From the outside, you might mistake Bonnie’s
Grill for just another hole-in-the-wall hamburger joint. Mistake
being the operative word.
Step inside and you’re immediately immersed in the kind of warmth
that surrounds a place that has clearly been conceived with boundless
energy and a passion for good, simple food.
Anthony Bonfilio and Mike Naber started Bonnie’s Grill two years
ago. "I’ve loved to cook and eat since I was a child, and
it was my father who lit my passion," says Bonfilio. "He
was always cooking for weddings or for the Knights of Columbus
or for spaghetti dinners."
Bonfilio, who has been in the food service business himself for
the last 24 years, named this, the first restaurant he has owned,
after the father he so loved.
"Bonnie was my father’s nickname in World War II,"
says Bonfilio. "I decided to use the name for my restaurant
as a salute to him."
The interior of the restaurant is small, with a long bar that
seats 10 to 12 and overlooks the open kitchen. Here Bonfilio
stirs soup, flips burgers and oversees orders with the agility
and speed of a short order cook. There are several small tables
at the back with metal chairs and red plastic seats. The floor
is black-and-white checkered linoleum.
The works of local artists are displayed on the brick walls,
and the exhibits change every two months. On this evening, the
dining room is surrounded by beautiful black-and-white photographs
of sculptures and cityscapes. The overall atmosphere is warm
and quaint, part diner, part Left Bank cafe.
The menu is limited – appetizers, salads, sandwiches and desserts
– with a pullout special featuring a different soup, sandwich
and entree selection each night. Hot and spicy regional American
cuisine is Bonfilio’s specialty, as he has developed an intense
love of spicy food over the years.
"Initially, it was Buffalo wings that turned me on to hot
food," he says. "I have a collection of 500 different
hot sauces in my apartment."
Indeed, all the food has a hot accent. Soups are something of
a specialty for Bonfilio, who claims to have never made the same
one twice. "I always look for a new twist on familiar flavors.
I like to throw in something unexpected," said Bonfilio.
We started with the orange fennel lentil soup, which was exactly
what Bonfilio had described – the familiar flavor of lentils
was delicately accented with citrus and the subtle flavor of
fennel. Habanero and chipotle chilies added an intense heat to
the soup, which detracted from the smoothness of the unusual
flavor combination.
The heat of the polenta with vegetables worked much better. Carrots,
celery, peppers and onions were sauteed with hot chilies, the
total beautifully accenting a slice of coarse polenta. The Buffalo
wings, too, were satisfyingly hot. They were served with thinly
sliced celery and carrot sticks and a cool blue cheese dressing
that complemented the heat of the crispy fried wings.
I was particularly looking forward to Bonfilio’s burger as I
had heard raves from more than one friend. I was not disappointed.
The meat, grilled to medium rare perfection, was of the highest
quality and had a great charcoal flavor. With tomato, lettuce,
onion, pickle, ketchup, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, I was in
juicy, tender hamburger heaven.
Even the bun was superior, with more substance than most while
not overburdening the meat. The burger came with an adequate
amount of french fries, but was served with an aioli mayonnaise
that added too much richness in this instance.
The small samples we tried of the pulled pork and sloppy joe
were fine, though they couldn’t compete with the burger, and
we were feeling mighty full and eager to move on to desserts.
Of the four desserts offered, our favorite was the chocolate
brownie – dense, moist and chocolatey. There was a peanut chocolate
chip torte that was slightly gelatinous in the middle and macaroons
that were good though not as almondy as I like them.
Bonfilio’s forte is soups and burgers. Combined with good service,
reasonable prices (most dishes are from $4 to $9), and a very
pleasant atmosphere, it’s a great place to stop in for dinner
after a busy day at the office or for a good, cheap weekend meal.
Though you’ll need to arrive early as Bonnie’s Grill gets very
busy.
Bonnie’s Grill is located at 278 Fifth
Ave. at Garfield Place. Bonnie’s accepts Visa, MasterCard and
American Express. Entrees: $4 to $9. For more information, call
(718) 369-9527.
