Shake Shack: a Laka Boom Boom

What we love: The weather. We don't know if we love anything about Shake Shack though. The line was too long!

What we could live without: The line.

Burger scale: NA

Price range: $ out of $$$$

Payment method: cash, all major credit cards

Ok, we have to confess the nice weather made us a little too optimistic. And psychic. We knew exactly what the rest of Manhattan was thinking when we came up with the harebrain idea of going to the Shake Shack because the rest of Manhattan was in line before us! We should have probably thought to check the Shack Shack Cam, but we didn't. Oops.

By the time we arrived at Madison Square Park, the line for burgers at the Shake Shack had wrapped all the way around the block. We were hungry, so we scrapped our plans and headed to nearby pub Stone Creek.

Many thanks to the proprieters of Stone Creek for being flexible enough to accomodate us at the last minute. The pub has a great neighborhood feel, and we appreciate the service, attention, drinks and food.

Stone Creek is located at 140 E 27th Street. To get there, take the 6 to 28th Street and walk east.

Burger Series 9: Shake Shack

The weather's been so lovely, let's burger at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park this month!

If you're the first person to arrive in Madison Square Park for the Burger Series, be on a lookout for an available table.

Five Guys: Five stars

What we love: The burgers! Peanuts!

What we could live without: No beer. Cajun flavored fries that fried our tongues into submission and general numbness. Seemingly no restroom. :(

Burger scale: A

Price range: $ out of $$$$

Payment method: cash, all major credit cards


In our 14 plus months of checking out the burgers about town, there have only been two restaurants where our members have unanimously agreed on the quality of the burger. That list now totals three as we welcome the addition of Five Guys.

Back in the good ol' days when yours truly lived in Washington DC, Five Guys was a father and sons burger joint located in Old Town Alexandria. We were so smitten with the Five Guys burgers, we used to make the drive from DC to the 'burbs of Virginia to get a little something something from our five fave dudes. Lucky for us, the restaurant is now a rapidly expanding franchise with locations in midtown and downtown Manhattan as well as Queens, Brooklyn and upstate NY. We no longer have to travel as far as VA for a burger-date with our five fave men.

Five Guys in NYC manages to retain the same charm as the original Five Guys -- which is about as much charm as our grandma's bathroom. The place is covered in red and white bathroom tile and furnished with plain wood tables and chairs prerequisite to all fast-food restaurants.

If it weren't for the open kitchen behind the counter where we can see our burgers being prepared (the key is one press with the spatula), the stacks of potatoes that line one wall, the chalkboard sign that tells us where today's potatoes are from (Boise Idaho), the barrels of peanuts in the middle of the dining area and the stack of small metal buckets that allow us to help ourselves to buckets of peanuts while waiting for our burger, we could swear we were in our grandma's really really ugly bathroom circa 1988. And we mean really ugly.

Yet, despite the ambiance (lack thereof), we love Five Guys.

Our 3+ oz. foil-wrapped burgers come juicy yet well done and with as many toppings as we wish (only bacon costs more). The fries are hand-cut and come in a brown paper bag. The burgers were so fantastic, we didn't speak to each other for a good 20 minutes once we got our burgers. We were too busy eating.

We'll definitely be seeing more of Five Guys, and we think you ought to too.

For more pictures (and to see yours truly's flip top head maneuver), click on the album below:

Burgers at Five Guys

Burger Series 8: Five Guys

This month, we meet at Five Guys, a burger and fries operation started in Arlington, VA by five brothers. It was featured in New York Magazine's 2007 Cheap Eats.

Since going franchise in late 2007, the restaurant has been expanding rapidly within the NY burger scene with branches in Queens, Brooklyn, Midtown and the West Village. Plans are in the works for an NYU location.

To get to Five Guys, take the 1 to Christopher Street or the B,C,D,E,F,V to West 4th Street. The restaurant is at the intersection of Bleeker Street and 7th Ave.

BLT Burgers: Alcoholic milkshakes!!!

What we love: Alcoholic milkshakes!  The beer selection, especially Drew's Pale Ale.  Cupcakes.

What we could live without: The prices.  The contrived roadhouse environment.  Over-battered onion rings.

Burger scale: A-

Price range: $$ out of $$$$

Payment method: all major credit cards, cash

BLT Burger is yet another addition to Laurent Tourendel's ever-growing BLT empire.  Despite it's faux roadhouse diner finish, obnoxiously loud classic rock beats, and the ginormous steer head on the wall (or, because of the ginormous steer head on its wall), this place cranks out burgers that deserve some real street cred.

The burgers come on your standard 8-in-a-pack soft squishy white bread bun.  We opted out of the ridiculously overpriced $16 American Kobe in lieu of the classic burger, which is a combination of sirloin, brisket, chuck and short rib.  The patties were well salted, medium rare with a nice char on the outside.

But, we've had equally good (if not better burgers), before.  What really drew our attention were Dale's Pale Ale, an awesome Co. brew, and the fun alcoholic milkshakes with tongue-in-cheek, names such as Grandma's Treat, The Shocker, and the Night Rider.

