The day I dined at Au Cheval was a day of comical timing. I hopped on the train towards Manhattan and realized I was in the same train car as my friend Ashley who was joining me for this meal. Just before I got on the train, Lorde announced a pop-up in Washington Square Park for 7pm. I happened to make our reservation at 5pm which meant we’d be able to make it over and dance amongst the NYU upperclassmen, where nothing would go wrong and everything would happen as planned.
Au Cheval originally opened in Chicago in 2016 before opening in NYC in 2019. In my mind, it’s been around longer than that but maybe that’s just the pre/post COVID divide that makes it feel more distant.
At the same time, Au Cheval is on trend with many of the hot spots that cropped up post-2022 or so: classic and American but different (read: expensive and indulgent). A meaty, thick-cut, sauced up menu, with a $25 burger at the center of the action that Ashley and I both ordered WITH the additional $7 bacon. We needed to fuel up if we were going to party with the Youths ™.
Our burgers came out on these beautiful, shiny brioche buns with two thin patties a la Rolo’s, very finely diced red onion, thinly mandolined pickles, dijonnaise and the aforementioned bacon. The flavor of all of the separate components was excellent, if not encroaching on slight excess. But everything together? My jaw had to clock into the Chewing Factory and make time and a half! Or hazard pay! Something like that.
What I mean by that is - this burger is DENSE and eating it borders on being a chore. There’s the onion and pickle but the pieces are so miniscule that there’s no impact whatsoever on mouthfeel.
The bacon chews like butter which ordinarily would be something to celebrate but when you’re searching for a reprieve from the softness of this burger, it was almost a letdown. The slices were hammy, peppery and pleasantly sweet though. The brioche bun was shockingly sturdy against the elements at hand here. The dijonnaise was good but I found myself dipping my bites in the thicker, brighter garlic aioli that accompanied our fries.
All this to say: A girl needs a crunch, especially with a burger this big. I can’t imagine the additional textural nightmare that would come from adding an egg on top. I have to agree with this Eater write up that made me laugh: “It’s all about the glop”
I’m placing Au Cheval’s burger at number 26, between Corner Bar and Lovely’s Old Fashioned, which is also two spots under its sibling at 4 Charles.
Happy almost summer! Have a lot of burgers coming your way including The Odeon, S&P and Citi Field ❤🌞 Cheers!
their garlic aioli changed my life
So millennial coded to put bacon in burgers