Your First Look at the Frites N Meats Burger
I hate decisions. Quite frankly, they’re one of the reasons I avoid pay-by-the-pound lunch bars because I want a little bit of everything on display. And I’m no different when it comes to choosing a place to eat every week or two to write up for Downtown Lunch. So on Wednesday when we heard about the Frites N’ Meats truck opening, it was like the clouds had opened and the sun was shining on my little cubical. And the best part? The menu was just two items! Burger + Fries. And I had to write about both of them? No choices? The heavens were definitely smiling… or so I thought.
I don’t know if you cared to look outside on Wednesday, but it was horrific. The rain and wind were coming down hard and fast with very little reprieve. And let me tell you, the wind tunnel effect from all those high rises did nothing to keep me warm and dry. But like the postman, duty called. I grabbed my buddy, and Downtown Lunch co-contributor Lunch’er Kevin, and we made our way to Greenwich and Chambers to meet the sons of bitches who decided that this was the day to open.
We found the big, yellow truck easy enough. In case you can’t tell, it’s the one with the superhero cow on the side. We arrived just as they were setting up, so we took a moment to review the menu and then ordered. Kevin ordered the grass-fed Angus on a brioche bun with Brie and onion jam, while I went with the Wagyu on potato-onion with cheddar and applewood smoked bacon. Just typing that made my mouth start to water a little. They’re happy to cook to order but when left to their own devices, they cook medium rare, which happens to be just how I like it on most occasions. And I know this is the third week in a row for me, but I went over the $10 limit and splurged on an order of frites and a dipping sauce. How could I not? The place is called Frites’N’Meats!
The wait took a little long, but they were cooking everything from scratch as we ordered it, so I certainly couldn’t complain. Grabbing our bags, we ran to the nearby Whole Foods to get out of the rain and enjoy the meal. Unwrapped and still plenty hot, we tore into the burgers amid handfuls of fries.
The burgers were very well cooked, though mine tended more toward the medium side unfortunately.
Kevin generously allowed me a bite of his, however, and it was divine. Part of what took away from my experience, I think, was my choice of bun (which come from Balthazar Bakery). The potato-onion, while a damn good piece of bread, is more of a rustic dinner roll than what I’d choose for a burger bun. Kevin ordered the brioche, but I’m guessing they gave us the wrong bun because that looks like a sesame seed bun to me. Kevin was hoping for brioche, but I’m not a huge fan of brioche buns so the mistake was a blessing as far as I was concerned. And the onion jam? Get this on your burger… I’m not kidding The bacon was very good too (and, in hindsight, maybe not the right choice for a Wagyu burger), but that jam!
The frites were good also, and came with garlic and sundried tomato aioli, but definitely not the star of the show. They lacked a bit of crispness and were a touch salty. It was also their first day, so they’ll probably get better. The dipping sauces were good, especially for just the 50 cents extra.
Despite the rain and the wind and the misery, the day ended up being a very good one because of that burger being in my belly. To be honest, the Wagyu burger here didn’t change my opinion that Wagyu doesn’t belong in a burger (I don’t know, it just loses something in the process), but I don’t know of any other place you’re going to get it from a truck, so what the hell, y’know? But I’ll definitely be back in the future, and early too. I swung by there yesterday, and the line was pretty long (apparently they were having some issues.) No need to rush though, I have a feeling these guys will be around for a while longer.
THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)
- Well-cooked, tasty burgers
- Wagyu burger from a truck? Unheard of!
- A wonderful array of accoutrement for your burger and frites
THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)
- Why you gotta get all fancy with the roll? I just want a good burger bun
- The frites were a touch on the soggy side and mighty salty
- Wagyu doesn’t belong in the burger form
Frites N Meats, Greenwich & Chambers (Follow them on Twitter)
Posted by Chris Seamens at 10:00 am, October 30th, 2009 under Frites N Meats.
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10 Comments
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Daniel, does this mean you were the first customer ever for this truck? That’s pretty cool. My only first was at the long-defunct Greenwich Village Arby’s.
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I’m checking it out today- let you know how it goes. You’re not the first to tell me the wagyu isnt what they expected. Kobe it is!
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Cheese – You and me both. Still good though. And thanks for your approval.
Wade – Chris is the name. And while technically Lunch’er Kevin was the first customer ever, I was able to have the experience vicariously.
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fantastic, I can’t wait to try it.
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I meant ANGUS … not Kobe.
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that roll is terrible!
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Went there on the 29th. The fryer was broken, and had to wait 45 minutes for my burger. However, the angus burger was sublime.
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Went to FM on Friday with the coworkers but at 1:15 the line was about 30 ppl deep and I only had 40 mins. Today I got there at Noon with high hopes and expectations.
HUGE LET DOWN.
I started with the angus burger on the potato onion roll. Topped it with onion jam, gruyere, bacon, and mesclin lettuce. I also ordered the fries.
The order came out quickly and i almost left without my soda- good thing i checked my bag. But i should have checked my burger for a number of reasons.
One, it was raw. Charred on the outside and completely raw on the inside. I am a big fan of rare meat but it was still mooing.
two, the potato bun was hard and tough – I envisioned a buttery and soft bun. i was not a fan of the bread.
Third, the Bacon…or lack there of. where was it? They never put it on there. FML
lastly, the fries. SALTY is an understatement. Not the best frittes I have had (Pommes Frittes on 2nd Ave is still my fav) and with all the salt on the fries, my garlic ailoli was too pungent. I’d prefer a honey mustard dipping sauce or something…Am I a complainer or what? I was so excited to try this place out but I am very disappointed. I am willing to give them another try but not until after they work out the kinks. I really would have liked to email them with my missing bacon and raw meat issue (in a Not-so Bitchy way, of course) but I couldnt find an email addy and i cant twitter taht- i dont want to give them a bad rep… Thanks for that.
I would go back to tell them myself but the place is a good 12 blocks from my office and I dotn feel like walking over there to tell him how much they disappointed me. -
I had the angus today at 52 and Park. I was excited to have them right nearby because I have heard about them and wanted to give their burgers a try. The burger was cooked properly maybe just a bit past medium rare, but still a little tough and chewy. I got one lump of unchewable gristle in there. Overall it wasn’t bad but it was certainly uninspiring, even with ham and gruyere to make it into an “El Cubano”. $8.50 is pretty steep for a non-spectacular burger. I don’t eat a lot of burgers but if I did I’d make the short walk to Goodburger at 54th and Lex rather than go back to this truck.
Best downtown lunch review yet.
Sad on the overcooked-ness of that burger though.