Shake Shack

366 Columbus Ave (b/w 77th St & 78th St)

With the onslaught of warmer weather, I keep my eyes and ears open for milkshakes and sandwiches around the city. When a co-worker mentioned the vegetarian-friendly mushroom burger at Shake Shack the same day it was featured in the local paper, I took that as my sign to visit immediately.

Not patient nor brave enough to withstand the line at their original Madison Square Park location (which can take upwards of 2 hours), I ventured to the Upper West Side. I ordered the vegetarian mushroom burger, fries topped with cheesy sauce, and the Natural History “Crunch-stellation” shake in honor of the place being literally across from the Natural History Museum.

’Shroom Burger

Crisp-fried portobello filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce

Cheese Fries

Topped with Shack cheddar & American cheese sauce

Natural History "Crunch-stellation"

Vanilla custard, malt, Valrhona chocolate crunchies and chocolate toffee

All I can say is thank you Danny! Danny Meyer, the genius behind Shake Shack (plus a number of New York City staples including Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, and Tabla) has my complete respect and adoration. The vegetarian ‘Shroom Burger was delicious! At first glimpse, I thought the staff forgot the cheese. Once I bit into the crispy sandwich, I was greeted by gooey warm muenster and cheddar completely encompassing a Portobello mushroom. Yum!

The sandwich itself was small, maybe about half the size of a normal burger. However, upon finishing it, I realized it was Danny who had the size of burgers correct; the rest of the world had them wrong. As for the fries, they too were delicious, but I prefer them without the cheesy sauce topping. They are tasty in and of themselves.

As for the shake, don’t get me started. On second thought, do. Anything that contains Valrhona chocolate has me sold before tasting. Blame that one on InterSportsWriter who exposed me to the finer dark chocolate in life. The frozen custard used in the shake was as dense as it was flavorful. With a number of toppings and mix-ins to choose from, there is something for everyone. They even have a flavor of the day! It was strawberry rhubarb during my visit.

For those brave enough to withstand long wait times, there is a shack cam on their website where you can check the line beforehand at their Madison Square Park location. Also, there are a couple other shacks opening up this Summer, including one in the Theatre District and one on the Upper East Side.

Later that day, I saw Shake Shack in Time Out New York. Good choice.

DAMAGE ~$18

VERDICT: GO NOW!

Schiller’s Liquor Bar

131 Rivington St (b/w Norfolk St & Suffolk St)

Weekend brunch is a highly coveted activity for many New Yorkers. Thus, it is not uncommon to walk down any street in Manhattan on Saturday or Sunday afternoon with every Brunch spot packed to the brim. It is uncommon, however, to wait several hours for a table at the brunch spot of your choice—in my case it was Clinton Street Baking Company. I finally convinced InterSportsWriter to come down to the Lower East Side and meet me for a taste of their infamous pancakes only to learn the wait time was over 2 hours.

With his passport in hand (being from the Upper West Side), we walked 2 blocks south to Schiller’s Liquor Bar, owned by the same people as Pastis and Balthazar. The restaurant was nearing capacity when we arrived, but we had no trouble obtaining a table.

For our meals, we ordered the gorgonzola omelet w/ home potatoes and a sour cream & hazelnut waffle topped w/mixed berries.

The omelet was amazing (as many things with blue cheese usually are); the waffle, however, left me confused. There was no sour cream to speak of, and it was not until InterSportsWriter dissected it that the hazelnuts clumped together in the middle made themselves known. The maple syrup is made with bourbon, adding a nice change of pace to an otherwise standard waffle.

Overall, I was pleased. It’s hard to go wrong with an omelet featuring gorgonzola cheese as the main attraction or a waffle with alcoholic syrup for that matter.

One last thing worth nothing about Schiller’s Liquor Bar is the bathroom. It features a large communal wash basin reminiscent of a 50’s diner, which is probably what the owners intended.

Of the three, I still prefer Meatpacking’s Pastis, but Schiller’s is not a bad second.

DAMAGE ~ $30
VERDICT: Go

Gramercy Tavern

2 E 20th Street (b/w Broadway & Park Ave S)

Birthdays come but once a year (still far too frequent in my opinion). This year, as I prepared to enter my quarter life crisis, InterSportsWriter did his best to help me forget my woes of growing older with a surprise dinner at Gramercy Tavern. What a dinner it was!

We both ordered the Vegetarian Tasting Menu consisting of the following:

Radish & Kohlrabi Salad
Country Egg

Sugar Snap Peas & Cucumber

Barley Risotto
Baby Carrots, Shiitake & Spiced Almonds

Warm Salad of Vegetables & Black Lentils

Spinach Fettuccine
Green Garlic & Mushrooms

Petit Fours

It took us a while to settle on a wine. The waiter suggested a Riesling Austrian called Stift Göttweig, a compromise to my dry, crisp preference and InterSportsWriter’s sweet tooth. One sip and I could not have been more pleased with the outcome.

