Eleven Madison Park: Like a Well-Oiled Machine

Newly anointed James Beard Award winner Daniel Humm, and General Manager Will Guidara caused quite a stir when they closed Eleven Madison Park in September and made changes to the crown jewel in the Danny Meyer empire. First, the restaurant removed 34 seats, going from 113 to a more "intimate" 80. Next, the bar menu was dropped along with the restaurant's bargain $28 lunch. Clearly they hope to elevate their status from "just another one of Manhattan's great restaurants" to a world class culinary destination. Eater, Chowhound and eGullet boards were filled with comments ranging from curiosity to downright anger (who said people don't love 11-course menus?) regarding the restaurant's revamp, proving that even New Yorkers are afraid of change.

Tabla: Better Late Than Never

The announcement came as a total shock, taking myself and many others completely by surprise. In a letter posted on their website, Chef Floyd Cardoz regretfully informed the public that, after a run of ten years, Tabla would be shutting its doors at the end of 2010. Having earned three stars from the New York Times, Tabla was known for marrying French technique with Indian flavors and had long sat atop my ever expanding list of must-try restaurants. But it's said that every cloud has a silver lining and the unfortunate news of the restaurant's impending closure proved more than enough motivation for me to finally reserve a table before it bid the public adiéu.

Union Square Café: A Silver Anniversary

In today's economy fraught with economic uncertainties, most new restaurants are lucky to survive their first year, let alone two. Then again, Union Square Café hardly qualifies as an ordinary restaurant. Twenty five years ago, Danny Meyer opened this restaurant, his first at the time, that was predicated on utilizing the freshest product available from the nearby Green Market which served unpretentious, but refined classics. Meyer, an incredible scout for talent, recruited chef Michael Romano who helped earn the restaurant a three stars review from the New York Times. More recently, chef Romano was made partner, with Carmen Quagliata filling his former role. But despite this change Union Square Café has yet to skip a beat, remaining one of New York City's most beloved restaurants.

Hill Country Chicken: Much Ado About Nothing

In the weeks which proceeded the opening of Hill Country Chicken, the foodie blogosphere was ablaze with anticipation for the Hill Country team's latest venture. Earlier this year New York, as well as most of the United States, was subjected to the endless buzz surrounding KFC's Double-Down, so it came as no surprise that Eater provided early scoop on the latest entrant into the ever-expanding fried chicken scene. But New Yorkers love them some good chicken, a fact so apparently obvious that even visiting San Francisco chef, Daniel Patterson, provided a nice soundbite for the media when he questioned the city's fascination with the crispy bird in anticipation of the recently held Le Fooding event.

Tales of lines that spilled onto the street and early problems initially kept me away from Hill Country Chicken, but chalk it up to curiosity and an empty stomach to motivate a visit which was punctuated by some disappointingly mediocre, but pricey fried food.

"Pigging" Out at Maialino

Maialino, Danny Meyer's latest venture pays homage to the summers spent in Italy during his youth, focusing on Roman-inspired cuisine. Italian for, "little pig," Maialino was the nickname affectionately given to Meyer for is love of food, a precursor for his later career. But maialino, better known to many Americans as suckling pig, is more than just a cute nickname, as it plays a prominent role the restaurant's menu and stars as its signature off-menu item. Truth be told, this post is a a bit tardy as the restaurant has been open for quite some time, but don't blame me for not trying, dinner reservations are still highly coveted, often "relegating" many to a spectacular brunch. But with my family in town and having experienced a rather lackluster dinner at Artisanal the previous night, I was determined to give them a proper meal before sending them off.

Shake Shack: A Burger Worth Waiting For

It seems that some restaurateurs become so entrenched in a particular neighborhood in Manhattan that they inevitably become synonymous with it. An example of this analogy might read: Batali is to Greenwich Village as David Chang is to the East Village. Another would be Danny Meyer and his Union Square Hospitality Group's (USHG) association with the Gramercy area. Although Meyer's reach has expanded into into Queens (Citi Field) and will eventually become international (Dubai), Madison Square Park remains home to some of his most iconic restaurants. From basmati (Tabla) to BBQ (Blue Smoke), Meyer has found success with multiple cuisines. Yet a simple burger "shack" may be the most popular of them all. Since its inception in 2004, Shake Shack's popularity can be traced to Meyer's ability to deliver a gourmet version of a beloved food. Though it holds itself out as a "fast food" joint, rest assured, Shake Shack is anything but your average McDonald's.

