Burger Creations

A few weeks ago as my sister Kim and I were shopping for our Aruban getaway, we realized how shopping really does make you hungry. It could also just be shopping in crazy, crowded Union Square, but who were we to ignore it? So wandered downtown a few blocks to my old stomping ground, the NYU campus. And oh my how it has changed.

I was horribly aware that when I went to school there, 8th street was filled with shops selling punk rock gear, shoes that only a coneusseur could love and cheap-o food. In fact, the most exciting eats on that block were none other than one Johnny Rockets and the Dallas BBQ, a faux Southern gem serving giant roasted chickens, cornbread and blue margaritas. Anyhow, imagine my surprise to find a plethora of new eateries including Crumbs, 'wichcraft, and Burger Creations; though to my delight, Johnny Rockets is still going strong. Intrigued by Burger Creations, we gave it a whirl.

Boasting fresh ingredients and coal fired burgers, Burger Creations is fast food that's anything but. Imagine my second wave of surprise when I ordered my burger at the counter and I was asked how I wanted it cooked. But this is fast food, I thought. I never knew there were varying degrees of doneness in fast food. Oh how I was happily mistaken. I ordered the Greek Burger, a patty atop a mini Greek salad and then topped with tzatziki, kalamata olives and feta cheese, all stuffed between a brioche bun. And it was cooked to my order - done with perfect mediumness.

Was it Shake Shack? No. But it was juicy and just the right amount of add-on ingredients but not too much that it overpowered the delectable burger. Burger Creations, you changed my view of 8th Street and of fast food, proving that it can actually be fresh, delicious and affordable.

My Birthday Fare Part II: South City Kitchen in Atlanta, GA

As I mentioned in Part I, I was on a solo business trip to Atlanta during my birthday but that didn't keep this food-obsessed chick from seeking out the best meal I could find. Already bored with room service from the night before, I set out to find some Southern cuisine and found some serious grub at the famed South City Kitchen. Boasting contemporary Southern food on the quaint Crescent Avenue, SCK is anything but serene yet the food was out of this world. Take a peak...(oh, and please excuse my uber dark photos on this one...I was sitting at the bar, it was dark and I was using my BlackBerry!)

Though I could have gone crazy with the appetizer menu (fried green tomatoes with goat cheese, crab cakes, strawberry salad, smoked bbq pork), I decided against any starters and instead feasted on not one but two corn muffins which were brought to the table in lieu of the traditional bread basket.

For dinner, I made like a local and went with the buttermilk fried chicken. Peppery, crispy, juicy but not  greasy, this delectable dish was served atop a bed of buttermilk mashed potatoes, green beans and bourbon gravy. Yeah, it was pretty wonderful and just about the most delicious way to ring in my birthday.

And since fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans just didn't seem to be enough to fill up this foodie, I also ordered a side of skillet mac & cheese. Yes, I realized that I'd probably need to be wheeled out of the restaurant on a dolly, but when in Georgia, right? And wasn't I totally justified in getting a side dish since I forewent the appetizer? No? Just me? Ok. But the skillet was a lot smaller than it looks in this photo...

Last but certainly not least, I enjoyed the SCK banana pudding at the recommendation of the diner sitting next to me. This was no ordinary pudding. Thick, creamy and custard-like, this pudding was more like a trifle. Layers of pudding, pie crust and homemade whipped cream filled my glass and I'm not going to lie to you...I put a decent dent in it.

So there it is. My super indulgent dinner down in the Southern city.

A Tale of Two Tails: Madame Janette's Aruba

While in Aruba a few weeks ago, Shaun and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Though most nights of the trip consisted of indulgent dinners and desserts (and heck, even breakfast wasn't exactly the pinnacle of health), we saved our favorite island restaurant to celebrate our big day. The place? Madame Janette's, an outdoor restaurant that is nothing short of romantic, gorgeous and decadent to boot.

Dotted with twinkle lights and guitar players strumming, Madame Janette's is really all about the atmosphere. Though I will add a note that since it's outdoors and semi-enclosed, I suggest wearing light clothing and a bit of bug spray.

So many restaurants in Aruba can be a bit pricey and Madame Janette's is no exception. But since we typically dine on the cheap, we splurged in celebration our big 2 years and ordered the Surf & Turf. Yep, it was as good as it looks.

The filet was topped with an oversized pat of herb butter (an item that, in my opinion, could make just about anything better). This is probably more butter than I'd need to consume in a month, let alone atop one bitty portion of beef. But oh was it good. Laced with fresh herbs, the silky smooth butter melted right into the hot filet, making this quite possibly the most decadent piece of meat I've ever laid my palette on. Moving on to the real star of the meal, the lobster tail. A giant, tender piece of er...tail...it was served with clarified butter and that was all it needed to rocket to the top of my favorites list. I know, by this point I was well on my way to a premature coronary. With all of that butter, is it a surprise that we had no room left for dessert? Oh and I should also mention that this followed a giant appetizer of tempura rock shrimp doused in sweet & spicy sauce.

So there you have it. A round up of our big anniversary dinner. Though we've adopted the cook-at-home-more-eat-out-less philosophy since moving into our new place, it was fun to splurge on a special dinner for the two of us. And the fact that we get to spend our anniversary in the place we got married is just the cherry on top of a giant, already-iced cake.