📍Lord's, New York City

Welsh Rarebit Burger at Lord's

Lord's has been on my list since they've opened. If someone's doing something interesting with burgers, I want to try it. I also like British food. They sell burgers at the bar but just 10 or 12 per night. From what I understand, if you're not there at open, it's unlikely that you will get one. I tried twice before and wasn't successful. As a result, I had never eaten at Lord's

I happened to come across a story they posted on Instagram about an upcoming brunch service that featured "unlimited burgers". I made a reservation without giving it a second thought. I booked it for one and set it on my calendar. I had a two-week wait but I was guaranteed a burger this time so it was worth it.

Lord's doesn't normally offer brunch. I thought it was their first time but I later learned they may have done it once or twice in the past. There is no record of brunch on Google Maps or their website. The menu and details were only on their Instagram. It felt like a secret.

I got there just a few minutes before my reservation time and promptly got seated at the bar. Especially if I'm dining solo, the bar is where I want to be. It's a rectangular dining room with a bar running along the right side wall. Tables full of people take over the center and left side.

The printed brunch menu had a few more options than what was listed on their Instagram. I would have pressed to invite some friends had I known some of the other options. I hope they do this again so I get that chance.

I started with a beer called Old Speckled Hen. It's not a beer you find in the States often. It's an English Pale Ale that's pretty easy to drink. The nitrogen gives you that smooth mouthfeel that somewhat mimics pouring from a cask. The sweet malt notes end with a dry earthy finish. This felt right for a brunch burger.

I had a lot of anticipation to try this burger given my failed earlier visits. The burger comes on a toasted pretzel bun and includes a simple slice of white onion, beef, and a Welsh Rarebit sauce. Despite so few components, this burger has a great deal of complexity.

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The bun is toasted but still retained the pretzel chew. If you've had a burger in a pretzel bun like the one at Emily's, this bun will feel familiar. It has the same squish and structure. The toasted edges have a good crunch. These buns hold up to juices and the Welsh Rarebit sauce well.

The onion is medium-thickness and spans the diameter of the burger. If you are not a big onion person, it'll be something you notice. Some diners near me removed some or all of the onion. It's incredibly sharp and to my taste, a wonderful counter to the burger and sauce. Through each bite, it remained crisp providing the texture this burger needed.

The beef had the beginnings of a nice crust with a warm pink center. There wasn't any banding like some thicker burgers get. The key to this burger is the Welsh Rarebit cheese sauce on top. Since this burger doesn't have a mayo or sauce, this cheese sauce is pulling double duty. Traditionally, Welsh Rarebit is a sauce that includes mustard, beer, cheese, and some spices and tops bread. I didn't ask but from what I could tell this one had some cheddar and dark beer with some added umami, and finished with a bit of mustard.

That sauce looks almost melted on. Between the beef and the Welsh Rarebit, I wasn't looking for any added sauce or flavoring. It was surprisingly not too heavy. I liked how it all came together with the sharp onion.

After the burger I ordered the Sticky Toffee Pancake. This pancake is thick, like two pancakes stacked on top of each other. It's also fried similar to the pancakes at Chez Ma Tante. I fully support fried pancakes becoming more of a thing in New York. Sticky Toffee Pudding has also been trendy on NYC menus and I like the creativity seeing it in non-traditional forms like this.

The edges were crispy and retained their crunch through every bite. This is twice the height of a normal pancake which I'm confident helped the center remain fluffy. There was a slight date flavor that was hard to pick up over the syrup but when I did, it was delightful. The crispy pancake with fluffy center trend is one I can fully get behind. I appreciate textural contrast in my food. This one brought it and I can't wait to find more.

The syrup is buttery with some warmth like I expect from toffee. This one had a little saltiness to it also which amplified the flavors. There was an abundance of syrup. At one point I cut a piece of the pancake and syrup was sliding down from underneath the pancake. The sweetness, warmth, and abundance are all hallmarks of the classic dessert so it's fun to see it translated to pancake form. It's finished with crème fraîche which brought some needed relief. I spread some on every bite.

Lord's has a large collection of Amaros to choose from. The bartender chose Amaro Barulio for me. He remarked that this was the only Amaro he knows of that foams up while shaking it. He essentially created a Shakerato using it. I got a light minty, semi-bitter flavor that was deep in a woodsy pine-like finish. It cut through a lot of the heaviness of the pancake.

(Disclosure: Unlike the rest of the meal, I did not pay for the Amaro Barulio. It was complementary from the bartender.)

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