A Burger A Week: Fonda’s Fonda Burger

Fonda’s original location–nestled near the corner of 7th Avenue and 15th Street in South Slope, offers many of the same dishes as the Avenue B outpost. The Fonda Burger has everything going for it: Guajillo beef, a heap of avocado slices, pico de gallo, smoky salsa, and a smear of avocado aioli. Perhaps best of all is actually the house-baked bun, with its crunchy exterior and pillow-soft inside.

The pile of sweet potato fries–crisp and and sliced long and thin–is an ideal accompaniment.

Rating: 9. Fonda has fantastic food–but don’t overlook its eponymous burger. It is one of the best in the city, and with all of the verdant ingredients, the fresh avocado and pico de gallo, it is also one of the healthiest.

Cocktail Hour: Red Gravy’s Amaro

This Brooklyn Heights hot spot brews a house-made Amaro. This is not your typical bottled variety; Red Gravy’s is muddled and mixed with over thirty herbs and spices. Restorative? This concoction will have you feeling like Superman by the time you finish sipping.

We enjoy Red Gravy’s Amaro so much, we often take special trips to the bar, just for a nightcap.

Cocktail Hour: Van Horn’s Van Horn

This isn’t your ordinary tongue-twister; the namesake drink at Cobble Hill’s homage to Southern dining is our pick of the week.

Bourbon, lemon, green chartreuse, basil, and a touch of honey round out this exceptional drink.

In addition to the cocktail menu, Van Horn offers a rotating special drink each evening.

Cocktail Hour: Yuca Bar’s Brazilian Mojito

Every Thursday night, the East Village’s Yuca Bar turns into Little Brasil, where vibrant (and stiff) Brazilian Mojitos steal the show at $8 a pop. These tall glasses are laced with Leblon cachaca and enough muddled mint and lime to provide a refreshing sip in the waning summer evenings. The stout sugarcane serves as an ideal swirler.

At Happy Hour (5-8 every evening), drinks like the Brazilian Mojito (foreground) and Mango Margarita are only $7.

Cocktail Hour: Gwynnett St.’s Order and Progress

This week we are featuring Gwynnett St.’s Order and Progress. Gwynnett St. does not host a happy hour, but saving is not in the cards at this cocktail spot. Cocktails are pricey, but the Order and Progress is just one of the amazing drinks that they can mix up for you. The Order and Progress is a fantastic rendition of the “caipirinha.” It is strong, refreshing, and not too sweet, so you get the best of both worlds.

Order and Progress: cachaca, passion fruit, pernod, and lime.

We highly recommend ordering a couple of cocktails ($12 each) paired with their infamous whiskey bread ($5) for a special cocktail hour.