Korzo Haus 07-27-2013

Location: 178 E 7th St.
Time: 12:30pm
People: RB, CK, and myself

Feelings: Deep fried burger. Need I say more? Korzo Haus is a small, dimly lit-- so dim that agonizes camera wielding food bloggers--Slovakian bar in East Village that features various Eastern European comfort food. The President of Slovakia sat at the exact spot we dined. On the picture, he seemed to give this place a stamp of approval, and we could not agree with him more.

The flavors here are bold and exciting, and the ingredients are fresh. They fully integrate beets, from beet ketchup by Brooklyn Beet Company (owned by Korzo) to beet veggie patties. Even their home made hot sauce is superbly flavorful. The meat is grass fed, and all the side dishes are also home made from mustard to pickles.

The burgers are sizable, all wrapped in deep fried bun called Langos, which is Hungarian flat bread. With an excellent bun to patty ratio, nothing falls out from this pocket-like delicious bun. All four burgers are $14 each, and there are three fries options ($3), Fried Halusky, Hand-Cut Sweet Potato, and Red-Bliss to choose from.

Their veggie burger, beet-walnut- black eyed pea patty, edam cheese, riesling-caramelized onion, caraway pickle with seasonal greens, is juicy, doughy and wonderful. The side of aioli is heavenly creamy with a strong garlic flavor. It all sounds quite heavy, but each bite is light due to quality ingredients and airy buns.

"The Slav," Korzo-blend beef patty, slow-cooked pork neck, haus spiced sauerkraut, caraway seeds, juniper berries, bryndza, is burger bliss. The wonderful combination of textures and flavors will surprise and delight even the most learned burger connoisseur.

We skipped popular Fried Halusky and devoured delicious Red-Bliss, which pretty much tasted like well-executed English chips. I am not sure what was in our food or due to the dim lighting, but as soon as we left the place, all three of us were hit by a complete food coma. That's what deep fried burgers do, I suppose. We were all ready to collapse and nap at Thompkin Square, which is something I would never recommend.

There is also a South Park Slope location. But make sure to include a food coma hour before planning any activities. You will need a nap after this place.