One day, my girlfriend said she was having a serious craving for both burger and pizza, so I figured why not take her to a place that does both. Emily has long been on my radar as the sort of awesome neighborhood restaurant in Brooklyn that serves incredible pizzas not bound by any specific culinary traditions (in fact, New York City has recently seen a proliferation of pizzerias that serve pies of diverse inspirations and regional influences) as well as a burger that has quietly become known as one of the best out there. And our Sunday trip to Brooklyn all the way from Midtown Manhattan was well worth it!

The famed Emmy burger apparently sells out quickly every evening, so we had to get there as early as possible. I was giddy that we were able to get seated right away (more on that later below), and was able to order the burger. Wow, what an incredible burger! I haven’t really put together a list of the burger rankings out there (my standard bearer has always been the Black Label burger at Minetta Tavern), but this will easily make the top 3. The dry aged beef sandwiched between a pretzel bun along with caramelized onion and cheddar was marvelous. The juicy texture and rich flavor of the meat was absolutely phenomenal that each bite turned into pure bliss. I wouldn’t mind working at Emily part time just to learn the craft of making this burger. It was a bit unfortunate that the pizzas came after the burger because while both pizzas we tried were quite delicious too, they paled in comparison to the impact that the burger made. Between the two, I was slightly more partial to Emily pizza, which had mozzarella, pistachios and truffle sottocenere along with hint of sweetness from honey, than the vodka pizza. In any case, I really enjoyed the thin crust of both pies, which meant that we were able to enjoy them without stuffing ourselves with too much dough. I was starting to wish that we had brought more people to join us because there were so many other pizza options that looked appetizing. The fun at Emily doesn’t end there. The lone dessert, s’mores calzone, was another show stopper, stuffed with marshmallow and chocolate that was pure decadence. We both knew this much sugar might kill us, but still went ahead and nearly devoured this monstrosity.

Emily doesn’t take reservations for party smaller than 6. When we walked in slightly after 6, it was already nearly packed with people but we were fortunately seated next to the kitchen where we were able to see the giant oven, where all the magic is happening, and people working around it. The dining space oozes classic neighborhood spot in Brooklyn where there is something for everybody (in addition to pizzas and burger, there are other options like salads and wings) to enjoy in a very casual setting. The restaurant has full bar with a variety of cocktail and wine options you can complement your meal with; sadly, Italian wine bottle that we ordered was a bit lukewarm not having been preserved at room temperature. In any case, however, I’m more than willing to forget such shortcoming as I was very satisfied with the soulful yet confident cooking at Emily. I can  tell that the kitchen certainly doesn’t play safe and they want to bring something unique to the incredibly diverse dining scene of New York City. A repeat visit is definitely in short order.

KenScale: 8.5/10

• Creativity: 8.5/10
• Execution: 9.0/10
• Ingredients: 8.0/10
• Flavor: 8.5/10
• Texture: 8.5/10

Address: 919 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Telephone: (347) 844-9588

Website: http://pizzalovesemily.com/emily/