A Hamburger Today
The Good Fork, Brooklyn
THE GOOD FORK
Phone: 718-643-6636
Location: 391 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (Red Hook; map)
Getting There: A/C/F train to Borough Hall, transfer to B61 bus from Jay and Willoughby streets to Van Brunt and Coffey streets; F/G train to Smith/9th Street, transfer to B77 bus to Van Dyke and Van Brunt streets. But really, just take a car there
Cost: $9.50 (comes with onion rings)
Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard
The Skinny: The burgers are top-tier — as is almost everything else
You Want Fries With That? Not an option. Comes with tempura onion rings instead
If PETA practiced pub bombings, then last night's meeting of some of New York City's biggest burger boosters would have proved a juicy target.
On hand: Yours truly, along with AHT's NYC editor "Hamburger" Matty, Josh "Mr. Cutlets" Ozersky, George "Hamburger America" Motz, Ed "The Missionary of the Delicious" Levine, Harry "Hey Chef" Hawk, and "King" Juan Carlos, who works with Harry at Harry's LIC at Water Taxi Beach.
Indeed, the gathering had more than its share of underworld intrigue: It was held in the desolate waterfront neighborhood of Red Hook, in an empty restaurant, and was organized by a man whose very nickname suggests what he'd do to you if he caught you serving him a tofu burger. It began with an electronic comminqué from Mister Cutlets himself, subject line: "RUN, DON'T WALK!" To The Good Fork, that is, "and eat the burger. I will go with you. Top three burger in NYC right now. I mean it!" Mister Cutlets has ... certain connections, and soon our planned tête-à-tête grew to a full-on burgerworld sit-down, as his recommendations, well, you just can't refuse them.
The cartel arrived shortly after opening time and took up about a third of the seating in the cozy little joint. The Good Fork is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Ben Schneider (an actor and carpenter; he built the place) and Sohui Kim (who has cooked at Annisa, Blue Hill, and the Sony Club). Mr. Schneider works the front of the house, which he's crafted into a space that feels like a cross between a train car from rail's golden era and a quaint 1930s roadside burger stand (if that doesn't make any sense, see AHT's photos of the White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey). Ms. Kim works the back of the house, which, in the few short weeks the place has been open, she's shaped into an operation that turns out some amazing food.
All our appetizers were good, and we ordered almost every one of them: dumplings, hot wings, crispy veal sweetbreads, gumbo, and crab cake. The dumplings and crab cake were standouts in my book, and as I gather intel from those assembled, I'll post their thoughts on the firsts as well.
But you read AHT for the skinny on burgers, so let's cut to the chase, shall we? Burgers here are eight-ounces of freshly ground beef served with lettuce, tomato slices, and beets. You can cheese them with American, blue, cheddar, provolone, or Swiss — double slices are standard, ensuring that the proper proportion of cheese makes it into your cheeseburger. The coarsely ground patty is thick enough to satisfy a hearty eater but not as outrageously large as some of New York's famous pub-style burgers. The whole shebang is served on a springy bun with a crisp-chewy exterior and a soft-firm phyllo-like interior.
Burger orders at the table ranged from medium-rare to medium-well on doneness, something which Mr. Cutlets noted would test the cook's grill skills—with six patties going at once, I suppose there's a lot to watch. Mr. C's fears came to pass a short time later, when three of the six burgers came out overcooked.
The man was devastated. His is a reputation staked on steak, based on burgers, and he felt he had let us down. Profuse apologies were made: "I'm sorry, guys," Mr. C. said, "but you have to trust me, these are great burgers. Send them back! Send them back!"
Minutes later, plump, juicy, perfectly done medium-rare burgers appeared, and everyone who sent them back seemed happy with the do-over. Mine was fine as cooked on first try—medium, which is my M.O. when trying an unfamiliar burger. I prefer medium-rare, but I just don't like the texture of rare hamburger and would rather err on the side of overcooked than under. Looking at the visibly superior re-dos, I knew I had made a mistake in ordering medium and will be going back for a juicy medium-rare. How can I not when Mr. Cutlets chimes in with this assessment:
While I was crestfallen and humilated at the way TGF dropped the ball on my Blue Ribbon Panel—six hamburger experts in an empty restaurant and you overcook three of the burgers??—I will stand up for their sandwich. The meat tastes great, bloody, salty, moist, and robust, and the double slices of American cheese are what God intended to be melted over a hamburger. I know George felt the bun was too big and thick, but it supports the hamburger when it's truly medium-rare, and its phyllo-like structure allows it to collapse in a way that truly thick buns don't. Also I like the taste of the bun itself. (People also complain about David Burke's muffin buns, but they need every bit of heft to absorb all that grease.)
With all the press this place is getting (and more yet to come, I'm sure), I'll need run, not walk, there again soon.
A Good Meal with an Apologetic Mr. Cutlets [Ed Levine Eats]
Red Hook Restaurant Row? [New York Observer]
The Good Fork [New York magazine]