Archive for New York
Bacon Meets Bakery = Baconery
Posted by: | CommentsWonderin’ why I can’t wait for September 28th? Baconery.Com goes live! An old friend of mine, Wesley Klein decided that he loved breakfast and dessert so much that he needed to marry the two together. Baconery combines Bacon with Baked Goods, wow pretty clever huh? I know, that’s why he’s my friend.
El Señor Klein’s mission in his own words: I assembled the best “baconery” chefs I could find. I purchased the finest ingredients I could buy in order to re-define the bakery experience and bring you something you’ve never seen before.
Check out the menu below:
Baconery
Breads:
Bacon Banana Bread (Add Walnuts or Chocolate Chips or Both)
Brownies:
Bacon Brownies
Chocolates:
Bacon Marshmallow Bars
Bacon Chocolate Pretzel Rods
Cookies:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies
Chocolate Bacon Cookies
Muffins:
Bacon Blueberry Muffins
Other:
Bacon Trail Mix
Don’t Forget Your Pooch:
Pig-Shaped Bacon Dog Biscuits (Small & Large)
Jahn’s Ice Cream Parlour – Jackson Heights, New York
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With its wood grain panels and dodgeball sized lights lining the wall, Jahn’s really sets the mood for an old school ice cream shop. I felt as if I were on the set of a Back To The Future film (I mean this in a good way).
Jahn’s food can be best described as diner food. We arrived near 10pm and while everyone in my party decided to have some sort of dessert, I had a vanilla shake.
And of course, a burger. Their BBQ burger has American cheese on the bottom and top bun (at least mine did), bbq sauce, bacon and a couple of onion rings. This is your standard diner burger, it will satisfy your late night burger cravings, at least it did for me. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ll have an extensive dessert menu to look through, this is definitely the place for you.
Jahn’s Ice Cream Shop
Neighborhood: Jackson Heights
81-04 37th Ave
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
718-651-0700
Mad For Chicken – New York, New York
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ER Gagit was right. He told me that once I ate at Mad For Chicken I would never want to eat fried chicken anywhere else. Mad For Chicken serves Korean Fried Chicken and has a few locations in New York as well one in Washington D.C. As we were walking around we couldn’t find the place.
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| Mad For Chicken in The New York Times |
It turns out there are no signs where Mad For Chicken is located unless of course you look up. It’s located on a second floor in a nondescript building. We used the stairs (which were so narrow I thought I was practicing for the high wire act in the circus) to get to the actual restaurant. I had read up on Mad For Chicken via their website about how they use fresh, never frozen natural chicken and that their cooking method reduces the amount of fat in the chicken. My first thought was, I hope it doesn’t affect the flavor. Once we were seated we ordered the Parmesan French Fries as well as the Mexican Corn.
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| Parmesan French Fries |
The Parmesan French Fries which for some reason on this occasion had no Parmesan cheese but American were great. It was served with a side of ketchup and spicy mayo. I loved the Spicy Mayo.
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| Mexican Corn |
The Mexican Corn was grilled lightly and topped with Parmesan Cheese which was strange because the fries had none, oh well. Now the chicken, I can’t put into words. When we placed the order we were told it would take approximately 30 minutes for the chicken to be ready.
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| Mad For Chicken’s Chicken |
We decided to split the order in half so that we could try both sauces (hot and soy garlic). On their site Mad For Chicken explains that their sauce base is Soy Sauce, Garlic, Onions and some fruits. Of the two sauces, the spicier one was better and you could really taste the distinct flavors. The chicken itself was so crispy on the outside it was almost like a shell. The inside was moist and delicious. We were literally almost battling to see who would get the last pieces of chicken and although I didn’t get one of the last pieces I could say that Mad For Chicken did indeed drive us crazy. We haven’t stopped talking about their chicken since.
Mad For Chicken - This location is Now Closed.
