📍Hawksmoor, New York City

There was a Grub Street article from earlier in the year that said a martini and fries is the New York Happy Meal. I agree. I like to add a burger to it. After a happy hour a few days ago, I looked for a bar to get a burger, fries, and martini. I wanted a place that wouldn’t be too loud and I could eat without people jostling all around me.

Enter Hawksmoor. It’s a London-based steakhouse. I’ve tried it in London, for steak, and enjoyed it. I’ve met friends at the one here but never ate. This was about to be my first time.

When I entered I saw a well-staffed host booth that was more than willing to direct me to the bar area. It’s a large bar with closely spaced seats. Surrounding the bar are high tops and bar tables. The main dining room is behind a set of curtains that I didn’t visit. Of the few empty bar seats, I picked one towards the end.

They had a handful of martinis on the menu. My go-to martini is a dry gin martini with a twist. They had something similar on the menu called the “Ultimate Martini” with lemon oil. I ordered that and it came with a side of olives — pits and all. I love snacks so I like that.

This martini was made with Ford’s Gin making it a bit less floral than some other popular gins. The lemon oil did a lot of heavy lifting. The bartender explained that a lemon was expressed but not included. The smell and taste gave a lot of those citrus notes that I enjoy in a martini. However, the sweet citrus gave way to the bite from the gin towards the end of the sip.

I ordered the burger and Hash Browns instead of fries (so much for the New York Happy Meal). It’s a la carte so you can choose whatever you enjoy. The burger comes loaded with thin-sliced red onions, pickles, lettuce, and tomato. I was a bit impressed that it all came standing upright given how high everything was stacked. All of these components together provide a ton of crunch and texture to each bite. I appreciated the onion here to cut through the burger.

The bun was soft but full. In some burgers, the buns fade away as handles for the beef but not this one. The bun had its distinct taste and texture. By no means was it sweet but it had this kind of creaminess that’s hard to explain. The cheese, named Briana, was nutty and melty. It stood atop the flavors in every bite.

The beef was seared well. There was almost a crispy shell around the beef to hold it together. The inside was red and soft with a tartare-like texture at the very center. There’s a meatiness to enjoying a burger like this. The takeaway for me was the center bites with the crunch and freshness of the lettuce, onions, and tomato juxtaposed with the soft center of the beef.

The potato hash browns were served with malt vinegar mayo. These are very crispy and savory on the outside, no doubt from the beef drippings used to fry them. When you cut into a cube, you see all the thin hash-brown shreds intertwined. It holds together pretty well but some strands will fray out. The mayo is tangy and salty and paired wonderfully with the potatoes.

I can’t say no to donuts, especially when they’re this involved. These are apple cider donuts in a squiggle shape. They’re fried in beef tallow, like the hash browns. The outside has this thin crispness to it that I haven’t experienced in other donuts. It was easy to slide the donut off the stick and eat with a utensil. I don’t mind eating with my hands but there’s no benefit here.

It’s topped with a boozy-tasting apple caramel and warm spiced custard that was poured at the time of serving. The caramel was the strongest flavor to come from the donut. It gave me the after-dinner, brandy by the fire, digestif taste I appreciate after such an experience.

📍Hawksmoor
109 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010

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