It happens about once a quarter in Ziggy’s household. The announcement that she’s in the mood for a burger. The world stops. I have to pause the Hockey game, oil change, or whatever I’m doing, and start planning something immediately. In a smaller town, this would be an easy task. In NYC, its a project. You just know that she’s not talking about Five Guys. The last time I took her to a fast food joint is actually the last time.
I can probably come up with a list of 50 solid choices, but the usual suspects that come to mind are Red Hook Tavern, Au Cheval, and the Korean/American Nowon. Since we’ve been to the first during the previous urge, and reservations at Nowon are hard to get these days, its Au Cheval to the rescue. Although scoring a table here wasnt a picnic either, and it even costs money (about $2 pp). Happy wife, happy Ziggy.
The best thing I can say about a meal at Au Cheval is that the burger was not the best thing we ate. As good as the burger was, there was one item that we continued to talk about the next day. Maybe I should’nt just say it, but instead provide a series of links where you’ll have to navigate through a bunch of pages featuring a rundown of the dishes, erectile dysfunction ads, and one of those “are you a robot” to make sure everything is running smoothly. Or maybe just stick to this format
That item is the Mac & Cheese. Apologies if you expected something fancier like the Steak Frites or Branzino. The steak is indeed of good quality and perfectly cooked. But this was some of the most addictive Mac & Cheese we ever had. It featured bits of their famous bacon because clearly the thick slabs on your burger are not enough. And enough quality black pepper to make Cacio e Pepe fans drool. Its like the perfect Mac & Cheese and Cacio e Pepe lovechild. Worth coming here just for this.
I already covered the burger here. Its not a case of elevated dry-aged meat, but more of a sum of all parts. Its a solid oversized American cheeseburger. And adding the bacon and egg is icing on the cake, albeit very heavy for shrinking stomachs (the over 50). Once you factor the burger, Mac & Cheese, a riff on General T’so’s, and the rest of the menu, you essentially got American on steroids.
Another highlight at Au Cheval is the beer menu. A good combination of International, domestic, local and very local. The Other Half hazy Session was outstanding as pretty much any Other Half I ever had. Go!
Au Cheval
33 Cortlandt Alley (Tribeca)
Recommended Dishes: Burger, Mac & Cheese, Steak Frites
Eating With Ziggy 