One of my first posts on SubStack was a review of Lori Jayne, the restaurant inside Brooklyn rock club Alphaville, which is owned and run by a friend, Sam Braverman (who I knew as a musician before he decided to try his hand at being a chef.) If you didn’t see that review, it’s here, but basically I raved about the $20 steak frites, which have become something of a viral sensation, along with the bistro’s excellent dipping sauces and elevated bar food (wings, chicken fingers and nuggets.)
I wanted to taste the burger, though, so that’s what I got on my return. And since I’d already tried the excellent fries, I got an order of fried mushrooms as a side. I expected button mushrooms, maybe halved if big or whole if small. Instead I got these leafy bits of oyster mushrooms. This place knows how to fry stuff, so the coating was crispy and brown, without a hint of grease or oil, and the mushroom inside was meaty and tender. They reminded me of the fried clams I used to get at Howard Johnson’s as a kid.
And then the burger - with cheese, of course - thick enough so it was cooked to a perfect medium rare (not a smashed burger guy, thank you,) beefy and just a little bloody (sorry, Vegan friends.) Normally I don’t like pickles on my burgers; they remind me of McDonalds. But here, the crunch of the pickle added a nice textural element and that tiny hit of vinegar was the perfect counterweight to the unctuous meat and oozy cheese. At $10, it’s a steal, but if you’re hungry, you might want to order two, or maybe add a side of wings or nugs. I gobbled mine down in three bites. Three delicious bites.
So yeah, A++ on the LJ burger, although if you go for the first time, you really gotta do the steak frites (they came au poivre, with a peppery sauce, or with an Asian chimmichurri. Also, A+ to the staff, bartenders and servers alike, who remain efficient and friendly no matter how crazy busy it gets (and it gets crazy busy.)
Lori Jayne/Alphaville is located at 140 Wilson Avenue, Brooklyn, a short walk from the L or M trains. The restaurant is open from 6 p.m. to 11:30 weekdays, later on weekends. You can find them at @lorijaynebk on Instagram and Threads.
If you know a restaurant that has some connection to music or musicians, or that’s just really good, let me know in the comments!