BLT Burger: Where a Hamburger is not Just a Hamburger
A few years ago a collective gasp could be heard from Manhattan. BLT Burger (the BLT stands for Bistro Laurent Tourondel) had just opened and given birth to a real gourmet burger– a $62 Japanese Kobe beef burger. Manhattan was left to ponder “Where does Chef Tourondel think he is? Los Angeles?”
Since then, the hype has died down and I decided to head up to West Village to have my first BLT Burger. When I first walked in I thought I was in the wrong place. The restaurant looked like it was in the midst of an identity crisis– 50s soda shop-meets-country kitchen. This is the place that serves the $62 hamburger?
I did have the right place and no, I didn’t have that infamous Japanese Kobe burger. I decided on the more entry-level $11 “BLT Burger.” In this case, the BLT does stand for bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
To be honest the burger didn’t look like much– similar to what is pulled off the bbq every weekend– but once I tasted the heavenly creation I quickly realized that I had been missing out on the best burger in Manhattan. It wasn’t the generic white bun, the iceberg lettuce, or ridiculously placed two slices of bacon that made it spectacular. It was, without a doubt, the 100% all beef patty made with a mix of sirloin, short rib, chuck, and brisket, cooked exactly to my specification.
For a place that is frequented by some of the “who’s who” of Manhattan– hello Mrs. Billy Joel!– the service was surprisingly friendly and the restaurant was in no way pretentious. Seven types of burgers are on the menu, a variety of sides, as well as regular or spiked milkshakes. Delivery is available with a minimum order to a limited area.
Location: BLT Burger, 470 Sixth Avenue (between 11th and 12th Streets) map 212-243-8226
Subway: F, L, V to Sixth Avenue-14th Street; 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street; N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6 to Union Square-14th Street
Hours: Open daily. Lunch 11:30am-3:30pm; Dinner 5-11pm; Delivery is available 11:30am–10:30pm.
Photo credit: personal collection
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POSTED IN: Food & Beverage, Union Square, West Village
2 opinions for BLT Burger: Where a Hamburger is not Just a Hamburger
Alex-Sirened
Jun 22, 2008 at 11:10 am
I think the best burger I’ve ever eaten in my life was in NYC.
I wish I could remember the name, but it was a Greek owned place on Broadway, near 92nd I think. Or it could be 89th or 94th, not sure :-)
We didn’t go to BLT but we went to Carnegie Deli which was an interesting experience.
Vanessa’s Dumpling House: A Budget Gourmet’s Delight
Jul 6, 2008 at 1:24 pm
[…] Chinatown is equally a budget gourmet’s delight, in stark contrast to the Village’s $62 Kobe beef burgers and $40 lobster […]
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