Maialino's Late Night Special Burger

"As I admire the beauty of newfallen snow while softly cursing DiBlasio’s ban on late-night food delivery, I think back on this past Thursday…’twas a special evening indeed. A salty dozen of us gathered for a lovely late-night burger session at the fine-dining establishment Maialino, thanks to club member Corey. This was a special burger - something different and unexpected. It was a clear triumph of creativity and careful experimentation - as reflected in the sky-high harmoniousness and toppings ratings. The combination of gorgonzola, escarole and house-made pepper pancetta, coupled with a prime beef blend and a brioche bun, made for a balanced and palate-stimulating burst of flavor in each bite. The venue itself also has a finely-tuned elegance, and our group table in the center of it all was just the right blend of casual yet refined. That said, some folks were critical of the toppings - no matter how delicious they were - and how they could overwhelm the flavor of the beef, while others weren’t a fan of the brioche bun’s texture. Sides were sharply divisive as well - the burger itself comes with only a few picked veggies (similar to The NoMad), but the inexpensive small plates we ordered following the burgers (more on my organization later…) were quite fantastic in their own right - chicken hearts, pork cracklin', fried baby artichokes and a glorious paté…yet some just wanted a traditional helping of fries to wash down their beef, and felt it should’ve been handed down alongside the patty. Value assessments fell along similar lines - $15 a fine price for a burger, though the lack of sides meant some felt cheated of a full meal. That said, the $5 beers and $8 cocktails were a bargain in any economic climate... Sadly, while the world markets fluctuate, my rating as a human being remains right around the same low-water mark - this time ‘round hovering at 3.7. There were mixed reviews of my hat - some criticized it as a poor man’s beret, while others appreciated it’s Mighty Mighty Bosstones-esque retro flair. There were harsh words about my lack of organization in coordinating the ordering of sides long after the burgers had come and gone, and Alissa found my “desperate approval-seeking” to border on distasteful…so thanks for that constructive criticism guys. However one point of clarification I’d just like to make in closing is that the official name for this burger is the "Late Night Burger,” not the “Andrew Sucks Burger” as several folks mistakenly posited... "