On Saturday afternoon we had a hard out for a 2 PM show of HAMILTON at the Richard Rodgers Theater in order to fulfill a Christmas wish for our daughter. (Little did I know how much I would love the show!)
After doing a walking tour of Colonial Manhattan that involved the Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, 9/11 Memorial, Trinity Church and more we made a reservation at Heartland Brewery and Chophouse while we headed back to Times Square. Wondering if we'd have enough time to have a sit down lunch and make it to the show in plenty of time we decided to cancel and head to someplace closer to the theater for lunch before the show.
Unfortunately, Union Square Burger didn't open till 1 PM and the other place we scoped out didn't do much for the group so we headed down the street to Shake Shack, figuring if we didn't see anything appealing on the way we'd be happy with this old standby.
It wasn't long till we crossed in front of Iron Bar and decided we'd give it a try.
"We can be out within an hour, right?," we asked as we met the hostess. "We need to leave for the theater by 1:30..."
"Sure!," she replied with confidence.
I have to admit, we loved the look and vibe of the place. A dark but not impenetrable atmosphere, cool high tops with tables made of pipe and tabletops that looked aged from use, an endless line of taps featuring some of my favorite beers including Dale's Pale Ale.
Alas, the place was sorta hit or miss for our group. My burger – a midwest-inspired Juicy Lucy – was dynamite and tasted like the burgers my Mom cooked when I was a kid. The rest of our group didn’t fare quite as well as medium rare burgers were all super rare in the center and it took a good half hour (!) to get our food while others who were seated well after us all got their lunches.
Great beer selection, awesome Juicy Lucy and a cool vibe definitely help offset the crummy service and inconsistent cook on the burgers. Unfortunately, it all adds up to a three pint rating despite an excellent lunch for The Hungover Gourmet. – Dan Taylor
Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet and he loves him a burger and some Dale's Pale Ale.
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