On Sunday, I realized I had a packed week ahead of me, filled with activities both pedestrian (Pilates, dentist appointment, bang trim) and exciting (singing Landslide in a six-part choir, baking my first tiered cake, throwing a party at which I will serve said cake). While I’ve been spending some time in solitude absolutely PLOWING through Severance, I decided I wanted to have a more intentional moment alone ahead of a week that culminates in my 29th birthday.
A Fort Greene restaurant I follow on Instagram, Margot, had started advertising a burger only served during Apero hour, 5-7 and 9-10 on weekdays. A burger and a martini for $27 followed by a nice not-too-long walk home - it’s a date.
I arrived around 6:15 and was able to grab a solo stool at the bar. It seemed like plenty of other folks had seen the Burger Posts™ as the open kitchen was churning them out steadily. I placed my order for a burgernocheese and a 50/50 martini with a twist and started jotting down some little reflections while I waited.
My 28th year was the year of a lot of newness - lots of wonderful new people in my life in many capacities, a new apartment, a new job (technically started when I was 27 but whatever), a new creative outlet (hi), and my first time traveling abroad alone.
As I rounded the corner into 2025, finally feeling like I’ve settled into a rhythm, I started thinking about how the excitement of the newness was keeping me from looking back - out of fear, out of pride, out of nerves. It felt almost easier to move full steam ahead rather than survey the paths I’ve tread. In my 29th year, I want to make an active effort to reconcile these versions of my life into one. Luckily I still have a lot of burgers to eat with friends new and old.
My burger arrived on a small plate, its build reminiscent of the best version of a backyard summertime burger. A toasted potato bun, narrow-but-tall patty, some shredduce, a slice of tomato, thin sliced onion + pickles with some burger sauce on the top bun. The cheese-laden version seems to have American - there’s no itemized breakdown on the menu.
I thought it was really interesting that with a new, high demand burger and a flat top grill, the Margot team opted to keep this a BBB™ (Big Bite Burger).
Somewhere between a medium and medium well (factcheck me on this (I am not being facetious)), this guy was juiced up and drippy upon first bite, but I didn’t mind it. It really felt like a taste of the summer that’s juuuust over the horizon - beyond the days when NYC feels like Silent Hill.
I’m looking forward to trying this again when the tomato is a little more in season, but with the days lasting longer, this feels like a great burger to have at the start of a warm night before moving on to a bar with some patio seating. I’m placing the Apero Hour burger at Margot at 14 - between Rippers and Swoony’s. Light and nostalgic, a great bite for a predetermined reflection time.
She’s a beauty