By Sarah Denby
Best. Smashburger. EVER!!!!!!! And such a surprise! Let me backtrack a bit…
A Thursday night in May, chilly and pouring rain. A grumpy husband who reluctantly filled in for a friend who suddenly had a severe bout of nausea. No parking without a giant puddle looming…. you get the idea. But we were only 3 minutes late for our 7pm reservation, and entered a very crowded restaurant (glad we had the reservation!). Packed bar off to our left, and tables and booths overlooking Broadway (this was previously Broadway Bistro), where we were seated.
The menu was a little disjointed, and seemed to be in no particular order. We ordered focaccia with Bagna cauda, and a white Soave for me (delicious). “Bolo” was listed at the top, either beef or duck confit, so I asked, “What is bolo?” and the server replied. “Like a Portuguese English muffin.” The beef version came with gouda, fried shallot, lettuce, and hot pepper aioli, so I opted for that. Charley (the husband) ordered the smoked carrots and beets. Food is delivered as it is ready, so the foccacia arrived first and was wonderful, although I didn’t care for the bagna cauda (too anchovy-y)… The bolo turned out to be one of the best smashburgers I have ever had – the gouda, and the sauce – with pickles!!! — was to die for! Definitely a 5-star rating. No clue given in the menu. The smoked carrots and beets were very tasty but a little spicy for Charley’s palate.
Before we left, I made another reservation for the following week so my friends (who presumably wouldn’t be ill by then) could try it out.
Second visit, with Roz and Jane, my intrepid dining buddies. (A few years ago, we decided to eat out once a month at a restaurant we had never been to before… there have been a few real duds, a few “meh”s, and a few “Wow! I’m coming back!”) fred. is definitely in the last category – I even told my foodie stepson he had to go!
This time Roz and I tried the Sicilian Soda cocktail: tasty, not too sweet (a key factor), but waaaay too light on the gin. You couldn’t taste it at all. Jane did love her rosé Grenache, and had two glasses. Since Jane had arrived first, the waitress, Corey, had given her a rundown of some favorites, including the beef bolo. She opted for that, and I chose the duck confit bolo, with the smokey paprika mustard on the side, please. We shared the mozzarella salad (roasted peppers, gold raisins, and breadcrumbs) which was delicious and the perfect size for one person. Roz ordered the stuffed piquillo peppers with braised lamb… it was a teensy serving (2 very small peppers) so she ordered a beef bolo as well.
The bolos certainly did not disappoint: Jane demolished hers in short order, my duck confit was delicious but a tad dry, and Roz devoured hers as well (but had a tiny bit to take home).
On my next visit, I’d like to try the fingerling potatoes and the razor clams, as well as the chicken Milanese – have heard wonderful things about them. We could also enjoy seeing them being passed around to other patrons. Congratulations to fred. for making a fun dining experience!