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
314 5th Ave, 2nd Fl
(between 31st St & 32nd St)
New York, NY
212-221-2222
PJ Clarke’s – New York, New York
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Before I even took a look at the menu at PJ Clarke’s I went to check out the restroom. Someone had told me I should and they were right. It was odd and very saloon like. I sat down and while the bar area was over run by people, the dining area wasn’t anywhere near as full. I order their burger with cheese and decide not to go “The Cadillac” route (bacon & cheese). Onions though are a different thing. The sides are a la carte (ordered separately). Instead of ordering the fries which were the obvious choice I ordered the mashed potatoes w/ gravy.
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| Mashed Potatoes w/ Turkey Gravy |
The mashed potatoes were very creamy and buttery. The turkey gravy served with it does it no justice. The ‘tatoes stood well on their own. Just as I was being served my burger I saw someone at another table receiving their french fry order. The fries are served in a cylinder and they seemed to have really enjoyed their fries.
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| PJ Clarke’s Cheese Burger |
So, I’m served the burger and my first thought is: Wow, this is a small burger. It was a very fresh tasting burger and while good, I didn’t find anything particularly special about it. I expected a little more, but hey, that’s me.
PJ Clarke’s
Neighborhood: Midtown East
915 3rd Avenue (between 55th St & 56th St)
New York, NY
212-317-1616
Burger Heaven – New York, New York
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While wandering aimlessly around New York I ran into Burger Heaven not realizing it was a chain of 6. I figured I would give it a shot. After being seated I looked at the paper placemat in front of me. It was all about the Celebrity Apprentice episode featuring Burger Heaven. After having watched the episode and having the Donald refer to Burger Heaven as a diner; I’m in agreement with that statement. It doesn’t have a burger joint feel but more of a diner with all the counter stools and booths. Although it was a much more sleek looking diner than what you normally get.
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| Stairway to Burger Heaven |
This particular location has a second floor. There is breakfast on the menu (served til 11am) and homemade chili that was calling my name, but I ordered the Classic Beef Burger, cooked Medium with American cheese and a side of fries of course. It took about 10 minutes from when I placed the order to when I received the burger.
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| Onions, Pickle Spears and Mayo on the side |
I had asked for mayo on the burger but I was served a plate with a couple of pickle spears, red onion and a packet of mayo. The burger was cooked perfectly and the taste was reminiscent of what you might get served at a diner.
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| Classic Beef Burger w/ Cheese |
There was nothing special here just a solid diner burger. The fries on the other hand, now that was something different. They were definitely fried twice as that’s the only way to really get that particular crispy texture on the outside. They were delicious. While the burger didn’t really break new ground for me, the fries left me longing for more.
Burger Heaven
9 East 53rd Street (btwn 5th Ave and Madison Ave)
New York, NY
212-752-0340
Paul’s Da Burger Joint – New York, New York
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Paul’s Da Burger Joint has over 20 burgers on the menu as well as the option to choose either beef or turkey. Their burgers are 8 oz. which equals 1/2 pound for those of you who aren’t good with math or measurements. Paul’s is located in the East Village and the look of the place can be best described as “a whole bunch of stuff everywhere”.
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| A stuff explosion |
My wife Marcela decides to sit out this one but does order a chili. The chili was good but it was not out of this world. It had beans,ground beef and was not served with any other toppings.
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| Bowl of chili |
While waiting for the burger I uncover a bowl at our table that is filled with pickles. Too bad I don’t like pickles.
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| bowl of pickles |
My friends Carlos & Linda order the Blue Cheeseburger (blue cheese topped w/ grilled onions) and a Cheeseburger (it’s American cheese with grilled onions) . After much consideration I order the Alpine Burger which is topped with Swiss and I add bacon.
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| Blue Cheeseburger w/ grilled onions |
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| Cheeseburger w/ grilled onions |
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| Alpine Burger w/ bacon |
The burger are cooked on a griddle and they use a steaming method via a metal dome that tops the burgers. I tried all three burgers we ordered. The Blue Cheeseburger was the best of the 3 and that was because of the blue cheese taste. While they were moist and very fresh (they grind their own sirloin), I found that the burger itself didn’t have too much flavor. It’s a shame because I really wanted to love this place.
