The return and end (?) of TNBC

Madelyn and I started the year off right, with the first 2009 meeting of the Tuesday Night Burger Club heading to world renowned Corner Bistro. But after shuffling around my schedule, will the TNBC cease to exist?


My first day of classes was a little rough. Two lectures (spread mercilessly throughout the day, from 9:30 until 4:45), mandatory participation in an experiment, Registrar hassles, the auditing of a class, gathering of textbooks, and trying to rectify the loss of the one class I looked forward to (Research in Food Studies). Plus I was starving. Researching Food History in Global Societies does not exactly ease that pain.

But the promise of one of the most famous burgers in America was incentive enough to pull through.



Though I have spent my entire college career here in New York City (has it really been four years already? yeesh), I admit, I am still unfamiliar with many areas. And even though I've been to Corner Bistro many a time over the years, I still get lost in the west village (why can't it just be a simple numbered grid? Jesus, is that too much to ask? no street have go from east/west to north/south, and intersections need a minimum of 8 streets pouring into it). With trusty companion Madelyn in tow, this week's adventure was no exception. Though I wandered on basically the right track, we went back and forth as I debated if I had passed it accidentally or not. But just like waiting in that epic Shake Shack line, when you have to work for your food, the reward is just that much better.

Finally I spotted that neon sign and knew we had arrived. Relatively empty on this late Tuesday afternoon, we easily found a booth. With a very straightforward menu mounted on the wall, it took all of 1 minute to finalize our orders: Bistro Burger (medium rare), an plate of fries, and 2.50 mug of McSorley's dark. Mmm...

Recently, I've heard people saying that Corner Bistro has been going downhill. And while I was hesitant to join the bandwagon (because the only cooler thing than joining the backlash against a popular thing, is the backlash against the backlash), I will have to admit that it was the worst Bistro Burger I had ever had there. No juice made a huge sopping mess everywhere like usual. That being said, saying it was the worst Bistro Burger I ever had is like saying it's the worst free yacht I have received. It's still a fucking yacht in an ocean of crappy rowboats. They still do their bacon to the perfect texture to accompany the patty. Corner Bistro stands as a symbol of one of the truly great burger profiles: a simple, decadent bar option to heartily pair well with a delicious beer after a long day. It's still a golden standard so many places try to measure up to.

Well, satiating our craving, we (miraculously) still had some room for dessert. After debating if we could find it (I told you, we're bad at navigating the west village), we made our way to also famous Magnolia bakery. Because I am an awesome roommate, I picked up a little first day of school treat for everyone back in the apartment (though, I did save the best, red velvet, for myself). Seriously, the red velvet cupcake is heavenly. It is worth the 20% price jump (a whopping 50 cents) for the moist crumb, sweet frosting, tender texture, and exotic color. A side note, their iced maple cookies (a measly 75 cents) is a nice addition if you want a little extra sweet treat (and variety) but doing the double cupcake (after a bacon cheeseburger) seems...excessive. I know, I am sucker to impulsively add on little extras like that.

Anyways, the perfect way to cap the last first day of a college semester. I'd do it all the time, if I could.

OH and before I forget! Yes, TNBC may come to a close, as I am no longer on campus with Madelyn on Tuesdays. But to keep the tradition alive, we are working to coordinate a new time/day for our weekly meetings. Rest assured dear reader(s?), that I will continue the NYC hunt for delicious burger.