Black Market But Over the Table

It's not often that a meeting of the Burger Club attracts at least seven people, but this month there must have been something alluring about the Tompkins Square Park area of the East Village.  It was the call of the self-proclaimed best burger in NYC, at Black Market on East 7th street and Avenue A.  It may have also been the generous Happy Hour (2 for one signature cocktails or a burger and a draft beer for $15).

The week had been unusually low for some of the club members and very rainy for all of them, but this burger did not disappoint.  Sure, there were skeptics among us -- the best burger in New York? Is it really possible to choose just one?  Then again, when you're serving a high quality Pat LaFreida blend on your toasted buns, well, you get the picture.   Pat also provides the beef for the original Burger Club location - Shake Shack.

While many of the Burger Club outings generate dissent among the gathered party, Black Market provided consistent quality across the board.  All members thoroughly enjoyed the flavor of the beef, the sweetness of the bun, and the richness of the toppings.  Some of us were even bowled over by the dishware, which resembled something that you might take camping in a classy, East Village kind of way.  Or maybe it was more of a Williamsburg kind of way, but at any rate, it caused a stir.

The burger is served with medium cut, crispy french fries and a side of Ketchup and Mayo (plated separately, of course).  The pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce provided were the perfect ripeness and refused to wilt at the heat of the meat.  The sandwich itself was not the largest we'd seen, and no one had any trouble clearing her entire plate, but isn't there something about appropriate portion size that's oh-so-trendy right now?  After all, not everyone can corner the market for 5-napkin-requirements.