Since I
have started my journey writing this blog and exploring great places to eat and
visit, I get a lot of suggestions. Everyone thinks their suggestion is the
best, naturally. I am a picky person with everything I do and when it comes to
trying a new restaurant that I will think is special and worthy of a blog,
these recommendations have an even smaller chance since they weren’t on my list
to begin with. I am happy to say that this particular review was not planned
but based on a friend’s suggestion after many months of bragging that I would
love it there. Friday night I finally got to see what all the hype was about
and if his review would sink or swim.
The
Burger Bistro was our destination that evening and has two locations in
Brooklyn and one Manhattan, New York.
It is has a simple theme- that you build your burger with the toppings,
bun, sauces, and sides you like using a menu you color in with a red pencil. It
makes you feel like a kid again but one that gets to eat gourmet food.
At first
I have to admit that idea didn’t seem that original or special to me. Of course
you can pick your toppings for your burger, you can do that anywhere you go.
But what made this place stand out are the toppings that you can choose from.
For example, when it comes to picking the cheese the fancier the better I say.
I got to choose a cheese like goat cheese that you cannot do at a diner. There
were also selections like fried mozzarella, gruyere, and smoked gouda.
For
toppings there is an array of intoxicating selections. The most original are
buffalo shrimp, pickled jalapenos, fried egg, guacamole, and hot onion sausage.
The list goes on and on. There are adding new items all the time.
Even when
it comes to ordering your burger there is room for adventure. You can try lamb,
turkey, shrimp, beef, and veggie burgers. Then you choose how you would like it
cooked.
As for
the bread it will be placed on you don’t even have to have bread! They have
lettuce wraps if you are so inclined. But that is not a choice I understand.
For us carb lovers there are brioche and whole wheat rolls, and garlic bread. I
must have stopped reading the menu after brioche that night because just the
thought of garlic bread right now is wetting my appetite.
Next is
my favorite part, the sauces! They come on the side of your order, which is
nice because nothing is worse than a soggy burger with a sauce you may not
like. The choices here range from usual to creative: blue cheese, chipotle
mayo, wasabi mayo, and the AMAZING horseradish cream. I am going to need a vat
of that!
What is a
burger without fries? That’s usually the reason I order one. Here you can have
homemade potato chips, sweet potato fries, or tater tots. I hadn’t had a tater
tot in a long time and I am glad I held out. These were divine.
Desserts
looked good too but we had no room left. In fact I didn’t see anyone in the
restaurant order dessert. I am curious how many people can manage to squeeze in
dessert after such a delectable meal.
I have
saved the best for last, the appetizers. While I enjoyed my burger creation and
ate until I felt I could no more, my appetizers were by far the most innovative
and scrumptious I have had in quite a while. That is saying something.
I cannot
take the credit for what we ate, my companions had been there before and wanted
me to try what they felt were the best. Normally I always feel I can make a
full meal just out of the appetizers. Part of me wishes I had done that here,
but the burgers were too hard to pass up.
Ok I know
you want to know what I ate and see what it looked like.
Here is
the reveal:
We had
deep fried corn on the cob with chipotle mayo and buffalo tater tots with
celery and blue cheese chopped up on the side of the dish.
The tater
tots were yummy and confusing because once I tasted the buffalo sauce I
expected chicken in the next bite. But they were fun and went down very
quickly.
However
the no contest winner here was the deep fried corn on the cob. Now I loved anything
and everything fried, I mean who doesn’t? Don’t lie to yourself. But this was a
light coating of batter and it made the corn taste sweeter not greasy. I am a
huge fan of corn on the cob and this version made me feel like I could eat it
forever and ever on the spot without missing a beat. I could go for it now, no
matter what I have just eaten. In truthfulness it was a blueberry muffin.
The next
appetizers I will try are the fried artichoke hearts and the neezburger
chachos. I have no idea why the second is spelled so intriguingly but I am all
in nothing-the-less.
Out of
the four of us dining there were no two burgers alike.
Here are
some great shots of the concoctions my friends created:
Finally
the moment you have all been waiting for, this is my burger:
I got a
well done beef burger on a brioche bun, with guacamole, goat cheese, portabella
mushroom, lettuce, caramelized onion, with a side of horseradish cream, and
tater tots.
My first
bite was intense. I couldn’t tell what I tasted exactly. I actually had
forgotten what I had ordered. I was more concerned with not making a mess but
that was not an option. I was knee deep in condiments and loving it. I was
happy with my choices and they all had their own richness and uniqueness
standing out. As you are eating the many other combinations you should select
next time begin to swirl in your mind.
As for
the burger, it was thicker than I expected and heavy in your hand which becomes
a problem because I could not put it down and expect to pick it back up without
losing something on it. It was like an activity. I began to look around the
room to see if someone else had mastered a better strategy but there were no
genius’s around me.
I gave it
my best shot but could not finish my burger or my tots. And my tots were
delicious.
But I
gave it the old college try. Even if we hadn’t gotten the appetizers, I don’t
think I could have eaten my entire meal. I also went in starving. The portion
was reasonable but it was just that kind of filling meal. It is a meal that is
worth the money you spend on it. It is reasonable priced even if certain
toppings cost additional money. You are getting a quality product in a nice
setting. You really can’t ask for more than that.
After all
this bragging, I am happy to say that this meal was worth the wait. The fact
that it has gotten a blog speaks for itself. I wouldn’t even tell my friend if
it would get one. As my co-diner said, “you will just have to check the blog
and see”. I hope all that waiting and watching was worth it.
All the
talk about “The Burger Bistro” was. So please take my friends suggestion, “you
have to go you will love it there”.
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