Table 8: A Burger Improved By An Eastward Migration, But By How Much?

Posted by Nick Solares, November 3, 2009 at 11:00 AM

It has been a rough start for Table 8. West Coast celebrity chef Govind Armstrong's Big Apple debut restaurant certainly had some buzz around it when opened in the modern (but oddly anachronistic) Cooper Square Hotel. But the local critics did not take kindly to venture.

Adam Platt of New York Magazine cut to the heart of the problem when he noted that "Armstrong doesn't hesitate to use two (or even three) ingredients when one will do." Frank Bruni of the New York Times concurred, finding the dishes "overworked and overdressed", awarding the place the "bagel"—zero stars. I gave the place a C in my review for Serious Eats: New York, which is about as low a score as we award, barring food poisoning or assault by a member of staff. And that may not be so out of the question—one of the owners was a arrested for murder last week.

But the place seems to soldier on, at least for the time being. As I noted in my review, "given its location in a swank hotel, Table 8 will have an audience that, if not exactly captive, is at least embedded." If Table 8 were a freestanding restaurant I suspect it would have closed by now or gone the way of its West Coast originator—turned into a burger bar, called 8 oz. While Damon Gambuto, our man out West, found the burger there "good—but not great," Adam Platt proffered that the lunchtime 8 oz. Burger offered here in New York City "is a worthy entry in the city's haute-burger sweepstakes." Could the 8 oz Burger be transformed by making an East Coast journey? Can it really rank amongst the city's best? Yes and no.

Certainly I found my experience better than Damon's, and not just because the service was better. The burger showed up looking large and in charge, and even though the waiter promised me American cheese—despite the menu offering only Swiss, Bayley Hazen blue, or aged cheddar—it showed up with aged cheddar. Apparently, yellow cheeses are interchangeable here. Nevertheless, the tangy, sharp cheddar was perfectly melted and I didn't really expect a restaurant with such high culinary aspirations as Table 8 to offer something as plebeian as American cheese.

The bun appears different to the one Damon was served out west, which he reported was a brioche. Brioche is probably my least favorite vessel for a patty. Fortunately, my burger was served on a perfectly acceptable, though somewhat unorthodox, crusty hard roll. It was tasty, offering a different but not unpleasant texture—crunch rather than squish. It did a good job of containing the deluge of toppings that come with the burger, and despite the patty being large it was easy to maneuver. The beef had an adequate crust and was very juicy. Although cooked past the requested rare temperature, the level of doneness wasn't egregious enough to warrant being sent back.

Texturally, the patty was a tad denser than ideal, and the flavor was slightly muted, as if the burger had been ground the day before. The toppings (or in this case, bottomings) were refreshingly traditional—shredded lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and special sauce. (I say "refreshingly traditional" because last time I ate at Table 8, a duck breast came adorned with sunchokes, hazelnuts, and kumquat.) They were all beyond reproach, fresh, and vibrant. The evocation of ingredients was obviously West Coast, what with the sweet special sauce and vegetable garden included.

I could see the burger here devolving into what Damon describes as a "canvas for (the chef's) wild imaginings and ingredient fascinations," but fortunately the burger here doesn't. It also manages to avoid the other pitfall that Damon warned about—"hyper-customization." Aside from the three cheese options, the Table 8 incarnation of the 8 oz. comes only one way, and only at lunch time. It's a far cry from the tyranny of choice that Damon experienced.

In the final analysis, the burger at Table 8 is far more compelling than the rest of the menu. It appears to be an improvement on the burger Damon was served in Los Angeles (although I have admittedly not tried it there) by virtue of a reworked bun and a serious editing of topping choices. And while it may potentially compare favorably to other burgers in its price point ($14), the fact that my patty tasted a little stale and the otherwise admirable fries tasted of old cooking oil indicates to me that they just don't serve a lot of burgers here at lunch. It is too bad that it is not on the dinner menu; it would certainly be the only thing I would order.

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Tags: AHT reviews, reviews, Table 8. East Village