Posts Tagged ‘Burgers’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

P.J. Clarke’s

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 by virginia

Josh and I both love burgers and have hit up most of the famous spots in the city – Corner Bistro, Shake Shack, Burger Joint, and JG Melon, to name a few – but we had never been to P.J. Clarke’s. When we lived downtown, they opened up a branch in the World Financial Center, just a few blocks from where we lived. When we moved uptown we saw that there was a branch close by near Lincoln Center. But I purposely avoided both locations because I was adamant that we eat at the original location on the east side first. And for whatever reason, we never got around to going.

Finally, one Saturday afternoon, Josh was tired of my excuses and dragged me across town to the original P.J. Clarke’s for lunch. Even though it was late in the afternoon, the place was packed. There were tons of people lined up at the bar having beers and watching sports, and there was a line for the dining room as well. Fortunately the wait wasn’t too bad, and soon we were seated in the back room, which was larger than I had expected. The decor was rustic, with lots of dark wood, red banquets, dim lighting, and brick walls. It had an old-time saloon feel to it, refined, yet casual.

The menu is actually pretty extensive, featuring raw bar items, soups, salads, and a variety of steaks, entrees, and sandwiches. We were here for the burgers though, so that made our decision pretty easy. The only thing we had to debate was which side items we wanted to try. We ended up with an order of french fries and an order of onion strings. The french fries were fantastic, served piping hot and crispy. They were the thin kind that I like and were nicely salted on the outside, soft and potato-y on the inside. It was a generous portion served in a metal container but I wish that I had gotten my own serving!

Thin and crispy french fries

If the portion of fries was generous, then the portion of onion strings was ginormous. A huge tangle of thinly cut, breaded, and deep fried onions slices was piled on a large plate. When the strings first came out they were warm, flavorful, and crispy, but as they had time to sit they got really greasy and soggy. We barely got through half the pile before we had to give up. Too bad, because they started out great.

Huge tangle of onion strings

The main attraction, however, was of course the burgers. Josh opted for “The Cadillac”, a burger topped with bacon and cheese. The burger was cooked medium rare upon request and very juicy. I took a bite and thought the bacon overpowered the burger patty, but Josh really enjoyed it and inhaled it quickly.

The Cadillac burger (bacon and cheese)

I stuck with a plain hamburger, garnished only with some raw onion and ketchup. My patty was equally juicy, and you can see in the picture the bottom bun turning red from soaking up the juices.

Juicy plain burger

My burger was also perfectly cooked to medium rare, though I thought the meat was a bit mushy. The patty didn’t have a nicely charred outer crust so the texture was uniformly soft throughout. I also wish the patty had been seasoned a bit more but flavor-wise, it had sort of a nice dry-aged steak quality to it that really set it apart from other burgers that we’ve had.

Autopsy shot

Overall Josh and I both enjoyed the burgers we had at P.J. Clarke’s, though neither of us thought it was our favorite burger in the city (currently we prefer Corner Bistro). The burgers have good flavor to them and while the patties aren’t huge, they’re a decent size. The prices, however, are on the higher end, though that seems to be the trend lately. A plain burger runs about $9, and The Cadillac was around $11.50. Sides cost extra, generally about $5-$6 each. So while $15 isn’t outrageous for a burger and fries, it’s not exactly cheap either. But you can take heart in knowing that you’re paying for a quality burger, and if you go to the original location, you’re experiencing a NYC landmark. I’m glad that I held out in making my first P.J. Clarke’s burger one from the original, and now we can enjoy the closer Lincoln Center location in the future.

P.J. Clarke’s (multiple locations)
915 Third Ave. at 55th St.
New York, NY

Tags: , ,
Posted in Restaurants | No Comments »

White Manna

Sunday, February 28th, 2010 by virginia

Josh and I grew up less than five minutes away from the White Manna hamburger stand in Hackensack, NJ but we never ate there until after we had moved into the city. It’s kind of sad when we think about how many burgers we missed out on over the years so whenever we’re home visiting our parents, we always try to make a trip to White Manna either for lunch or a quick snack. In recent years, however, the stand’s popularity has really increased due to more exposure on food blogs and on TV shows, such as Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. As a result, every time we try to go, the line is usually out the door.

