Sustainaburger

Venue: Burger on Smith

Location: 209 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY

Date of Visit: Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Burger: The Friday Night

Average Score: 7.3
Price Range: $$$$$

Mike: It seems like there are new burger restaurants opening up all over the place these days. So, this week, the Burgerler visited one of these new establishments in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, Burger on Smith. They use a “secret” blend of grass-fed beef, which is bought from a nearby butcher and ground fresh daily. As a matter of fact, most of the items on the menu are local, organic, and made in house. Since opening their doors in January, the place has received a wealth of praise; however, one might have thought the contrary when we stopped in, as the place was virtually empty. Perhaps the vacancy can be attributed to how new the place is.

Of the dozen or so burgers on the menu, we chose to order “The Friday Night,” which is a beef burger topped with a fried egg, caramelized onions, oven roasted tomato, arugula, and truffle vinaigrette. All of this comes stacked on a toasted “house bun,” which, at first glance, appears to be a sesame seed bun; but I think it might have been sour dough with sesame seeds. Though I ordered my burger medium rare, it was served medium. Being grass-fed beef, this was unfortunate; but, the meat was still relatively juicy and flavorful, which was most likely thanks to the cast-iron griddle the thing was prepared on. The house bun was delicious and held up pretty well throughout, considering the array of toppings.

The toppings were what really made this burger shine. The creaminess of the egg yolk compensated for any dryness that may have occurred from overcooking the patty. The caramelized onions seemed hidden at first, but once revealed, provided a nice accent of flavor. I just wish they were spread evenly across the burger. If I were to choose the award for best supporting role, it would undoubtedly go to the flavor-packed oven roasted tomatoes. They were the highlight of the burger in my opinion. The arugula with truffle vinaigrette added a bitter-sweet flavor to round out the overall flavor profile of the burger. I should also mention that this burger came with a pickle spear and a side of coleslaw. The coleslaw wasn’t much to write home about, but the pickle was supreme. I ate mine half way through the burger, which was a nice respite before finishing the sandwich. A second, post-burger pickle would have been refreshing. If the pickle was sliced, they might have gone well on the burger itself.

Overall, The Friday Night was a decent burger; though, the patty could have been a bit larger for the money. Furthermore, the thing comes out on 15” pizza tray, making it seem even smaller. I am definitely interested in returning to try some of their other unique concoctions, like “The Left Coast,” which comes with Gruyere and avocado. Also, if you want fries, they’ll cost you extra; and you better not be alone. The amount of fries they serve you could probably feed three; and as a warning, drink plenty of water, because those things are salty!

Overall Rating: 7.0

Kenneth: Wait, I thought this was a sushi place! Guess they changed their menu and left most of the decor, especially the giant mosaic of Mao and monkeys hanging from the chandeliers. This decor fits with their playful burger names such as the Trademark, the Left Coast, the Double Slap, the First Date, and the one we choose was the Friday Night. This beef burger is topped with fried egg, caramelized onions, oven roasted tomatoes, arugula, and truffle vinaigrette on a house bun, which turned out to be messy. I think it was the fried egg’s fault that the burger started slipping and sliding; but the egg was a good addition to the patty. The patty was cooked perfectly medium, but the meat itself was not very flavorful. Everything else makes this burger; the bun was delicious, the topping were awesome, and though the oven roasted tomato was strange it added a unique flavor. The size of the burger was smaller than I imaged a fourteen dollar burger that doesn’t come with fries would be, which left me wishing I had a mini burger to fill the void. Instead of another burger we tried their plain fries and spiced fries which were good but not something to write home about. However, my favorite side was the spiced pickle, slamming! I plan on returning soon to try the Double Slap, which sounds like a fun thing to say to the waiter. Can I have a Double Slap?

Overall Rating 6.6

Jeff: The toppings for the “Friday Night” burger are rather unique for a burger joint. I say joint because so many appear to be opening, it’s like burgers are the new cupcake for New York. The Friday Night is prepared with oven-roasted tomatoes, truffle oil, arugula, with a spiced pickle on the side. I ordered my burger the usual medium rare, but without cheese or bacon. The burger looked fine enough when it arrived, but as we know by now, looks can be deceiving. The sunny-side up egg was cooked to perfection; no brown or burnt edges and the yolk ran smoothly when poked with my fork. I find that pre-poking an egg with something prior to consuming often alleviates the yolk from gushing everywhere and having it end up where you want it least. The only caveat being on your plate when you then use the last bite of your burger to sop up the egg yolk goodness. Yes, I used the term sop.

My first bite resulted in a hmmm. My second bite resulted in a hmmm and a contemplation. The caramelized onions didn’t have much flavor, maybe a need for cheese, the roasted tomatoes may be overpowered by the arugula, and the patty is prepared to a perfect medium rare. Oh, but wait; the roasted tomato flavor is there! It subtly sneaks up after a few chews. I take a bite of the pickle spear and my oh my. Yeah, we might have a winner here! These might be the best pickle spears I've had so far. The spiciness is balanced with the vinegar, and now I fully understand the purpose of the pickle spear. A bite of the burger and a bite of the pickle results in a contrast, a complement, a treat caused by the union of the multiple flavors residing on your mouth’s palette. Next time I just might ask for a side of the pickles, they're that good. The beef of this patty isn’t seasoned as far as I can tell, and that's a good thing because the flavor of this patty is pretty good. It tastes like beef, yet allows the other toppings to enhance it without covering it up as some places can do with their special sauces. I really found myself enjoying the nuances of this burger’s making.

We had two types of fries accompany our burgers. Take note that the portions are huge, so the three of us could have gotten by sharing one. Also, take note that I've forgotten which fries we ordered. Do you know why? Their fries are very salty. Not the kind of salty that makes you want to drink more so you can eat more; the kind that are just plain ol' salty with a capital S.

Fries aside, the Friday Night truly is the star of the show, with the arugula, roasted tomatoes, and truffle oil being a welcomed update that made me wish I would have had mine with a syrah or rioja.

Overall rating: 8.3