Shake Shack is a fast food chain that started in New York and is growing across the country. When I was in New York I made sure to stop by the original location in Madison Park. It was not far from the famous Flat Iron Building.
It was a beautiful day which is a good thing. The original location being in the park, all the seating was outside. The did have lots of tables and chairs, so there was plenty of room for everyone. I got there right before the line got to long for lunch.
I went up to the window to order the “Classic Shack Burger”. This is a single patty cheeseburger. Once I got my bag I could not wait to dig in.
The bun was soft and doughy. The burger meat was tender and juicy. The meat was so fresh it melted in my mouth. The American cheese added a wonderful creaminess. The lettuce added a crispiness and the juicy tomatoes added a freshness.
The cheeseburger was just enough for a quick lunch on the
go. I am glad I got to go to the original location. Shake Shack does make a
fantastic burger.
You can see all their locations at www.shakeshack.com
I never realized how many restaurants are around the theater district in New York. That is where I fond Bond 45, an Italian restaurant.
The place was packed full. It was a good thing that I made a reservation earlier in the day. As soon as I sat down I was brought freshly made bread. It had a buttery taste and there were a few pieces of green olives throughout. It was great to snack on as I looked over the menu.
They had a couple of unique cocktails on the menu. I went for the Bond Cup. This namesake cocktail used pineapple infused vodka, passion fruit, and lime juice. The presentation was beautiful with the accent of a pretty flower and a slice of dried pineapple.
The drink was sweet and had an overall tropical feel. It was good but probably not the best choice to pair with savory Italian dishes I ordered for dinner.
I ordered the vegetable Ribollita soup to start off with. This savory broth was loaded with vegetables like carrots, potatoes, spinach, and white beans. While the flavor was excellent, the carrots and potatoes were a little overcooked. They were pretty soft.
For my dinner I ordered the Chicken Piccata Milanese. The chicken was pounded out to be super thin. It had a thick layer of seasoned breadcrumbs that were extra crispy. They made a lemon-parsley butter sauce that was loaded with braised artichokes and capers.
The sauce was salty. It went well with the chicken, but I
think there was a bite too much of the sauce. The chicken was tender and still
managed to be moist even though it was really thin.
Bond 45 was a nice place to grab dinner before going to see show. I would go back so that I could try one of their pasta dishes. Their serving sizes are large so make sure to go with an appetite.
There are a ton of restaurants in the theater district of New York. Across the street from the lyric theatre (where the Harry Potter play is preforming) I found Haru Sushi.
I walked in and they were really busy but I was fortunate to get a table pretty quickly. I made sure I ordered my cocktail as soon as my waitress came to the table. I was excited to try the Berries and Bubbles. This was Prosecco, Svedka raspberry vodka, and strawberry puree. It was not as sweet as I thought it would be. The strawberry actually made it slightly tart.
Since I was at a Japanese restaurant I made sure to order the miso soup. I always make sure to try this classic comfort food. It was pretty standard, tofu, seaweed, and scallions in a salty broth. I always wish restaurants would put more tofu in the soup. It adds a ton of texture without affecting the taste.
I made sure to order some sushi while I was there too. I went with the simple Spicy Tuna Nigiri. The tuna was extremely fresh; it melted in my mouth as soon as I took a bite. It was not as spicy as I expected it to be. That was a little disappointing, but I simply added more wasabi to it myself.
The Eel Avocado Roll was made perfectly. The eel had great flavor and they put a generous amount of the eel sauce on top. That is my favorite part of an eel role. The avocado added a great creamy texture to the roll.
The Umami Fried Rice came out last and it was really hot. I needed to wait a little while for it to cool off. This fried rice had chopped up pieces of grilled chicken, scrambled egg, and fresh vegetables. All items were cooked in a garlic butter sauce. This rice was not that salty; it was actually a little sweet. The rice was not as full of flavor as I expected it to have. I was a little disappointed with that. However, the chicken was good in the rice.
They had a seasonal dessert on the menu that I made sure to order. It was the Yuzu Meringue Tart. They made homemade Yuzu custard. Yuzu us a Japanese citrus fruit. They put the custard in a homemade sugar cookie tart shell. Then a marshmallow meringue was placed on top and toasted till it had a little brown hue. Finally, they placed the tart on top of pomegranate ginger sauce.
