Stand4 Burger 07-17-2009

Location: 24 East 12th St.
Time: 8:30pm
People: RB and myself

Feelings: I expected Stand to be some small casual burger place, but when we reached the destination, I was pleasantly surprised by the modern and clean decor and open space. "This place looks expensive for a burger shop," RB said. We double checked the menu outside, and it was not over the top-- around $8-$12 for burger-- and thought it would be a nice Friday night outing after long week at work. The open kitchen, courteous waitstaff, and spacious tables were all nice touch, but I was mostly excited about their eclectic menu. I saw burger salad, burger soup, alcoholic milk shakes, fried pickles, and plenty of beer and cocktail selections.

The beer connoisseur RB ordered Weyerbacher Hops from Easton, Pennsylvania with excitement. RB said, "It is rare I get to order beer at a burger place that isn't a pub." They even have happy hour deal where you get free beer with your burger. We missed that, but that is indeed a great offer. Gingerholic myself ordered their homemade ginger ale without hesitation. It was the best home made ginger ale I have ever tried, even better than the one from Wild Ginger. It tasted like pure ginger juice with a bit of soda and slightly sweetened, which is the ultimate heaven for gingerholic.

It is rare nowadays to order burgers that aren't on brioche buns. But RB's classic burger came with classic sesame buns and heavily seasoned, almost steak-like burger. He said it tasted more like meatloaf, not burger. "It's not a bad thing. It's just not the burger I would expect when I order 'classic' burger."

My salmon burger was also well seasoned but a bit dry. I was not a big fan of their sesame buns. It was too hard and bland, or I must be too spoiled by all the fluffy sweet brioche buns in the city.

The shoestring fries were my big hit, especially with Japanese mayo at the table. Although RB thought it was much too difficult to eat, I liked eating tiny fries with different dips I created. (with mayo, ketchup, mustard, the tar tar sauce from salmon burger) But after about 10 tiny fries, I started to get a major heartburn that not even the strongest ginger juice could cure. I regret eating the large order of shoestring fries, even as I type this post. This was a mountain of shredded and fried potatoes that I could not climb. I recommend you stick to the regular fries.

Stand is cute, modern, and it is perfect for large groups or uncomfortable casual first dates. But the food itself leaves something to be desired.