The Vitals:
the spot: Gotham Burger Social Club two locations in NYC(Manhattan and Brooklyn)
the eats: Double Smashed Burger, Frickles(fried pickles), Chopped Cheese Tater Tots, Egg Cream
the bucks: $8-$14 for the burgers, $4-8 for sides, Chopped Cheese Tots are $14
the full nelson: Smashed Burger Pop Phenomenon delivers a dream come true Smashed Burger brick and mortar experience
Mike Puma is the man. For years I have admired his burger pop up on Instagram. I’ve watched the phenomenon grow and he certainly knows burgers based on his burger posts. Turns out the man can cook, actually not cook, but SMASH.
Mike treated me to a legendary beverage of the Lower East Side: an egg cream. This iconic New York City Drink(at least according to Food & Wine) is a staple of Jewish-American food culture, and a nod to the historic Jewish neighborhood Gotham Burger Social Club resides in: The Lower East Side.
Imagine a chocolate milk soda, heavy on the fizz. It was a nice change of pace from scoring one of the beers on draft. Besides I was on Dry January anyways.
If you guessed that ‘frickles” are fried pickles, you clearly must have been an English major in college. Even if you weren’t you probably can figure out that fried pickles are a good idea. In the foreground of this shot was a dynamic dill heavy house made ranch sauce. Good ranch is a great thing and this was a great ranch which makes it . . . you know, like really good. I’d love to try this on some chicken strips.
Take in this $11 smashed burger. Consider the two 3oz 70/30 blend smashed burger patties on that familiar Martin’s Potato bun. Relish in the spicy sweet pickles that are specially made for Gotham Burger Social club. There’s also pickled jalapeños, a house burger sauce, and a drizzle of ketchup and mustard to take into account. Did I mention this is just $11 bucks?
The burger was sauced carefully. The heart of it was the house burger sauce but the drizzle of ketchup and mustard was a smart touch. The patties are smashed with mix of shaved onions a la Oklahoma style but this burger is an NYC thoroughbred. Buns are buttered and toasted on both sides.
It’s hanging in the background but the chopped cheese tater tots were literally a meal on it’s own. Bring friends to share that one but keep your focus on that burger. It’s easily among my top 10 smashed burgers, maybe a top five.
Last time I was in NYC I tried 7th street burger and while people seem to go buck wild for that(it’s also cheap), I think Gotham Burger Social Club is on a whole other level for not a whole lot more money. Yeah, I’m pretty down for Gotham Burger Social Club.
@alikhaneats Tried the newest smashed burger spot in NYC: Gotham Burger Social Club #alikhaneats #burger #nyc #newyork #gothamburgersocialclub #smashburger
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