Paul’s Da Burger Joint
Neighborhood: East Village
131 2nd Ave (between 7th St & St. Marks Place)
New York, NY
212-529-3033
Pommes Frites – New York, New York
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Pommes Frites is an authentic Belgian fries shop. The fries are fresh cut, twice fried and served in a cyclinder. The orders are available in either Regular, Large or Double. There’s a wide array of sauces to dip your pommes frites into. Each sauce is $1 or 3 for $2.50. I ordered the Large size with a side of Honey Mustard Mayo. I know, I know..how un-original of me. I love honey mustard, what can I tell you. My wife Marcela ordered a mix of the Cheddar Cheese Sauce and the Sambal Olek (hot chili paste).
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| Honey Mustard Mayo |
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| Cheddar Cheese / Sambal Olek Sauce |
Since they employ the double fry method I knew these fries would be nice and crispy (they were). The fries are cut in the size of somewhere in between a steak fry and a standard fry (not shoestring).
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| Large order of Pommes Frites |
The fries really were awesome but the sauces is where it gets good. I loved both sauces we had. The Honey Mustard Mayo was probably the creamiest tasting Honey Mustard I’ve ever had and the Cheddar/Sambal Olek mix had a good kick to it.
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| The Sauce Board |
There’s 25 sauces to choose from plus you can actually sample them which is cool. There’s also Poutine on the menu . Poutine is a popular Canadian dish where the pomme frites are topped with cheese curds and gravy. If there’s one I regret I have it’s not ordering it and also not sampling all of the other sauces.
Pommes Frites
Neighborhood: East Village
123 2nd Ave (between 7th St & St Marks Pl)
New York, NY
212-674-1234
Bill’s Bar & Burger – New York, New York
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I didn’t go into Bill’s Bar & Burger blindly. I had tried their burger before. Well, a version of it at the SoBe Burger Bash. I liked it so much that when it came time to place my vote at the Burger Bash I voted for Bill’s without any hesitation. When I mentioned to George Motz (Hamburger America) that I would be in New York City for a few days he suggested we meet up at Bill’s.
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| Bill’s Bar & Burger Menu Board |
George brought along his friend Kris (an EBT: Expert Burger Taster) and I was with my wife Marcela and our good friends Carlos & Linda Giusti (they’re New York residents). Everyone ordered a burger except for Linda who decided to order the New York Hot Dog.
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| New York Hot Dog |
We order Bill’s Boneless Chicken Wings to get into the rhythm of things.
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| Bill’s Boneless Chicken Wings |
The boneless wings are tossed in Frank’s Red Hot and served with a side of blue cheese. I never tried the blue cheese dressing because the boneless wings were so soft and delicious I thought I might be committing a crime by dipping them. The Texas Brisket Chili was not of this earth. Honestly.
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| Texas Brisket Chili |
The smokey taste of the brisket with the bacon & spices were really just unbelievable. The chili is topped with onions, cheddar cheese and sour cream but it’s not necessary.We liked this chili so much we took some to go. The fries and beer battered onion rings are the perfect accompaniment for their burgers.
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| French Fries |
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| Beer Battered Onion Rings |
Let’s start with the Tuskan Turkey Burger with provolone cheese on whole wheat bun. If I was a turkey burger this is who I would want to be. Fresh ground turkey with a little char on the outside, great stuff.
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| Tuskan Turkey Burger |
The Mushroom and Swiss Burger with its squishy bun was awesome but…
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| Mushroom and Swiss Burger |
nothing comes close to Bill’s Classic. I had mine with American Cheese. I took my first bite and I thought one thing: This is what a burger should taste like. There’s no denying this is freshly ground beef and best of all it’s cooked to perfection on a griddle (nice little crispiness on the outside). It was the same feeling I had when I first tried Bill’s burger a month earlier except this time it caused me to say “It’s sickeningly good” and I stand by that statement.
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| Bill’s Classic with American Cheese |
If you live in New York and haven’t eaten here, shame on you. And if you’re visiting New York City, run don’t walk here. On my next visit I plan to come here straight from the airport (I’m not kidding). Don’t forget to order a shake while you’re at it, we were all blown away by them also.
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| Oreo Shake |
Bill’s Bar & Burger
Twitter: BillsNYC
Neighborhood: Meatpacking District
22 Ninth Avenue at W 13th St, New York, NY
212-414-3003
