Please Pass the Napkin

This past weekend I celebrated my sister Christine's birthday with the family at famed burger stop 5 Napkin Burger. Always one for a great, juicy burger, I cannot tell you how many times I've strolled past 5 Napkin wanting desperately to go inside. Somehow it just never happened...until Sunday. Located on the corner of 45th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Napkin feels like a dolled up diner with a bistro twist. With a menu boasting 7 types of burgers, salads, and lots of tasty apps, I stayed true to what the joint does best - the Original 5 Napkin Burger. Gruyere cheese, carmelized onions, and rosemary aioli on a soft white roll complete this uber juicy burger - classy, no? Enough talking...let's get down to the photo montage, shall we?

Outside the famous Hell's Kitchen Burger Joint.

That's one giant burger. Plenty of Gruyere and sweet, carmelized onions made this burger anything but average. You'll note the small cup of rosemary aioli - I ordered this on the side. Those of you who know me already know my distaste for the herb, but I figured when at Five Napkin...and I have to say, it was pretty darn tasty despite my personal feelings.

Let's get a bit closer. Perfectly medium, the burger was so juicy that it actually soaked through the bottom of the bun. Normally this would be a dealbreaker, but in this case I have to say, it kind of worked.

Never one to pass up dessert, especially when there's apple involved, I couldn't help but order the warm apple pie, a la mode of course. It was one of the best around, really shining with the cinnamon streusel topping, making this anything but your average apple pie.

It wouldn't be dessert in the Cannon family without a little taste testing, so I sampled Christine's S'mores shake. Yup, that's one giant, perfectly toasted marshmallow on top...yum!

In my excitement over dessert sampling, I simply forgot to snap a photo of the espresso brownie sundae so I'll just have to tell you...vanilla ice cream, espresso caramel, and whipped cream topped with salted peanuts (have you noticed my love of sweet and salty together? Genuis). While I felt it didn't stand up to the fabulous apple pie, it was a pretty close second, though my sister Kimberly would probably dispute that to the ends of the Earth.

Ultimately, this made for a perfect birthday celebration and I finally got my Five Napkin fix. They even took reservations for a party of 7 and actually seated us on time.Would I go back? In a clogged heartbeat.