A Hamburger Today- aht.seriouseats.com

At Olives, the Burger Is Just an Afterthought

Posted by Nick Solares, November 4, 2008 at 2:00 PM

When it comes to hamburgers there are two types of chefs: those who put hamburgers on their menus because they want to, and those who do so because they feel that they have to. The former, despite the misgivings I may have about the end result (truffle oil anyone? How about foie gras?) are at least driving burger craft forward by redefining the genre in a deliberate and reasoned manner. The latter chefs feel compelled to placate unadventurous diners or children, or feel that having a burger on their menu is expected because their restaurant is located within the confines of a hotel. The results are invariably uninspired.

The fact is that there are some menus on which a hamburger simply does not belong. Such menus treat our favorite sandwich as a mere afterthought, an obligatory nuisance like sales tax, and shoehorn it in alongside menu items to which a burger has little relation. Such a menu can be found at Olives, Todd English's Mediterranean-inspired restaurant located in the W hotel.

Despite a menu inspired by the cuisine of Italy, the decor at Olives is far more evocative of Istanbul and points East; muted earth tones and flowing draperies hearken more to an Eastern caravan than a villa in Tuscany. Available only at lunch and brunch the burger shares menu space with an assortment of pastas and brick oven flatbreads. I became somewhat apprehensive when my waiter brushed aside my question about the burger blend and started selling me on the "bistro" fries that accompany the burger. They turned out to be very good—crispy and crunchy with a dusting of fresh herbs and Parmesan—but they didn't redeem a burger that turned out to be perfectly average, for an above average price of $16.

The patty is a custom blend—a blend whose composition no one in the kitchen seemed to know, but I suspect is a mix of chuck and sirloin. It is ground to a pleasing coarseness, although it is too lean for my taste. I ordered the burger rare and when it showed up at the table I was quite heartened that it had an extremely charred exterior with some very pronounced hash marks. Unfortunately, it was cooked completely through, the inner flesh almost white in color and completely dried out. I sent it back and the replacement patty, while perfectly cooked inside, was rather lackluster in its charring, coming out a light brown color with vague hash marks. At least the burger tasted moderately juicy and flavorful.

While the burger is served on a brioche bun—something I normally abhor—this one was not as offensive as most others. Perhaps the over-the-top sweetness of the Delicatessen burger I recently ate desensitized me to anything less sweet, which is pretty much every other brioche. I still prefer a plain white bun, but the brioche here at least had some structural integrity, holding everything together in a tidy manner, although it was perhaps a tad too voluminous.

I do give the restaurant credit for serving the burger plain, offering the "works"—lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayo and special mustard—on the side. And while the burger is supposed to come topped with some crispy, albeit greasy, fried onions, the kitchen forgot to include mine so I got a totally naked burger. This was preferable from a reviewer's point of view, allowing me to sample the simplicity of the unadorned bread and beef.

I quickly availed myself of all available condiments—the big bun and relative leanness of the beef did not make for a pleasing minimalist burger experience. It became more tolerable after being topped with condiments, although a slice of cheese could have elevated it further up the burger scale.

In the final analysis, Olives offers an average burger for an above average price, making it difficult to recommend.

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Tags: AHT reviews, NYC, Olives, reviews, Union Square