The other night I visited Minetta Tavern both in the name of cocktail column research and to taste their legendary burgers. It was a truly last-minute decision, but as I arrived and took a look at the menu, I frantically tried to recruit a dining partner — there were so many tasty things on the menu that I wanted to try, and I really wanted to taste their classic Minetta Burger side by side with their Black Label Burger. Plus, I am still making headway on the #drop10beforetri program (down 1.8 this week), so it wouldn't have served me well to order two burgers and the marrow bones just for myself. Despite several texts, tweets, and Facebook pleas, I didn't find a companion, but luckily for me, Mr. Enzo Lim was working behind the bar. Enzo assured me that his friend, Rich, was on his way over and would certainly help me out with the marrow bones, and Enzo also helped me broker a deal with one of the gentlemen dining next to me, who kindly swapped half of his burger for mine, which enabled us both to taste each burger (and, of course, they helped with the marrow bones as well). So yes, I ended up eating a whole burger, but I swapped out the fries for salad and went easy on the bone marrow.
Both burgers were fantastic, I'm happy to report, although the Black Label Burger was above and beyond the Minetta Burger. Intensely beefy due to dry-aged beef, fatty, luscious, salty and juicy — it was really uber-decadent and a half-burger portion was just right for me.
I had a discussion with a friend recently who was lamenting the fact that her husband didn't like to share his food. I'm pretty sure this would be a deal-breaker for me, and in my family, it's practically expected — when we go out, everyone reports out on which dish we are ordering, so that we can span the menu and taste as many dishes as possible. After a few bites of your own dish, the side-plate swapping begins and tastes are passed around. I can only imagine the poor dude who is thrust into this and tries to hold tight to his dish. He probably wouldn't make it to the next meal, at least with me and my family.
The moral of the story — it's always fun to dine at the bar, and sharing is caring — share your food!! The best times in life involve sharing good food and drink with people.
PS — the cocktails were good too, especially the prize-winning Citadelle cocktail that Enzo made for me. Recipe below:
Saturday in the Park
1.5 oz. Citadelle Gin
.75
oz. Aperol (I don't think there was Aperol in the one he made for me)
.5 oz. Laird’s Applejack
.5 oz. Green Chartreuse
.25
oz. Mathilde Pear Liqueur
Crack solid (i.e., Kold Draft) ice
cubes and half-fill a Boston shaker. Fill the rest of the way with
solid cubes. Add all ingredients. Stir approximately 30 times. Strain
into a coupe and garnish with a lemon peel.
Comments
4 responses
A non-sharer would also be a dealbreaker for me. Glad that worked out for you, sounds like fun!
A non-sharer would also be a dealbreaker for me. Glad that worked out for you, sounds like fun!
My husband, who is otherwise excellent in all respects, not only refuses to share – he refuses to tell me what he is ordering before he actually orders! I am not sure about the origins of this reticence, but he wouldn’t last five minutes in your family.
My husband, who is otherwise excellent in all respects, not only refuses to share – he refuses to tell me what he is ordering before he actually orders! I am not sure about the origins of this reticence, but he wouldn’t last five minutes in your family.