The restaurant is tiny and has approximately 20 stools altogether. The prime spots are at the main counter where you can watch the burgers cooking on the large griddle. Surprisingly, it’s not too difficult to get a seat even when the restaurant is busy, as most people take their orders to go.

The menu

The menu is posted up on the wall behind the main counter. In addition to burgers, they also offer cheesesteaks and breakfast items such as omelets, though I’ve never seen anyone order breakfast. I wonder if they really do even make those? While it can get a bit hectic, especially when it’s crowded and people are packed into the small space, there’s still some semblance of order. People line up and call out their burger requests to the cook manning the grill, and it’s amazing that nothing is written down, yet the cook always remembers each order exactly. To prevent from sounding like a newbie, there are a few simple rules to remember:

1. Know where you are in line. Though people try to line up single file down the middle of the restaurant, the line tends to mash up when more people try to smush their way into the restaurant. The people working behind the counter don’t know who’s next so everyone is on the honor system to order only when it’s their turn. If you call out when it’s not your turn, the people ahead of you will make it quite known that you’re out of order.

2. When it’s your turn to order, call out to the cook what kind of burgers you want and how many of each. When ordering your burgers, you can either get it with cheese or without, with onions or without, and single or double patties. It’s important to note that the cook only takes burger orders. If you want a drink or french fries, someone else behind the counter will take that order.

3. When your burgers are almost ready, the cook will ask if you’re staying or going. If you’re staying, they’ll pile your burgers onto a paper plate with a large handful of pickle slices. There are ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce bottles on the counters so you can use whichever condiments you prefer. If you’re taking your order to go, you’ll have to tell them if you want pickles, and which condiments to put on the burgers. Each burger is then wrapped individually in wax paper and given to you in a paper bag.

4. When you’re paying, it’s up to you to remember exactly what you ordered as there is no bill or check. Usually when you eat in, you can pay when you’re finished. Just remember that there are no free refills on soda, so count each drink individually.

5. While service is informal, it’s still nice to leave a tip for the cook and the counter workers as they’re really busy standing on their feet all day getting orders out as quickly as possible to keep up with the demand. There’s a tip bucket on the counter in front of the cook so you can just drop in a few bucks before you leave. Prices are super cheap so it’s easy to leave a decent tip, percentage-wise.

On this particular visit, Josh and I had been craving White Manna burgers for months so we decided that we would stay no matter what the line looked like. As usual, when we pulled up, the line was snaking its way out the door. We waited outside for a few minutes until more space opened up inside, and then we squeezed our way into the tiny restaurant. I snagged some empty counter seats for us while Josh stood in line to place our order.

Even though the line was relatively long, it only took about 10 minutes for our turn to order, and another 20 minutes to get the food. It wasn’t super fast, but it wasn’t too long either, and we entertained ourselves by observing how the burgers are made.

Watching the burgers cooking up on the griddle

We also got two sodas and an order of fries, which came almost immediately so we munched on the fries while we waited for our burgers. The fries are the crinkle cut frozen variety, a la the Shake Shack, but they’re always just-fried, piping hot, crispy on the outside, and have nice potato flavor on the inside.

Crispy crinkle cut french fries

We got five hamburgers and five cheeseburgers, all singles and with onions. They’re not huge burgers, maybe a little over an ounce each, so they’re closer to sliders than regular burgers.

A pile of burgers with pickle slices on the side

The cheeseburgers are each covered with a slice of American cheese that are the perfect size for these small patties. The onions are sliced super thin so they get nice and caramelized during their time on the griddle, and they add an extra boost of flavor.

Cheeseburger with onions, up close

The hamburgers seemed just a bit drier in texture, mostly because they didn’t have the coating of melted cheese. The burger patties are so small that they’re not really cooked to order, so some may get a bit more well done than others. The meat is somewhat coarsely ground and the patties are broken up a bit when they’re smashed on the griddle, resulting in a looser texture. The Martin’s potato rolls that they use are just perfect for soaking up all the juices that come off the burgers and the onions, and I love the squishiness of the buns.

