Friday, June 19, 2009

5 Napkins

what we love: Juicy succulent burgers with the dastardly-good truffle fries accompaniment


what we could live without: the long wait to get a table despite advance reservations; irritating pre-Broadway crowd


burger scale: A-/B+


price range: medium to medium-well


payment method: cash or credit


Has ever a burger been so aptly named?

The signature 5 Napkins Burger beckons to you right from the menu with its promises of a Gruyere-and-caramelized-onion overcoat, laid over a rosemary-aioli-soaked roll. The meat delivered - a generously-sized, cooked to order burger that was juicy in its own right. And the burger:toppings:bun ratio was near perfect, rendering the entire package just a smidgen too large for a proper bite...which is, of course, perfect. But the toppings....ah, the toppings. The special element of the signature burger - the aioli (aka "5N sauce) - led this burger to merit the famed 5 napkins. Actually, some of us found the burger to need closer to 15 napkins, which was considered a plus by some and a minus by others. While most of us found our meal incredibly appealing, the debate over the number of napkins aside, a small number of us found the Gruyere - onion combination a little too savory on savory and complained the burger was a bit boring and one-note (ahem, All Carbon).

Others avoided the napkin and one-note debate by venturing into the familiar territory of the Bacon Cheeseburger (classic cheddar and crispy pork goodness) and the surprisingly good veggie burger. Neither required 5 napkins but both were solid entries in their respective categories.

The burgers all came with truffle-oiled fries, which were of the shoestring variety and were crisped correctly. They were well-received, if a bit too salty, sometimes with the saltiness overpowering the truffling. Which again led a certain someone (we're not mentioning names, but it's All Carbon) to complain yet again of too much savory and not enough other flavors. The rest of us found the savory to be quite delicious and soon found ourselves sitting in front of a growing pile of napkins... which by then was at 35 and counting...


Conceptually speaking, 5 Napkins as a brasserie and burger joint works. What we don't get is the rest of the menu, which is a mystery that is most likely explained by the restaurant's proximity to Times Square and the Broadway district: sushi? paprika-spiced salmon sandwich? peanut chicken salad? chicken, noodle & matzo ball soup? Can we have a side of schizophrenia, please?

The restaurant itself has a nice brasserie-feel to it, slightly crowded and with a robust bar crowd, but somehow manages not to feel too snug or noisy. Sadly, our experience included long waits for our reservation and some hostess confusion over which table we were slated to dine at, eventually breaking our group into two. This wouldn't have been so bad had we not been surrounded with a pre-Broadway crowd looking to order sushi as an appetizer....


Summary: Stick with the very good burgers and fries, and avoid pre-theater times at this fun brasserie-pub joint.



Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Burger Truck

ThrillList announced the advent of the Burger Truck ! Packed with La Cense Beef , trackable in real time via Twitter this vehicle delivers awesome.

Only downside, apparently no cheese... the phone number is on the roof of the truck, which makes it decidedly easier to deal with than these guys

perhaps we should track it down for a summer vetting...

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Burger Series 20: Five Napkin Burger

We meet at Five Napkin Burger this month. The burger joint received Reader's Choice for Best Burger in the TONY's 2009 Eat Out Awards.

We look forward to seeing you at Five Napkin Burger!

- The Burger Series