FiPS Preview: The Burger Bistro

The burger is king, right? In Park Slope it often seems so.

As things currently stand, the hood boasts a number of places devoted solely to hamburgers--Bareburger, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Corner Burger, 67 Burger & Five Guys--and a handful of places like Dram Shop, Sea Witch, Sheep Station & Press 195 that have tasty burgers on the menu. Can Park Slope handle another burger option?

According to the folks behind Burger Bistro, who are opening their second Brooklyn location in Park Slope on the 12th, the answer is a definitive "yes." When I met with John Agnello (co-owner, along with Vincent Dardanello) last week, he was confident that they had nothing to worry about. If anything, "the competition should really be worried about [them]."

Why? Nobody's really offering what they're offering...a totally customizable menu. You get a laminated menu & a grease pencil & you get to hand-pick the ingredients & build your own burger off of a menu of proteins, cheeses, toppings, rolls & sauces. I'm no math nerd, but I'm pretty sure that works out to THOUSANDS of possible combos. You want a lamb burger rare with smoked gouda, fried egg, guac & wasabi mayo? You're a fucking lunatic, but they'll do it for you. In short...who are they to tell you what you should eat? HAVE IT YOUR WAY, MUTHAFUCKA!

Whether this is a good thing or not is debatable. While the ability to create your own custom burger is a nice touch, isn't the point of going to a restaurant sort of that you're going there to enjoy what the chef's created? Maybe The Burger Bistro is the exception. Maybe it's that place that you go on that night where you don't care about sitting back & letting the chef dazzle you. Maybe you're a take-charge sort of gal. Maybe your favorite phrase is "NO DAD! YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" These are all perfectly acceptable reasons to partake in the customizable experience of The Burger Bistro.

Other acceptable reasons are their customizable ice cream sandwiches or their special burgers which, in the past, have included such gems as a Turducken Burger, a Donut Burger & one that I sampled at the Bay Ridge location about a week ago--the Pastrami Burger--a burger on rye topped with pastrami, kraut & cheese and served with a knish. While i'll never agree with rye bread, the meat was flavorful & the ingredients gelled well. The fat could've been rendered a little bit better, but it wasn't a big deal overall...on anything but rye, it's a memorable burger.

It's worth noting that the "have it your way" mentality was sort of responsible for the creation of The Burger Bistro. When John & Vincent first looked at opening the Bay Ridge locale, they weren't even sure about what sort of cuisine they wanted to focus on. They were two dudes with extensive backgrounds in the restaurant world (Vincent is a Culinary Institute grad) & eventually, they wanted to open a place for themselves. They first decided on a locale--3rd Ave in Bay Ridge. Then they looked around the neighborhood to see what was missing & established that what was lacking was a good burger joint. With Park Slope, the concept worked in Bay Ridge, they were looking to expand, they checked out a bunch of spots & decided that the space on 5th & Berkeley just felt right.

It'll be about the same size as the Bay Ridge locale, seating about 40 people. Either John & Vincent will be present at the Park Slope locale at all times. They're hands-on & they like it that way.

Will you "like it that way?" Only time will tell.

The Burger Bistro opens at 177 5th Ave on the 12th & will be open from 11am-10pm Sunday-Thursday & 11am-Midnight on Friday & Saturday.

Read way more from Shawn at eatdrinksnack.com.