I have a new favorite restaurant. Isn’t that how I start a lot of these posts? Well, what can I say? Eating in NYC is nothing but impressive and fun all the time. Except not all of the time. 95% of the time. So here I bring you to my new favorite restaurant in Park Slope: Alchemy. I also bring you my sister, Alexandra, for the upteenth time, but that’s what happens when I have a visitor as fabulous as she. Plus I love her hair. So I’ll keep posting pictures of it.
Anyway, Alchemy. I went there for the first time last week with my friend Mara and had their amazing, amazing shells and cheese. Mara had the burger which was also fabulous since, like me, likes to share. We sat outside in this beautiful backyard and I had just charged my camera and somehow forgotten my memory card! Bummer!
So now you are getting indoor pictures instead, because it was hot as Hades. It was also brunch.
Yogurt, granola, and fruit for Val.
Eggs Bennie for me. And of course Alexandra had their brilliant burger. You know, I really like Park Slope. And I really like Alchemy.
Seeing as how, I am City Mitten… when I go to certain places, I make people do certain things. When I was in D.C. this past weekend, my one goal was to go to Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, VA. There were a few grumbles from a few friends who wanted to keep napping (seriously) but I eventually got the clan together and forced our way over to Ray’s. I mean Obama ate there recently.
Here is a photo of two of my homeboys waiting in line to go inside Ray’s Hell Burger. The significance is this: Ray’s looks like absolutely nothing. I mean look at the sign, zero branding. This is a place you would just walk by if you hadn’t somehow heard of it or if you didn’t see the line. And you wait outside in line before they let you inside to wait in another line to place your order. But it works. Very efficient.
See inside: nothing much either. There is a fancy map to the right with push pins for where their guests are from. Once you order and pay, the cashier hands you a number card. In a few minutes, food runners come out shouting the numbers and you’d better respond fast cause they don’t have all day.
The burgers are huge:
I got mine Au Poivre, which I had no idea what that meant, but several @foursquare users recommended it and it was DANG GREAT and a little spicy! Kind of perfect! They have tons and tons of options, but I typically like my burgers old school: lettuce, tomato, pickle. And ketchup. That’s all you need, baby. Boy, were these burgers good. And juicy, which also means messy. Which also means I got burger juice everywhere. It somehow ended up on my left hip and my friend P was like, “Um, how did it get there?” because my hands had been above the table the whole time. Does that mean juice was dripping from my arm? Maybe? Does that sound disgusting? A little. Was it? Not at all.
Here’s P with his vanilla milkshake (and new tattoo, that you can sort of see on his wrist):
And here’s three more of my fabulous friends enjoying the fury of a Ray’s Hell Burger:
Oh, I wanted to love you, Minetta Tavern, with your impossible reservations and your $26 hamburger. And you’re gorgeous. But I just don’t know if it’s meant to be. So let’s talk about it.
Minetta Tavern opened last year and has been all the rage. Everyone talks about the $26 Black Label Burger which is, yes, pricey, but this is New York and you can justify anything (It’s really good beef!). I’ve wanted it for 9 months. Tried to make a reservation a few times, but it never worked out until about three weeks ago when Kelly got us a reservation for 6 p.m. on a Thursday. 6 p.m. Like old people. But we’ll take it!
This is how light it was when we left dinner. Strange. Strange. Strange. It is summer. But it’s still strange.
Anyway, who wants to see this burger nonsense?
I was told to order mine medium rare. So I did. And now I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a medium rare burger in my life because I could NOT HANDLE IT. And I love my burgers juicy as can be. So I think I may be at fault there. And it was good. I think I was spoiled recently by having grass-fed burgers on an actual farm, because I was expecting/hoping to be blown away off my chair and it just wasn’t. I actually thought about how I’d rather be eating a burger at Paul’s. Yes I did. Or even the Shake Shack. The fries were delicious, that is true. The pickle, unfortunately, was sadness. Kelly and I think it kind of tasted like Tobasco. Sad. I could tell the beef was quality, but I think next time I should not listen to everyone and just get it medium. I also must report that I left some of the burger on my plate, uneaten. I’d say about three dollars worth. I just thought I was going to die, and not in the typical way that I use that phrase.
