Hot New Dish Alert: Brick Oven Burger at Barra

Story and Photo by Danya Henninger

A burger baked inside a shell of dough? Yes, and it’s near genius. After all, in the world of burgers, it’s hard to be original. The lengths some restaurants go to make their patty offering stand out - adding foie gras, for example, or using donuts as the bun - can seem gimmicky and unnecessary. That’s why we were pleasantly shocked to discover the new brick oven burger at Barra is something totally new, and also completely delicious. Best of all, it's currently available as a lunch special for just $5.99, including fries.

The idea for this creation just popped into the head of pizzaiolo Ryan McKeown one day, though it took him and proprietor Gordon Dinerman several weeks to get it right. An eight-ounce Wagyu beef patty is first seared to bind the meat and brown the exterior, then placed atop a round of pizza dough. Toppings are added - we tried the classic Americano, with American cheese, housemade pickles and diced onions - and the dough is folded over, crimped shut and sent into the oven for a bake.

What emerges may not please traditionalists, but in our opinion it's close to burger perfection. The beef is cooked to medium, toppings are appropriately oozing, and the shell is crispy but not brittle, offering just enough bread for each bite. Plus, when you do close your mouth around the steaming goodness, the contents do not try to slip out the back of the bun - everything stays neatly in pocket. Two other options join the Americano (don’t miss the special sauce on the side, with 17 ingredients): you'll find the Mushroom Wiz Wit, which features a housemade Fontina cheese wiz ($7.99); and The Roman, with Genoa salami, cured tomatoes, arugula and provolone topping the meat ($8.99). We know we’ll be visiting the Old City beer and pizza stop again very soon to try both.