Yesterday, Midtown Lunch held the 4food preview event, and lucky for me, I gotten a sneak preview of one of probably the most talked about fast food chain as of the past week.
Initially, I heard of it from my friend Andrew who almost obsessively talked about 4Food weeks before I really read about this on the food blogs. Reading about 4Food on their site, I’m a bit of a skeptic as to how they can make their food “de-junked” and with the plethora of ways you can build your burger (with 6-7 different types of patties, 5 buns, 16 “scoops” which act as the filling to the hole in your patty, etc.), I don’t know how the typical person who has an hour to lunch make up their minds as to what you want to eat. But to get an idea how this good but a bit crazy concept would work, I gave it a try and brought my 4Food fan (Andrew) along.
Entering this large restaurant, it sort of looks like an Apple Store. It’s minimalist with mostly bare walls with only the decals of ingredients of a few burgers adorn the columns near the counter, the huge glowing LCD panels of their offerings above the registers, and on the far left of the store (or closest to the stairway) was the wall glowing with the Foursquare board of people checking into 4Food. There were employees on the floor decked out in black with yellow trimming 4Food tracksuits and paperboy hats. Spiffy.
As I went up to the register, staring at the bright LCD menu screens, I had to figure out what I really want in my burger (as my issue prior to entering, stated earlier). I settled for a burger that has a brioche bun with a pork patty, filled with roasted brussels sprouts, Fontina Fontal cheese, and horseradish cream with sweet chili sauce on the side. I have added their Square Roots, which was essentially, their healthier version of french fries and a white peach sparkler. Continue reading “4Food Lunch Preview” »
Meatopia. I would describe it as Big Apple BBQ but smaller (it’s on Governors Island) and arguably, a bit more chaotic as I’ve observed over time. But at least the weather was glorious for grilling, socializing and barbecue. I left my house early to meet up with my eating companion to Governors Island for three reasons.
My Meatopia tickets and pass
*1) It’s always packed with a ton of hungry masses (it’s publicized by the big media venues like NY Times, Time Out New York, etc.) and (2) food always runs out early. (3) And hell, pictures are better with less people in them.
Here are my highlights (and the least liked) of the 25 restaurants and pro barbecuers (and there were other vendors, will note) from this event:
This will be my last post until I come back from my vacation to Paris in early June, as I’m leaving New York City on Monday. Over the extent of that time, please look at my Flickr just to see touristy photos as well as food porn.
Jo’s exterior and window
My family and I wanted to celebrate my brother’s graduation from graduate school (he earned a MBA in Accounting and now a newly minted, qualified CPA, as he told me this morning) and ended up going to Jo’s in Nolita. We desired to have a casual dinner amongst us and have a few celebratory drinks for this honor. (Coincidentally enough, it’s Jo’s first year in its existence.) Continue reading “Jo’s Restaurant” »
Apologies for the extended delay on updating this blog. I’m packing up my bags to get ready for Paris next week and I’m busy with work and eating out a few more places before I jet out from New York City. I’m sorry, my readers.
Back on Thursday, April 29th, I attended Lucky Rice Festival’s Opening Night Cocktail Party at the Bowery Hotel hosted by Kelly Choi. Being that this was my first time to visit this hotel’s bar, I’m pretty excited as I read it’s spacious and gorgeous venue. (Thanks to Lucky Rice for inviting me to this event.)
By chance, I have met three lovely women, who happened to be food bloggers, Julie of Peek & Eat and Amy of Amy Blogs Chow, and Jessica of Food Mayhem, as we’re all waited on-line and gotten a chance to hang out with them for the night.
I know it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve updated my blog. I know, I didn’t mean to keep all of you hanging but I’ve been busy.
First of all, in case you haven’t looked (or you don’t subscribe to my Google Feed/Feedburner over a month ago), I’ve made an announcement over a month ago that: 1) I got accepted and going to graduate school! (I’m studying Masters of Public Health) and 2) I’m going to Paris, France for vacation toward the end of May!
I’ve been AWOL, at least with my blog (I’m sort of active on my Twitter), because of planning my five-night vacation to Paris. It’ll be my first time there and I hope the Icelandic volcano won’t screw up my vacation. When I do get to Paris, all I know I have to be prepared to eat and walk a lot. Gorge on a ton of cheese, macarons and all other wonderful, carb-y, buttery French pastries and bread! Sweet jeebus, I should start dieting by the thought of that…
New Yorkers, we can rejoice for the return of The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck! I did miss the first time Doug Quint, the one of the owners of BGICT, when he did graced his presence at Union Square two weeks ago. To those of you who are not familiar with Doug and Bryan’s truck, they’re the awfully funny and cool guys who run a Mr. Softee truck that’s pretty much an anti-Mr. Softee, if that made sense.
Yes, they do sell the traditional shakes, soft serve with the dips, nuts, and/or sprinkles but, when you visit this truck you want their unusual, over-the-top sundaes.
The ever popular, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck around 6:50 PM
Interior: The dining room (left) and down the bar (right)
About a week ago, I had dinner with an old friend, Michael and meeting a new one, one of NY Times’ freelance photographers, Evan Sung at the Meatball Shop in the Lower East Side. A casual, fun, nostalgic meal that’s causing quite a media stir that specializes on their namesake – meatballs.
Entering the small, already bustling restaurant at 6:45 PM, one would see the aged-looking walls decorated in black and white portraits and vintage kitchen tools (like hand-cranked meat grinders) and a tinned ceiling. Two-top tables strewn against the one wall while the wooden communal table takes up most of the space with the bar on the right. Continue reading “Meet-Up Dinner (Sort of) at The Meatball Shop” »
During the course of my work week, I was craving something crunchy. I can’t explain it but it’s certainly one of those times that I have the strongest, indescribable desire to eat crunchy food. Since I didn’t want potato chips or pretzels, even though it was Super Bowl weekend, I searched my house and found a bag of mixed unshelled nuts. I perused my recipe collection I collected over the years and found this: hazelnut strawberry thumbprint cookies.
It’s a simple cookie recipe. The small problem was, I didn’t have enough hazelnuts. (I’m presuming my dad liked that particular nut a lot since there weren’t that many from the beginning.) So, I thought what nut would go with hazelnuts well and almonds popped in my head and I started cracking my way through. After fifteen minutes of nut shell debris flying across my kitchen counter and floor, I had enough nut meat for the recipe.
Look like blond Rocher chocolates
After making the buttery mass of cookie dough, forming it into one-inch balls and rolling it in the coarsely ground, toasted, nuts, it does look like Rocher chocolates, except, of course, it’s made of cookie dough.
Free from the grips from the GREs, I’ve made plans with my friends Helen and Seungmi to have lunch at Shake Shack. Needless to say, I craved a burger after putting myself into self-exile from my social world. I chose to meet at the Upper West Side location just so we don’t freeze our butts off and our food wouldn’t get cold within a few minutes.
Cheeseburger
I ordered the cheeseburger with everything on top since I needed to save some calories and stomach space for my group dinner at Szechuan Gourmet (I’ll talk about it in the next post) later on that evening. This simple burger was still amazing and I missed it terribly. I never felt happier.