Hamburger with pickles and onions, up close

We ended up getting way more food than we could actually eat, as the burgers are bigger and more filling than you think. Not a problem, we just got some wax paper from one of the counter workers and wrapped up the extra burgers to go. And the cost of our burger feast that included five hamburgers, five cheeseburgers, an order of fries, and three medium sodas? Just $20.06 after tax. We tossed a couple of bucks into the tip bucket and walked out with full bellies and a sack of leftover burgers, perfect for snacking on later. And when we left, the line was still out the door.

White Manna
358 River Street
Hackensack, NJ

Tags: , ,
Posted in Restaurants | No Comments »

Social

Sunday, January 31st, 2010 by virginia

Poor Josh has really been on the road a lot lately, traveling for work. The day after we got home from San Francisco, he was on an early morning train to Baltimore. After spending one night there, he took the early morning train back from Baltimore and had about two hours to pack before heading to the airport on his way to Colorado. Because he knows how much all the traveling takes on toll on me (hey, it’s hard when you’re husband is away all the time and gets to go to new places and try new foods!), he made sure to grab a quick lunch with me during his two hour window.

We ended up at Social, a bar/restaurant on 8th Ave. that wasn’t too crowded, as we wanted a quiet place where we could sit and talk. There was a special lunch menu that had sandwiches and burgers listed for $7.45 but we opted to split a few things from the regular menu instead. Since it was chilly outside and I was craving comfort food, we got an order of macaroni and cheese.

Macaroni and cheese

It was described on the menu as being covered in a three cheese truffled mornay sauce, but neither of tasted any truffle at all, not even a hint of truffle oil. And even though it had a nicely browned and crispy top, it was more creamy than cheesy, without any of the gooey-ness or stringy-ness that I wanted from the mac and cheese. Flavor-wise it wasn’t bad but it was just too creamy overall.

Creamy mac and cheese innards

We also split an order of sliders, which were really four mini burgers topped with American cheese. They came with lettuce, tomato, and pickles on the side, which were cut into smaller pieces so that they fit the sliders perfectly. I thought that was a nice touch, and very convenient. It also came a pile of fries, which were battered and crispy.

Sliders with fries

We had asked for the sliders to be cooked medium rare but they were closer to medium. I guess it’s hard to cook these to order. At least they weren’t dried out, and had a good amount of seasoning to them.

Autopsy shot

Overall we both enjoyed our quick lunch at Social. It’s far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the Midtown lunch crowd that it was quiet and we were able to chat and have a relaxed meal. The food is standard bar fare but it was tasty enough and reasonably priced. While we probably wouldn’t get the mac and cheese again, we did like the sliders, and there were lots of sandwiches on the lunch menu that I would go back and try. It’s not too far from my office and is better than some of the other sit down options that we have closer to the heart of Midtown. The bar is multiple levels, and there are lots of flat screen TVs hanging up everywhere, so I think it would also be a good place to hang out after work for happy hour, or on weekends to watch sports.

Social
795 8th Ave. between 48th and 49th St.
New York, NY

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Restaurants | No Comments »

Shake Shack (Upper West Side)

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 by virginia

Having recently read about the Shake Shack’s plans for world domination, I came to the startling realization that I haven’t been to the Shake Shack in over a year. Yikes! Josh and I used to go a few Saturday afternoons during the spring and summer, taking the train from our Battery Park City apartment to 23rd St. and then waiting in the inevitably long line at Madison Square Park. Once our bellies were full of burgers and fries, we’d walk over to the Union Square Greenmarket and pick up some fresh produce or a few herb plants.

Now that we live in the Lincoln Square/Columbus Circle area, I figured that we would start going to the Upper West Side branch of the Shake Shack, especially because with the indoor seating, weather would no longer be an issue for us. But for some reason, we never went. We always had a good excuse – the line is too long, it’s too far to walk, I’m not in the mood for burgers, etc. Finally, we both had a craving that we couldn’t quell, so the Sunday after the first major snowstorm of the season, we trudged out in the wet slush and made our way uptown.