The custard was sweet and creamy. The cookie crust was also
sweet. The pomegranate sauce toned down that sweetness by adding in a sour
element. It was a great dessert and a good way to end a meal that leaned more
salty.
Check out Haru Sushi if you are in the area. They got busy so you may want to make a reservation. Check them out at www.harusushi.com
I’m back in New York. When it comes to food, every time I
visit New York I pretend like I have never been there before. This allows me to
keep an open mind when it comes to restaurants. I want to always try something
new, especially in a city that is always changing.
Neighborhood restaurants are the best to visit. To me they put the most love into their food. That is why I wanted to visit Sangria 46. It is a local Spanish restaurant that I knew would be as authentic as if I was in Spain.
I was greeted as soon as I walked in. It was a really nice feeling. When I sat down they brought me chips and homemade salsa right away. It was great to be able to munch on something as I looked over the menu.
Since I was at a place called sangria naturally I needed to order a sangria. I was thrilled to see that there was a Cava sangria on the menu. This is a true Spanish sangria that was blended with Cava (Spanish version of Champagne) brandy, triple sec, and fresh strawberries and peaches.
I decided not to mess around and just ordered a small pitcher. It was the perfect amount of sweetness. I always enjoy the bubbles that the Cava has. I knew this would go with anything that I ordered to eat.
Rather than getting a full dinner, I settled on ordering a few tapas. I figured that would be enough to fill me up. I started off with the Croquetas de Yucca. Yucca is very similar to potato, very starchy. They mashed it up just like mashed potatoes and mixed in cheese. Then they breaded and deep fried them. They were crunchy on the outside and very creamy on the inside.
The Empanadas Argentina came out next. The flakey pastry was stuffed with meat and then baked up till crispy. I ordered one beef and one chicken. Both had a savory taste. They used a generous amount of filling in these savory turnovers.
The final tapa I ordered was the Vieiras con Tocino. These are broiled scallops wrapped in bacon. The bacon was perfectly crisp and added a crunch and salty taste. This paired wonderfully with the sweet, tender scallops. The scallops also came in a garlic sauce with chucks of fresh garlic and peas. The peas added additional sweetness. The garlic stepped up the flavor to be a little more intense.
I saved enough room for dessert. The Limoncello Cake sounded delicious to me and the perfect end to my wonderful meal. The cake was moist and had a fantastic lemon flavor. The icing on the cake was sweet and creamy, which also had a great lemon taste. The flavor of the cake made it so fresh. It helped cleanse my palate from al the savory dishes I enjoyed.
Sangria 46 was a fantastic dining experience. The staff was
extremely friendly and took great care of me. The food tasted great and the
sangria was perfect. I would recommend everyone check them out if they visit
New York City.
The Oyster Pub has been serving up fresh oysters and seafood to the Daytona Beach community for over 30 years. They are also a great spot to watch your favorite sporting event on one of their many tv’s.
Whether you are waiting for a table or grabbing a seat at the bar – start your visit with a handful of fresh peanuts from their barrel. But please do not throw the shells on the floor; they provide containers for those.
After eating some salty peanuts, I grabbed a cocktail off their extensive drink menu. I went for The Beach Babe. It was loaded with fresh pineapple and orange juice, grenadine, and two rums – coconut and mango. This was the perfect drink for being at the beach.
The main reason I made a stop to The Oyster Pub was because of their chargrilled oysters. They are freshly shucked oysters that are placed on an open flame grill. Then as they are cooking, they are covered in their “secret sauce”.
I absolutely loved watching these oysters being cooked. Watching the flames get larger and higher as they cooked was memorizing.
When they poured on the “secret sauce” the flames grew even higher.
When the oysters were delivered they were still sizzling. I tried capturing this in the photos but it really did not do it justice.
The oysters were huge in size but they were extremely tender. The sauce added a salty taste and creamy texture to the sweet tasting meat. I could tell there was garlic and parmesan cheese on them, however there was still an element that I could not identify. It almost tasted like an Italian dressing. I tried finding it out from my waitress but I was not successful. I guess the “secret” in the sauce is still safe.
These are delicious oysters and I would recommend them to everyone. They also have several other options for oysters including raw and steamed. But if oysters are not your thing that is perfectly ok because they have a ton of other seafood options. So if you are in Daytona Beach, stop by The Oyster Pub and see why they have been around for 30 years.
I have written about The Red Top Pit Stop before. The last time I visited I was there for breakfast. This second visit I was there for lunch. As soon as I got out of the car I could smell their BBQ smoker and it made me so hungry.
