the difficulty of being #1

"Market Table's burger comes with gorgonzola cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions, which are the holy trinity of burger toppings, as far as I'm concerned. The house-made roll has just a little bit of crunch on the outside, and it may be the best hamburger bun in New York at the moment."- Ed Levine

"At lunchtime the dining room is bright and airy, and the lunch-only burger ($12), a contender for New York's best,"- Gothamist

"Served at lunch only, the burger ($12) comes with the works-cheddar, caramelized onions, slices of pickle and a heap of golden fries, crunchy and hot, and sprinkled with salt. But the works are mere accessories to the stunning mound of meat that rests between the puffy bun-perfectly cooked to medium rare, and seasoned so well that my mind wandered to the Spotted Pig burger and placed this one next to it in my brain's burger rankings."- Andrea Strong, The Strong Buzz

with all the hype surrounding it, it's no wonder that my trip to market table felt ever so slightly. . . anti-climatic?

i ordered my burger medium and it arrived just as promised- with a slight char on the outside and pink in the center- managing to provide both wonderful texture and flavorful juices. the meat was perfectly seasoned and the chewy, slightly dense bun held it's own against the weight of the substantial patty. all in all, i thought the burger was delicious and satisfying. but i was not transcended or convinced it's the best burger in the city. . . so the search continues.