It is pleasing to write - during this period of culinary constriction - that there are a few recently opened budget establishments worth your attention, especially if you like grilled meats. One of them, the Burekkirály (Burek King), on the hide-in-plain-sight District VI side-street Weiner Leó, serves the best čevapčići in Budapest. This sounds like high praise, but despite our proximity to the Balkans, and the sizable Serbian immigrant population in Hungary, there are but a few places to get csevap and pljeskavica. I have a Serbian friend who claims that getting descent csevap in Budapest is now-and-forever impossible. But, because I like to dream big, I will say it is imminently possible, and Serbian-owned Burekkirály has made that dream come true.

The tradition and flavor of Balkan grilled meats has been well-documented here and around the web, especially when bemoaning the lack of a good local hamburger. Serbians - unlike Hungarians - are masters of the grill. Like Armenians at the barbeque, and Polish stuffing pierogi: Serbs are in their element at the grill: and elevate cooking their ground and spiced meat - most typically lamb, pork, and beef - into something approaching a competitive sport. And I, for one, am damn pleased they do. The pljeskavica at Burekkirály, which comes in a fresh pita-like lepény (culminating in a szerb-burger, as it is known around town) is a thing of beauty, especially as it is cooked-to-order, and the bun is baked daily on the premises. For Ft 650 (€2.40), though more than will pay for the dish in Belgrade, it is still a steal. I admit that I prefer my csevap on a plate, rather in a bun, as served at Burek Király, but, again, at Ft 650, I cannot complain. Both the szerb-burger and the stubby csevap are succulent, spicy, and habit-forming. If I have a beef, it is that the accompanying ajvar (pepper cream) is the jarred kind that one gets from the store. But ajvar is a relish/condiment (though also quite good with just bread), and I am not sure it would be fair to expect home-made catsup from a burger stand. That said, there is nothing like fresh piquant ajvar when the peppers are in season - and despite some negative reports on caboodle, you can get a really good home-made ajvar side at the Szerb Vendéglő in District V, and a descent meal as well.

Onwards: I have a story. It takes place in Novi Sad, and involves me and a slice of burek on a rainy autumn morning. It is a story of love: consuming love. If you have ever had burek straight from the oven, you are likely to remember it. As for the burek at Burekkirály - the jury is still out. It was the savory, greasy, and decadent pastry one expects from authentic Balkan burek, though not mind-blowing. In its defense, I did try it in the afternoon, well after it could be considered fresh from the oven, and, as we know, burek is a breakfast material to which reheating does no favors. At B.K. burek are available in a variety of flavors: meat, cheese, cherry, and spinach (the one you see in my hand above is cheese). And get this: they home-deliver burek: fresh-made when you order a whole pie. If I'm still chasing the dragon of that Novi Sad burek, it is likely no fault of the Burek King. Meanwhile, as was pointed out on these pages a few years back, just having burek available in town is a cause for celebration.

On a side note: on both visits to Burekkirály, my companion and I were the only customers. What a shame it would be to lose Burekkirály due to apathy. Even a king as noble as this one needs a few loyal subjects.