The line appeared to be out the door when we first arrived but upon closer inspection, the crowd was created by the line to pick up food mixed with the line waiting for seats. The actual food ordering line was quite short, and we only had to wait a few minutes before we placed our order. While Josh waited to pick up our food, I went downstairs to check out the seating situation in the “rec room.” There was a line out the door down there so I headed back upstairs and joined the line waiting for seats in front. Surprisingly, that line also moved fairly quickly and I was able to nab two tall seats in the table by the back a few minutes before Josh came over with our food.

Josh went with the single Shackburger, which features American cheese and Shack sauce (kind of like the special sauce at In N Out). He got all the usual toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle) as well. He liked that the burger wasn’t too greasy and devoured the whole thing in about a minute. I managed to snag a bite and while I still don’t like American cheese on my burger, I did enjoy the flavors of the Shack sauce mixed in with the other ingredients.

Single Shackburger

I kept it simple with a single hamburger but topped it with all the fixings. My burger wasn’t greasy either, but I thought it was way too well done and super dry as a result.

Single hamburger

The patty was missing the nice char that usually graces Shake Shack burgers, and sadly, it was closer to hockey puck texture. I ended up putting a ton of ketchup on my burger just to moisten it up a bit. Flavor-wise it fell short as well, and needed a bit more seasoning on the patty.

Autopsy shot

We got two orders of fries, which are the crinkle cut frozen variety. These were delicious, as always, freshly fried, hot and crispy. I love the little nubs that you find at the bottom of the container which are super crunchy and salty.

Crinkle cut french fries

To be honest, I was disappointed by this trip to the Shake Shack. It’s not my favorite burger in the city (currently Corner Bistro, but we haven’t been there in a while either. It’s time to make a trip!), but usually it satisfies my burger craving. This time the burger was really poorly prepared, and I missed the juicy, seasoned, charred burger patties that I’ve always had at the Madison Square Park branch. I don’t know if it was just because of how crowded it was or I just got an off patty, but it made Shake Shack fall further down in my burger standing. I don’t plan on writing it off completely though, as this may have just been a fluke. I’ll report back the next time we go again, and hopefully it won’t be another year from now.

Shake Shack (multiple locations)
366 Columbus Ave. at 77th St.
New York, NY

Tags: ,
Posted in Restaurants | No Comments »

Chelsea Grill of Hell’s Kitchen

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 by virginia

On the Saturday of the first snowfall in NYC this season (not the huge storm we had), Josh and I hunkered down in our apartment watching the large chunks of snow fly by our window. It was only when we could no longer ignore our growling bellies that we left the warmth of our apartment to venture out in search for food. By this time it was late afternoon, much too late for breakfast or brunch, so I suggested going to the Chelsea Grill, which was a bit of a hike but not too far. However, we both failed to bring umbrellas with us so when the snowflakes soon turned into a wet, sleeting rain, we were both totally soaked by the time we got to the restaurant.

The space is kind of a mix between a restaurant and a bar. There is a large bar in the middle of the room where plenty of people were hanging out, but there were also lots of tables where people were sitting down to what looked like very nice meals. Despite the awkward hour, the restaurant was actually pretty full. The room is spacious but looks cozy, with exposed brick walls and rich brown colors. Luckily it was warm and toasty in the restaurant so we snagged a two top in the front next to the window where we could watch the wet snow coming down and people passing by.

The first thing I noticed after sitting down was that they have cloth napkins, which immediately brings it up a notch from a normal bar/grill. We ordered pints of Blue Point Toasted Lager from our waitress and set about looking through the menu. As soon as he opened it up, Josh immediately knew why I suggested this place – the waffle fries. I had read somewhere that it was touted “the best in Manhattan”, a claim that I always take with a grain of salt, but you know I can’t resist waffle fries.

