I needed a burger. But all the ones near me are smashed, or just near to it.
Smash burgers falls in the “want” category for me. Sometimes I want a double garlic smash from Milk Burger. Sometimes I want to walk into Rolo’s right at 5, get my seat at the bar, get a cocktail, and order the famous burger with the dijonnaise and the long-hot. Sometimes, even, I want a Shake Shack. Usually when I’m at JFK.
But when I need a burger, those just won’t do. So I went to Donovan’s Pub.
It’s insane that I’d never been to Donovan’s. When I first moved to New York, I spent most of my weekend nights boozing and eating curry fries at Molly Bloom’s in nearby Sunnyside. Donovan’s is like a Chekhov’s gun that has finally gone off, and it shot me directly in the fucking heart.
I admit I went in with skepticism. I don’t rate Minetta Tavern’s burger very highly. Corner Bistro isn’t a favorite of mine. Joe Jr. has sadly taken a turn for the worse. Those bigger, juicier grilled burgers just seem to have some unpredictability. When Johnny Novo began his burger series, I sent him my burger starting 5, to give you an idea of my taste:
