E's Bar
uws outing pre-messiah
WQXR, the New York classical music station, was a fixture in my high school music listening rotation, joined by WFUV, and Pandora stations based on the likes of Two Door Cinema Club and Grouplove. I played violin from ages 7 to 15 and was middling at best but loved the music. More than that, I loved hearing my more talented friends play live. Around the holidays, the classical station would always broadcast the choir at Trinity Church sing Handel’s Messiah, which many a BD reader would recognize from the Hallelujah chorus.
Every year the Christmas season comes by and I have a passing thought that it’d be cool to go and check it out, see that it’s sold out or decide it’s not the right year or that the timing doesn’t work for me and it passes me by. This year, in the wake of a layoff, a move and a lot of overall change, I decided it was time. And it was sold out. But then a miracle happened: I performed a Google search. It turns out that the New York Philharmonic also does this work uptown at Lincoln Center in the David Geffen Hall. I balled out for a solo night out on the town and in doing such, hunted for a bargain burger on the Upper West Side.
After perusing some Reddit threads and listicles, I decided on E’s Bar on 85th and Amsterdam. Big leather booths, weekly trivia, some dartboards, and Guiness on tap - all hallmarks of a trusted neighborhood spot. The menu ran pretty deep and featured seven burgers, including one with a falafel patty. The headliners are E’s Burger (pub style for $12), and the E’s smash burger for $7. I asked the bartender which he preferred and recommend I go pub style, especially if I was hungry. I requested my burger no cheese and got served pretty quickly!
Other than the slice of American, the burger just came with a house sauce, which the bartender described as an onion garlic aioli. To me it evoked a French onion dip - not mad! I forgot to ask for the fresh toppings, lettuce + tomato + pickle, but it was also a $2 upcharge which I haven’t really seen before. The E’s Burger came on the classic Martin’s potato bun.
The burger had a nice crust and was cooked to a pink and juicy medium. The simplicity reminded me of something you could get at a ballpark concession stand, maybe with the veg it’d be similar to the offering at the Margot aperitivo hour. I admittedly found myself still a little hungry after eating, and was close to order up the smash as well but decided against that so as to not overplay my hand, especially before 2 and a half hours of Handel.
I’m ranking the E’s Bar burger at 37, between Corner Bar and Toad Style. I think it’s a good burger to have over some beers with a friend at a solid price. I’ll be the first to say the UWS is not my domain so for those that frequent the nabe, please let me know your go-tos, your hidden gems and your burger splurges!
handeburger