Featured Dish: Berliner Brat Burger

GutterGourmet — February 08, 2010

Clockwise from top: Berliner Brat Burger, Freakin Deal, and a Bratwurst.

Rolf Babiel has been missed since he passed last October, but thankfully, his brother Wolfgang carries on the Hallo Berlin cart tradition. I spent many a day on the corner of Fifth and 54th, waiting for my order to be ready— one of the great combination specials, often the ‘Dr. Atkins,’ or the ‘Churchill.’ Then there’s the ‘Freakin Deal,’ a wurst with onions, potato salad, and a warm crusty roll— a freakin’ deal indeed for $4.00. I loved to eat from an overflowing paper tray at one of the little folding counters on either side of the cart while watching Rolf slice the wursts and throw fresh ones on the grill.

But it’s a little cold for standing around outside, so lately I’ve taken to visiting Hallo Berlin Express on 9th Ave and 50th St. It has given me occasion to enjoy a sandwich that has not been given enough attention— the Triple B.

The Berliner Brat Burger is served on toasted bread with horseradish mustard and a pickle ($5.00). As the name suggests, it’s actually not so much a burger, as it is a salty, porky sausage in burger form. The one problem you encounter is that the bread doesn’t hold up to the juicy patty and its other toppings: rotwein, sauerkraut, and sautéed onions. But that won’t matter much when you down it while quaffing one of the German drafts they have on hand.