The Burger Joint
241 Third Ave.
Distance from Shake Shack: 0.33 miles
Travel Time: 11 minutes
Not to be confused with its definite-article-less famous namesake, Burger Joint , which is famously "hidden" in the Le Parker Meridien, this joint is just a short jaunt over from Madison Square Park on 3rd Avenue and 20th Street and is home to some serious sliders....
I dream of Shake Shack. That beacon of irresistible American fare starts simmering in my brain around noon, when I can begin to smell the delectable combination of sirloin and brisket, the potato bun, the perfectly proportioned fresh ingredients, and that secret sauce. We all have our favorite lunch time spots, the local place around the corner, and this one is mine. Being just two block...
Blue 9 Burger
92 Third Ave
Distance from Shake Shack: 0.61 miles
Travel Time: 18 minutes
Of all the burgers around the area, this one probably comes the closest to replicating the style of the Shake Shack. They are both in the same vein as the West Coast burger staple, In-N-Out Burgers, which are hyper-fresh and vegetable laden. Everything is made to order,...
I came across a book at the Strand Bookstore some time ago called The Top 100 Pasta Sauces , and was intrigued. Slapped on a cover was a gold circle that declared it had sold “Over 1 million copies,” and I felt a bit like I’d missed the boat, as this was an old used one that somebody was through with. Flipping through it I found beautiful colored pencil sketches, which gave th...
Happy Mother's Day, Mom. We know we might not be lawyers, stock brokers, or those people that have "money" or whatever that's called. But we can cook. And had we been able to be with you today, and, had we awoken (most likely by you) at the absolutely absurd hour that you rise, this is what we would have done. So, please. Stay in bed, read some of that paper and enjoy a full menu dedi...
Eating Nick’s we decided that our favorite pizzas don’t have a uniform cheese layer--as you take bites they change, from sauce and fresh basil to an all-mozzarella mouthful, and the flavors really develop in your mouth.
But we’ve gotten to the point where food can make or break the entire evening. We’d been having slice after pie after slice after pie, and they’d all been so abo...
After the transcendence of Di Fara’s, we knew our search would have some kind of lull. After that fateful Sunday our quest changed directions, conceptually and literally. We called up our friend Paul who grew up on Staten Island, the place nobody from Manhattan goes--maybe for the free ferry ride by the Statue of Liberty, then right back again to Manhattan.
Like any local New Yorker...
Saturday and Sunday of this weekend were among the best days this year, second only, perhaps, to last Saturday, the proclaimed "Day of the Year" by Manhattan Users Guide with a delightful essay about the joys of walking New York's streets. Call this post the Brooklyn Users Guide--our own Day of the Year--spent soaking in a day dry and warm in the sun, cool and breezy in the shade.
Batali claims the American cheese classic, through his recipe, can be “turned into performance art.” I wouldn’t go that far--nobody's getting naked and using her body as a paintbrush for buttering the bread, or having strangers cut off their clothes while they flip it on the griddle--but it’s an impressive sandwich made more impressive by its simple ingredients and childhood throwback. ...
Tai Hong Lau 70 Mott Street Deep Fried Dumplings Verdict: The first of many deep-fried samplings, not the cheapest but quite tasty. They had an assortment of vegetables and mini shrimp. 
Blake and Nick live in Chicago and have written for The Paupered Chef and other publications since 2006.