Burgers at BLT

On a separate note, one of our very own recently got engaged. Congrats to C on her engagement!

Burger Series 7: BLT Burger

Happy 2008!

The first burger gathering of the year will be at BLT Burger which is yet another addition to Laurent Tourondel's gastro empire. We meet on Thursday, January 24 at 8pm.

By our very accurate calculations, BLT restaurants will outnumber Duane Reade and Starbucks combined by mid-2008.

To get to the restaurant, take the F, V, 1, 2, 3 and get off at 14th St. The restaurant is located at 470 Sixth Avenue btwn 11th & 12th Sts (212-243-8226).

The restaurant does not take reservations and we can't be seated until everyone's present. If you have RSVPed but cannot make it, let us know so we don't wait.

New York Magazine's Where to Eat in 2008

Restaurant critic Adam Platt annual list of the best New York restaurants for 2008. He starts off with a summary of the year in dining, moves on to a list of the best new restaurants, best new up and coming chefs, trends we've seen enough of, the places for the best cocktails, and the restaurants to find the least politically correct dishes.

Happy eating!

read more | digg story

Maxie's Bar & Grill: Sports Bar, anyone?

What we love: The original Angelo and Maxie's. The TVs.

What we could live without: Garlic. The TVs.

Burger scale: B+

Price range: $$ out of $$$$

Payment method: all major credit cards, cash

When Angelo and Maxie announced the launch of a relaxed American style eatery for a younger, more casual crowd, we were intrigued. When they said the menu would be split between "Burgers" or "Not Burgers," we went to check it out.

The burgers at Maxie's Bar and Grill are...fine. They're safe, inoffensive, middle of the road high-er end burgers that could do with a little less garlic, but not so much so that we think it's necessary to make issue of it. (We were able to put the garlic to good use and repel an army of vampires with our morning breath the next day, so all's well that ends well.) However, the burgers definitely aren't worth writing home about. Yet, here we are, writing about them because we said we would.

Burgers at Maxie's Bar Grill

While the burgers left no real impression on us, what was remarkable and memorable about Maxie's Bar and Grill was the sheer number of televisions that the proprietors managed to cram into a single restaurant. The place was chock full of large screen flat-paneled televisions, each one broadcasting a different station, a different sport, a different game. For ADD visual junkies such as ourselves, it was like a slice of attention deficit heaven on Park Ave. Ahh, hockey...CNN...baseball...baskeball...soccer...

Maxie's Bar and Grill isn't as much an American style eatery as it is a place to watch sports. And, if you can pull yourself away from the mesmerizing call of so many flat paneled televisions in a single space, feel free to help yourself to something to eat on the "Burgers"..."Not Burgers"...TV....menu.

Burger Series 6: Maxie's Bar and Grill

Happy ThanksgivingHannukahChristmasKwanzaaNewYear!

Only two more weeks until the end of the year, and the last burger shindig of 2007 will be at Maxie's Bar and Grill on Thursday, December 20th at 8:30pm.

We hope you'll be able to make it! Otherwise, have a great winter holiday season, and we'll see you in 2008.

Maxie's Bar & Grill is a spinoff from Angelo & Maxie's and features a more relaxed atmosphere and casual menu. The restaurant is located at 233 Park Ave South at 19th St.

To get to the restaurant, take the 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W at 14th St.-Union Sq.

If you won't be able to make it but have RSVPed, please let us know so we don't end up waiting for you.

Just Food Regional Summit this Saturday

Good Food Now: Just Food's Regional Summit on Food, Farms, and Community Health at The New School

Saturday, December 1, 8:45 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.
Tishman Auditorium
66 West 12th Street Admission: $75 sponsor; $60 basic; $35 student

The nonprofit organization, Just Food, is holding its 2007 meeting on food, farms, and community health in partnership with The New School. This daylong conference increases awareness of food and agricultural policies and looks for solutions to problems pertaining to the regional food system. Featured keynote speaker is Aaron Woolf, maker of the documentary King Corn. Please visit www.justfood.org for more information. Sponsored by Just Food in partnership with Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts, the Tishman Environment and Design Center, and The New School for General Studies in partnership with the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group's 15th Annual Resource Harvest.

Landmark Tavern: Disappointing

What we love: The decor. Landmark Tavern's colorful history. Ghosts.

What we could live without: The over-hyped but mediocre burgers. Forgetful (but friendly) service.

Burger scale: B

Price range: $$ out of $$$$

Payment method: all major credit cards, cash

It's October, and we wanted a burger joint with a juicy past. The Landmark Tavern definitely fit the bill.

Established in 1868, the Landmark Tavern originally sat on the banks of the Hudson and was a watering hole for dockworkers. One hundred forty years later, the Tavern's still there, although further inland. It's developed an uncanny ability to reinvent itself. It was a flophouse during the Great Famine. It was a speakeasy during the Prohibition. It was a television landmark, featured regularly on episodes of Spin City. Today, it's a British gastropub.