As for the dishes (starting with my least favorite), the amuse bouche served at the start was odd in flavor and unimpressive. Everything else, however, was spectacular. From the initial radish salad to the barley risotto, the food was a feast for my eyes and mouth. The final entree of spinach fettuccine served with whole garlic cloves tasted especially unique yet not overpowering as one might expect with garlic.

We also ordered a plate of five cheeses. Despite the fact I no longer recall our various selections months later as I write this, I do recall the taste—perfection. Murray Greenberg, former owner of the infamous Murray’s Cheese in West Village, would be hard pressed to find a more delicious serving of coagulated milk (besides his own of course).

The plates were perfectly proportioned allowing for fullness without the feeling of being stuffed. The waiter was very accompanying and patient, especially as we discussed the pros and cons of the meal using him as a mediator.

For dessert, InterSportsWriter had the peanut butter-wafer-chocolate-toffee selection; I had the rhubarb shortcake. Both were amazing, but not near as good as the main courses.

Friends and colleagues have always raved about the upscale eatery located off E 20th between Broadway and Park. Following my quarter life crisis birthday dinner, I understand why. I now join the countless patrons who place Gramercy Tavern amongst their favorite eateries in New York City.

With its innovative menu, impressive interior, superb service, and amazing food, Gramercy Tavern is a place I plan to frequent (and recommend) often. It’s perfect for special occasions, get-togethers, Monday nights, Tuesday evenings, Wednesday aftern—well, you get the idea.

P.S. Did I mention there are complimentary chocolates at the end of the meal? See Petit Fours.

DAMAGE ~ $300+
VERDICT: GO NOW!

Sarabeth's

423 Amsterdam Ave (b/w 80th St & 81st St)

I would bet the average New Yorker dines out significantly more often than most people in the rest of the country. Being no exception, if I were to blog every last place visited, I would have little time to do much else.

Whether or not I review a restaurant depends largely on the food and the service. Sometimes I write to warn others; sometimes I write to urge others. The Lemon Ricotta Pancakes at Sarabeth’s on the Upper West Side fall into the urge category.

InterSportsWriter and I made plans for Brunch one Sunday morning and nearly abandoned our idea at the sight of the large crowd waiting for a table to open up inside. I insisted we check the wait time anyway, and as fate would have it, they had a table for 2 available. Seconds later, we were seated ordering beverages.

My Brunch companion had been to Sarabeth’s many times and, knowing my appreciation for foods of a lemony sort, urged me to try the Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes w/ Fresh Berries. ISW also said the Spinach & Goat Cheese Omelet was worth trying, so we ordered that as well.

Looking back, my taste buds shake in anticipation at the thought of those pancakes. I'm not a pancake person, yet Sarabeth’s has caused me to reevaluate my feelings about flat cakes. They were the best I ever had in my life and easily fall into the top 5 things I have eaten this year. The omelet was the perfect fluffy balance of goat cheese to egg and spinach.

I was highly impressed with the meal and the service. There are several other Sarabeth's around the city, including one on the Upper East Side and one in Chelsea Market. There is no doubt I will be back, the question is how soon.


DAMAGE ~$50
VERDICT: GO NOW!

Aureole

34 E 61st St

Situated between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue on the Upper East Side was a two story restaurant from the Charlie Palmer Group called Aureole. I use past tense because as I type these words, Executive Chef Christopher Lee is preparing the last plates for his final evening at 34 E 61st Street’s Aureole; the restaurant closes tonight. It is this closing that prompted InterSportsWriter to make reservations for 2 at one of his favorite dining halls in the city.

The Charlie Palmer Group is a collection of restaurants, wine shops and boutique hotels across the country under the direction of master chef and entrepreneur Charlie Palmer. Palmer is famous for his Progressive American cooking, or the art of combining distinct flavors and unusual concoctions.

Evidence of Palmer’s unique creations can be found in the following 9 course Vegetarian Pre-Fixe tasting menu served during our visit:

(no pic)

Wild Asparagus w/ Asian Flavors

Summer Squashes feat. Burrata Cheese, Honey Mustard & Baby Greens in a Lavender Rosemary Dressing

Artichoke Ravioli feat. Tomato, Capers & Black Olive in a White Wine Butter Sauce

Green Asparagus feat. Watercress & Frisee in a Morel Mushroom Cream

Forbidden Rice feat. Ramps, Rhubarb, Fiddle Head Ferns & Pistachio Nuts

Spring Vegetable Tasting feat. Fava Beans, English Peas, Apricot Chutney & Chanterelle Mushrooms

Coconut Tapioca w/ Cherry Compote

Vanilla Buttermilk Panna Cotta feat. Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet, Toasted Cornmeal Cake & Lavender Meringue

Warm Chocolate Banana Tartlet w/ Salted Caramel Ice Cream & Macadamia Croquant

After the tasting menu, I understood why my dining companion felt so strongly the establishment; Aureole is dining at its finest. The Vanilla Buttermilk Panna Cotta might be the single best thing to grace my lips in 2009, which is saying something because I have tried some pretty spectacular dishes this year.

