The Mango Lassie

Hello again, dear readers. I know I have been M.I.A. in recent days. Let’s just say that the first month of graduate school has taken its toll on my blogging time. Luckily, even graduate students have to eat, and eating cheaply is an even higher priority than ever. I have a number of New York City recommendations to relay to you soon. But first, I’ll tell you about the trip Empanada Boy and I took to Westchester a few weeks ago. We were visiting his aunt and uncle, Spanakopita and Iceberg. They had kindly allowed us to have our wedding gifts shipped to their house, so we spent the afternoon opening them. After our strenuous present-opening session, a juicy burger sounded like the perfect thing. Spanakopita and Iceberg agreed to take us to the Blazer Pub, a Westchester stand-by and a temple to the burger.

The Blazer Pub is housed in a quaint old white colonial with reddish shutters. The interior has dark wood paneling and is decorated with random antiques, mostly connected to equestrian activities, sports and Irish themes. The restaurant is named after the Galway Blazers, a fox-hunting club in Western Ireland. Tables are covered with red cloths, and the menu is filled with pub specialties like sandwiches and chowder. Burgers are the main show. Iceberg, Spanakopita and I ordered the regular burger, which only comes with pickles for toppings. We specially requested grilled onions, but even lettuce and tomato would have meant another extra charge. EB ordered the Blazer Burger, a more elaborate concoction, which came with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and grilled onions. The burgers were thick and almost spherical, making for a very high sandwich. We all ordered them medium-rare, but were disappointed when they arrived medium to well-done. The meat was still flavorful, but it was missing the essential juiciness we had been expecting. Iceberg assured us that this was not the norm and that the cooking sometimes suffers on a busy Saturday night. Our server gently scolded us later for not sending them back, but we confessed to being too hungry to wait.

Sides to go along with burgers must also be ordered separately. We got a small order of the Blazer’s massive hand-cut fries. Needless to say, the small was more than enough to serve the four of us. These were a little thick for my taste, but they had a good crispy exterior and a soft, warm interior. EB wanted to try another of the restaurant’s specialties— the Blazer Onion. This is a whole onion’s worth of fried onion rings. He couldn’t find enough support at the table and was warned against attempting to eat a whole one himself. Hopefully, he and I can go back to the Blazer to try them sometime soon. We’ll try to go on a weeknight to avoid the crowds and the burger casualties. I have a feeling the Blazer’s burgers can get a lot better than the ones we tried.

The Blazer Pub
Route 22
Purdys, NY 10578
914.277.4424