Monday, June 21st, 2010—Bar 162
Day 162—Sunday, June 20th, 2010
Resto
Ding, ding, ding! The PayPal donation button is ringing again! A leafy anonymous donator generously sent in 20 dollars to keep this bar crawl on the move. Thank you so much, I truly appreciate it!
Okay, usually I have a cheeseburger on Saturday night, but last night I went to Sushi Samba and met the mysterious couple, Nick Beal and Emma and found out Nick lied...err...was misinformed about the place serving burgers. So I had duck, but tonight I’m going to make up for it and go out and get a cheeseburger. Whilst Googling around looking for a place I found this from New York Magazine:
“Would it be demeaning to Skeen and Resto to lavish the most praise on the burger? Maybe. But this one is world-class, a loosely packed, modestly sized house-ground masterpiece of beef cheek, hanger steak, and fatback, nicely accessorized with onion, pickle, mayo, and slightly pungent Timberdoodle cheese from Vermont, all on a squishy white bun from Rockland Bakery. It might be the best burger in New York, including Shake Shack’s.”
New York magazine's reviews are usually dead-on, so this is the spot for tonight. And not a moment too soon, I’m starvin’ like Marvin over here!
My Stan Laurel impression with my bottle of Snapple filled with beer for the walk to Resto.
It's a nice summer night tonight. Here we are going down 16th Street.
And from here we'll walk uptown on Fifth Avenue. Nothing like summer in New York City!
Here's one of my favorite buildings in the city, the Flatiron Building.
I win!
And here we are, Resto.
Nice bar!
This is the beer/wine/cocktail menu!
Beer! They have so many choices, I asked the friendly and lovely bartender Meredith to pick one for me.
Here's her choice for me and it has a cork in it, a first on the bar crawl!
Meredith pours...
And I drink! Cheers!
Here's another view of the bar.
There's a large table up front with a street-side view.
And tables line the walls opposite the bar. A full house tonight!
Some of the specials and World Cup commentary.
Time for Sunday dinner!
I started out with the deviled eggs on pork toast. They were unbelievable!
Viana serves up the main course, cheeseburger and frites!
Wow, it looks delicious!
And it is! A world-class cheeseburger!
It's been a while, so I thought I'd end with an oblgatory bathroom mirror shot. Goodnight everybody!
Review
Resto is a cozy little Belgium beer hall in the Murray Hill area of Manhattan. There’s a large wooden table in front with a nice view and smaller tables line the walls and the back of the restaurant. The bar is marble and full dining is available there. The vibe is neighborhood friendly and inviting.
The beer list is huge and the waitstaff and bartenders are happy to help you find the right brew. There’s also a large wine list and classic cocktails available. The menu is Belgium food with small and large share plates available. Some of the entrees include: Moules and frites, wild striped bass, ‘four story hill farm’ dry aged cote de boef and one of the best cheeseburgers in town. The deviled eggs on pork toast are also a treat you shouldn’t pass up.
Resto
111 E. 29th St. (Near Park Ave. South)
212-685-5585
16 Comments
Reader Comments (16)
You're making me green with envy here, Marty. One world class burger after another, most within walking distance and all served up by one gorgeous waitress after another. All I've got in my immediate area is a Burger King with a fat, pimply broodsow at the drive through window with mean little eyes and an attitude. Sigh.
@Jaws: "broodsow?" Ha ha ha!
Love the beer in the Snapple traveling bottle! Those deviled eggs look great!
Deviled eggs on pork toast? I feel like going there right now and trying that. Resto has that gray industrial look to it,,,and the glassware behind the bar is a nice touch. There are so many Belgium beers and ales,,,you could drink a different one every day for a year and never try the same one again,,,,kinda like this 365 bar crawl,,,,what a journey so far,,,and the great part about this crawl is that most of us wait in great anticipation to see where you went last night,,,,365 RULES. Marty is the MAN..
that flatiron building shot rules! my favorite nyc building. deviled eggs and cheeseburgers? what a perfect sunday dinner!
that beer bottle with the cork looked like a bottle of champagne!
:) Ok I don't really want my burger to be talked about with beef cheek and fatback, but it did look good. If you don't think about those words. And the deviled eggs look yummy!
Triple Karmeliet !! Excellent Beer Choice !!!! Most of the "high fermentation" beers have a cork, because the "high fermentation technique" (used before the invention of the fridge) develop bacterias and mushrooms, the fermentation will continue inside the bottle, so to resiste to the presure, the bottle is closed with a cork AND a cap, like the champagne. I hope you appreciated this bacteria life on the bottom of the bottle, Marty!! That's what make the strong tast of this beer.
May you noticed, the Triple Karmeliet is very similar with the "Kwak" (that you tasted before on the crawl), it's the same brewery who make it. But the Kwak is make with malt and hop, and the Triple Karmeliet with Barley, bread wheat and oat.
Cheers!!
@ ZioumZioum , sometimes you sound older then Me , & even thought Marty told Me what a Devil egg is , I still don't know ( forgot ) .
Anyway I get my bacteria from not washing my hands before opening my Beer , & also from not cleaning the fridge .
Cool place (even if they don't have backs on those bar stools)! The eggs sound delicious and I wouldn't mind trying some of that salmon crudo as well. Plus, I love that world-class juicer on the bar! Wait...that didn't sound right... In any event, Resto looks like a great place. And it's given me an idea for a book title: A Tree Grows in Murray Hill on Resto's Bar (Beer Me). Thanks for the tour, Marty!
P.S. Aldo Nova! HA HA HA! You still gots it, Marty! You still gots it!
@Jhwang, funny on the bacteria thing....the deal closer for me is when at a BBQ/party & picking up the wrong stubby (beer bottle), having a scull & finding a spent cigarette butt between my teeth.....or one years ago was watching a mate drink the bong water thinking it was his stubby,i should've told him, he went green, well greener, then started spewing,it was funny till i went out in sympathy & had to spew at him spewing....& yes Marty i would tell you if you are about to drink the bong water ol' mate!!!
@fitzy: Thanks, mate!
That is one big beer! Reminds me of one of my favorites Fischer LaBelle.
Great choice Marty and the food looks excellent.
I like Zioum Zioum's explanation about the fermentation and ingredients of the beer. Thanks Zioum and great job!!
Very nice Marty and I am so glad that you enjoyed your meal.
One of your favorite buildings happens to be one of the most famous ones too, right? I recognize it from billions of movies!
@bambooska: It is! It's used in all kinds of movies and TV shows. That's cool you noticed that!