Because of that smoker I knew I wanted to try some BBQ. I ventured out of my normal routine. Normally I would order pulled pork if it is on a menu, but this time I went for the chopped beef brisket.
The brisket was chopped up extremely fine. It was piled high onto the bun. When it came out there was no sauce on the meat. I liked this because I got to taste what the beef is like when it comes out of the smoker. The bark from cooking was chopped up with the rest of the meat. That bark carried extra smoky flavor throughout the brisket.
After eating a little of the brisket plain, I put the homemade BBQ sauce on my sandwich. The sauce added a sweetness to the meat. It was a great complement to the smokiness.
I got two of their homemade sides that I knew paired well with BBQ. The first was the mac and cheese. This was great, cheesy goodness. There was a crispy cheese layer. I just needed to add a little extra salt to taste.
The other side was the green beans. They cooked the beans with bacon. This added extra flavor to the beans. This side too needed just an extra pinch of salt for my taste.
I am glad I got to go back to The Red Top Pit Stop. It was just as crowded as my first visit. They are an awesome hidden gem in Lakeland that serves amazing comfort food.
If there was one place I needed to visit when I was in Key West, it was Sloppy Joe’s.
This place is an institution on Duval Street since 1937. They say Ernest Hemingway use to frequent this establishment. The place was packed with people. It was hard to get a spot at their bar. They had some great bands entertaining the crowds.
Since I had been eating all day at other places I just ordered a cocktail. I went for the Hemingway Mojito. What makes this mojito special is that they use Papa’s Pilar Rum. Pilar rum is made right there in Key West. You can go on a tour and do a tasting of the rums. It is just a few blocks away from the restaurant.
This mojito was sweet and full of fresh mint. Plus, I got a
souvenir cup.
While I was enjoying the live music, I ordered another cocktail. This time I went for the Sloppy Rita. This was tequila, Gran Gala, sour mix, orange juice, and a splash of club soda. This was not as sweet as the last drink. It had a nice kick to it because of the tart taste.
This was a fun, lively place. I would want to come back on
an empty stomach so that I could try their actual sloppy joe.
Check them out at www.sloppyjoes.com They have live cameras at the bar so you can check out what is going on.
Key lime pie is synonymous with Key West. When I was walking the streets, I counted at least three key lime pie shops. Plus, every restaurant has the pie on their dessert menus. However, I was on a mission to find a specific shop, the Key Lime Pie Co. I had seen this shop on the television show, The Profit.
When I walked in I was greeted by a huge glass window that allowed me to watch them prepare the pies. It all started with them filling the pie pans with the graham cracker crust. They moved so fast. They clearly go through dozens of pies each day.
They offered two kinds of key lime pies – regular or extra tangy. The friendly woman behind the counter allowed me to taste a sample of each. I was planning on buying an entire pie to take home, so I wanted to make sure I got the perfect flavor. I really liked the extra tangy one. It had a great tart kick that made my lips pucker up. It was then calmed down with the fresh, smooth whipped cream that they put on top.
Since I was taking the pie home and was not going to eat it
right away, I was able to get a frozen pie. This way it could stay fresh till I
got home and could share it with my friends. The bad part is I forgot to take a
picture of the pie before we dove into it.
So you need to check them out for yourself. Visit their website at www.keylimepieco.com
Located on Duval Street is a small little place called The Conch Shack. A friend of mine recommended that I check them out because they have awesome conch fritters.
There was a long line when I got there. I waited my turn
patiently, smelling the fresh fritters being cooked. When I finally got to the
window I quickly ordered my conch fritters so that they could be made quickly
too. I was hungry!
It would take a few minutes to get my order because they
make them once you order; this allows them to be nice and hot. Luckily, I was
able to grab a seat at their little bar. There are not many seats. While I waited I was able to do some great
people watching on Duval Street.
When I got my fritters, they were piping hot. I could not touch them for a while. Once they cooled off I was able to open them up and see all the pieces of fresh conch. They were very generous with the amount. The seasoning they used in the batter was subtle and did not overpower the briny flavor of the conch.
They served a fresh made tarter sauce on the side. I tired a few bites with the sauce, but I preferred the fritters plain.
This was a fun little place. It’s perfect to get a quick bite to eat. Make sure you have cash because that is all they take. Check them out at www.myconchshack.com
