A Hamburger Today- aht.seriouseats.com

At Olives, the Burger Is Just an Afterthought

Posted by Nick Solares, November 4, 2008 at 2:00 PM

When it comes to hamburgers there are two types of chefs: those who put hamburgers on their menus because they want to, and those who do so because they feel that they have to. The former, despite the misgivings I may have about the end result (truffle oil anyone? How about foie gras?) are at least driving burger craft forward by redefining the genre in a deliberate and reasoned manner. The latter chefs feel compelled to placate unadventurous diners or children, or feel that having a burger on their menu is expected because their restaurant is located within the confines of a hotel. The results are invariably uninspired.

The fact is that there are some menus on which a hamburger simply does not belong. Such menus treat our favorite sandwich as a mere afterthought, an obligatory nuisance like sales tax, and shoehorn it in alongside menu items to which a burger has little relation. Such a menu can be found at Olives, Todd English's Mediterranean-inspired restaurant located in the W hotel.

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