the problem with market-based menus

Anthony Bourdain obsessed freak that I am, I HAD to trek over to Williamsburg to check out Diner after seeing Tony wolf down a bone marrow butter-smeared ribeye in this joint. It's one of those places that offer a very seasonal, market-based menu. You can expect grassfeed beef all around, butchered right at Marlow and Daughters a few doors down. While there are very few regular items in the menu, the specials list takes maybe 5 minutes to recite. I loved the look of the place. Diner inhabits a cozy 1927 dinercar, and is dark and candlelit—a great place to go for those just-heating-up second dates.

The sad thing is, there were absolutely no steaks when we went. They had apparently sold so much of it over the weekend that they had none left by the time our party rolled in. SO SAD. This is the first time I experienced the downside to market-based menus. When there's no more cow to go around, there's just no more cow. We had to content ourselves with beef carpaccio and burgers ...

The burger was quite delicious. Nice and juicy with all the gooey melted goodness of white cheddar on top. YUM. Yum enough to make me salivate for a burger right now, but not enough to make me trek all the way back to Williambsburg. I would trek back though to attempt another shot at the bone marrow butter-smeared steak. I mean, it's smeared with bone marrow butter for crying out loud. I will not rest until I have it.

In the meantime, I am starving. I woke up at 3:40 after a night that involved me doing my very first keg stand, among other things. So I'm gonna go out and buy an overpriced cafe mocha and sandwich at Starbucks. That's all I got folks! Happy Sunday!

Diner is located at 85 Broadway Brooklyn, NY 11211. Tel. (718) 486-3077