BLT Burger

[Sneakeater]

Tried to pop into BLT Burger (Laurent Tourondel's new burger joint on 6th Ave. btwn 11th & 12th) for dinner last night. But it was too packed. I ended up walking over to Little Owl. When you go to Little Owl because somewhere else is too crowded, you know things are bad.

If anyone ever gets in, it would be nice to know how BLT Burger is.

[oakapple]

Unless you're a fan of long waits at the bar, you would probably need to pop in around 5:30 p.m., or so.

I just checked http://www.bltburger.com/. It's a "parked" domain. For a savvy business like the BLT chain, I am surprised they don't already have the website up with at least a splash page.

[Noodlebot]

This isn't a table service place, right? I couldn't tell from what I've read.

[Sneakeater]

There's a long bar when you walk in. Behind it are a bunch of small booths and maybe some small freestanding tables. It looked like there would be table service at the booths and tables. I don't remember seeing a service counter. (In other words, the substantial wait looked like it was for a place to sit and be served, not for food at a counter. And there was a woman holding what looked like a long list to be seated. The bar was beyond crowded.)

Edited October 27, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Noodlebot]

Oh, that's annoying--I was hoping for a quick counter service type place. I guess I'll wait a few months to try this one.

[Sneakeater]

Me too.

[adamru]

I had lunch there today. they're open from 1130am - 11pm. I got there at 1145 and before noon the bar was half full and a few tables in the back were full. They offer counter service at the bar for which all the singles opted and while we were probably overworking the bartender George, whose service was great.

I had the BLT Burger which everyone at the bar ordered while I was there. It's the best value - two patties with bacon lettuce tomato and peppercorn sauce for $11. The bun is basically the same as Shake Shack. The burger, the portions are giant. I read somewhere yesterday the burger was Shake Shack-sized but it's a monster. The bun held up okay, but it's a multi-napkin enterprise. For how full it left me, it was a bargain, I'd probably have the smaller classic for lunch in the future though. The peppercorn sauce was spicy but no flavor was dominant and it just added to the mess. (Of course ordering the burger rare probably didn't help.)

There was one great benefit to the leaking sauce and all the beef drippings. I had a side of the vidalia onion rings which were huge and sweet. I'd guess there were eight or less in a side. But the batter was so thick and doughy and I find that a turn-off. (By contrast my ideal onion rings are those at Soho Park. Unfortunately, the fried pickles at Soho Park lack but require the BLT-style batter.) The drippings and sauce did a lot by the end of my burger to dissolve and flavor the dough making them far more appealing at the end than the start of my meal.

The drink menu. There are six glasses of wine, none over $8. Maybe a dozen beers. And about fifteen variations on ice cream drinks. Milk shakes. Floats - black cow, pink cow, etc. and alcoholic milk shakes. Several bottled sodas. Fountain soda. And I had a Pop Bomb which is 1/4 Coke, 1/4 Dr. Pepper, 1/4 Sprite and 1/4 Ginger Ale. Tasted like a vanilla Coke. Free refills, refilled without asking and it was $2.

Dessert. Cupcakes are $3. There are cookies and ice cream seclections. And I had a Peanut Butter and Jelly Donut: A jelly donut sliced longways with two thick slices of a crunchy peanut butter cream which tastes like Jacques Torres' peanut butter. It needed more jelly and it wasn't $6 great. With more jelly it could be $4-$5 great. I think it was the most expensive dessert.

$25, $5 tip, $30. Not a lunch I can have everyday but one of the combos with tax and tip would cut the price in half and I could eat there twice as often. I don't know if I'd want to be there when they're packed, but for a new lunch option in the neighborhood I'd come here instead of Ditch Plains and during the winter while Shake Shack's closed.

Edited October 27, 2006 by adamru (log)

[Daniel]

Do you know what they used to cook the burger?

[Nathan]

I just ate here a few minutes ago.

Still working out the kinks...burger was cooked more than the requested medium rare. With that said, it was very, very good. I had the "BLT Burger", two patties, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion. Ingredients were good and the meat was top notch. Had a beer from the interesting list. Also had waffle fries. Besides burgers, the menu has a variety of salads, milkshakes and the like.

Service was solicitous and efficient. (Ate at the bar.) Prices were gentler than they had to be. They start doing takeout tomorrow.

Tourondel was holding court at the bar. A significant proportion of the customers were known to him (and generally older than the area demographic would suggest)...it looks like his regulars are popping by right now.

The room is small and spare.

Highly recommend.

[flinflon28]

Went at 2:00 on Sunday and there was no wait. We were sat immediately in a noot near the back. Service was very polite and informed. BLT Burger is massive and the burger was nicely charred on the outside. Peppercorn sauce was requested on the side and it made a nice dipping sauce. Had the waffle fries with chili and cheese which were ok. Fries were a bit soggy and the chili frankly seemed a bit dry like it had been made much earler and was losing moisture but it had a nice flavor.

