The Grocery

It's been several years since the Grocery, a small New American restaurant, shocked just about everyone in the food world by getting itself named one of Zagat's seven best restaurants in New York (by way of comparison, Le Bernardin and Daniel also made that list). A recent lunch showed that only those who'd never eaten there would have been shocked by such praise: the turkey burger with mushrooms was the best turkey burger we've ever eaten. Juicy, meaty, expertly salted. The mushroom soup starter warmed us, evoking woodsy Vermont, while the BBQ duck sandwich pleased us with its spicy-fatty contrast and the gingerbread pudding had us scraping the plate for crumbs. But it's the turkey burger we're still thinking --- and talking --- about. Damn if that wasn't the best thing we've eaten all fall.