Chef Matthew Karp has been holding court at Plates across from Larchmont Metro North for over a dozen years, participating in the local farmers market and doing his seasonal al fresco BBQ and music sessions alongside the restaurant. It had been a while, so I stopped by during their daily happy hour which runs 5 to 7 pm.
Sipped an Allagash White while I looked over the menu. My order of mini smoked beef short rib & brisket tacos, 6 to a platter, were totally delicious! The flavors bounced off my palate. What would I follow with, though. I noticed they were offering a reduced happy hour price on their burgers, so I went for a grilled local grass fed burger and asked the server to have chef surprise me with a couple of toppings. Out comes a cutting board with my burger that had been topped with a layer of their house made pastrami, bacon, sautéed onions and cheese. Lettuce, tomato and big pickle were placed separately. There were two tasty aolis on the side, one a ketchup, the other a spicy pepper/mayo. There was a stack of crispy house cut fries, too. One taste of that burger, requested medium, and I knew it was one the best I had tasted this past year. No question about it…
