Doubling Up

After not eating any burgers for almost an entire month, I book ended my juice cleanse by eating 2 burgers. And not just any burgers - 2 double stacked burgers. What can I say? I was making up for lost time. 

The night before the cleanse, we stopped into Lucky's Last Chance in Manayunk. I feel bad for Manayunk because city people never want to come out there because it's "too far". (I live there so I feel kind of slighted by it, because then I feel like I'm too far for everyone. /sadface) Lucky's is a fairly new spot - having opened earlier this year - that serves up awesome burgers, hot dogs & a great craft beer selection. I decided to go with the Bacon, Egg N Cheese Burger.

Bacon Egg N Cheese Burger

Now, all their burgers come standard with 2 patties, but you can get a "junior" with one patty. (Kind of like the 'Little Hamburger' option at Five Guys.) I went for the double: go big or go home, I say! I wasn't asked how I wanted it cooked, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It came on a deliciously soft Liscios Bakery roll and I opted for out-of-this-world onion strings on the side. The meat was still really hot when I bit into it, so even if they were trying to go for medium well, it was continuing to cook well after it was on my plate. It also wasn't very juicy, so I'm guessing they probably used some kind of ground chuck blend? But the bun was the perfect size, holding all the toppings in nicely.

EAT ME!

There was definitely room for improvement. If I had been given the option to have it cooked to order, I think that would have been better. Also, a better meat blend. The website says all the patties are hand formed, so maybe just flattening them out a bit more would have helped eliminate the hot spot in the middle of the burger. All in all, I would give it a "C+". 

A few days after the cleanse, we went to Alla Spina who just added a double decker burger to their menu called "The Burgamo", which is built like an imitation style Big Mac, except using a LaFrieda meat blend and an in-house baked potato bun. Again, I wasn't asked how I wanted it cooked (and maybe this is a thing because I'm getting 2 patties?) but the patties were thinner then at Lucky's so more on the "well done" side. 

The Burgamo - Belissimo!

 

I loved the concept, but I think the execution needs to be tweaked just a bit. While I loved the pickles, there were kind of a lot of pickles. The "special sauce" was a little too vinegary for my liking and I thought it could have had a creamery consistency if they were trying to replicate the McD's special sauce element. I also thought maybe it could have used another slice of cheese. Overall, I gave it a "B".

Smorgasburg!

A few weeks ago after a Friday night bender in NYC, my hangover left me with an insatiable hunger to eat ALL THE THINGS! But what did I want? (Making decisions when hungover is wayyyy hard, bro.) Enter - SMORGASBURG: An outdoor food flea market wonderland located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. You want a chicken pie pot with a corn on the cob on the side and a vegan, low-fat, organic smoothie, plus some s'more macaroons for dessert? Well, your wish has been granted because you can find pretty much anything and everything your palate desires in this lot located down by the East River which houses several dozen vendors every Saturday. 

 Yummy-ness awaits just past these chain-link gates!

With so many options to choose from, we were unsure just where to begin. We did a lap around first so that we didn't choose one place and then walk 5 feet, see an awesome-r place and then go "SHIT! I shoulda went there instead!"  

Obviously I was tempted to go for a burger first, especially when DuMont was serving up 6 oz mini sliders. Since we were sharing, it was kind of a one-bite deal, but still pretty juicy & tasty! I loved the tiny brioche bun, but the bread & butter pickles were kind of meh. (Those are my dad's favorite, not mine.)

Our next stop was Lumpia Shack. If you're not familiar with lumpia, they are delicious Filipino spring rolls - and I'm a giant sucker for them. 

They had a special roll of the day, which was Kaldereta - a short rib filled spring roll - so we got an order of those, as well as their "vegetarian option" consisting of a fresh veggie and tofu salad on a crepe, almost like an inside-out spring roll. The Kaldereta rolls were good, but the salad was a little bit lacking. I was kind of unsure what to even do with the crepe since it was soft and mushy from the salad, so it was too hard to eat. I think maybe if they kind of rolled the crepe around the salad like a wrap, it would be a little easier to eat. 

