hype machine

Bunny and burger, Txixito.

The Hype Machine: Most food writers are guilty of stuffing its greedy maw. And although I’m a devotee of the old Latin expression de gustibus non disputandum est (“there’s no disputing taste”), I wanted to weigh in about a few Gotham eateries. Since restaurants can be inconsistent, it’s worth noting I tried each of these dishes only once.

Momofuku Milk Bar Crack Pie
Hype-ometer: 5 (Martha, Serious Eats)
Me: 3.5
There are two types of sweets fans in the world—those who love dulce de leche and those who do not. Crack Pie was conceived for the former. It contains two types of sugar, butter, cream, and a touch of flour. Think about that for a second. This is a pie made out of the buttery, sugary portion of cookie dough. One bite will make your teeth feel like they’re about to fall out of your face. If you’re into that, you’re stoked.

Kampuchea’s bacon sandwich
Hype-ometer: 4 (acquaintance at New York Magazine)
Me: 2
I like my bacon piping-hot and slightly crispy. This was neither, with a gummy texture reminiscent of fake bacon. The roll was big and chewy, overwhelming the meager-for-$11 fillings of smoked Thai pepper, chili aioli, a smatter of veggies, and a couple strips of bacon.

Txixito’s Idiazabal double-patty burger
Hype-ometer: 5 (The Feedbag, Serious Eats, NYMag)
My vote: 5
This burger is out of control. I won’t go on and on about it, since my colleagues here and here did so for me. All I can say is that one is not going to be enough. Bunny (above) and I seriously considered approaching the burly Yankees fans at the table behind her for just one more bite. Idiazabal, a nutty sheep’s milk cheese from the Basque region of Spain, is one of my faves, so I am gonna try to replicate this juicy (20% fat ratio), creamy (the sauce is part-crème fraiche), piquant (cornichons) baby at home. And fail. But oh, what a delicious failure it will be.

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