Lunchtime With Tillie: 67 Burger

There’s only so much turkey one family can eat …

Good thing there’s Lunchtime With Tillie to break us away from it!

Hey again, everyone, it’s Van and Tillie, wishing you a belated Happy Thanksgiving. And we have a special return guest with us: She lives in Clinton Hill, thinks I need to eat more vegetables and loves Tillie more than anything. Give up? All right, I’ll tell: It’s Tillie’s mom! This time, the three of us went to 67 Burger on Lafayette and Fulton.

You’re all probably thinking, “Geez, Van eats more hamburgers than Wimpy.” (A little Popeye reference for you!) And it’s true, I do eat my fair share. But I want it to be on the record that I was not the guiding force behind us going there — it was all Tillie’s mom!

She wasn’t possessed by the spirit of the Hamburglar or anything: It was a practical decision. We had a big trip to the Prospect Park Zoo planned and we wanted to get something quick to eat on our way to the Q train. Plus, I had mentioned to Tillie’s mom before how a parenting blog in the neighborhood, Mommy for the Win, had made notice of a kids’ menu there, so we were in.

I was actually in only half-heartedly. This may sound blasphemous to some, but I’m not the biggest 67 Burger fan. I don’t know if my expectations are too high — like I want a place that specializes in burgers to make the best possible one imaginable — or what, but the food’s never really worked out for me. And I’ve tried it a few times, too.

Anyway, we got in and took a look at the menu. We were set with Tillie’s order, as recommended by Mommy FTW: a grilled cheese sandwich with sweet potato fries. And if you’ve read any LWT where I’m eating a burger, you know I went the bacon cheeseburger route. Tillie’s mom ordered a Cajun burger, with its mix of spices, and we got an order of seasoned curly fries to split.

The place was plenty spacious enough, but it’s good we got there when we did because it quickly filled up. We took our seats and a high chair was brought out for us. The first thing to arrive to the table was the seasoned curly fries, and we gave some to our fries-and-ketchup-loving baby, who was quite pleased with that. TM and I munched on the fries with Tillie, and here’s one of my first complaints about the food: When I hear “seasoned,” I’m thinking there’s going to be some kind of spicy dusting on the fries, like cayenne pepper or something. The only thing “seasoned” about them was that they were extra-salty. I guess salt’s a seasoning, but still, there’s other ones out there that can go on fries!

Tillie’s food came out right after that, and it was kind of cute to see her little sandwich and side combo on her own plate! Tillie’s mom cut it up and gave her a piece, but she didn’t seem that into it. It was really only when mom added the magic ingredient, ketchup, to the mix that she got into it. Personally, it wasn’t something I’d eat, but I guess with babies, you’ll see some weird combos coming along — as long as they eat it, it’s all good!

My burger and Tillie’s mom’s arrived simultaneously, and like Tillie’s grilled cheese sandwich, there was a LOT of cheese on mine, some of which I had to cut off. I didn’t mind, but when I bit into the burger, I was a little disappointed. It was the same thing that I’ve always encountered: kind of dry, a little salty (particularly the bacon), some weird aftertaste. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t eat it, because I did. It just wasn’t that pleasurable burger-eating experience that I can find at so many other places around the neighborhood.

Tillie’s mom liked hers, though. She ordered it medium rare and said that usually when you order it elsewhere like that, it comes out medium. In between bites of her burger, she kept the Tillie food train running by continually adorning her fries and grilled cheese with ketchup. Tillie didn’t down all of the sandwich and fries, but enough to stuff her belly for some good old-fashioned animal viewing at the zoo! We packed her leftovers in a to-go box (I know: a leftover grilled cheese sandwich? That’s on Tillie’s mom, too!) and headed on our way.

So, as I stated earlier, I’m not the biggest fan of the food there. But would I go back? Yes, believe it or not, I would. The kids menu comes with plenty of options on it, and the staff there was super-friendly and helpful. I don’t think our bill for the three of us was that bad at $32, which also included sodas (with free refills!) for Tillie’s mom and me.

Maybe next time I’ll get the turkey burger. As long as it’s not around Thanksgiving again!