Kaldereta lumpia!

"Fresh Lumpia" salad - tasted good, but not well executed.

Just shortly down the walk from Lumpia Shack we found Brooklyn Piggies, where they were serving up fat little pups in puff pastry. Too awesome to pass up, and at only $2 a pop, we just had to get one. My only complaint is that the puff pastry crumbles as soon as you take a bite, so you're kind of like, grasping at these bits of dough falling out of your mouth. Still yummy, though!

What food adventure would be complete without dessert? We stopped at Dough, whose slogan is "We Fry in Bed-Stuy". These doughnuts are probably the best thing to come out of that part of Brooklyn since Biggie Smalls! They're big and yeasty and delicious - and they blow Federal Doughnuts right out of the water.

I ordered a Cafe Au Lait doughnut and it was so friggin good that I was greedy and didn't even share with my dining buddy. (Sorry! But c'mon, look at that thing! You wouldn't share either.)

And finally, just when we thought we had eaten everything we could and we were going to explode, we decided we just had to get a little bit crazy and try out fried anchovies at Bon Chovie. With an awesome, rockin' name like that, how could we not check them out??

 For those about to Nom, we salute you. 

(Yes, I know that is AC/DC and not Bon Jovi, but just go with it.)

So, I'd never had an anchovy before. I have never had a desire to have an anchovy. But I'll try anything once. Because hey, you never know - you might like it. 

 And... yeah, that's it. I took one bite and I did not like it. Anchovies are not for me.

(This was also probably the worst thing to eat when it was 97 degrees out.)

Smorgasburg has something for every one, so pack up your shit and head over there some Saturday afternoon already! (And if you can't find anything you like there, then you're the pickiest eater alive and I have no respect for you.)

 

With Love...

Now that I've officially recovered from Philly Beer Week '12, I can share about my visits to the With Love Beer Garden at the Four Seasons hotel. Hidden in a picture-esque nook behind the main entrance lies the lush green courtyard that was transformed into a week-long after-work drinking paradise. With drafts and bottles provided by local breweries, live music nightly, and food catered by the wonder chefs at the Four Seasons, it was delight for all the senses. 

The first night I went was Wednesday night (6/6) of the week-long happening, which had local breweries Round Guys, Evil Genius and Prism. I tried the Evil Genius Hunchback, their summer seasonal Hefeweizen, and Round Guys "Himbeer": Their Berliner Weiss mixed with Raspberry syrup. (I had it at PBW Opening Tap and quickly made friends with guys who were fascinated that I had a pink beer.)

Prism's "Bitto Honey IPA" - I'm not usually an IPA person, but this was pretty good!

I also tried the Beer Garden Burger, which was topped with Meadow Farm cheddar, grilled applewood bacon, a dill pickle and special sauce. It was grilled to perfection - nice, pink center  and juicy, packing quite a punch for such a small slider. I wanted to savor it as much as I could, and even though it was small, it was still pretty filling. 

I'm kind of disappointed because I tried it again when I came back on Friday and it was slightly overcooked - probably because there were a lot more people there on Friday and so therefore, higher demand.

I wasn't even going to come back again, but uwishunu was giving out the rest of their Boot mugs, which had only been available on Monday's opening night, so obviously I had to get one! Braving Friday rush hour traffic on a SEPTA bus, I made it just in time to score one of these bad boys. DAS BOOT!

BYOB - Bring Your Own Boot!

Beverages that night were provided by Dock Street Brewery, who was doing a collaboration with the Four Seasons hotel and offering a Cherry Verbena summer saison. Very crisp, very sweet, very summer! Victory bottled beers were also available and demand was so high that they ran out! The staff had to go scrounge around for more, and a line of servers with cases of Summer Love, Hop Devil, and Whirlwind Witbier hoisted high above their heads saved the day as they made their way through the garden to the cheers of the thirsty masses. 

