Cute on a bun
Bite-size burgers are adorable, and they're all the rage
Alice in Wonderland-like, the burger got bigger and bigger -- until it started to shrink, and shrink, and shrink. Right now, one can fit on the palm of your hand and offers about two satisfying bites. Plump little minis in their soft or chewy rolls embrace prime meat or seafood, the presentation tarted up with special pickles and frills of greenery.
Mini burgers, which measure about 3 inches wide, are one more piece of the nation's fascination with all things cute: the Mini Cooper, iPod nano, palm-size cameras, and miniscule women's handbags. On the table, says James Oliver Curry, the dining editor of TimeOut New York, ''It's part of the small plates craze." To Kevin Troy, owner of the three-month-old Match in Back Bay, the baby burgers fit in with young diners' search for food to share with cocktails. Troy, who also owns Gypsy Bar and other entertainment venues, says the little versions mean ''people can try a variety." The name Match, he says, celebrates the popular pairing of the moment. ''What everybody wants," says the restaurateur, are ''martinis and burgers."
Another reason for the appeal of the tiny burgers is that this is luxury that's affordable. At a steakhouse, the super fat, super rich Kobe can cost $54. Gabriel Frasca at Spire fashions three bite-size beef ''shooters" from American-raised Kobe and charges $16, literally giving diners a taste of luxury. The babies get superior packaging. Buttery brioche holds many of them; Saint's are sandwiched in homemade Portuguese sweet rolls.
TimeOut's Curry predicts that when this craze passes, brunch may be the next to shrink. Expect mini French toast, mini waffles, and mini pigs-in-blankets. ''God knows," he says, ''they're adorable." -- ALISON ARNETT
Some of the Boston restaurants where mini burgers are especially good:
Match, 94 Massachusetts Ave., 617-247-9922.
Domani, 51 Huntington Ave., 617-424-8500.
Spire, Nine Zero Hotel, 90 Tremont St., 617-772-0202.
Toro, 1704 Washington St., 617-536-4300.
28 Degrees, 1 Appleton St., 617-728-0728.