Josh and I both ordered burgers, which came with a side of those famed waffle fries. I just got the plain Chelsea burger (burgers start at around $10), and added on lettuce, tomato, and onion, which cost $1 extra (or 50 cents each, all 3/$1). Seriously? A leaf of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a slice of onion should not cost you an extra $1. If they really want to charge you for the stuff, just build it into the price of the burger. I think it’s simply ridiculous to pay for add ons that should be standard at this type of place. I like onions and tomato on my burger, so I sucked it up and paid for the extras.

Chelsea burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, cole slaw, and waffle fries

But how was the burger? The patty is 10 oz, which sounds good in theory but totally failed in execution. The burger was cooked medium rare as requested but the meat was completely unseasoned, and it was mushy. I cut my burger in half because I wanted the autopsy shot, but also because there was no way for me to hold that entire burger in my hands. Half a burger was unwieldy enough. After two difficult bites, the patty fell apart and the bun pretty much disintegrated into a soggy pile of mush. The entire thing was messy, and even worse, there was no flavor. It was quite possibly one of the worst burgers that I’ve had in recent memory.

Autopsy shot - medium rare but very bland

Josh fared a bit better in taste with his bacon cheeseburger. But that’s only because you could taste bacon and cheddar cheese. The patty itself was again worthless, and because he also added on lettuce, tomato, and onion, his burger was even more massive than mine. He didn’t cut his in half but he basically had to eat the whole thing in one shot, because if he put that sucker down, there was no way he would be able to pick it up again. That’s not exactly a relaxing way to eat.

Burger with bacon and cheddar

I was hugely dissatisfied with the burgers here, but the waffle fries were actually pretty spectacular. They were nicely seasoned and delicately crispy on the outside, with good soft potato texture on the inside. They were undoubtedly the best waffle fries that I’ve eaten so far in the city. But would I come back here just for those fries? No.

Delicious waffle fries in all their glory

Overall I really was disappointed by the burgers at the Chelsea Grill. They looked so big and appetizing when they arrived but they ended up being totally tasteless and sloppy. It just goes to show that bigger is not always better. I would have preferred a smaller, more manageable patty that was properly seasoned and charred, rather than the big balls of mush that we received. Yes, the waffles fries were really good, but they weren’t enough to make me want to come back. I wouldn’t even want to order a basket of them and have drinks by the bar, since our pints of the Toasted Lager cost $7 each. Kind of steep, especially for this neighborhood where there are plenty of other bar/grills serving up better food and cheaper drinks. At least service was good. And to be fair, I can’t really speak about the rest of the menu, but it wasn’t really the kind of place where I would order a pasta dish or a full on three course meal. Maybe that’s where they excel food-wise, but I’m just looking for a nice place that serves really good casual bar food. In that regard, I don’t think I’ll be back.

Chelsea Grill of Hell’s Kitchen
675 9th Ave. between 46th and 47th St.
New York, NY

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Restaurants | No Comments »

Tahoe Day 4 – The Brewery at Lake Tahoe

Thursday, January 7th, 2010 by virginia

No, I didn’t forget about Day 3. On the evening of our third day in Tahoe, we decided to stay in and finish up all of the leftovers from the previous night. There was still lots of spaghetti and meat sauce, as well as a few of the appetizers and tons of dessert. On our last night in Tahoe, however, we were too tired to cook so we decided to go out and grab some casual/comfort food. We ended up at The Brewery, which is a local brewpub that produces its own handcrafted beers.

We called ahead since there were eight of us going out and they told us it would be an hour wait, first come first serve. We ended up hanging out at the bar while we waited and enjoyed some of their specialty brews. I tried the IPA, which was hoppy as expected, but not too bitter. Josh had the porter, which he wasn’t a big fan of because he thought it was too watery and thin and didn’t pack enough flavor. He ended up switching to the IPA, while I went with the Killibrew Brown Ale, which was not too light and not too dark – just right.

The beer vats behind the bar

The wait wasn’t short but it wasn’t terrible, as we were all deep in conversation. We were seated soon enough and ordered a bunch of appetizers to share. First up was the spinach artichoke dip, which was served with garlic/parmesan toasts. The dip was cheesy and creamy, and though it could have used a tad bit more seasoning, it was a very good version.