I thought the With Love Beer Garden was a great set up, great space, great overall atmosphere  - serene and quiet, beats the typical after-work bar scene - and I hope that in the future they decide to start making this a regular event. Even if it's maybe only every Friday or once a month, I would definitely come hang out here again. 

Bobby's Burger Palace

In more "crossing state lines to eat at various burger joints" news, not only did I recently chow down at Shake Shacks in the Philly and CT areas, I also ate at 2 different Bobby's Burger Palaces: The West Philly/University City location (There's also a location in Cherry Hill, NJ for those of you willing to pay a toll) and at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. 

(Photo credit: BBP website)

 Palace, you say? Sounds fancy!

If you've never been, it's pretty much a fast-casual style restaurant: You put your order in with a cashier, get a number, take a seat, and eventually your food comes out to you. The counter set-ups are pretty cool, with funky lighting and "Lettuce Green" swivel seats. In addition to their regular dining room, the Mohegan Sun location also has a separate bar area with a kind of "sports bar" feel.

 (Photo credit: BBP website)

Both locations have the same menu offerings - with the exception being that the Philly location gives you the option to get your Philadelphia burger "Wit Wiz". And also, pricing: Burgers cost the same, but booze is a little bit more at Mohegan (probably because it's in a casino), but they also offer an extensive bottled & draft beer list as opposed to just bottles in Philly. In addition to the regular burgers on the menu, BBP also offers a "Burger of the Month", which, as I'm sure you can already guess, is an off-menu burger that changes on a monthly basis. You can also opt to have your burger "Crunch-ified", meaning they just pile a bunch of crushed up potato chips on top. That's not really my thing, but it's there if you decide it's your thing!

 (Photo credit: Pentagram.com)

There's also a special chart at the cashier when you're ordering that shows you the levels of Pinkness! The Cashier even verifies with you when you select your temperature if that's how you're sure you want it done. (ie. 'So you want that Medium, which is warm with a pink center?') 

 They aren't playing around either. When they say Medium, they mean Medium!

At BBP-Philly, I ordered the L.A. Burger, which is topped with Avocado Relish / Watercress / Cheddar Cheese/Tomato. Put avocado and cheddar cheese on just about anything and I'll eat it. And even though it sounds weird, the watercress tastes great and makes you feel like you're being really healthy about this delicious, juicy burger that you're eating.

LA Burger.

At BBP-Mohegan, I ordered the Dallas Burger, which is spice crusted and topped with coleslaw, Monterey jack cheese, BBQ sauce and pickles.This is my Dad's usual go-to at BBP. He loves BBP because he thinks it tastes just like a burger that you would make at home. It's got a nostalgic, sesame seed topped bun and that slight, off the grill char while still being flavorful and not greasy.  

Dallas: Pickles on my top, Pickles on the side

I also usually get the Frozen Cactus Pear Margarita. I have no idea what a cactus pear is but it's pink and there's booze in it and it's delicious!

They've also got fries (regular and sweet potato) and the biggest friggin onion rings ever. I actually took one of the onion rings and put it on top of my Dallas burger and all I could think was "Why does it not already come like this!?" Mouthgasm.

Hopefully this run-down helped ease the fears of any of you who may have been skeptical because it's a Bobby Flay place, but it's actually really good, reasonably priced and the burgers are delicious. So get on over to BBP and crunchify yo'self!

If this Shack's a rockin'

If you're unfamiliar with Shake Shack, it's a rapidly growing chain of fast-casual burger joints with origins beginning in NYC's Madison Square Park, where there was literally just a shack that served burgers, shakes and fries. It has since amassed 6 NY locations (Including the Mets' own Citi Field), South Beach/Miami, 2 locations in the DC area, Westport, CT and even overseas in Dubai and Kuwait!  

