Last weekend Jacob came to New York to help me apartment hunt, which means more of sampling the city's famed fast food places. Once I become a New Yorker, it's likely that at some point someone will engage me in a heated debate over where to find the best slice, burger, bagel, etc. I must be able to argue with conviction, based on thorough research. It's a hazing ritual, I'm sure.
On the last visit we had hit Katz's (amazing), John's Pizzeria in Times Square (very overrated), and the Doughnut Plant ("I never knew a doughnut could taste sooo good," said J.) On a subsequent solo visit I had a slice at Joe's in the Village and a chicken schwafel (a schwarma and falafel hybrid) at Chickpea. This time, it's off to the Shake Shack and Grimaldi's.
I had seen online pictures of the long weekend lines at Shake Shack that put the lines at Disney to shame, but luckily it was 3 or 4 on a Friday afternoon, so there were only about 20 or 30 people ahead of us. We were a bit hungry, and ordered a Chicago style hot dog, a Shack burger with a mayo-based sauce, fries, vanilla shake, and vanilla custard with a chocolate truffle mix-in. A bit hungry.
The burgers are reminiscent of In-and-Out in their use of fresh ingredients. The meat is a mix of sirloin and brisket ground across the street at Danny Meyer's Eleven Park Madison, which means it's airier, fattier, and tastier. The fries were also perfectly crisp. And the custard? Heaven. But warning: the chocolate truffles are so big you simply keep chewing for 5 minutes.
Next up: Brooklyn
This was my first visit to Brooklyn, but we didn't wander very far because I had a pending apartment viewing. Nevertheless, Dumbo has a lot to offer in terms of scenery: the river, the bridges, the Grimaldi's sign...
We were seated pretty quickly and there was great AC to escape the heat and humidity outside. It was also great to watch how fast and efficient the pizza makers were, making perfect pie after perfect pie. The ingredients are so simple, fresh mozzerella with tomato and basil and whatever toppings your order, but the beauty comes in the form of the massive coal fired oven that turns out perfect crusts. This is definately the best pizza out there.
Shake Shack - Madison Square Park
Grimaldi's - 19 Old Fulton St.(between Front and Water), Dumbo, Brooklyn
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