Omnivore - Strange neighbors
Five Napkin Burger opens next to Zocalo
Misinformed, I tried to lunch at the new Five Napkin Burger a day before it actually opened. I didn’t mind, because it gave me an excuse to visit Zocalo next door (photo above). It’s been several months since I visited my favorite in-town Mexican restaurant.
I ordered “la gringa,” a quesadilla to which I became addicted when Zocalo operated a (now closed) location near our house in Grant Park a few years back. It’s two tortillas stuffed with al pastor meat, onions, cilantro and red or green sauce. It’s juicy with a bit of pineapple, spicy but not fiery. And the restaurant is now offering a jumbo-sized portion.
I did make it to dinner at Five Napkin Burger a few days later. The place was absolutely packed around 7:30 p.m. with people happily paying $15 for a burger. I returned around 10 p.m. — the kitchen closes at 11 p.m. — and was seated right away.
My burger and fries were good quality. The burger was cooked medium-rare, just as I requested and very hard to find in our city lately. I’ll have more to say in “Grazing” later this week.