The Tavern has also managed to acquire a few things during its 140 years. It still has the mahogany bar carved from a single tree (1939) and the door is descended from its speakeasy days. It's reputedly home to as few as three ghosts. Legend has it one of the ghosts is an Irish girl who arrived starving during the Great Famine only to die on the third floor of the building. Another story tells of a Confederate soldier who was mortally wounded in a bar brawl and died in a bathtub on the second floor of the building. The last ghost is supposed to be George Raft, a speakeasy era gangster who grew up in the neighborhood. More recently, it's developed a reputation of having a decent burger.

Burgers at Landmark Tavern

While we loved the Tavern's history, we were less enthralled with its burgers. The burgers looked every bit the part of a gastropub burger -- tall, juicy and stacked. There was the panino bun, the eggplant jam, the caramelized onions. But alas, it was all look, no taste. Bland. Boring. Uneventful. Disappointing.

If you're in the neighborhood of the Landmark Tavern, definitely stop in for a pint. Pass on the burgers though.

Burger Series 5: Landmark Tavern

October's the time for tricks or treats!

In honor of All Saints' Day and All Hallows' Eve, we've combined our two favorite things about the month, ghosts and burgers, and will meet at Landmark Tavern on Thursday, October 25th at 7:30.

Rumor has it that the "Landmark Tavern, which opened in 1868...was a speakeasy favored by George Raft, the Hollywood tough guy who grew up in Hell's Kitchen. His ghost is said to haunt the bar, along with that of a Confederate Civil War veteran who, knifed in a fight, staggered up to the second floor to die in a bathtub that's still there. The ghost of an Irish immigrant girl who died in her bed wanders the third floor." ("Turf of Gangs and Gangsters" by John Strausbaugh.)

For more on Landmark Tavern, check out NY Magazine. The restaurant is located at 626 11th Ave at 46th Street.

To get to the restaurant, take any of the following trains and then walk to 46th St and 11th Ave.
A, C, E to 42nd St & 8th Ave
N, R, W to 49th St and 7th Ave
1, 9 to 50th St & Broadway

If you won't be able to make it, please let us know so we don't end up waiting for you.

eat for beauty

we'll be danged if we don't like the sound of that idea.

Eat Yourself Young Looking!
Japanese fountain of youth café to open in city. Will pig’s feet keep you pretty?
By Beth Landman

The beauty-addicted have long loved collagen, rubbing creams into their skin and plumping up lips and cheeks with injections. Now there’s a movement to eat the stuff. Himi Okajima, whose restaurant Himiyabi in Japan was one of the first to introduce collagen cuisine, will open Hakata TonTon in the West Village next month, where he’ll serve foods rich in the protein responsible for skin and muscle tone. “Collagen helps your body retain moisture,” Okajima says. “Your hair and skin will look better, but it’s not just for looking beautiful now. If you begin eating collagen in your thirties, you will look younger in your forties.” Hakata TonTon will concentrate on dishes made with pig’s feet, including spring rolls, pasta, and a hot pot that also contains chiles meant to cleanse your intestines. (Shark’s fin, a common collagen-rich ingredient in Japan, was deemed too expensive to serve here.) Does it work? “No question, ingesting collagen has a positive effect on joints, muscles, skin, and hair,” says Upper West Side–based celebrity nutritionist Oz Garcia. “People add collagen powder to their protein shakes, and even years ago our mothers ate Knox gelatin, which contains collagen, to strengthen their nails.” Dr. Ellen Gendler, an Upper East Side dermatologist, isn’t convinced. “There’s no evidence that this does anything beneficial,” she says. “The only way collagen definitely works to improve your appearance is by injecting it.”

From the October 1, 2007 issue of New York

a fat pig is a fat pig

in any language.

Dinner was at Fette Sau last night. It was good, but we'll opt out of eating 2.5lbs of meat any time in the forseeable future and only after we've fasted a week beforehand.

We shared the pulled pork, brisket and boneless rib along with a side of baked beans and potato salad. Next time we're there, however, we'll skip the baked beans, potato salad and boneless rib and just head straight for the pulled pork. Yum.

Stand: Crowd pleasingly good

What we love: Uh, how about everything? Burgers that live up to the restaurant's claims, awesome milkshakes, decent beers, great service, late night menu and clean bathrooms

What we could live without: No reservations, picnic style tables that can't be moved around to accomodate large groups, small parties need to share tables

Burger scale: A++

Price range: $$ out of $$$$

Payment method: all major credit cards, cash

It's a burger series first! Everyone has unanimously agreed that this is our favorite burger place so far. The burgers were excellent and done exactly to each person's specifications. It doesn't hurt that the service was super attentive (and cute). The milkshakes were yummy (although Paul's still holds a place near and dear to our hearts). And, the restaurant itself was clean, well lit and mostly all around perfect (uh, do you think they'll let us live here?).

Burgers at Stand