For the uninitiated, Shake Shack's line is a sight to behold. A phalanx of hungry New Yorkers perpetually feeding a never-ending beast that often spills onto the nearby sidewalk during peak times. The line is so notorious that the Shake Shack website features a Shack Cam, allowing viewers to see "real-time" images of the line so they may plan their trip accordingly. Additionally, there is even an iphone application aptly called, "The Shackdown," which allows users to share this important information to their burger-loving friends. Clearly, Shake Shack is anything but "fast" food. Shake Shack's popularity may inadvertently be its own undoing. Whenever anyone mentions Shake Shack the conversation inevitably shifts to whether it's worth the wait; a topic TheChief lamented about in a post that you can read here. Coincidentally, while standing in-line on a recent visit I was approached by a tourist who asked me, "is the burger worth it?" Obviously referring to the long wait. I hesitated before replying, "it all depends." I felt bad that I couldn't give him better advice but to me, it all comes down to a subjective cost-benefit determination that may vary person-to-person. What one considers a reasonable wait may be irrational to another, and so on and so forth.

Casa Mono: Culinary Adderall

Variety is great. But sometimes too much variety can be overwhelming. Every day we are faced with the dilemma of deciding what kind of food to eat and where to eat it. Depending on your point of view, Manhattan's wide range of restaurants and cuisines either solves or compounds this problem. On one hand, New Yorkers can never complain about having a lack of culinary options to choose from. But on the other hand all this variety can become a burden. This is a situation I describe as restaurant ADD; where you become so overwhelmed by the sheer number of dining options that you ultimately cannot come to a decision. Even the most obsessed foodie can become afflicted with this disorder and last week I had a bad case of restaurant ADD when I was trying to make dinner plans with MW who had Good Friday off. The solution to my problem was tapas; the restaurant equivalent of Adderall. Wanting nothing in particular other than good food I made reservations at Casa Mono and was pleased that I had.

With small plates of varying flavors and textures (not to mention Spanish wine), tapas bars have become quite popular. This popularity often results in the adoption of no reservation policies which is not my thing during New York winters. Fortunately, Casa Mono accepts reservations which are highly recommended as the restaurant is tiny. Part of the Batali-Bastianich restaurant family, the food at Casa Mono is Chef Andy Nusser's take on the food he grew up eating in Spain. The mix-and-match menu is quite extensive and is perfect if you don't want to be saddled with one dish.

Happy St. Patrick's Day: Shamrock Shakes in Manhattan

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone and an even happier one for me because as reported by the Gothamist earlier today the McDonald's in Union Square started serving the elusive Shamrock Shake within the confines of Manhattan.

For those who were unfortunate to grow up without the Shamrock Shake, my deepest regrets. You can read what one is here, read how it hasn't been served in any Manhattan McDonald's here and even find where they are serving them or not throughout the country here. My girlfriend MW hadn't even heard of one until I told her about them last week when my friend MM peaked my interest in the seasonal treat after downing one in Chicago.

Ignorance may be bliss for New Yorkers and Long Islanders who never had the privilege of drinking one of these, as they undoubtedly don't know what they are missing out on as each March dawns; but I'm not so lucky as I grew up drinking them in Rochester, New York. So imagine my disappointment after heading to a McDonald's in Midtown last week, as my conversation went something like this:

DAsian: "Excuse me, do you serve shamrock shakes?."
McEmployee: "Um, yeah we serve shakes."
DAsian: "No, not any old milkshake, do you serve SHAMROCK SHAKES?"
McEmployee: "What is that? I'll have to ask my manager."

After a minute the employee returned with her manager who said she too has never heard of such a thing. Pissed off about the entire incident and envious of all who were drinking these, I accepted the fact that there would be no Shamrock Shake for me this year. That is, until I received a bbm from MM with a link detailing that like the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot, there was confirmed sightings of the Shamrock Shake at the McDonald's in Union Square. Before getting as excited as a fox in a hen house I called to confirm that this so-called sighting was genuine. Indeed it was and I was out the door faster than Usaine Bolt.

After finding the McDonald's I finally ordered my large Shamrock Shake. So after all the trouble was the Shamrock Shake worth all of the hassle? You bet your sweet ass it was. Minty, sweet, smooth and creamy it was everything I remembered and more; as in my case absence makes the heart grow fonder. I only hope that next year at least one Manhattan McDonald's will choose to bring back the Shamrock Shake.

McDonald's
39 Union Square West
New York, NY 10003
(212) 645-9079

http://mcdonalds.com/

To see all our pics, please click the flickr link.