Let me tell you about burgers
Over the course of a few months last year, I had the heart-stopping opportunity to sample some of the best burgers New York City has to offer. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill burgers either, oh no. These are burgers ground from top shelf steak from the night before, stuffed with bone marrow, and flash grilled.
Sit down. Strap in. We’re going for a ride.
... But before we begin, I must acknowledge my confidante in these exploits. I met through my mutual friend Gavin, who opined to me during HasCon that we both lived in NYC and had a shared fondness for burgers. And so began a short-yet-sultry affair that brought us to some of the finest burger joints the city can muster.
======
First on our hit list was a favorite secret of mine, nestled on Prince Street in western SoHo is Raoul’s. A classic French bistro, you’d be forgiven to never know this place sells burgers. There’s a good reason for that- they’re not on the menu and require a few hoops to acquire.
Raoul’s crafts these secret meat treats from the unsold cracked pepper steaks from the previous day, sold only to those who attain one of the coveted bar stools when they open promptly at 5pm. Asked how to best tackle this beast, the bartender stated the preferred experience was to cut the burger in half and enjoy it au jus with the cream and cognac au poivre sauce that’s served on the side.
======
The following week we hit Chumley’s, a dimly lit, no frills, cozy establishment that once was the favorite neighborhood haunt for literary giants like F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and E. E. Cummings. But who cares about them: we want to hear about the burgers.
Nathan, myself, and NYC native Kevin tackled the 86′d burger with abandon, reveling in it’s rich, fatty layer of bone marrow, fried onions, crisp shallots, American cheese, and the tangy, spicy barbecue sauce made with mango, coffee, and jalapeño. (Yes, I Google’d to make sure I got everything correct.)
======
Our next stop brought us to Emily, a pizza shop in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Yes, a pizza joint. Burgers here are only served for as long as they have the meats to make them, which the server said can be as quick as an hour after opening. She also noted that we had to get their house pizza (mozzarella, pistachio, truffle sottocenere, honey) on the side. Probably one of the most New York things ever.
The burger itself was a dry-aged blend from DeBragga (a famous butcher shop down the street), blanketed in one year-old Grafton Cheddar from Vermont with a handful of caramelized onions, and served on a pretzel roll.
=======
Our final excursion together before Nathan went back to his Belgian homeland was the newcomer, having only been open for a week or two before we arrived. Tetsu is a restaurant run by sushi-master Masa Takayama, located on Leonard Street in Tribeca. The industrial-looking space is stunning, and the appetizers we grabbed, though small in portion, top shelf in their flavors.
The burgers (beef or lamb) are only served between the hours of 5-6pm, and are individually flash cooked in a clamshell-like cast-iron device reminiscent of an iron maiden. The patty’s topped with Taleggio cheese and served on a pretzel bun.