The Clerkenwell
http://www.clerkenwellny.com
49 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
NATIONAL HAMBURGER MONTH
Day 1o
THE CONQUEST
You’re probably wondering if I am sick of eating Burgers yet on my quest to consume 31 Burgers in 31 days for National Hamburger Month. The simple answer is no and so is the complex answer! While I certainly am missing Tacos, Pizza, Sandwiches, Meatballs and other delectable delights while balancing Burgers with Salads, Granola, Fruits, Veggies and such, the Burgers I am eating are so good. To complain would be disrespectful and lame.
The other question I’m frequently being asked “how are you deciding where to eat?” There’s a number of variables but since I publicly asked restaurants to participate, I am green lighting requests to the top of the list. Such as this super rad email I got via the Burger Conquest Contact Form:
Hello, how are you. My name is Stefan, i am the owner of the Clerkenwell in the LES. I would love for you to come and try our burger, it is a Pat La Frieda blend on a toasted brioche bun which I think is delicious. Our new head chef also came from the Breslin and has cooked many a good burgers. Please let me know, thanks.
Not only a friendly invite from the Clerkenwell but with a Pat LaFrieda Burger and only 4 blocks from my bar, Idle Hands. I’M IN!!! I grabbed fellow Thrillist’er Phil and headed over to this new spot in NYC’s Lower East Side Neighborhood. Phil and I parked up at a high table for 6 (we like to spread out) in the cozy dining room which has an English pub meets NYC lounge feel. Phil’s first comment “oh man! I love the simple menu with lots of great choices. Let’s eat.”
THE HAMBURGER
We started off with a snack-sized order of the Chickpea Crisps. Can’t say for sure how these are made but they take real Chickpeas, cook them to a light crunch and cover them in a really tasty lime and paprika sauce. We shoveled them into our mouths like it was the adult, gastropub version of Kix cereal. Those were backed by the hot, crispy, thick cut Steak Fries. The Fries came well-done, which in my (correct) opinion, is the ONLY way to eat them. When Phil asked if I wanted to share the Currywurst, I told him that I was thinking the same. The dish had a more Italian Sausage and Red sauce like feel than what I would could consider something more traditionally curried. Regardless, it was darn tasty and we ate every damn bite!
The time to celebrate the National Hamburger Month Burger of the day had come. The Clerkenwell offers the “Pat la Frieda Burger” made with Black Angus Beef on a Brioche Bun with Tomato and Mayonnaise. Swiss Cheese & Caramelized Onions are optional add-ons, both of which we in fact, did add-on. The Burger came out piping hot and looking like a thing of beauty. The Bun was as glistening as the pool of juices that surrounded the Burger. I knew instantly from the look and smell of the Clerkenwell’s Burger that we were in for a treat. Let me tell you, the nose knows! I love it when a Chef knows when to hold back as much as when they know to proceed with no rules. The simplicity of bread, meat, cheese and onions was such a perfect combination that honestly adding anything else to this fantastic Burger would’ve been unnecessary. The all natural, savory and juicy Ground Beef is a little on the salty side but by using a salty Cheese like Swiss, Onion and Mayo, clearly a salty profile was what was intended. As a Knight in the Savory tastes Army, I FULLY approve.
The food came out at a nice pace, allowing Phil and I to share in a pleasant conversation while sipping on red wine and Captain Lawrence IPA, respectively. All of it was served with a friendly smile, a thankful appreciation and with a healthy dose of love and care. The entire experience from food to ambiance to service was well worth many a return! If you haven’t been yet, you’re going to want to green light The Clerkenwell to the top of your Burger list too.
THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
380 Burgers
May 10th, 2011 – 8:36 PM
The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what he considers to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, The Rev can accurately asses how well the business is using social networking as a tool. His goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools
The Clerkenwell scores a 6 on The Rev Meter.
SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score! Are you hiring?
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