A Great Steel Grill Burger

There are some places that as soon as you walk in, you can tell it is going to be great. There are no particular signs, except maybe the toys floating back and forth on strings, just an intangible element that tells your gut that this is a good spot. That is what I felt the first time I walked into Paul’s Place, a fantastic burger joint on 2nd ave. off St. Marks Place. As soon as you enter, without even looking, you smell the beautiful aroma of beef, feel the cozy, low key sensibility and hear the sizzle of the grill doing its magic. The first time, and every time following, I ordered the same thing. A Second Avenue Burger with Cajun Fries and a side of mayo (for the burger). But before I even get to that, I must say how much I love munching on the variety of sliced pickles placed on each table while I wait for the main event. Ok, back to the burger at hand. Now Paul’s offers many different and tasty sounding burgers, but like I said, I personally have never made it past their Second Avenue combination. Picture a juicy burger topped with American cheese, grilled tomato and most importantly a perfect slab of grilled ham. Top it with a mixture of ketchup and mayo, and you are in heaven…which is a good thing, because this is just the deadly combination that can send you there fast. The Cajun fries are also good. Although these are not great, they have a crisp coating and are seasoned just enough to be addicting once you start. The wait staff is what you would expect, attentive, but not out to do you any favors. But, you can always count on seeing Paul, a bit grayer these days, behind the counter watching every burger masterpiece go out. I even love that the menu states “dreamt of in 1979, established in 1989.