đNeeloo, New York City
I was walking around in Williamsburg waiting for a shop to open. I had about an hour to spend. I started to look for places that had burgers that I hadn't tried yet. Neeloo popped up on my Google Maps scroll. By the looks of their Google profile, it was relatively new and hadn't received much fanfare.
When I walked in, the bar area was empty. Only one other person was there, at a table, waiting for their dining partner. There are a few tables on either side of the door, followed by a long bar along the side, and more tables expanding into the back. More people filtered in after, while I ate.
It was before noon, so I ordered some coffee. I drank it while looking over the menu. Of course, I ordered the burger and the Lemon Curd CrĂȘpe. This is a French restaurant, after all.
The Burger at Neeloo
The burger came split. A mound of onions covered the beef, cheese, and bottom bun. Pickles covered the burger sauce and top bun. From the look of it, I could already tell the bun was well-toasted. As I put it together and took my first bite, I confirmed the Brioche bun was buttered before toasting.
The onions took center stage. There were a lot of them and fairly large pieces at that. They're cooked which removed much of their sharpness but not all the way. Raw onions have this crunch to them that these didn't have and most onions you find on burgers have been cooked down to mush where they add flavor but not texture. These brought almost like an al dente snap to the burger.
The beef was well-represented and smothered in melted cheddar. The pickles reminded me of classic dill pickles, bringing some crunch with good acidity. The burger sauce also may have had some pickle juice or other acid in it as it brought a lot to counter the fat in the beef and cheese. This burger has the components you need and if you can balance out the proportions a bit, it's enjoyable.
The fries were pretty rustic. They had the signature color of fries that had been fried multiple times. Usually, this leads to crispier fries but in this case, they some crunch around the edges but otherwise, the soft center owned the texture. They were well-salted, which I always appreciate.
This Lemon Curd CrĂȘpe was plated beautifully. The edges of the crĂȘpe had a slight crunch which I enjoyed. It came warm yet the whipped ricotta filling inside was cool. This was similar to the effect ice cream has on a warm dessert, except reversed. Every inch of the crĂȘpe had that lightly sweet filling. The lemon curd on top was tart but sweet. The brĂ»lĂ©ed citrus segments were like little jewels I wanted more of. As a composed dish, it was lightly sweet with a textural adventure that I wanted more of.
đNeeloo
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