Midtown Lunch

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

Who doesn’t love a burger and a beer? Well maybe a Vegan Teetotaler… but I digress. A burger is a lunch staple as well as a late night greasy-sponge after a good booze-up. In this regard Blarney Stone has occupied the most prominent spot on the ML radar screen for lunch and happy hour, but there must be other contenders, right? In my wanderings around town I came across Coppersmith’s bar. It looks like your average pub and grill, however a look at their weekly specials produced this tantalizing snippet: Tuesdays is two for one burgers and $3 Bud Lite Draft night from 3 to 10pm. Until 10pm??? Get out. I am so there! Needless to say I cleared my Tuesday night calendar and waited with eager anticipation.

The regular menu price for a burger is $9 with fries and 50 cents extra for cheese. Pricey for burger, but at half price it’s worth checking out. The bar has a warm neighborhood feel. The patrons at the bar tend to be casually dressed locals in jeans and tees. Later in the night business workers change the scene as they take advantage of the happy hour specials and catch the games on the ubiquitous TVs mounted all around. Above the ruddy mahogany bar there is an expansive painting of the Manhattan Skyline and Christmas lights and ornaments lent a nice ambient glow all around.

We ordered the house beer Coppersmith’s Ale and a Bud. The ale was well balanced and very drinkable (in a good way) though IPA fans might bemoan the lack of a hoppy bite. The Bud was…well…Budweiser.

The burgers arrived and the fries were golden and only needed a little salt. The burger wasn’t as big as I expected, but who cares, it’s 2 for 1! I took a big bite and the flavor was nice and beefy, but upon further inspection I was disappointed. My friend and I ordered our burgers medium rare and if that’s what Coppersmith’s calls medium rare I’d hate to see what well done looks like.

I don’t know, maybe they had Wayne Gretsky back there slinging these hockey pucks. What I do know is that it was dry enough that I had to add extra condiments to finish it.

Needless to say, at regular price ($9.50) I’d advise everyone to go elsewhere for your burger fix or skip the burger and enjoy Coppersmith’s drink specials. As for the Tuesday deal it’s only worth a shot if you are in the area, out late, and needing that alcohol absorbent (and maybe another beer). For me, the ultimate burger and a beer quest continues…

Coppersmith’s, 793 9th Ave (53rd Street), 866-739-4791