The "New York" Burger

This burger was from DBGB kitchen and Bar in the Bowery in Manhattan. Although there are lots of famous burger joints--and an infinite amount of restaurants that offer a gourmet burger-- this particular restaurant was a great meeting spot that easily accommodated a giddy group of eight friends. The burger my friend Kevin and I chose to split was called The Frenchie. The menu described it as a '6 oz beef patty with confit pork belly, arugula, tomato-onion compote & morbier cheese on a peppered brioche bun with cornichon, mustard & fries'--for $17. While it was a tasty burger, I felt it didn't quite live up to its potential, or it's outrageous asking price. It talked the talk but did not promenade la promenade.

Luckily the experience was aided by great beer, a "cool" atmosphere, and the presence of good friends. Sometimes the best side for a burger is a friend! The only thing missing was the golden curls and smiling face of Molly, partial composer of the Fancy Burger Blog. Although it was strange to eat a burger without her, alas, sometimes such a situation will occur. Despite the fact that I consumed the burger in her absence, I'm hoping that she'll agree to edit this entry for me so that i don't sound like a fool. Okay, enough--on with the critique!

Entitled "The Frenchie" because of the provencal-inspired toppings, the beef burger boasted additions of pork belly, morbier cheese (which we had on the side because of Kevin's dairy allergy), and a tiny little pickle called cornichon (sounds like corn-ish-henz). Although exotic toppings for a burger these may be, the unique ingredients didn't quite manage to maintain their own identities once combined atop the patty. The burger itself, which was well cooked, very juicy and pink, nonetheless definitely strong-armed the other ingredients in the flavor department. I'd expected a more pronounced flavor from each of these unique ingredients, but instead they all were somehow lost in each other. The texture of the crunchy pork belly was amazing and succulent, but again it was too subtle to fend off the personalities of the beef and the cheese. However, the most amazing part of this burger was the unexpected peppery finish of a horseradish mustard--combined with the texture of the buttered and peppered bun, these two components merged deliciously, managing to put this burger back in the running.




The generous portion of fries accompanying the sandwich looked promising at the outset of our meal, and the flavor was nice, but I found the fries too thin, and their mushy texture a bit disappointing. Not at all disappointing at all were our meal's starters: the roasted winter squash soup and chive butter salad were both incredible basics that included delightful details. And the beer! My oatmeal stout from Sixpoint Craft Ales was an incredibly smooth and caramel-y beer, and was a terrific contrast to the many competeing flavors of the burger.

Overall, a great experience. The burger with an inspiring concept and unique ingredients. However, I have one question: why can no server in Manhattan split a group's bill into individual bills? It is a simple convenience that would make dining as a group much more accessible. Oh well, C'est la vie.

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