Most recently, Philadelphia got it's very first on the corner of 20th and Sansom, leading to long lines of eager Philadelphians looking to get their very first taste of a Shackburger. (The comparable option up until this point had been Squareburger in Franklin Square, which you'll recall I was not happy with upon my visit.) Seating was limited when I went, but they are supposed to be opening up outdoor, cafe style seating soon!

I myself braved the line on a Saturday afternoon after their opening, a line which surprisingly moved pretty quickly. Of course, once you've ordered, you still have to actually wait for your food, and so each patron is given a little buzzer device that vibrates and flashes to let them know to come on up to the Shack! 

I saved you guys the trouble of going and ate all the things!

Normally, I wouldn't be such a glutton, but on Saturdays, the special custard of the day "Coffee & Donuts" contains donuts from Federal Donuts - so I basically had to do it, right? 

"MMMMM - Donut." - Homer Simpson

Another Philly exclusive for Shake Shack is the Smoke Shack Burger, the first burger at any of the Shake Shack locations to ever be topped with applewood bacon! (Also comes topped with cherry pepper relish and shack sauce.) I thought the peppers gave it a nice little kick & the bacon was delicious!

Peppers playing Peek-a-Boo!

But this wasn't my only Shake Shack visit in recent weeks; I'd also stopped at the Westport, CT location on my way home. It's HUGE compared to the Philly location! (But I guess that's one of the benefits of being in the middle of Suburban CT) 

  Plus this awesome sign out front gives it the ol' road side burger joint feel.

I just stuck with the basics. I don't recall the shack sauce being quite as ZINGY! on my first visit to the UES location, and not even so much present on the Smoke Shack burger, but BOY OH BOY! My allergies had been stuffing me up all week and this really cleared me up! They must've put extra horseradish or something because it was a doozy! 

Oh yeah, you can totally see all that sauce!

Now if Philly can just get a few better pizza & bagel joints, a more extensive subway system, a baseball team with a higher payroll and a Uniqlo, I might never wanna move! 

( Just Kidding.)

Chi-CAG-oh.

A few months ago, I got the "privilege" of going to Chicago for work... in the middle of January. (Geez, couldn't we have a training some place warmer?) Luckily, the weather held up and was mild and even sunny most of the time I was there! Plus, I got to try some pretty awesome food.

The first part of my trip I was holed up in a hotel in the suburbs, so my dining options were pretty limited: room service, hotel lobby, hotel across the street's lobby, various chain restaurants at a nearby mall. I perused the hotel menu's and decided to check out the bar at the Hilton Suites (aka the fancier Hilton that I was not staying at - across the parking lot)

  

And look what I found (on the left): MINI REUBENS! I know, not very exciting culinary fare, but I am a sucker for tiny foods and reubens and house made potato chips. Definitely worth bundling up in 20 degree weather and crossing an icy parking lot for. I came back a few nights later and order the Mobley burger (right), named after the first hotel Conrad Hilton purchased before starting his chain of hotels. Surprisingly good for a hotel burger. Definitely real meat and not a frozen patty. And look at the cool avocado!

 

I can't even believe I've hit this point in my life, but I am reviewing food from the Cheesecake Factory. First off, I hate the Cheesecake Factory. Their menu is 90-something pages long with entirely way too many choices; it's just a clusterfuck of food options. And the cheesecake is atrocious - there's just too many concoctions and weird flavors that in no way wind up resembling cheesecake. (Being a New Yorker, I'm something of a cheesecake purist.) So, on the left are the Mexican chicken lettuce wraps, and on the right, Vietnamese tacos. The lettuce wraps were better then expected: nice presentation, chicken wasn't overly dried out. And the Vietnamese tacos were a-MAH-zing! Like, lil tiny bahn-mis! (Here we go with the tiny foods again!) I loved the soft buns!