Now this was pretty good:
Chocolate souffle for two. I am sick of being served that tiniest baby size of chocolate cake at restaurants, so this was nice. Very warm and very gooey and we ordered a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side because how could you not? We liked this. But we’re still waiting for a restaurant to pry Diner out of our little hearts.
Missy and I made it back to DuMont! And she was actually able to stay this time! Fabulouso. I think DuMont is becoming one of my favorite restaurants in Brooklyn. I mean I LOVE their outdoor patio. So much fun. If I lived in Williamsburg, I would be there every weekend. And then some.
Here is the famous DuMont burger. People swear by it. It’s good, but I’m still partial to the ShakeShack and Paul’s. Mmm. I did enjoy that it came with a plethora of pickles. Hamburger dills already on the burger and regular dill slices on the side. Good to know DuMont respects the pickle. As you should. I would probably recommend DuMont’s mac and cheese over their burger as I think it may be the best in NYC (or at least top three) but it’s not available on their brunch menu, which is when Missy and I went. They do give you these for brunch:
Mini donuts! They were warm, too! Cuteness.
Also I would highly recommend Missy’s sandwich:
There were artichokes and feta and that’s all you need to know.
My goodness. What is appropriate to talk about on City Mitten? Well first I can tell you that this is Missy and you should know that by now. We met up Friday after work to shoot this fab video for Drinking Brooklyn.
It’s freaking hilarious. Things I learned from this video: 1) Always look at the camera even if you have no idea what you’re saying. 2) I need a hair cut. So yes, apparently I get really nervous if you throw a camera in my face, as witnessed by the fact that I informed the nation that I tend to go for guys who are “kinda scruffy” and I “check them out.” I don’t use the acronym “LOL” but I feel like it would be valid here. So we were at Rosemary’s Greenpoint Tavern and you can read more about our experience here. That bar is just so funny to me, which is why I laugh.
ANYWAY the top picture is Missy with me at DuMont which is going to be one of my top favorite places to eat in NYC. It’s awesome! Outdoor garden, fabulous food, beautiful ambiance! Unfortunately Missy was not my dining companion, she was leaving and when she told the girl who seated us I was meeting a guy, the girl asked me for his name and I was like, “Uh…” cause it took me a few seconds to remember. Awesome!
The best part, which is another reason I love DuMont so much now, is later after the guy arrived and we had dined, I was walking back from the bathroom and the girl tapped me on the arm and said, “So how’s Bob? Everything going okay?” We shared a laugh. And his name was not really Bob, but I figured I’d protect his innocence because “Bob” was kind of a dud. Ha!
The only other picture I will post from DuMont is this one:
Beautiful, beautiful white Sangria, with lots of berries. I loved it. And if you’re curious, “Bob” got the burger because I made him (not even kidding) and I got the mac and cheese because it’s famous (rightly so) and we also got the chocolate cake in the end to split, which typically comes with peppermint ice cream but we substituted with mascarpone (I hate peppermint). It was delicious! Anyway, DuMont deserves a real post after this one, perhaps I will be able to go back with Missy one day, maybe even for brunch this weekend when my homegirl Nora is here. Yeah, I dig it.
This is Lure Fish Bar. I would say dining there is like dining on a fancy boat, but I’ve never dined on a fancy boat. But I think that’s what they want you to think. So it’s pretty impressive. The floors are even made of wooden planks in some areas, which for people in heels is very slippery! So the restaurant is very fancy looking but I’m going to say it wasn’t my favorite. Actually I feel like I haven’t been impressed by a nice restaurant in awhile. I went to Applewood in Brooklyn with some other restaurantbloggers and haven’t even written about it yet because it was good but it just wasn’t great. Maybe I’ll get to that.
But Lure. I had New England Clam Chowder as an appetizer.
It was good but it was no Mermaid Inn. What was really good? That lychee martini sitting right back there behind my chowder. Love lychee martinis.
