Regulars at the Crown Heights bar Franklin Park, now have an excuse to step up their imbibing — they’ll need something to wash down those juicy burgers at the brand new Dutch Boy Burger next door.
“We were hoping for a good mix of old and new,” said Matthew Roff, who owns both Franklin Park and the new burger restaurant. “We wanted to make it retro, and capture the essence of what old burger joints used to be like, but then have things like bourbon-spiked milkshakes on the menu.”
The eatery pays homage to the venue’s former occupant, the old Dutch Boy Paint store. A giant, vintage Dutch Boy sign, uncovered when Roff stripped the exterior signage, dominates the interior décor.
Michelle Ragussis, formerly of Beast, heads up the kitchen, turning out classic renditions of the American burger, along with variations on old favorites like a lamb burger, a turkey meatball sandwich and a kielbasa hero.
The standouts are the Blue Burger, with smoky blue cheese and thick-cut bacon ($8.50), and the Moo-Thunder Stout Spiked Float ($7), an incredible concoction of Moo Thunder Stout beer and Blue Marble vanilla ice cream. The burger itself, sandwiched between Balthazar’s swoon worthy sesame brioche, was juicy and extra flavorful.
The burgers ain’t cheap, hovering in the $6.50 to $9 range with no fries, but never mind the price tag, the place is a meat lover’s comfort food dream.
The vegetarian crowd, however, was certainly not on the Ragussis’s mind: the veggie burger ($8.50) is a mushy patty of bland, unidentifiable vegetables, even with the help of chipotle sauce and cheddar cheese for an extra $1.50.
Also worth a mention is the weekend brunch, featuring items like raspberry mascarpone stuffed French toast, and Duckfat Sundays, where everything is fried in decadent duck fat.
Now that’s classic with a twist.
Dutch Boy Burger [766 Franklin Av. between St. Johns and Lincoln places in Crown Heights, (718) 230-0293].
