PrintLa Bonbonniere: The Stars, They Like It
The Bonbonniere cheeseburger special.
La Bonbonniere. Yeah, I had to look it up, too. It's a wedding favor—a crystal or porcelain trinket box that traditionally held a few sugar cubes back in the day when sugar was expensive and symbolized wealth.
Is La Bonbonniere a box? You could say that. Does it or its contents symbolize wealth? Not these days. It's a typical greasy spoon coffee shop with formica counters and padded vinyl stools.
Meg Hourihan first tipped me to its burger, saying, "I think what makes it so perfect is they put cheese on both side of the bun, so the juicy, flavorful meat is sandwiched between bread and cheese. I used to live nearby and went there often. Now it's not so convenient, so I don't just drop in for lunch. I really miss that burger." Meg and I made vague plans to visit but never did, so I finally went on my own yesterday.
Read it and weep, suckas!
The place is plastered with art and posters and, interestingly enough, headshots of and postcards from plenty of stars. Like, people you'd recognize, people. Ethan Hawke, Molly Shannon, Julia Stiles, James Gandofini, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
And, while I was there, I felt I got a little peek at the history and real charm of the place. A woman whom I took to be one of the owners kept staring at a bearded, graying late 30s hipster outside, talking to diners at one of the three two-top tables on the sidewalk. "That's Mike, I think," she said. "That's Mike." She checked a framed piece of art on the wall and confirmed it.
Minutes later he came in, gave her a hug, and caught her up on his life. "I'm in L.A. now, still making music. I just came by to visit while I'm in town."
He looked like someone I should have recognized but didn't. So I checked the art on the wall as I left the place. It was an autographed CD, Live at La Bonbonniere, by the Candy Butchers. Looking online later, I found out his name was Mike Viola and he's in town playing Joe's Pub tomorrow night.
The place has clearly made an impression on a number of folks, and it's easy to see why. It's comfortable and laid back. They serve you quickly but then let you linger; I stayed a bit, doing my crossword puzzle and soaking up the atmosphere (after having soaked up some grease).
How was the burger, though?
It is flavorful and very juicy, as Meg is quoted above, and they're still melting two pieces of American cheese on both sides of the bun. It's griddled. It looks like it has some exterior char on the patty, but there's no satisfying crunch to that char.
It's served on a puffy white-bread bun with just a hint of sesame seeds, and the whole thing is uniformly textured—for the most part. The bun is so squishy soft and the meat is just as yielding that there's almost no difference in bite-resistance from bun to meat. Which is great. The meat, which tasted as if they're using all chuck, was flavorful enough but was juicy as all get out.
The Bonbonniere cheeseburger autopsy shot.
Its got a medium-coarse grind on it and is lightly packed, as you can see in the autopsy. Beef to bun ratio is good. My only complaint is that there was a bit of gristle in the patty. Not much, and only in my first couple of bites, but enough to make me say hrmgh.
It's basically a decent little greasy spoon burger. Is it a burger I'd go out of my way for? No. But it's good for the neighborhood. I wonder if Meg feels the same way or if she's gone out of her way to revisit the place.
La Bonbonniere
28 Eighth Avenue, New York NY 10014 (near West 12th Street; map)
Notes: They close around 6 p.m., which I've found out the hard way many a time while trying to take a hungry girlfriend there after work
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12 Comments:
$5 / $8 deluxe, for those of you wondering. Great for the neighborhood.
How were the fries, Adam ? Look pretty good.
Zachary Sachs at 12:16PM on 09/25/08
Mike was also the guy who sang the recorded version of "That Thing You Do."
SoundBitesNYC at 12:23PM on 09/25/08
I live not too far down the block. Great old New York diner. In addition to a decent burger they also have a great Sunday Brunch!! Nothing fancy but tastie....
burgerboy at 12:40PM on 09/25/08
I used to work around there, and while its been a while since I've had the burger, I gotta say everyone that worked at La Bonboniere was always extremely nice and hospitable. A real jem in the West Village!
JudgeFudge at 1:38PM on 09/25/08
i love the crazy magazine clippings/collage they got going on the walls. one of my favorite diners.
muffintops at 2:13PM on 09/25/08
@Zachary Sachs: Thanks for the price info. I was banging this out too fast and forgot the basics. :(
@SoundBitesNYC: I was going to work that reference into the post but forgot (see above). Thanks for mentioning that.
@Burgerboy: It seemed like all the intel I read about the place online mentioned that it had killer breakfast. Most of the people in there with me (only a handful at 2 p.m.) were ordering breakfast. I hesitate to call it "brunch," since the place does not look "brunchy."
@JudgeFudge: Yes. The people here were completely friendly and awesome. I don't think I got too much into it, but it seemed like everyone else in there was a regular and that the staff knew their usual orders and actually knew them. That's why it was so nice to see Mike Viola walk in just to visit and catch up and have a pleasant conversation with the possible-owner-woman. I felt like I was hanging out in someone's home.
@muffintops: Me too! They even had a breakfast-themed Steven Keene painting!
Adam Kuban at 2:24PM on 09/25/08
So how are the fries?
jakeyd at 3:54PM on 09/25/08
Yea I would call it a Killer breakfast definity not Brunch!!
burgerboy at 4:09PM on 09/25/08
Would it be possible to live near to here and not choose corner bistro instead?
alastor at 4:34PM on 09/25/08
@jakeyd: The fries were good. They're the thick steak fries variety, and I'm guessing are frozen, but they come super hot and crisp, aren't super greasy -- just enough grease to make them sort of mouthwatering. I definitely finished my allotment. Usually I leave fries on the plate.
@alastor: Good question. Since CB is a block away, I'd probably hit CB before LaBon — if there wasn't a crazy line at CB and if CB was making the burgers cooked to order (and not parbroiled).
Adam Kuban at 4:55PM on 09/25/08
FYI on La Bon........
LA BONBONNIERE inspected: 18 violation points | Restaurant ...
LA BONBONNIERE inspected: 39 violation points | Restaurant ...
http://nyc.everyblock.com/restaurant-inspections/by-date/2008/8/8/1540777/
Uglycuss at 6:13PM on 09/25/08
Glad you finally made it Adam, and sad I wasn't with you. I haven't been out of my way to eat that burger. I think it is a local thing, and I'm glad you got a sense of the spirit of the place. That's probably 50% of what I loved about it. We recognized everyone who worked there, every time we went in.
One time we were there a woman came in and an older woman (perhaps this same owner? woman you saw) came over to her. She asked where she'd been and the woman said she'd move to the UES or something, but had to come back for a visit! My biggest fear is that like so many great places in the West Village it's going to close and become some shitty boutique.
As for the burger vs CB: I used to get it for lunch often, when I could sit by the window and watch the traffic go by on Eighth Avenue. CB strikes me as more of a nighttime spot.
Guh, now I'm hungry! I might have to make a trip to La Bon asap, regardless of violation points!
Meg Hourihan at 8:57PM on 09/25/08