Stand ... and Eat

After reading Frank Bruni's Double Burger post a couple weeks ago, I was looking forward to eating a burger of my own while in New York this past weekend. While J was working, I would have plenty of time to go on a little burger tasting tour. As it turns out, I only made one stop on my tour.

I considered my options and decided to go to Stand. The restaurant was not very busy, although for 3 o'clock in the afternoon there were quite a few people there. The center of the restaurant was filled with picnic table-like tables and cushioned benches, I was comfortable and looking forward to my burger. If you like to lean back in a chair while dining, ask to be seated along one of the walls, their are chairs at these tables.

I decided to go with the classic burger (red onion, lettuce, tomato, sliced pickle, homemade ketchup, dijon mustard) with cheddar, a small order of French fries (at my servers suggestion that they are better than the shoestring fries) and a vanilla shake, a $6 vanilla shake. I know, crazy. While I was waiting for my burger, I looked around and saw the burger salad being enjoyed at the table next to me. It looked good. The salad itself looked a lot like a grown-up coleslaw and what made it a burger salad was the three small burgers lined up neatly, perpendicular to the rim of the large white salad bowl.

My vanilla shake arrived a few minutes before my burger and fries, I resisted the urge to drink it all down before my food arrived. It was $6, I wanted to make it last! My classic burger with cheddar and small plate of French fries finally arrived. The homemade ketchup served with the classic burger didn't cut the mustard though. As Frank pointed out in his review, there is no ketchup better than Heinz when it comes to a burger and fries. I couldn't really detect the homemade ketchup on the burger but it tasted more like a marinara when I tried it with the fries. My burger was cooked more to a medium rare temperature than the medium I asked for, but I didn't care, it was good. The bun was grilled nicely but probably could have been sliced a little closer to the middle. The bottom half of the bun began to deteriorate as I passed the halfway mark on the burger. I finished the last few bites of the burger holding it upside down. The bottom line on this burger is that was very good. Not great, not the best burger I've ever had, but it was very good. Worth the $10 I guess.

The French fries were also good, very crispy like I like my fries, and seasoned well. I do think that they needed to changed the oil in their fry-o-lator though. The fries were good and crispy but they tasted a little like they were cooked in old oil. The small plate of fries that I ordered would also have been plenty for two or three people to share.

Finally, the $6 vanilla shake. It was good and thick, really thick, the best $6 shake I've ever had. Well, it's the only $6 shake I've ever had, but it was good. Definitely a challenge to suck the shake through the very big straw.

I enjoyed my experience at Stand very much. The fries were good, the classic burger was very good, and the $6 vanilla shake was very good. What wasn't good was my $21 bill for a burger, fries and a shake! I'll try brgr next time I'm in the city, it reminds me of The Counter out in Santa Monica, CA.

Stand
24 East 12th Street (5th & Univ.)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 488-5900
(212) 488-5906 (fax)