Creamy spinach and artichoke dip

We also got a vegetarian version of the nachos, which were a huge pile of tortilla chips covered in cheese, refried beans, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, and scallions. The nachos were pretty standard but still tasty to snack on.

Vegetarian nachos

Lastly, we got an order of chicken wings with “Hot” sauce, which was in the middle on the mild to hottest options. The funniest comment of the night was from Claire’s friend S, a chemist, who upon reading the hierarchy of spicy wing sauces questioned: “Why is ‘Nitro’ hotter than ‘TNT’? TNT is TRI-nitro!!” Fortunately the Hot sauce wasn’t too spicy, though it did have a nice kick at the end that lingered on our lips. The order came with a pound of wings, which turned out to be a lot of pieces since these were the tiniest wings I’ve ever seen. They were almost half the size of wings that I usually see but they were still pretty meaty and much less messy to eat.

Hot chicken wings

For my main course, I got a Bad Ass® Burger, which is a half pound burger topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions simmered in their Bad Ass® Ale, served with lettuce, tomato, and pickle. I added swiss cheese to the burger, as well as raw red onion (I love raw onion on my burgers).

Bad Ass® Burger + swiss and red onion

Unfortunately, my burger was cooked way past my requested medium rare, so it was a tad dry despite all the toppings. Was it Bad Ass®? No, but it was pretty well seasoned and very filling. I also liked the beer battered fries that came on the side, which were nice and crispy.

Autopsy shot

Josh had a “BYOB” (build your own burger). He requested Bad Ass® onions, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and swiss cheese. His burger came out without bacon, but at least it was more medium rare than my burger though it was still overcooked. I think the waitress forgot to write down bacon because she didn’t seem to notice that it was missing.

An almost Bad Ass® burger

Claire also had a burger while Sean went with the BBQ Combo, which included half a rack of St. Louis ribs and a grilled chicken breast. His combo came with a side of fries and his choice of soup or salad. He requested the soup but our waitress also forgot to bring that out and had to be reminded. He enjoyed the bbq a lot though, and the bite of ribs that I snagged was moist, tender, and flavorful.

BBQ Combo

Overall I didn’t think the food at The Brewery was spectacular (it’s mostly basic bar food after all), but it was pretty good and I liked the atmosphere a lot. It’s very casual and lively, and from the outside, it looks like somebody’s house. I liked the variety of beers on tap and prices were very reasonable, especially for a ski resort town. The specialty brews were only $4.50 a pint, which isn’t too shabby especially compared to NYC prices. Service was a bit lacklaster but maybe that was because they were so busy that night. I think it would be a great place to hang out over a few pitchers of beer, order a bunch of appetizers, and watch sports games on the TVs all around the room. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting the area, and I would definitely come back here next time we’re in town. And maybe next time I’ll actually try the Bad Ass® Ale!

The Brewery at Lake Tahoe
3542 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Restaurants, Travel | No Comments »

Heavenly Skiing

Monday, January 4th, 2010 by virginia

We had an awesome time in South Lake Tahoe, spending our days skiing at Heavenly and our evenings hanging out in the hot tub and doing lots of eating and drinking. It was my first time skiing out on the west coast and boy, were the conditions awesome. Even though there were signs warning of “early season conditions,” there was more snow on the trails than I’ve ever experienced on the east coast. In fact, there was almost too much powder for me! There were very few patches of ice, and the weather was simply gorgeous. The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking, and we really had a great time overall. Claire and Sean enjoyed it so much that they bought season passes!

We skied at Heavenly for three straight days and had lunch at a different lodge each day. The food is pretty standard for any ski resort – average and overpriced. Inside each lodge there are sandwiches, grill options, soups, etc., typical of any cafeteria. The lodges get pretty crowded during prime lunch hours but the lines weren’t too terrible.

California Lodge

On the first day, we ate at the California Lodge, which is at the base of the mountain. We split some pulled pork sliders, which came three to an order. They were actually pretty decent, with tender porky goodness covered in a slightly sweet, mild bbq sauce. They gave us regular bbq sauce on the side as well but the sliders were tasty on their own.

