Kingsley is a shiny, polished diamond buried amidst the rough streets of Alphabet city...and their Wagyu burger (topped with bacon, egg, mustard, smoked garlic aioli, and cambezola) is a gloriously messy bit of magic.
Come spend a Sunday evening with us - because we're Burger Club, the burger and a beer (including tax and tip) will set you back a mere $25. See you there.
On a sweltering Sunday, a select sampling of our renowned ranks gathered in the magisterially elegant interior of Kingsley in Alphabet City to taste their Wagyu Burger - an overstuffed, messily-complicated but (to the taste buds of most) delightfully delicious burger.
There was a clear divide amongst the assembled parties - if you favor the unadorned elegance of a Peter Luger burger, or the magnificent restraint of a Minetta Black Label burger, then this may not be for you. If you enjoyed Jeepney's kitchen-sink-like creation, then you'll feel right at home - from the egg to the greens to the bacon to the Cambezola cheese, there is just a lot going on here, and the totality of it had some of us screaming like Meg Ryan before she got weird.
Yes, the toppings lack an overall harmoniousness, and yes they mask the flavor of the excellent meat, but for myself and many, that was forgiveable since they were all so damn tasty in their own right. For others, it was just too much of a good thing though - gilding the lily, if you will - so be aware of your own preferences before jumping in headfirst. That said, for a mere $16 (and $4 happy hour beers!), this is a mistake you can afford to make in the name of your ongoing education.
The shoestring fries were a point of dispute as well - some found them a perfect compliment, others found them "not worth the calories...anorexic compared to this fabulous burger." And in a possible quality control fluke, two folks found their fries tasting of fish...I sampled and there was a marked hint of mackerel in there...but so it goes when you frolic like a mad mermaid in the meaty millponds of Burger Club.
While this is a delicious slab of meat goodness there's a lot of competing toppings keeping me from THE MEAT. It was tasty but it's steep climb to get to Peter Luger heaven. Above average for sure but in not gonna cry over it
My body is pleased. This is a complex, high-end burger in a ridiculously classy setting, at a phenomenal price (esp when happy hour is in effect. Yes, it's a hot mess and it gets everywhere (I strongly recommend removing the greens and eating separately), but these are lovely flavors and they meld together in a special way. The beef does get short shrift in the end, but I'm kind of ok with that in the end given the loveliness of the package. The fries are delightful, and a $4 Rare Vos would be a steal anywhere, let alone in these elegant surroundings.
Highly recommended. Perhaps not the top-contender since the package is so overwhelming, but I can say unequivocally that this has a seat at the table of glory.
Foliage often gets overshadowed by the glory of the bovine. Not so in this case: the beautifully red, fresh tomato outblushed the entire dish, and the lovely flowers throughout the restaurant did their duty to take back first place in the battle of vegetation vs meat. The burger was not able to hide its insecurity in this fierce competition, overcompensating through a confusing array of tastes; fishy-tasting fries did their best to distract from the disappointment through tantilizing overtures to ocean-life. But of course, nothing can compete with the presence of Andrew Ousley-- so this burger was doomed from the start.
I came in wanting to love this burger after hearing the raves, but I couldn't get there. The burger was cooked to a beautiful medium rare, but the intensity of the toppings obscured the flavor of the beef. I found everything very salty - the cheese, the bacon, and the salty fries (with a pretty strong taste of fishiness that I don't really understand) - my mouth is parched. The egg is a stroke of genius, and is delicious - if, you know, a mess. But a delicious mess. The tomato was fresh and perfect.
The staff is friendly, and I like the vibe of the place. I wonder if this burger would appeal more to me in the cold winter months, but it's 94 degrees today, and this feels like too much for me.
The heavenly texture of this fine burger, evoked memories of past gastronomic delights, relived today in such exquisite company. The fries, alas, are too salty for my palette.
This is one sloppy wet pussy of a burger. Those that know me know I am not one to get my hands dirty during a meal. So that's my main issue with this burger. I was done with the actual burger and still had a large amount of bun, veggies, condiments, etc leftover. Taken as a whole though, it is a crazy flavor packed meal. And the shoestring fries were great.
Oh and "Shout" came on the radio while we were eating. Very fitting that the loudest, sloppiest song of any wedding was playing while this burger did its thing. How's that for harmoniousness?
I love it!!!
Here's the thing... this burger is a taste explosion of a burger. All the components that make it what it is are individually tasty, but the combination overwhelms the beef, which is of very high quality. Particularly the choice in cheese could have been a subtler one, but most def worth a try
This burger is two napkin maybe three sucker Amazing elegant and more than just the beef And with the happy hour beer prices this usurps all the previous except for the fries not worth the calories anorexic compared to this fabulous burger