Eventually, I made it to Chicago. (Second City, Windy City, Chi-Town, et al.) First order of business: Deep dish pizza! I'd watched one of those shows on Travel Channel or Food Network and was told that Lou Malnati's was THE place to go for real Chicago-style 'Za. Now, allegedly it takes 30 minutes to cook these bad boys, which admittedly seems like a long time for just some dough, sauce and cheese. I figured if I went early enough to beat the dinner rush, I could be in and out. Wrong. I showed up around 3:30. The place was dead, with more wait staff hanging around then patrons. The bartender served me beer from a pitcher he retrieved from a fridge and looked like a hipster Mister Rogers, then made a big show about cutting my pizza for me because he didn't want me to break a nail. I told him, go for it - my NY pizza expertise has no place here. Then he started chatting up some other guy at the bar and I wound up having to serve myself and the pizza started getting cold pretty fast. (If my pizza was cooking for 30 minutes, shouldn't it have been piping hot, even after consuming a slice? Total tourist trap.) Plus, I had to eat it with a knife and a fork. What kind of world do we live in where you have to use utensils to eat pizza? Not one I wanna live in, that's for sure. Fold and bite, fo' life.

After staying in a low budget Hilton for a week, I classed it up at stayed at the Hotel Palomar, a very awesome Kimpton hotel with a Top Chef staffed restaurant in their lobby called Sable. I wanted to make sure I got the most out of every day, so I got up at the crack of dawn Saturday & Sunday when brunch started to fuel up before sightseeing. On the left is the brioche marscapone french toast. It could have been better; was a little bit on the soggy side, strawberries were definitely not fresh - seemed like they had been cut up and left out for a while. I understand that chef's do a lot of prep for their meals so they don't have to do it on the fly during a rush but seriously, at 8 AM when I'm the first person sitting down, you can't cut me up some new strawberries? Sunday's brunch on the right was much better: black bean and cheese enchiladas - topped with the biggest omelet ever and hidden underneath, some of the spiciest chorizo I've ever had. OMG, it was amazing. There was so much egg though that I couldn't finish it all, and I was fine with that because the egg was the least interesting part of that dish. It definitely made up for my lackluster french toast.

When most people think Chicago, they think hot dogs, sausage, pizza, roast beef - but not me. I  was aiming to try a particular Thai place that I read about in (of all places) The Time traveler's Wife < the book, not the movie. insert your judging here > called Opart Thai. (Clever name though, right?) On your left were the peanut summer rolls I ordered. Usually every Thai/Vietnamese place I go to puts the peanut sauce on the side for dipping; slathering it in the peanut sauce kind of overwhelmed the crisp, fresh flavor you would expect from summer rolls. Also, they were cut up into 8ths almost like a sushi roll. On the right was the tofu pad thai - decent, nothing spectacular, but it hit the spot.

Lastly, I hit up a spot mentioned on the Chicago episode of No Reservations, Kuma's Corner, a heavy metal themed burger joint that I braved the freezing temps and took a subway and 2 buses to get to. Every burger on the menu is named after a metal band but I, however, went with their signature Kuma burger - topped with bacon and a fried egg (much like my favorite at Sketch!). First off, there was a wait - a LONNNNNNNG wait. Table space is extremely limited and since I was by myself, I was told I would have to sit at the bar. So I stood my ground in the crowd, stalking the moves of everyone sitting at the bar, being scoffed by rude bar regulars until finally - MOVEMENT! All the way at the end of the bar, I snagged a seat close to the kitchen. And not only are they inundated with table and bar orders, but they do a lot of to-go orders too. (I probably waited about 45 minutes to an hour just to sit down, and then another 30 minutes just to get my food.) As you can see from the pics, the burger was pretty beefy but I felt the bun was just a bit too big and soft, even though it did come in handy to soak up all the grease and the egg yolk. 

Moral of the story? Not all hotel food is terrible. Any place on a TV show is going to have a long wait. And don't believe the hype of the deep dish!