So Lure is a fish restaurant and sushi bar but I had read somewhere that they had one of the best burgers in the city. But I was an idiot and didn’t realize there is a difference between their regular burger and their Lure Style Burger. Excuuuuse me. I did NOT see it on the menu and what I ended up getting was nothing but lackluster and a waste of time. And definitely cooked beyond the medium rare I ordered. You know it wasn’t good because I only ate half of it and let the other half get thrown away. Everyone had made fun of me for getting a burger at a fish restaurant and I was SET on proving them wrong, but in the end, they all got me! So don’t make that rookie mistake!
Missy’s looked good though:
And so did everyone else’s (please ignore the unsightly burger!)
My friends looked good too:
So basically what I have to say about Lure comes down to this: it is a very interesting spot, and I fear I may need to give it a second chance. I just won’t be in a hurry.
I really have got to stop postingabout the Shake Shack. I mean, let’s get serious here. But I can’t help it! And the Germans love burgers so we had to!
We went on a weeknight, after going to the Top of the Rock and probably waited in line for about a half hour, which is really nothing compared to the summer lines. We got beers and shackburgers and dogs and fries. I love guys who know how to eat. Like Matti. He was always the winner. Double shackburger and a hotdog? No problem.
Didi was boring and just had a burger. I know he wanted fries, too.
They were huge fans of the Shake Shack and they especially enjoyed saying the words “Shake Shack” over and over. It was also at Shake Shack where I learned the German word for squirrel: Eichhörnchen. Haha, don’t ask me to say that now, though. I’m pretty sure the only thing I remember how to say in German is a swear word. Nice work, boys!
I think I’m ready for spring now. This is the Shake Shack, and what it looks like in the winter, when you don’t have gobs of people willing to stand in an hour + line for a burger and a shake, no matter how good it is. I should take advantage of this lack of line. But it’s so cold. They have heaters. But it’s so cold.
So there is the Shake Shack, where I did not eat, because it’s so cold, and the best I could do was unbundle my fingers for about four seconds to snap this picture. The good news, though, is that Winter Restaurant Week is coming up! Where should I go this time?
I just want to say that I love my friends and I like hamburgers. So if you’ve got a hankering for one (a hamburger, not friend – although you could perhaps find one of those there too), I suggest you get yourself to Paul’s Burgers on 2nd avenue. They’ve got a million different burgers you can order (all super healthy, of course) and you get a giant bowl of pickle chips at your table, which gets automatic points from me.
It’s quite the spot; lots of kitsch, with checkered table cloths and road signs like “Trailer Trash Avenue” and the like. They also have TVs so you can watch your college football team get killed (ahem) or you can sit on one of the bar stools and watch the cooks in action. The burgers are deeelicious, as are their shakes. My little sister even got a shake there once when she visited me and she’s not a shake person by any means. It’s just good, people.
Ok, that is all. Eat a hamburger. And get ready for City Mitten: Detroit Edition, as I’m on my way to Thanksgiving weekend back home. :)
For the record, I did not eat this. Not that there’s anything wrong with eating this giant, juicy burger here per se, it’s just that I had already eaten most of my lunch when I decided to meet up with my friend Lisa at Stand yesterday. And also, a certain someone was recently looking at my blog and asked me, “Geesh, how much do you EAT?”
Well…
Haha.
Anyway, Lisa got a cheeseburger and those fried darlings in front are fried pickels. We tried to split some shoestring fries but they ended up being a little too stringy for me. When I think shoestring, I think more J. Alexanders (yeah, it’s a chain, but a damn good one that for whatever reason is missing in NY) and less what I got here.
But I could not sit at Stand empty handed, especially since I’ve walked by the place countless times in the past two years and never actually tried it. So I got me a milkshake. Just plain chocolate but it was plain delicious. In fact, I’d say this chocolate shake is probably one of the better ones I’ve had in New York (yeah, I’m talking to you, Shake Shack). Another plus was the straw. It was HUGE so all those yummy chocolate chunks won’t get stuck.
Lisa got a Vanilla Kahlua shake and if I go back, I’d go for the toasted marshmallow shake because it came with toasted marshmallows on top and that’s just cute. So’s the fact that there’s currently a painted cow sitting in front of the establishment.
