One of my old college roommates, Joe Greco, was in town this past weekend. I have not seen him since he moved to DC so we made plans to grab lunch on Monday. Joe was one of the few people at Fordham who liked to go down and explore Manhattan with me. He didn’t care if it was to pick up a pair of scissors as long as he could get a decent meal anywhere other than around Fordham’s campus. Joe’s parents also liked going to Manhattan and it seemed once a month they were in the city for one reason or another so Joe became fairly well versed in the New York’s dining options. I remember one time Joe enticed a group of us down to a place on 7th avenue between 57th and 58th for bison burgers. This was around 2001 and I had never heard of bison meat for a burger so I was game. It turned out the place was not much more than your standard Greek diner serving a broiled burger. It was not bad but not as exotic as I was hoping and I have yet to return. Back to the matter at hand. I had Joe meet me at the newly opened Ace Hotel on 29th and Broadway to check out the Breslin Bar. Breslin Bar is a restaurant run by the same people who run The Spotted Pig minus Batali so I was expecting the food to be rich. Well Joe and I arrived at 11:30 and they don’t open for lunch until noon so we grabbed a quick coffee at Stumptown Roasters which is one of the best coffee shops in town. The coffee looks like muddy water in the cup but you don’t feel the grounds running through your teeth when you drink it. Just how I like to make it at home. The clock struck noon and we entered the dark dining room that is the Breslin. Dark restaraunts might be a “thing” for the Ace because the Amigo Room at the Ace in Palm Springs is beyond dark. It does give these places a caveronous old Hollywood vibe which can be good at night but not on an unseasonably nice November day. We opted to sit on some stools by the window in the bar. Joe had a train to catch at 2pm so it was down to business once we got the menu’s. The sticker shock was not expected because the Ace restaurant’s are always reasonable but then again this is New York so you can never expect things to be reasonable. Regardless of the price on a menu when I go to a new place I almost always try the burger. (It almost happens to be the cheapest option) I like to see what kind of attention a restaurant pays to the burger because it is such a staple of the American diet. Well the Breslin played right into my weakness with what could be considered a Mediterranean burger. The “Chargrilled Lamb Burger” came with cumin mayo and a thrice cooked chips. Joe was especially curious about the “thrice” cooking of the chips and I just wanted to make sure they didn’t ruin my burger with a slice of tomato. I was so excited about the cumin mayo I ordered an extra side of it. The burgers were served on shoulder width wooden platters. Serving on platters is unnecessary because it takes up so much space and usually means the fries come in a cup making them difficult to eat. I am glad the cup came with the British definition of chips because if I had received a little fried potato chip I would have been fuming. One thing I notice about most places that take their meat seriously is they always like to bring you a big knife to replace your normal knife. A real deal carnivore needs a real knife like say Crocodile Dundee . It is almost like a ceremony letting you know you are about to have a remarkably different experience than the non meat eaters you are dining with. The burger arrived perfectly medium rare with some feta cheese and red onion on top. Nice and simple so you could pay attention to the meat and cheese which should be the stars of the show. I did add a little cumin mayo to the bottom bun but all the juice from the burger overpowered the mayo. I also used my big knife to cut it in half to make eating the burger more manageable. It was one of my favorite burgers I have had anywhere. The thrice cooked chips were a little too thick for my liking but the cumin mayo was so good it didn’t matter. There were moments I felt like I was back in Greece with all the flavors going on in my mouth, except that I never had anything like this in Greece. All in all a dramatic success. I want to go back to the Breslin and try the other dishes on the menu but I won’t have $32 to spend on an entree anytime soon. I am looking forward to eating the mixed grill because after eating the burger the rest of their meats are. The location of Breslin on 29th and Broadway is odd because the vibe and menu cater to a downtown crowd. This place would be perennially packed if it was in the between 6th Avenue and Bowery.  Joe enjoyed his meal as well and is he a notoriously tough critic which leads me to believe the Breslin will do just fine. (Editor’s note: My Dad reminded me that I had a bison burger at Berger’s in Mammoth when I was in seventh grade. Berger’s is now owned by the Mammoth Mountain ski restort. I think my dad had a venison burger.)

