Bareburger has an extremely compelling menu, and I love burgers, so it was a sure thing that I'd hit up this Greenwich village spot. They have elk, bison, and ostrich burgers on the menu. And anyone who's read my blog knows how much I love a good ostrich steak.

Unfortunately I was a touch disappointed by Bareburger. The atmosphere is a little weird - it's very bright and is a big open cafeteria like space. I actually don't mind that it was big, but it didn't feel very intimate. I guess this is more of a personal preference and something I've come to expect from other burger joints in NYC, but I guess I also am a little uncomfortable scarfing down an entire burger in harsh light. It's a guilty pleasure so I'd like to think I'm hiding it at least a little bit.

But, down to the brass tax - how was the burger? It was... okay. I ordered the classic - just wanted to taste the meat with a touch of toppings. I got it with bison meat, and asked for it medium well. I like a burger with a touch of pink, but like for almost all of the meat to have been a little cooked. The medium well bison burger came completely well done. And, it wasn't that flavorful. I've made bison burgers at home and the difference between bison meat and regular beef is profound. Not here, unfortunately. The bun was a brioche bun and was quite good. The toppings were adequate. The caramelized onions weren't so much caramelized as slightly sautéed... But, it was tasty.

The fries as well were okay but not great. They were a touch soggy, and not super flavorful. The most damning thing, in my opinion, was the lack of heinz ketchup, or an equally good tasting substitute. They utilize muir gardens brand, which is (generously speaking) watery and unflavorful. I realize that their focus is on being all organic and if you're going to go through the trouble of having walls made of cork you're going to make sure you utilize organic ketchup. I get that. But heinz makes organic ketchup too, and it doesn't taste terrible. So... that's just a suggestion.

Overall I really wanted to like this place. I really wanted to be able to find an awesome affordable burger joint with a wide range of beef that was just tremendous. Bareburger didn't quite meet the expectations. But, I may go back to try the elk burger.