Feb
13
No Sleep Till…
Angel:
BROOKLYN!
We figured it was about time we stopped for a few Brooklyn burgers… and we are glad we did!
We were looking to go to a new area (at least new for us in the burger sense), we wanted to continue to spread the word about the Burger-Off and we felt a trip to Brooklyn was long overdue. Once word spread, my grandmother and Aunt eagerly jumped to join us as well and the four of us set out.
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Sean:
Even though Angel’s Aunt lived in the city, Bronx, for the vast majority of her life, she had never set foot in Brooklyn before. This led to the occasional, “Angel! Stop the car! I must take a picture of that!”
For those who’ve never been there, parts of Brooklyn are truly beautiful. With houses in the historic section dating from 1830 to 1930, it’s easy to picture what NY city looked like over 100 years ago. Other areas, like where DuMont is located, offered a strict contrast of styles. Looking down the street, quaint and aged 2-3 story buildings from previous generations line one side and offer a warm and inviting feeling. Conversely, the empty and (comparably) towering 6 story modern glass and concrete buildings being built across the street invoke a somewhat cold and alienating mood. Either way, no matter the scenery, there is always a photo opportunity to be had… and we had to stop at each of them.
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Angel:
Walking into DuMont, I felt like I was on the arm of the rat pack. The monotone front parlor helped the dramatic ‘black & white’ era wash over you.
Then the menus came and, other than the occasional blue cheese item, there was nothing that I didn’t want to order. Sean and I made it clear that we were just going to order a burger to share, but the menu spoke to everyone and, thankfully, the great part about bringing more people is that we get to sample more dishes.
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Sean:
With a little help from the wafting aroma and amazing sights from a nearby table, Mac ‘n Cheese was the first ‘must have’ dish (after the burger). By the time the waitress returned, our order consisted of the DuMont Burger, Mac ‘n Cheese, a Beet Salad, and a Lamb BLT.
After reading the numerous positive reviews, hearing the praise from the other customers, and enduring the long wait for it to arrive, our hopes were high, but we were skeptical and ready to be seriously let down. The food FAR exceeded anything we could have dreamt. We were left in awe and apologizing to one another for ever doubting it would be so good. All of the dishes looked and tasted incredible, but the beet salad looked like a work of art.
After the burger (which I’ll get to later), the lamb BLT was easily my favorite. I’ve always wondered what bacon from other animals was like and, for lamb, it’s delicious! Very reminiscent of it’s farmland friend, the pig’s, version, but with a hint of the distinct lamb gaminess. It elevated this sandwich to a must have for anyone in the area.
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Angel:
The mac and cheese you ask… Large, crusty and creamy. On the whole, I would order it again… and again and again, but I’m still looking for a cheesier version. The beet salad was a nice refreshing break from the heavy mac and cheese and the burger.
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Sean:
The burger was somehow both basic and different all at once. If I were to simply list the ingredients, it wouldn’t be much different than every other burger out there…. except the quality, how it was all cooked, and the combined tastes and textures made this burger heavenly. I know Angel is tired of hearing the phrase, but this burger was cooked to perfection. The outside was seared and inside was pink and bursting with juiciness and flavors, the bacon was expertly rendered, and the bun managed to be light and airy, crunchy on the outside, and with a soft and flaky inside.
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Angel:
The DuMont Burger is the true sign of a great burger. Fresh, basic, high quality ingredients and good seasoning will easily beat out burgers that try too hard.
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Sean:
For dessert, we all shared a Coconut Panna Cotta with honey roasted pineapple and a macadamia nut crunch. It, like everything else we had tried, was amazing. A wonderfully light and clean desert with the right amount of sweetness.
(Review of DuMont)
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Don’t forget- Voting is open! If you haven’t already, click the ‘Vote!’ tab and nominate your favorite burger for the NYBIC’s Best Burger in NY State 2012 contest!
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Lesson learned:
It’s easy to forget, but there’s more to NY City than just Manhattan.
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