Clarke's Standard

Grabbing a quick lunch is a little bit traumatizing when I'm working in the South Street Seaport area. I could play food truck roulette and see what's parked where, but time is always limited. The rows of crappy delis, with their stomach flu incubators that double as salad bars are the main reason as to why I brown bag it on a daily basis.

On Fridays, I tend to "forget" my lunch so I spend most of the morning devising plans. I was going to roam around for 10 minutes and if I didn't find anything good, I was gonna hit up Chipotle. With having any luck, there I was on course to Chipotle, but just as I got there I noticed a location of Clarke's Standard. There I stood trying to figure out one of life's greatest questions - burritos or burgers. Through the window of Chipotle, I could see the line of desk jockeys wrapped around the store. I looked over at an almost empty Clarke's Standard and the decision was clear. I don't do lines or long waiting times.

Clarke's Standard is a fast casual burger spot whose pedigree comes from legendary Manhattan bar PJ Clarke's. A quick skim of the menu and this is what I got:

The Butchers Cut Combo ($9.90)
The Burger: A 6 ounce burger topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and PJ's special sauce cooked to order. I usually take my burger cooked medium, but this burger was cooked more to the taste of medium-well, nonetheless the burger had a decent char flavor to it, and it was juicy. I'm pretty sure that the special sauce was just Russian dressing which is just a mix of ketchup, relish and mayo.

The fries: The fries were medium sized in cut with the skin on. Crispy outside, starchy soft texture inside, with a nice light coating of salt. Might I also mention the abundance of condiments on tap - including BBQ sauce, which I prefer to dip my fries into. Step your condiment game up, homey.

Chances are you won't be sucking someone's dick for a cheeseburger from Clarke's Standard, but to throw something into your weekly lunch routine, this place is perfect. At such a low price point you'll probably have enough money left over for happy hour.

Clark's Standard 

101 Maiden Lane, New York (4 locations in total)

www.clarkes-standard.com