Lawrence Dietz thinks the best hamburger in town is the one served at Cassell's down on 6th Street. If we leave out the ones Carolyn makes for me, I agree…and so was sorry to hear of the passing of Al Cassell last week. The current version of his little open-for-lunch-only eatery is good but his version, before he sold out and retired, was wonderful and he was obviously the reason. The publicity for the place stressed how compulsive Mr. Cassell was about only using the best meat, making his own mayonnaisse, designing his own unique grill, etc. When you saw him in action, it was easy to believe the hype.
One of the things I like about the place — and this ties in with what I was ranting here about recently regarding restaurants that give you too many ingredients — is that the quality at Cassell's is there before you add toppings…and you add your own. They just give you cooked meat on a bun and it's good enough to eat without adding all the frosting. Mr. Cassell also invented and offered, as a free add-on with your burger, an odd kind of homemade potato salad laced with spicy mustard. I don't like spicy mustard…and when you scoop a scoop of Cassell's potato salad onto your plate, you're gambling as to whether you'll get a lump with a little spice or a lot. But it's usually a good gamble and it's made with real mayo, which they also make on the premises.
In case you can't tell, I like this place…though I must admit I liked it more when Al Cassell was running it.