Vinzee's onion and pickle burger is a delightful affair. Pickles made inhouse, meat from Los Paisanos, buns local.
Photo by Joshua Kristal
How did this Italian, then increasingly French and then Manhattanized little ville become a burger mecca? Well anyway, it has happened. New York Magazine this week named Dubuque Restaurant, at Court near West 9th, the best cheap burger in the city, and lauds its desserts, announced daily on Facebook, as well (the restaurant name stands for Down Under Brooklyn Queens Expressway).
On Friday, Five Guys opened on Court.
And just recently, we checked out Vinzee’s Magic Fountain, at Court and First Place, to determine how good the eats were. We were pleasantly surprised.
After ordering from the little order window inside (it’s set up kind of like a fast food joint, but shiny-er), we were served a knockout, juicy, simple and tasty burger topped with onion and pickles. The meat is from Los Paisanos, the buns made by a local baker. The pickles are made in-house. It was just right, almost minimalistic compared to the hedonistic belly-popping burgers you find in many fine restaurants round here.
The menu features several topping combos for your burger or hot dog, as well as sweet potato and regular fries, soft-serve ice cream and milk shakes, in an uber-clean old-fashioned 1950s style restaurant, all silver and red. Some young teens were hanging out there when we visited. The paved patio, which we understand violates city ordinance for keeping front gardens as gardens, is nonetheless lovely.
The chili cheese fries took us back to high school: not too much chili, just enough mystery soft cheese, and a good crunch to the fries.
Before the mad feasting began
The owners are a group of cousins in the Carroll Gardens Cumbo family, who have owned the building for 35 years. A few of the cousins grew up here in Carroll Gardens, while a segment of the family lived in Venezuela, where they ran upscale restaurants.
The owners say they wanted to create a family hangout, and a place where kids feel welcome. If they keep making such good burgers, they’ll be serving a fare number of adults, as well.
