13 Things to Know About the New Superiority Burger | Eater NY
"After a nearly 16-month hiatus I was overjoyed when Superiority Burger 2.0 opened in the former Odessa space and began serving evenings at 5 p.m., staying open until at least midnight. I showed up promptly at 5 p.m., breezed in with no line, grabbed a table near the front window with a view of the refrigerated glass pie case, and watched the place fill so that it was nearly full by 6 p.m. The menu remains vegetarian and largely vegan, short for now (about 12 savory dishes) but with a vastly expanded dessert selection — Brooks Headley’s pastry background at Del Posto is obvious — and the placemat, plastic-pink menu, nostalgic booths from Odessa, and Brooks’s art on the walls give the room a lived-in, diner-ish charm. After years of development, the signature veggie burger ($13) is near perfect: an almost-firm patty with confit tomatoes that add zip, a floe of muenster, mustard, and pickles, presented on a diner plate; the burned broccoli salad and other familiar hits remain. The modest-sized spud ($11.50) sided with lemon and parsley is cloaked in nicely browned cheese with a crisp skin — don’t miss this — and a pickled beet salad flavored with dill takes a nutsy turn with shards of pretzel, sesame seeds, and a bed of jalapeño cream cheese that is totally satisfying and wonderfully surprising. Coffee is unfetishized diner coffee ($5) with one free refill. Desserts, made by Darcy Spence (who returned after a detour to Yellow Rose), are adventurous: a thick shake ($12) made with dates from Mecca, California (Salton Sea) is chunky enough that you’ll need a spoon, and a $15 pie studded with tapioca pearls over a Hawaiian-plum puree, custard, and graham crumb base tastes like key lime pie. There are classic cocktails (Negroni, gimlet, margarita); my Old-Fashioned, garnished with orange and lemon peels, was a little lighter than usual. Finally, Headley’s taste in music is a highlight — the soundtrack during my meal ranged from Roky Erickson and Badfinger to Boogie Down Productions, Audio Two, and the Chi-Lites — which, for an aficionado of obscure and rocking tunes, is an absolute delight." - Robert Sietsema
