Spain can cook a mean burger

So much has been said about Txikito's lunch menu and burger offering. From Ed Levine at Serious Eats to Josh Ozersky at The Feedbag and NYMag, who originally posted the lunch menu, the food media has been abuzz and I have been itching to get over there. Having already thoroughly enjoyed a dinner feast at the restaurant I had no doubt I would enjoy the lunch, but I didn't know to what degree. The lunch menu is much smaller, with soups, salads, sandwiches, some other plates and sides. I was here for the burger, known as "el doble" ($11), first and foremost, so we ordered up burgers and the fries ($4), crispy and dusted with a Basque chili powder. The burger emerged, looking larger than all the pictures do it justice. Two patties are assembled with smoked sheep's milk cheese, pickled guindilla peppers, pickled onions, sliced cornichons, and a special sauce made from mayo and creme fraiche all between a Tom Cat Bakery bun. It is by no means a "clean" burger, as the juicy meat, about 20 percent fat, combined with the special sauce drips all over the plate (seen here in the picture), but the bun does a wonderful job absorbing all that meaty goodness. Each bite was delicious, with the combination of flavors unique to me in burger form and quite memorable. It's no Shake Shack burger, but I'm confident in saying it is one of the better burgers in the city, perhaps top five or better. Service is from 12-3pm, Tuesday - Friday, so get over there during the week before it starts getting busy and see for yourself. 240 Ninth Ave., 212-242-4730, Reservations - Not Accepted, Price - Moderate