A few weeks ago, my niece in college texted me and wanted to go someplace to dine. But she didn't want to just go anywhere like a local fast food place or takeout pizza. She wanted to try something different. The last time I saw her, we went to the local mall from her college and dined at a local chain, feasting on burgers and fries. So I had the task to come up with something and it just hit me at that point...show my niece the place where myself and my old college buddies went to when I was her age. It was a specialized burger place in New York where one can find the best kept secrets of restaurants to dine in. Jackson Hole Restaurant on 64th Street doesn't look like much from the outside, so much that if you blink, you'll pass by it.
The unique thing about this restaurant is that it's a very small place and is situated in basement of a building on the Upper East Side. When descending into the "basement", you can smell the deliciousness of those burgers being grilled. My experience from my college days was so great that myself and my friends would go back there several times over the years, but only on special occasions so as to not wear off the uniqueness of the dining experience. While waiting for our food, my niece was fascinated by the cooks rustling up the ingredients to make the food orders and the posters of old movies from a few generations ago. One can also find old license plates and other classic motif hanging on the walls.
Finally, our cooked to order food had arrived. My order was the usual...mushroom & bacon burger and a cherry cola (they use grenadine for the cherry) to wash it down. My niece is a big fan of Mac & Cheese and it didn't surprise me that she ordered one of the featured items...the Mac & Cheese with bacon burger caught her eye when she first looked at the menu and had to order that. How she was able to eat it all with just her hands and the burger not falling apart was astounding, yet when I tried to eat my dinner with my hands, it was a complete failure and I resigned to eating the rest of my burger with a fork & knife. Regardless, it hit the spot and was a fantastic dining experience, especially for my niece to have that for the first time. I have a feeling that she'll want to go back to Jackson Hole Restaurant soon. Hope you enjoy the photos from my dinner with my niece!
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Photos by Mel Ajero