ABC Kitchen

Cuisine: Organic, Contemporary, American

Summary: Jean-Georges Vongerichten's new restaurant at ABC Carpet & Home offers dishes made with ingredients found close to home. There are market table items like an heirloom bean salad, local cured meats and cheeses. You'll also find an assortment of fresh salads, pretzel dusted calamari, whole wheat pizzas and wood oven roasted Maine lobster. Desserts include warm apple crumble, chocolate cake with toasted marshmallow icing and doughnuts with blood orange marmalade.

Cititour Review:

I’m a huge sucker for a burger outing with historical significance, and my Sunday brunch at ABC Kitchen was chock full of it. Three years ago, I finished graduate school and was treated to the cheeseburger at ABC Kitchen for the first time. It was tremendous and went a long way to inspire the creation of Burger Weekly. Last year, my mother came to visit New York to attend BurgerVersary 100. This year, I flew my mom in for Mother’s Day and combined the two occasions for a delightful meal back at ABC Carpet and Home’s original eatery.

The Akaushi (a breed of wagyu cattle) patty is topped with herbed mayo and pickled jalapenos. My years’-old sense memory of the burger brought a prickly feeling to my tongue, recalling the heat from the jalapenos. However, this time around the jalapenos were quite mild. At first I thought that perhaps something new in the pickling process reduced the heat, but research revealed that not all jalapenos are created equal, and the growing conditions determine how spicy they are. Even without the pulse-pounding heat, they were still a tasty addition to the burger. The mayo was the most distinct flavor on this burger, its meeting with my tongue being a welcome reunion. The beef itself was every bit as good as I remembered, as was the one of a kind grated Bloomsday cheese from Cato Corner. The burger was grilled perfectly, making it moist without being messy, so even though it didn’t need to be sturdy, the sesame seed bun still tasted amazing. The food blog 24 Dollar Burger is named after this hamburger, and it’s worth every penny.

At two dollars less than the famed Minetta Tavern Black Label Burger, I feel that the burger at ABC Kitchen is worthy of nearly as much attention when the topic of expensive gourmet burgers in New York City comes to the fore. If you haven’t had it yet, put this one on your list

Review By: Brad Garoon

Neighborhood: Union Square

ABC Kitchen
35 East 18th St (Broadway & Park Aves)
New York, NY
10003
(212) 475-5829

Hours: sunday: 5:30 - 10pm monday - thursday: 5:30 - 10:30pm friday - saturday: 5:30 - 11:00pm
Payment: Amex Visa Mastercard Discover