One of my old college roommates, Joe Greco, was in town this past weekend. I have not seen him since he moved to DC so we made plans to grab lunch on Monday. Joe was one of the few people at Fordham who liked to go down and explore Manhattan with me. He didn’t care if it was to pick up a pair of scissors as long as he could get a decent meal anywhere other than around Fordham’s campus. Joe’s parents also liked going to Manhattan and it seemed once a month they were in the city for one reason or another so Joe became fairly well versed in the New York’s dining options. I remember one time Joe enticed a group of us down to a place on 7th avenue between 57th and 58th for bison burgers. This was around 2001 and I had never heard of bison meat for a burger so I was game. It turned out the place was not much more than your standard Greek diner serving a broiled burger. It was not bad but not as exotic as I was hoping and I have yet to return.

Back to the matter at hand. I had Joe meet me at the newly opened Ace Hotel on 29th and Broadway to check out the Breslin Bar. Breslin Bar is a restaurant run by the same people who run The Spotted Pig minus Batali so I was expecting the food to be rich. Well Joe and I arrived at 11:30 and they don’t open for lunch until noon so we grabbed a quick coffee at Stumptown Roasters which is one of the best coffee shops in town. The coffee looks like muddy water in the cup but you don’t feel the grounds running through your teeth when you drink it. Just how I like to make it at home.

The clock struck noon and we entered the dark dining room that is the Breslin. Dark restaraunts might be a “thing” for the Ace because the Amigo Room at the Ace in Palm Springs is beyond dark. It does give these places a caveronous old Hollywood vibe which can be good at night but not on an unseasonably nice November day. We opted to sit on some stools by the window in the bar. Joe had a train to catch at 2pm so it was down to business once we got the menu’s. The sticker shock was not expected because the Ace restaurant’s are always reasonable but then again this is New York so you can never expect things to be reasonable.

Regardless of the price on a menu when I go to a new place I almost always try the burger. (It almost happens to be the cheapest option) I like to see what kind of attention a restaurant pays to the burger because it is such a staple of the American diet. Well the Breslin played right into my weakness with what could be considered a Mediterranean burger. The “Chargrilled Lamb Burger” came with cumin mayo and a thrice cooked chips. Joe was especially curious about the “thrice” cooking of the chips and I just wanted to make sure they didn’t ruin my burger with a slice of tomato. I was so excited about the cumin mayo I ordered an extra side of it. The burgers were served on shoulder width wooden platters. Serving on platters is unnecessary because it takes up so much space and usually means the fries come in a cup making them difficult to eat. I am glad the cup came with the British definition of chips because if I had received a little fried potato chip I would have been fuming.

One thing I notice about most places that take their meat seriously is they always like to bring you a big knife to replace your normal knife. A real deal carnivore needs a real knife like say Crocodile Dundee . It is almost like a ceremony letting you know you are about to have a remarkably different experience than the non meat eaters you are dining with.

The burger arrived perfectly medium rare with some feta cheese and red onion on top. Nice and simple so you could pay attention to the meat and cheese which should be the stars of the show. I did add a little cumin mayo to the bottom bun but all the juice from the burger overpowered the mayo. I also used my big knife to cut it in half to make eating the burger more manageable. It was one of my favorite burgers I have had anywhere. The thrice cooked chips were a little too thick for my liking but the cumin mayo was so good it didn’t matter. There were moments I felt like I was back in Greece with all the flavors going on in my mouth, except that I never had anything like this in Greece. All in all a dramatic success.

I want to go back to the Breslin and try the other dishes on the menu but I won’t have $32 to spend on an entree anytime soon. I am looking forward to eating the mixed grill because after eating the burger the rest of their meats are. The location of Breslin on 29th and Broadway is odd because the vibe and menu cater to a downtown crowd. This place would be perennially packed if it was in the between 6th Avenue and Bowery.  Joe enjoyed his meal as well and is he a notoriously tough critic which leads me to believe the Breslin will do just fine.

(Editor’s note: My Dad reminded me that I had a bison burger at Berger’s in Mammoth when I was in seventh grade. Berger’s is now owned by the Mammoth Mountain ski restort. I think my dad had a venison burger.)

0 notes / November 4, 2009