Pepe Rosso to Go

Pepe Rosso to Go, SoHo
149 Sullivan St
New York, NY 10012


website: http://www.peperossotogo.com/index.php

Yelp Reviews

From website

This place is tiny... TINY! The counter is about 2 feet from the tables, of which there are about 5 with means maybe a total of 10 people can dine at one time.

I met up with my friend Yuki one coldish Thursday night for dinner and drinks.  She works in the neighborhood and this place is highly recommended by her.  She also came early to stake out a table (we also dined at the right time, b/c 30 minutes later we are being stared at for our table, haha).  The deal is, order at the counter, get your own plastic cup of wine, silverware, olive oil for bread dipping and other things at a cabinet on the other side of the restaurant (maybe 5-10 feet opposite the tables).

The menu has different specials and standard italian fare, but everything is homemade, and if you feel like watching, the kitchen is right behind the counter.  I had the Penne shrimp with arugula, chop tomato and olive oil.  It was huge, everything tasted so fresh and I ate the whole thing, no problem.  Yuki had the spaghetti pesto, which I had a bite of.....I might have that for next time!  I would definitely come here again, especially with the prices being very moderate for SoHo.  Hopefully I would find a seat!

Shake Shack

Shake Shack

 http://shakeshacknyc.com/

Multiple locations, but I went to the one on the Upper East Side and the original location in Madison Square Park in the Flatiron District


http://www.yelp.com/biz/shake-shack-new-york-2

From jerryzeinfeld.com

From: Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

 

 

The infamous Shake Shack.  The one with the huge lines and the huge following in New York City.  I have never before stood in line for a burger.  But I will for this one.

I've only had the burgers and probably should have waited until I had a shake to write a review, but I don't drink cold ice creamy/custardy drinks if the weather isn't warm.  I look forward to trying a shake in the Spring.

My friend Bre and I decided to check it out when she came to visit me one October afternoon.  We both heard of it and decided, why not?  This was the one on the Upper East Side, in quite a nice part of the neighborhood.  There was outdoor and indoor seating and we prayed for the indoor, since it was a bit on the chilly side.  The line wasn't too daunting and we were inside maybe after 15 minutes.  We even scored indoor seats amazingly enough.  I had the double shackburger and Bre had the single one, along with an order of cheese fries.  I believe she might have had the chocolate.  It took awhile for the food to come, maybe things are made to order, or the sheer amount of people, but yes it is worth the wait.

My burger was pretty excellent.  It looks as nicely presented as in pictures (unlike damn near all other fast food burger places).  The beef had a really good flavor,  slightly salty, and tasty mayo-y sauce (the Shake Sauce).  The cheese fries I stole off of Bre's plate were also pretty good, not the best cheese fries I have had but not terrible either. 

The second time I went was after a day of wandering about on a Saturday and I was starving because I skipped lunch.  I was close to Union Square and thought of picking something up there, but I remembered I was also really close to Madison Square Park, home of the original Shack.  It is an all outdoor place (pictured above), which I'm sure is great when it's warm, but it was November and I was freezing.  Thankfully in winter, tables are under these awnings that have heaters.  And the line wasn't ridiculous because it was just too cold.  I had another burger and fries.  As it turns out, I prefer the fries without cheese.

Apparently there's a website a guy made about deconstructing the Shack burger and making it himself at home.  http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/10/the-burger-lab-the-fake-shack-how-to-make-shake-shack-burger.html
Not something I would attempt myself, but it is a most interesting undertaking.

Brgr

brgr, Chelsea

http://www.brgr.com/

287 7th Ave
New York, NY 10001

Yelp Review 

When I was dropping off my sister at the Megabus stop, we needed a decent lunch before her journey,  that was close by and fast.  Chipotle was an option, but I was in the mood for a burger.  My mistake.


So the place wasn't crowded at all, and had plenty of tables.  Good.  The 2 servers manning the grill and the register, weren't really friendly at all, almost borderline rude.  The prices are high, ranging from 8-11 dollars.  Since this place specializes in organic, grass-fed and premium ingredients, that's fine as long as I get a damn good burger.  Which nope, mediocre at best.


The menu is quite small, as this place specializes in burgers.  I got the rainforest burger, which had avocado and herb mayo and gruyere.  It was okay, but nothing fantastic.  Not as flavorful as I would like.  My sister got the turkey burger and she was not blown away either.


I wouldn't come here again, nor would I suggest it.  Shake shack may have a bigger line, but their burgers are a hell of a lot better for the same price as the ones at brgr.