Food Porn Friday - A (Lamb) Burger Lunch at The Breslin

You know I just realized that I haven't done a Food Porn Friday in quite some time. I'm just trying to keep you guys on your toes. :)

Since I am thinking about having this very meal again today, I thought I would tell you about my burger lunch at The Breslin, one of the restaurants at the "possibly too hip for me" Ace Hotel New York. The Breslin is the brain child of April Bloomfield who established The Spotted Pig restaurant and put quality, meat-focused gastropub fare with an English twist on the New York City culinary map. In a world where many of the most heralded chefs and food thought leaders are men, I appreciate April Bloomfield (and many other female chefs) holding it down for the ladies, know what I mean?

Each time I've stopped in the Ace, it's always busy. I decided to slip into the bar area for a late lunch. I think I may have mentioned that I have eating meat more lately. There is a post out there somewhere lurking in my brain that will explain my odd relationship to meat. Lately, if I have been eating meat, I've been trying to do so at places where I know the sourcing of the meat is really important to the restaurant. Anyhoo, let's just talk food.

My burger lunch (from left to right): thrice cooked chips (the menu's words not mine, i.e, some big 'ol French fries); cumin mayo; a glass of Spotted Pig cask beer; and the lamb burger with feta.

Some Close-ups

The Lamb Burger with Feta

This is a BURGER. Maybe I've forgotten how good burgers can be because of my self-imposed hiatus from red meat, but WHOA NELLY! This burger was super juicy (TMI: There was juice dribbling down my chin, HELLO!), well seasoned and cooked to the perfect consistency. What really hit it out of the park for me was actually the bun. No typical burger buns here. Instead it was a roll with a crispy crust and chewy innards. I enjoyed the bun almost as much as the burger (I think I can live on bread alone. Seriously!).

French Fries (I'm not calling them thrice cooked chips)

Yes. They are as good as they looked. There was the right amount of salt and crispiness. I had to make sure that I did not fill up on them. I had to save room for the burger!!

Spotted Pig Cask Beer

Yeah, I got beer (sheepish grin). Cask beer is actually different from draft beer in that it is stored in large barrels and then pumped out into a glass instead of the usual pulling a lever from the draught. Make sense? Cask beer is also served at slightly higher temperatures than draft or bottled beer. You're not getting ice cold Coors Light here. The Breslin has two cask beers with one made especially for them called the Spotted Pig. Over the years, I've come to slowly appreciate beer, and I loved the smo0th flavor of this dark beer. Sometimes I find that dark beers are too bitter, yet there was a hint of sweet cherries and chocolate that I relished.

I'm thinking that when I go back for this lunch that maybe I'll swap some veggies for the beer? Or maybe not... ;)

Happy Weekend!

The Breslin
16 West 29th Street
New York, NY