of salt. This batch might have been cooked a bit past their prime, but they were still quite good.
- Price: $13.50
- Bordeaux: We were priced out of the Bordeaux region – there wasn’t a bottle on the list for under $70, which is more than we like to spend for wine when we’re pairing it with a burger. In fact, the wine list at Blue Ribbon doesn’t feature many wines under that price. We settled on a 2001 Abando Rioja ($45) that was dry and peppery and played very well off the juices of the burger. This was a smooth wine that was enjoyable to drink.
- Atmosphere: You could take a girl there.
- Overall: We were excited about this one from the first bite. Our search for a “5″ seemed to be over. Although most of the other burgers we had visited before had certain outstanding qualities, they fell short of perfection in other aspects. This was certainly not the case at Blue Ribbon Bakery, where the whole experience was quality. The bun is probably the best sampled thus far. It was most notable for its ability to absorb burger juice like a sponge. Also of note was the use of iceberg lettuce in the garnish, we have rarely seen this in the places we have visited. While iceberg might have little in the flavor department and the nutritional value of sawdust, it really does work well on a hamburger. The atmosphere at Blue Ribbon Bakery is also quite nice. The ground floor dining room is dominated by large windows that afford a great corner view of Downing and Bedford. The well bricked downstairs is a bit more intimate and includes a working bakery (hence the name). One should know that the wine list is lacking in affordable wines. Unless you’re in the mood for a high-dollar wine, this might be a good place to accompany your burger with a beer rather than a Bordeaux. If you are going to go that way, we recommend the Jever.
September 25th, 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