With so many other places to choose from why did Jay and I decide to have lunch at Le Burger Brasserie? If you suspect that it had something to do with their 100-ounce beer tower you would only be 97.6% correct; the other 2.4% was based on a recommendation from my parents who said the "lamburger" was quite tasty. After spending the previous evening imbibing in Red Square's vodka vault we needed some fresh air and exercise and fully enjoyed the walk from our hotel down to Paris.
We did not, however, enjoy trying to find the restaurant especially after three loops through the Paris Hotel casino / shopping district, two stops at a "YOU ARE HERE BUT WANT TO BE THERE" directory, and a run-in with a Marriott timeshare salesperson who reminded us more of a goodfella than a family-friendly resort representative. He wouldn't take no for an answer until I confessed that Mickey Mouse would break our kneecaps if we tried to purchase outside the Disney Vacation Club.
And then we ran ... without looking back ... and that's how we found the burger joint, which is actually right outside the entrance to Bally's. In fact, the receipt reads Bally's instead of Paris, so maybe it belongs to both hotels ... or neither. Perhaps it's the demilitarized zone of hamburger spots? Mmmmmmmm, a DMZ burger!!
Ceiling outside the restaurant
Interior
More interior
Happy is the couple not at work!
So what is this place supposed to be anyway? They claim it's a French take on the classic American burger bar. The problem we had with that is the Paris Hotel is an American take on a French take on France if it were in America. That means the French take on American burgers is really the American take on the French take on American burgers if France were in America or America's burgers were in France, all of which was far too confusing and contradictory for the first meal of the day. There was only one way to deal with this ... alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!
Jay and I tried to be all American in Paris pretending that Paris was really Paris and not America, but they didn't even have the Kronenburg 1664 French beer that we ordered. At that point we threw up our hands in disgust and decided to go back to the Mother Country with a British beer. Take that, not French Paris in America pretending to be French!
Second choice beer; first class taste!
I will say this: they do have a nice variety of burgers from which to choose, including beef, chicken, salmon, and lamb. They even try to compete with Hubert Keller's Burger Bar and offer a ridiculously overpriced burger called the 777 - Kobe beef and Maine lobster with caramelized onions, brie, crispy pancetta, and 100-year aged balsamic served with a bottle of Rose Dom Perignon Champagne all for the bargain price of $777. I guess when you compare that with the $5,000 price tag on Keller's Rossini burger it is a pretty good deal, but we were not tempted. And having now eaten at both establishments I feel totally comfortable telling you that Keller's Burger Bar is the better restaurant - their burgers were bigger, tastier, and better prepared and they offer those amazing sweet potato french fries. The Paris burger joint was good, but nothing special and it just wasn't in the same league as Burger Bar, although it tried really hard and failed.
So what did we order, anyway? Jay chose Le Bleu: a beef burger with bleu cheese, bacon, and avocado.
Le Bleu, deconstructed
Le Bleu, constructed
They offer three different types of french fries, including some sampler options, so Jay and I opted for two after our server told us that the triple choice was enough fries for a party of six. We chose the Waffle Pomme Frites and Petit Pomme Frites (the other option was the Grande Pomme Frites - their version of steak fries).
Frite sampler
Waffle Pomme Frites
Petite Pomme Frites
The fries were better than we thought they would be - they were nicely seasoned and crisp without being overcooked. I especially liked the waffle fries which no one seems to offer these days because they tend to get so cold so quickly. The serving size was quite impressive - far too many fries for two people, unless they just happen to be addicted to french fries ... which we are not.
For my burger I selected Le Kobe with cheddar cheese. Nothing too out of the ordinary but it was good - not great, but good. Keller's Kobe beef burger was better and I still remember it vividly even though it's been three years since I first tasted it.
Le Kobe, deconstructed
Le Kobe, constructed
Overall Le Burger Brasserie was a decent lunchtime venue - at the end of the day it's a sports bar with semi-upscale burgers trying really hard to compete with the Burger Bar and falling a bit short. I also think it's suffering from an identity crisis ... French? American? French-American? American-French? It might just be for the best if we let the Germans take it - they've wanted Paris for a really long time.
No comments:
Post a Comment