Please Pass the Napkin

This past weekend I celebrated my sister Christine's birthday with the family at famed burger stop 5 Napkin Burger. Always one for a great, juicy burger, I cannot tell you how many times I've strolled past 5 Napkin wanting desperately to go inside. Somehow it just never happened...until Sunday. Located on the corner of 45th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Napkin feels like a dolled up diner with a bistro twist. With a menu boasting 7 types of burgers, salads, and lots of tasty apps, I stayed true to what the joint does best - the Original 5 Napkin Burger. Gruyere cheese, carmelized onions, and rosemary aioli on a soft white roll complete this uber juicy burger - classy, no? Enough talking...let's get down to the photo montage, shall we?

Outside the famous Hell's Kitchen Burger Joint.

That's one giant burger. Plenty of Gruyere and sweet, carmelized onions made this burger anything but average. You'll note the small cup of rosemary aioli - I ordered this on the side. Those of you who know me already know my distaste for the herb, but I figured when at Five Napkin...and I have to say, it was pretty darn tasty despite my personal feelings.

Let's get a bit closer. Perfectly medium, the burger was so juicy that it actually soaked through the bottom of the bun. Normally this would be a dealbreaker, but in this case I have to say, it kind of worked.

Never one to pass up dessert, especially when there's apple involved, I couldn't help but order the warm apple pie, a la mode of course. It was one of the best around, really shining with the cinnamon streusel topping, making this anything but your average apple pie.

It wouldn't be dessert in the Cannon family without a little taste testing, so I sampled Christine's S'mores shake. Yup, that's one giant, perfectly toasted marshmallow on top...yum!

In my excitement over dessert sampling, I simply forgot to snap a photo of the espresso brownie sundae so I'll just have to tell you...vanilla ice cream, espresso caramel, and whipped cream topped with salted peanuts (have you noticed my love of sweet and salty together? Genuis). While I felt it didn't stand up to the fabulous apple pie, it was a pretty close second, though my sister Kimberly would probably dispute that to the ends of the Earth.

Ultimately, this made for a perfect birthday celebration and I finally got my Five Napkin fix. They even took reservations for a party of 7 and actually seated us on time.Would I go back? In a clogged heartbeat.

I Had What Sally Had (Almost)

Over the last few months, S and I have been compiling a list of all of the foods and eateries that we are just dying to try. It's affectionately (and creatively) been named The List. Determined to start actually visiting some of the places on The List, we set out on an unbusy Saturday to Katz's Deli, the famed Lower East Side eatery. Home of delicious meats, pickles, and extremely long lines, you may know Katz's by the famed "I'll have what she's having" scene in When Harry Met Sally. While I scouted a seating location, S braved mobbed lines, returning with 2 giant sandwiches for sharing - hot pastrami on rye and a reuben - a bowl of the juiciest pickles I've ever tasted, and a Dr. Brown's Cream Soda. With lots of tables and celebrity photos of the likes of Chris Noth and Bill Clinton dotting the walls, it's a rustic, cafeteria feel serving up fatty, fabulous eats.

 The wall o' meat and weigh station

Hot pastrami and swiss on rye. Add a little mustard and you've got one of the best sandwiches of all time.

The Reuben was completed with saurkraut and Russian dressing. While the flavor was impeccable, the meat itself was a little too chewy for my taste.

Giant juicy pickles that sucked the moisture right out of my mouth 

Pastrami (also known as cured brisket)...yum!

 Guys slicing meat

 Outside Katz's

Bottom Line:
The sandwiches were delicious, with pastrami as the clear winner. Perfectly greasy and flavorful, I'd be hard pressed to find another as yummy. While it was quite a trek to the LES, and the lines were quite long especially at 4pm (not quite lunch, not quite dinner), for a great, giant sandwich with authentic Old New York feel, I highly recommend. And hey, if it's good enough for for a one Mr. Bill Clinton, then it's good enough for me.

A Taste of Germany at the Jersey City Biergarten

So I don't often write about happenings in Jersey City, mainly because there aren't many. Don't get me wrong, there are some fabulous restaurants and happy hours (more on those to come at a later date), but there's just not much 'going on' in the traditional sense. And while I'm generally not into rushing the end of the summer, I basked in the cooler-than-usual (and very windy) August weather and kicked off the Fall season at Zeppelin Hall, an indoor/outdoor restaurant and biergarten.

Located a short walk from the Grove Street PATH station, this enormous facility is a hidden gem...if you don't know it's there, you'd never find it. Don't fret over crowdedness - Zeppelin seats up to 800(!) outdoors and up to 250 indoors.

Just a small shot of the biergarten

Featuring 144 beers on tap, there are 3 ways to order - half liter, full liter, or flights (a 5-piece beer sampler, if you will). I went with a half liter of Staropramen (a Czech beer that I discovered in Prague), but this was before discovering the flights. In hindsight, this was a huge mistake which will be rectified on my next visit, as I like to think of myself as a taster.

The full v. half liter...somehow Shaun still drank his faster than me...

Foodwise, I went with the tradition bratwurst on rye, complete with saurkraut and mustard. Zeppelin Hall truly brought back remnant flavors of my trip to Germany in 2006...a week of eating and drinking nothing but bratwurst and beer.

So maybe it's not quite the standard of a cold Kolsch and Koln brat, but for place tucked away in Jersey City? I'll take it. If you're in or around the city this Labor Day weekend, kick off Octoberfest and welcome Autumn with open arms.