I had the lamb burger w/ merguez sauce. Lamb was beautifully charred and a bit over medium rare but not terribly so. The only fault I had with my burger is that the sauce and toppings (olives, onions) were on the bottom of the burger meaning that they turned the bottom thinner bun into mush in no time. I don't know if that is an intentiona l kitchen choice or if it was a service mistake but I'd rather have the condiments on top nexgt time although it did show off a nicely charred piece of meat.

We ordered a side of coleslaw too and it was no different than the complimentaty slaw you get with your burger. Slaw was too acidic...needed to be cut with something a little sweet to find a better balance.

It's a very good almost brilliant burger but I would hate to have to wait to eat it. While we were there things started filling up a bit and Laurent was there in casual dress having some lunch at the bar and chatting with some friends.

While the service is very polite there were a few too many busboys eager to clear the table and would come by every few seconds to check. Not really a criticism as it is nice to get attention but ratehr it seemed like they were waiting for the big rush to come later and had too many people on the floor.

[oakapple]

The Bistro Laurent Tourondel empire keeps growing, and this week Tourondel added another offspring to the brood: BLT Burger. If first impressions are any guide, the new outpost will be just as successful as the first three (BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Prime). A post upthread mentioned that the place was packed on a weeknight just a day or two after it opened, but I had no trouble getting a table at 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon.

The restaurant doesn’t much resemble the other BLT’s, except for the chocolate brown upholstery on the banquettes. The prices certainly set it apart. Unlike the other BLT restaurants, BLT Burger could actually be called a bargain.

In addition to the “Classic Burger” ($7), there’s the “BLT” Burger (two patties, $11), a Kobe Burger ($16), Lamb Burger ($10), Turkey Burger ($7) or Veggie Burger ($7). All burgers come with tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayo. Cheese is an extra $0.50, other toppings (such as bacon, avocado, portobello mushroom, chilli) are $1.50. A “combo” of the classic burger with fries and a milkshake will set you back all of $13.

There’s a variety of sandwiches ($10–15), salads and appetizers ($9–14), sides ($2–5), and desserts ($3–6). The whole back page of the menu shows an impressive array of drinks, including nine kinds of milk shakes ($5), five kinds of floats ($5), four kinds of alcoholic milk shakes ($9), house cocktails ($11), twenty-seven kinds of beer ($3–10), and six wines by the glass ($6–9). Sodas are $2 or $2.50. Tap water (free) comes in a beautiful tall glass caraffe.

I had the classic burger with cheddar cheese ($7.50). The burger was enjoyable, but nothing special. I would have preferred a thicker patty. The “BLT” Burger, with two patties, is always an option, but I thought that would be too much of a good thing. Onion rings ($4) were delicious. I especially admired the lightness of the batter. A strawberry-banana milkshake ($5) was plenty of fun. Service was friendly and efficient.

You have to wonder if Laurent Tourondel can keep up the quality as his empire grows. Ominously, BLT Fish was stripped of its Michelin star, and I must admit my last visit to that restaurant wasn’t stellar. At least two more BLTs are on the way: BLT Market in the former Atelier space, and BLT D.C. But for now, Tourondel is happy to go downmarket, and at these prices BLT Burger is sure to be a hit.

Edited October 30, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[Nathan]

amusing...we were all there at the same time.

when I arrived at 12:45 the place was nearly empty.

when I left at 1:30 it was almost packed.

[flinflon28]

amusing...we were all there at the same time.

when I arrived at 12:45 the place was nearly empty.

when I left at 1:30 it was almost packed.

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We should start wearing ID badges.

[Sneakeater]

Waltzed into BLT Burger for a late (10:30ish) supper after a long Sunday's work. The place was nearly empty. Which shows the stupidity of trying to go to a highly publicized, not very expensive place on opening day, as I tried (but failed) to do earlier this week.

I had a BLT Burger, which is a double burger with au poive sauce and bacon (applewood, of course) and a leaf of lettuce. It was very good, as were the fries I had with it.

The BLT Burger was $11, and the fries were an additional $3 or $4. This shows what a great deal is the Burger Bar at the Cafe Centro, in whatever they call the Pan Am building these days. That burger is at least as good as the BLT Burger, comes with fries (and cheese)(both extra at BLT), and, at least the last time I was there, was only $12.

I like In and Out burgers best of all, and (not counting air fare) they're only a few dollars.

Laurent Tourondel -- or at least someone I took to be him -- was still holding court at the bar (still surrounded by people who appeared to be industry insiders) at the end of this day. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders shake him. The man who used to be the chef of Cello is now represented by two steakhouses, a fish place, and now this. I understand the economic considerations (it was like that NYT article about entree prices come to life). But it's like one of those man-to-ape charts we used to see, as jokes, when we were kids. I'm happy he's making money (as I assume he is). But this stuff is beneath him.