Following the Panna Cotta, the Spring Vegetable Tasting and the Artichoke Ravioli were my next 2 favorite dishes. I didn't care so much for the white foam served with the Warm Chocolate Banana Tartlet; it looked and tasted like soap. In addition, the Rhubarb served with the Forbidden Rice was not so pleasing, but everything else was perfection.

The meal was bittersweet in a sense because I knew it would be the first and last time I ever visited the famous Upper East Side establishment. However, the good news is they are relocating to the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park.


DAMAGE ~$135 (pp, 7 course tasting menu)
VERDICT: GO NOW! (once their new location opens)

The City Grill

269 Columbus Ave (b/w 72nd & 73rd)

Meh.

A word used to describe a recent visit to Upper West Side’s The City Grill. Scoping out the menu beforehand to ensure I had options, I agreed to meet my dining companion at the American eatery for dinner.

Side note: Menu investigation only works when I know where I'm eating in advance. Otherwise, expect a mild panic attack while I grapple with finding someone with phone internet.

It was through this initial research that I learned their fries were something to try. With a little help from the server, I ordered the artichoke and spinach cheese dip appetizer and a portabella mushroom sandwich with fries for my entree.

My companion had mushroom ravioli in a tomato cream sauce.

The fries lived up to their expectations. Everything else, however, was meh. Average. Bland. Blah. Normal. Not bad, not great, just average. I was not impressed by the overall quality.

The artichoke dip was decent but somewhat bland in taste. The starter bread basket was ok, although one of the rolls felt like I was tearing into rubber (are rolls supposed to be that hard?). I had a bite of the mushroom ravioli; it tasted undercooked. My companion had no qualms, so I’ll call it al dente.

We completed our evening with caffeine. I had an espresso macchiato; my companion, a regular cup of joe. Thank goodness the macchiato was fantastic. Next to dessert, I can’t think of a better way to complete a subpar meal but with a great cup of coffee. Unfortunately, the desserts (like the menu) looked unimpressive.

I only finished half my sandwich and took the rest home. Currently, it sits in my fridge enduring insults from my organic skim milk, feta cheese crumbles, and cage-free brown eggs labeling it “glorified diner fare.” Oh well. At least the prices were reasonable.


DAMAGE ~50
VERDICT: Pass

Allen & Delancey

115 Allen St After a day of fantastic films at Tribeca Film Festival, I wanted to complete my Saturday with an even more fantastic meal. I made reservations for 2 at Allen & Delancey for 10:45, allowing barely enough time for InterSportsWriter and I to trek our way from the festival to the restaurant following the day's last film.

To get started we both order glasses of wine, despite the tempting cocktail menu. It took a while for the complimentary bread to arrive, but I later found out the chef made it special as the regular bread contained bacon.

We ordered the “Crispy Polenta, Mushroom Ragu, Artichokes, Sottocenere Fonduta” for the appetizer. Polenta is made with cornmeal. That evening might have been my first taste of polenta, and all I can say is WOW. It was incredible. I can’t believe I’ve never had it before. The cute little mushrooms were a nice touch as well, in taste and visual stimulation.

For our main course, we were rather limited in options, or should I say option. The only thing we could eat was risotto. Opting away from rice, we talked the waiter into letting us order something off the menu, which turned out to be a mixed veggie platter with mashed potatoes.

Although the potatoes were fantastic, I was saddened at the final outcome of the entree. We shared it because there was nothing else to order.

The dessert, however, was a completely different story. Not only did it improve my mood, it made my experience at Allen & Delancey a memorable one. We ordered the following 2 desserts:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart, Whole Milk Sorbet, & Whiskey-Vanilla Milkshake.

Chocolate Coconut Cake w/ a Thai Coffee Sorbet & Caramelized Bananas.

If it looks and sounds fantastic, believe me when I say it was. The peanut butter tart was filled with a warm chocolate ganache that was out of this world. The milkshake was the size of a shot glass, but it turned out to be just right to finish off dessert. The chocolate coconut cake was great; I stopped myself halfway through because I realized my dining companion had yet to try it.

The server was attentive and friendly, especially after learning InterSportsWriter and I were vegetarian. I loved the intimate atmosphere and could see myself coming back. My only qualm came from the lack of vegetarian options; I nearly walked out after taking one look at the menu. What stopped us was the fact it was 11 at night, and I don’t do 24 hour diners.

