Dram Shop (339 9th St.)

There seems to be a lot of pickling going on on the blog... Teddy did carrots & other veggies, but I had a chance to 'pickle' my liver at Dram shop which is one of the few reasons that I leave my beloved island of Manhattan (other than cooking club).

I've been there several times just for drinks & general merriment, but this last time, I actually had some food. Ok, so they were only buffalo wings, but they were some of the best I've had in NY. I've also heard great things about Dram Shop's burger, so I'll have to try that next time.

There is a sizable selection of beers & the staff are friendly. Add shuffleboard (which I am quickly becoming addicted to), darts, board games & pool into the mix & you're sure to have a great time.

Black Iron Burger (540 E. 5th St.)

I've been watching, with a lot of interest, the remodeling of the old Bouche Bar, so when Black Iron Burger opened up, I knew I had to go & check it out.

As soon as you enter the place, you know that the owners mean business. The location is small, but they did an excellent job with the decor. They have a wide selection of great beers & I was glad to see that there wasn't a Bud Light tap in sight.




I ended up getting a beer & a burger with blue cheese, quite possibly my favorite topping for a burger. Served unpretentiously on a plate & wax paper with tomatoes onions, lettuce & pickle, visually, it looks great. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect, as this was my first time there. I thought that the burger was good, not great, but I had 2 major gripes; Firstly, the bun. Maybe I'm just fussy, but I found it a little on the hard & dry side, no matter how much I drenched it with ketchup. That's the best way I can describe it.

My second & far more startling gripe is that we (I went with 2 friends) were never asked how we wanted our burgers cooked. This is fine if you're at McDonald's or like burgers that have been sitting under a heat lamp all day, but for a restaurant that's specializing in burgers, this is unacceptable. I like my burgers rare to medium-rare, so I found it to be overcooked. That having been said, I think there must have been some customer backlash as a friend that recently went there was asked how he'd like his burger cooked. Bravo.

They're still a new restaurant & are probably ironing out the kinks. It's no Corner Bistro, but is a decent, inexpensive option for burgers in the East Village, comparable to Royale. I'm definitely going to go back there & see if anything has changed.

Royale (157 Avenue C)

I had a chance to check out the swanky Burger Bar, Royale (157 Avenue C @ 10th Street) this weekend with some friends that were visiting from out of town.

I've been meaning to go there for quite some time, so I was very excited to finally get a chance to taste their food. It was pretty quiet as it was a Sunday night & we were seated immediately. The decor is cool, TVs beamed out sports & the staff were very friendly. I ordered a cheeseburger (medium-rare obviously) with Cheddar cheese. I was somewhat surprised by the lack of cheese selection (Cheddar or American), but I wasn't going to let that get in the way. I also ordered my new favorite beer, Porkslap, which was a jaw-dropping (& probably liver-failing) bargain at $3.

The burger arrived in a no-frills basket, cooked to perfection. I literally might have found the perfect burger. Needless to say, the thing was dispatched with haste.

At $6 a pop for an amazing burger & with $3 Porkslaps, it looks like I won't be going to Corner Bistro any more.