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“Bill's Bar & Burger”


  Occasion: Cuisine: Area: Cost: Rating:
  Night Out New American MeatPacking Cheap Eats Good

It was a cold, rainy night in the Meatpacking, but no matter. Outside, the streets were as full as you’d find them on a warm summer night in June. Flocks of ankle boots carefully navigated cobblestones, and skinny-jeaned packs roamed dark streets in search of scene. Inside, it was found. But this was not your typical Meatpacking pile up. Sure the place was mobbed, three deep at the dark bar, but faces were illuminated by the light of Monday Night Football, not some glamorous amber-lit lantern imported from India. After all, this was a burger joint, and one designed very much in the understated style of its former resident, the Hog Pit. Other than the lack of a pool table in the back and an absence of saucy ribs, not much seemed to have changed with the opening of Steven Hanson’s latest restaurant—Bill’s Bar & Burger. Behind the bar, cold sudsy pints were flowing, and the grills, slick with grease and sizzling with all-beef patties, were firing on full blast. In the back dining room, tables were covered in red and white checked plastic gingham. There were tall tubes of Heinz, Golden’s and French’s. Salt and pepper shakers, too. Paper napkins. Not much else.

Chef Paul Sale, a handsome Englishman who has worked with Steven Hanson for about a decade now, was expediting—in his bifocals. We’re all getting old, aren’t we, I thought as I shimmied through the maze in the front bar, sliding through the mass and mumbling excuse-me’s. I remember working with Paul in the late 90s, when neither one of us needed glasses. Well, time does fly. Here I was, back in the Hog Pit where Craig and I spent a fun afternoon drinking beers, snacking on wings, and shooting pool early on in our relationship, before we were married, before we were parents of a deliciously exhausting six month old. In some ways, it was a walk down memory lane.

But in others it had nothing to do with the past and everything to do with the future. I was at Bill’s with nine students who had taken my Introduction to Food Writing Class at mediabistro. We were celebrating the end of class and toasting to their future successes, and what better way to do it than with a meal together. We tucked into the long table and were catching up about dates, whisky festivals, and various other unmentionable topics when the menus arrived. And that’s when ... [more, click below]

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Other restaurants in MeatPacking :
+ Paradou   + Florent   + One   + Bivio   + Spice Market   + Ono   + 5 Ninth   + Fatty Crab   + Del Posto   + Morimoto   + Los Dados   + 5 Ninth   + Merkato 55   + Scarpetta   + The John Dory   + The Standard Grill   + Bill's Bar & Burger   

1.)thewiseking
“Great Burgers. No Attitude.”

Showed up early for a 4 top and instead of the usual "you can be seated when youre table is complete" b.s. was immediately seated at a nice corner table and grabbed a great "cold ass" brew. Party assembled and loved the burgers, fixins and sides. Prices were reasonable and the vibe and service were great.

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