Edited October 30, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[oakapple]

Laurent Tourondel -- or at least someone I took to be him -- was still holding court at the bar (still surrounded by people who appeared to be industry insiders) at the end of this day.  I wanted to grab him by the shoulders shake him.  The man who used to be the chef of Cello is now represented by two steakhouses, a fish place, and now this.  I understand the economic considerations (it was like that NYT article about entree prices come to life).  But it's like one of those man-to-ape charts we used to see, as jokes, when we were kids.  I'm happy he's making money (as I assume he is).  But this stuff is beneath him.

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I think the demise of Cello hit him hard. One day his investors ripped out the carpet from under his legs, and suddenly the restaurant was done. BLT Steak, Prime, and Burger are basically formula restaurants. If strong management is in place, they should be able to operate for years with only occasional tune-up visits from Tourondel. With at least two more BLT restaurants in the planning stages, I don't see him going back to a Cello-like concept anytime soon. Of the existing brood, BLT Fish is the one that most clearly needs a strong hand in the kitchen, and I suspect he hasn't been there very much.

[oakapple]

I just checked http://www.bltburger.com/. It's a "parked" domain. For a savvy business like the BLT chain, I am surprised they don't already have the website up with at least a splash page.

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The menu gives their URL as http://www.bltburgernyc.com/. However, it turns out that this, too, is a "parked" domain.

[Sneakeater]

Laurent Tourondel -- or at least someone I took to be him -- was still holding court at the bar (still surrounded by people who appeared to be industry insiders) at the end of this day.  I wanted to grab him by the shoulders shake him.  The man who used to be the chef of Cello is now represented by two steakhouses, a fish place, and now this.  I understand the economic considerations (it was like that NYT article about entree prices come to life).  But it's like one of those man-to-ape charts we used to see, as jokes, when we were kids.  I'm happy he's making money (as I assume he is).  But this stuff is beneath him.

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I think the demise of Cello hit him hard. One day his investors ripped out the carpet from under his legs, and suddenly the restaurant was done. BLT Steak, Prime, and Burger are basically formula restaurants. If strong management is in place, they should be able to operate for years with only occasional tune-up visits from Tourondel. With at least two more BLT restaurants in the planning stages, I don't see him going back to a Cello-like concept anytime soon. Of the existing brood, BLT Fish is the one that most clearly needs a strong hand in the kitchen, and I suspect he hasn't been there very much.

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I eagerly await BLT Papaya.

Edited October 30, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[DutchMuse]

LT is an example of a young chef who has seen stars but may not be making the best decisions for his long term career. He hasn't crashed and burned like Rocco, but he'd better be careful or he'll become a parody of himself (as starting to be reflected in some of the comments above). He's no Robuchon---or Jean Georges for that matter, and JG isn't handling his empire so well outside of his flagship operation.

[R Washburn]

LT is an example of a young chef who has seen stars but may not be making the best decisions for his long term career. He hasn't crashed and burned like Rocco, but he'd better be careful or he'll become a parody of himself (as starting to be reflected in some of the comments above).  He's no Robuchon---or Jean Georges for that matter, and JG isn't handling his empire so well outside of his flagship operation.

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I don't think he is in any danger of that as long as he is selling the BLT brand rather than marketing himself the way Rocco did. Did working for Howard Johnson's hurt Jaques Pepin? I don't think so, but it might have if they had plastered his name and face all over the place. I don't think your average BLT customer will be aware (or care) who LT is.

[Sneakeater]

I don't think your average BLT customer will be aware (or care) who LT is.

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I wonder about that. (Your average Shake Shack customer certainly knows and cares who Danny Meyer is.)

(Which is not to say that I disagree with the rest of your post. I don't.)

[Nathan]

I'd say that he's a household name among NY diners today (much more so than at Cello)...

[Daniel]

I don't think your average BLT customer will be aware (or care) who LT is.

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I wonder about that. (Your average Shake Shack customer certainly knows and cares who Danny Meyer is.)

(Which is not to say that I disagree with the rest of your post. I don't.)

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So that explains why people get so excited over an average tasting burger like Shake Shacks.

[flinflon28]

I don't think your average BLT customer will be aware (or care) who LT is.

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I wonder about that. (Your average Shake Shack customer certainly knows and cares who Danny Meyer is.)

(Which is not to say that I disagree with the rest of your post. I don't.)

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I disagree to the point that the year I spent at The Shake Shack the number one question aside from where the condiment table was located was who runs this establishment.

[R Washburn]

I'd say that he's a household name among NY diners today (much more so than at Cello)...

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I doubt even 1% of New Yorkers know who he is.

[adamru]

Considering when I ate there and even reading these posts the most popular menu item is the BLT Burger which has bacon, lettuce and tomato as components, customers are ulitmately going to associate the name of the restaurant with its best offering and not the name Laurent Tourondel. I think over time they would develop a customer base that would be surprised to learn BLT stands for anything else.