Pulled pork sliders

We also shared a bowl of chili, which was chock full of beans but not a whole lot of meat that I could discern. I only had a few pieces of tri-tip, which was stringy and tough. The seasonings were also a bit off I thought, and it didn’t really satisfy my chili craving.

Beef and bean chili topped with chopped onions

We also had french fries, of course, since I needed all the carbs I could get. Skiing at Heavenly is extremely tiring due to the elevation, and the fact that I’m terribly out of shape. They were crispy but had that weird floury coating, which makes them taste a bit fake. Not my favorite kind of fries but not terrible.

Skinny, floury (or are they soapy?) fries

Lakeview Lodge

On the second day, we ate at the Lakeview Lodge, which is next to the Tram and the Gunbarrel lift. It was kind of snowy and foggy that day so we didn’t have a great view of the lake, unfortunately. I had an order of chicken fingers, which came with a biscuit on the side. The chicken fingers kind of looked like big pieces of fried fish but they were actually pretty good and surprisingly meaty. The biscuit was fine, similar to the kind that you get at any fast food restaurant.

Chicken fingers, honey mustard, biscuit, butter

Josh had a cheeseburger with swiss, which was topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and a thousand island-like sauce. He wasn’t a fan of the sauce so he wiped it off, but the burger itself was fine. It’s not cooked to order but had decent flavor and wasn’t too dry.

Cheeseburger with swiss, california style

And of course, we also had fries.

Cups of carbs

East Peak Lodge

On our last day at Heavenly, we skied over to the Nevada side of the mountain and had lunch outdoors at the East Peak Lodge. The sun was shining and it wasn’t too cold outside so we sat at the picnic tables by the taco and burrito station.

Eating in the great outdoors

Josh and I split an order of blackened mahi mahi fish tacos. One order came with two corn tortilla tacos and a side of fried tortilla chips. The pieces of fish were crusted with seasonings and they were topped with cabbage, red onion, cilantro, and a mayo-y kind of sauce. Not the best fish tacos I’ve ever had but they were decent, and a nice change from the standard cafeteria food.

Blackened mahi mahi fish tacos

The tacos were kind of small so I thought the chicken burrito was a better value and more filling. The large flour tortilla was stuffed with chicken, rice, refried beans, red onion, and cilantro. It also came with a side of fried tortilla chips, which we dipped into salsa and pico de gallo from the sauce bar.

Chicken burrito

Overall I thought the food at Heavenly was mostly decent but way overpriced. Lunch for two averaged about $35 each day, which is pretty expensive considering what we got. Even soda costs over $4 each – ridiculous! Obviously you don’t have much choice but to pay these prices, unless you bring your own food. For people who come often, that is probably a better option. Otherwise, I would suggest trying some of the more unusual ski resort offerings, like the tacos/burritos, rather than the standard cafeteria food. Regardless, you go to Heavenly for the awesome skiing/snowboarding, not for the food.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Restaurants, Travel | No Comments »

Driving from SF to Tahoe

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 by josh

Tags: ,
Posted in Restaurants, Travel | No Comments »

Back for Brunch at Gossip

Monday, December 28th, 2009 by virginia

We were back at the Gossip Bar & Restaurant for a Sunday afternoon brunch/lunch, settling in at the bar to catch some football on the big flat screen tvs. We didn’t get a muffin basket this time though, perhaps because we were at the bar. I’m sure if we had asked though they would have brought us some. Instead, we ordered our food directly from the bartender and started off with a round of bloody marys, still a pretty good deal at $4 each. The bloody mary mix is spicy and tangy, just the way I like it, and it packs a decent punch.

I opted to order from the lunch menu, choosing the Gossip burger with swiss cheese. The burger patty was pretty large and covered with tons of swiss cheese.