To the chef:
Please add 1-2 more vegetarian dishes to your menu. There is no doubt I will return (especially after learning a former Death & Co. bartender designed your cocktail menu; no wonder it looked so impressive [see Death & Co. review]). However, I would like the option of ordering something other than rice and vegetables. It is somewhat insulting to drop $100 on a meal without really eating anything, if you know what I mean.

If you need help, my tastebuds are more than happy to offer up their services free of charge.

DAMAGE ~$93 + tip
VERDICT: Go, but be wary of lack of vegetarian options.

Homunculus

@}1)$6%*, Brooklyn

I have a secret that I can no longer keep…Are you ready?

The best eats in New York City are undisclosed to the public eye. I’m talking no advertising, no number, no signage, and no listing. Word of mouth prevails entry into such eateries and even then, it’s best to know somebody that knows somebody who can guarantee entry.

Upon hearing of such a place called Homunculus in Brooklyn, I had to go immediately. I suggested the place to my foodie group, who loved and jumped at the idea. In fact, the idea was so popular, our group requested 2 seatings because Homunculus could only accommodate a limited amount of people at a time.

Friday night one month later, DeeScreenWriter and I joined my foodie friends at Homunculus in Brooklyn for the first seating. Picture this: 9 people gathered around 2 tables for a 6-course pre-fixe meal out of an industrial loft.

We were started off with bread and butter followed closely by a cup of soup.

The next appetizer was something I was not privy to eat as it contained meat. As the only rebel in the group, the chefs quickly scrambled to accommodate my vegetarian diet. I was given a plate of various cheeses instead, which I was quite pleased with.

Following that appetizer, we were each given a palate cleanser, then served goat cheese and asparagus soufflés.

My main course consisted of sautéed mushrooms and a celery puree; everyone else had the puree with some type of meat.

After the main course, we were served a salad topped with walnuts and a unique pesto dressing.

Dessert was a flourless chocolate mousse cake with ice cream.

One word: FANTASTIC. SUPERB. SPLENDID. Pick and choose which dish I refer to; they were all great. My favorites were the chocolate cake and the salad; the pesto dressing was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. I do not recall what was in the soup but only that it was delicious. The celery puree was also very good and unique.

At the end, we were served complimentary coffees, courtesy of one of the cooks who is/was a former barista at Cafe Grumpy.

2 words kept coming up over the course of the meal: butter and chemistry. The chefs told us butter was the key ingredient to their food; and they worked endlessly to achieve the perfect chemical balance when deciding on different courses.

If you are looking for a true New York experience, this is it. Kudos to the chefs of the “Brooklyn Eat-Easy” for going out of their way to cater to my needs.

For those that are wondering, the word “Homunculus” refers to the tiny person inside our brain. Because this place is so secret, I am unable to disclose the exact location and address. I will say it is in a warehouse like building several blocks from the subway. For now, they only do dinner on Friday evenings, and I know they are booked at least one month in advance.

If you are interested, message me and I shall email you a flyer with all the information.

DAMAGE ~ 40 (set pre-fixe price) (CASH ONLY) (BYOB)
VERDICT: Go

Prune

54 E 1st St

When I dream of Brunch, I long for overcrowded, loud places with extreme waits and overpriced food. Why? It builds character and leaves you with a lasting impression. As a result, you generally expect more from the food and service.

Should the restaurant deliver, you brag about it to your friends and experience long lines on repeat visits. Should it fail, you caution others through flyers, posters, billboards, whatever means necessary to prevent them from making the same mistake.

Prune, located off Allen and Houston in the Lower East Side, is exactly this type of place. I’ve had my eye on its door for many months. One Sunday afternoon craving eggs, Bloody Mary’s, and coffee, I went. An hour 30 minutes later, my Brunch companion and I were seated.

I ordered Huevos Rancheros, baked eggs in tomato and chili sauce with black beans and avocado. My companion (with slight coaxing from myself and the waitress) ordered Spicy Stewed Chickpeas, butter-crumbed eggs with chickpeas served over flatbread.

What exactly is butter crumbed eggs you ask? Pure deliciousness. The more technical description is poached eggs covered in Prune’s own breadcrumb-like concoction.

Everything was really great. At the end of our meal, I ordered a Southwest Bloody Mary from Prune’s eclectic Bloody Mary menu. I asked the waitress to substitute tequila for another liquor I can tolerate (tequila makes me nauseous). It was very good.

Although I was disappointed that most of their other Bloody Mary options contained some form of meat or clam juice, I could not help being impressed at the large selection, each priced at $9. The unusually long wait was a small sacrifice to my above average dining experience at Prune.

The place is pricey, but I left with my stomach full, taste buds satisfied, and bank broke. Mission accomplished.


DAMAGE ~52
VERDICT: Go