As Superiority Burger (119 Avenue A, near 7th Street) gradually expands to an all-day schedule, it recently added weekday lunch to its repertoire, with a menu distinct from the evening, brunch, and late-night ones. I recently went with a friend to check it out.
Superiority Burger is now serving lunch on weekdays. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY
When we arrived around 12:30 p.m., the place was half full, though it filled up as our meal progressed. We sat in the front window and examined the brief menu, similar to the brunch and evening menus in format, with a section of four sandwiches across the top (including the eponymous vegan burger), and a collection of seven dishes in a column below, arranged according to size, from smallest to largest.
A highlight, and the one most likely to draw the attention of regulars, is the French fries ($12): It’s the first time in Superiority Burger near-decade long history that the restaurant has served fries, and they’re only available during weekday lunch. They arrive in a modest bowl, visibly salted, a pleasing shade of chestnut brown. They are quite simply the best French fries I’ve tried this year — and I eat a lot of fries — squishy in the middle without being mealy, and crunchier than most.
When I ask co-owner Brooks Headley (who I’ve known since his days as pastry chef at Del Posto) what he’s done to make them so good, he concedes they are twice fried, but claims there’s nothing special about the way they’re made. They come with ketchup and a vegan take on aioli (with a dash of malt vinegar), but you need neither for these fries.
The focaccia with the tomato soup. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY
The wedge salad is a hollowed-out half of a napa cabbage. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY
Past the fries, there’s an eye-searingly red tomato soup ($13) with a dab of cashew cream on top, and a wedge salad ($18) that isn’t really a wedge, but a scooped out boat made with Napa cabbage swamped with croutons, roasted tomatoes, and dill, then gobbed with a faux blue-cheese dressing made with fermented cashews. It doesn’t quite have blue cheese’s pungency and coloration, but that may be seen as an advantage. We also got a rectangle of the daily focaccia ($7), well-oiled and oozing pumpkin.
On to the sandwiches: The toasted cheese ($15) is as carefully made as any diner example you’ve ever run across, using sharp cheddar and sided with mint leaves and pickle, it’s a nice touch, especially for those who are bored by toasted cheese sandwiches halfway through. (The menu listing also cites a biblical verse that features a bread recipe, though one that could be hard to recreate.) By the way, the cheese sandwich goes great with the tomato soup, which is likely the point.
The grilled cheese sandwich with pickles and mint. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY
The new creation sandwich is made with tofu skin. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY
The most startling sandwich is a newcomer called New Creation ($24). It features a heaping portion of tofu skins, well seasoned with a secret sauce, and pickles on a seeded bun. I liked it very much, though eating that much tofu skin is a job for two people.
We finished up with three desserts ($6 to $9): a strange roulade of peanut butter and jelly that was more intellectually interesting than good tasting; a seasonal square pastry of rhubarb and cherries, quite good; and a perfect snickerdoodle. The meal was washed down with a daily soda made with sassafras and other ingredients, hinting at the psychic origins of A&W Root Beer, and a deep red drink of hibiscus flowers that, thankfully, had a restrained sweetness.
We concluded that, for now at least, noon is the time to show up at Superiority Burger because you can sit down immediately and eat in relaxed surroundings.
Two of three lunch desserts at Superiority Burger. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY
Dining and Cooking