Gossip burger with swiss and freshly fried fries

However, it was cooked way past the medium rare I requested and didn’t have much char or crust on the outside, but at least it was well seasoned. The brioche-like bun got a bit soggy towards the end but otherwise it held up pretty well, considering the size of the burger patty. The skin on fries, which I coveted the last time we were here, were really delicious. Hot, crispy out the outside and bursting with potato on the inside. We ended up sharing another basket of just the fries.

Autopsy shot - way overcooked burger

Josh went with the classic eggs benedict. They originally delivered him the Gossip eggs benedict, which has smoked salmon and spinach instead of ham, but they quickly rectified the mistake and were very gracious about it. The eggs were perfectly poached and still runny, and they brought the hollandaise on the side as requested.

Eggs benedict with perfectly poached eggs

The food at the Gossip Bar & Restaurant is still simple and straightforward, and very well prepared. We’ve only gone there on the weekends and it’s pretty low key. There are always tables available and the mood is calm and relaxed. You can just hang out and have a few drinks while watching whatever sports are playing on the TVs. It’s a great option if you want to have brunch without dealing with the whole “weekend brunch scene” that gets out of hand at the really popular brunch spots in the city. We’ll definitely be back again.

Gossip Bar & Restaurant
733 9th Ave. between 49th and 50th St.
New York, NY

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Restaurants | No Comments »

Burgers on Amy’s Bread Brioche and Alexia Waffle Fries

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 by virginia

I had defrosted a pound of ground beef intending to make a Bolognese sauce one night but we never really had a craving for pasta so instead, I decided to make an easy dinner of burgers and fries. To make the meal even simpler, Josh picked up some brioche buns from Amy’s Bread on his way home from work, as well as a bag of Alexia frozen waffle fries.

Alexia Frozen Waffle Fries

Alexia Frozen Waffle Fries

The fries couldn’t be easier – just preheat the oven to the temperature specified on the package and bake. For the burgers, I liberally seasoned the ground beef with kosher salt, pepper, and a dash of garlic powder. I also added a handful of finely chopped onions for extra flavor. I like my burgers to be on the saltier side so for a pound of beef, I used four large pinches of salt but like with most of my cooking, I just eyeball it and don’t really measure things out. You can always season conservatively and cook off tiny “test” meatballs to adjust the seasoning accordingly.

Ground beef mixed with chopped onions and seasonings

Ground beef mixed with chopped onions and seasonings

The patties we made were pretty thick since they were about half a pound each, and we just cooked them in a skillet until about medium rare. Meanwhile, we split the buns and toasted them on a griddle. The buns are buttery enough so they don’t need any help getting nice and toasty brown.

Brioche buns from Amy's Bread, plus some soft fluffy focaccia for noshing

Brioche buns from Amy's Bread, plus some soft fluffy focaccia for noshing

We topped the massive burgers with lettuce, tomato, and onion. I’m generally not a fan of brioche buns for burgers because they’re usually too sweet and eggy, but these buns from Amy’s Bread were light and buttery and held up well against the huge burger patties. They kind of reminded me of the buns from Fuddruckers, which I loved growing up. I would definitely get these again the next time we decide to make burgers.

Thick, juicy burgers on brioche with lettuce, tomato, and onions

Thick, juicy burgers on brioche with swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onions

The fries, however, didn’t turn out that great. I usually love waffle fries but these didn’t really crisp up that well in the oven and ended up being soggy and mealy. The Alexia brand touts itself as all natural and gourmet, and the fries were seasoned with sea salt, pepper, onion, and garlic, but they were pretty bland and really not that enjoyable. They were kind of stuck in limbo between fake junk food fries and fresh homemade fries so they really didn’t satisfy my waffle fry craving. Sadly, I don’t think they were worth the calories I wasted on them.

Sadly limp and bland fries

Sadly limp and bland fries

Josh also picked up a bag of Alexia frozen onion rings at the same time so we’ll have to test those out later. I wouldn’t get the waffle fries again though. Serves me right I guess for not taking the time to make my own fries! But hey, we all need lazy shortcuts sometimes.

Amy’s Bread (multiple locations)
672 9th Ave. between 46th and 47th St.
New York, NY

Tags: ,
Posted in Bakeries, Product Review | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »