The dish is called “grilled tomato and burrata,” but you’ll recognize it for what it really is — a Caprese salad, named after Italy’s Isle of Capri.
You’d think someone would have tried it before, except only the English grill their fresh tomatoes* (maybe as a throwback to the days when they were thought to be poisonous), not the Italians. It took St. Anselm, the reopened grill joint in Williamsburg, to attempt it.
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The tomatoes arrive striped from the grill, still steaming, the adjacent hunks of burrata oozing and already slightly above room temperature. Basil is a sturdy leaf, and remains unshriveled. Olive oil lakes the bottom of the plate, with some balsamic vinegar.
The heat unlocks the flavor of the tomato; the burrata makes the warm salad richer than the standard-issue Caprese. Really, I feel like eating another one right now.
*A few others, like the Turks, also do it, but with less enthusiasm.