TBar Steak & Lounge

Tonight, my sister and I got the nice treat of going out to dinner with our Grandparents.  There are one or two restaurants that are on our usual list of places that we go to, but my sister decided to suggest TBar to change things up a bit for tonight.  TBar is a great American restaurant/lounge on the Upper East Side that we used to go to a lot, but I hadn't been there in a while.

Since I have last gone, the menu has changed a bit but the main staples have remained the same.  I used to always get the caesar salad which was great, but that has since been removed from the menu.  Instead, they added a bunch of new salads that sound really interesting, like the Kale & Apple Salad and the Watermelon & Feta Salad.  These all sounded great, but to start I decided on the Vegetable Summer Rolls, which come with some carrots, mushrooms, lettuce and soba noodles inside a very thin rice paper wrap with some hoisin sauce on the side.

These rolls were really delicious and light, so it was a great way to start the meal.  The wrapper is very thin so it does not overwhelm the taste of the vegetables and noodles on the inside, and the hoisin sauce added nice flavor.  My grandma got these to start too and she really liked them as well.  My grandpa got the tomato and burrata salad which looked delicious, and my sister got the half dozen oysters which she really enjoyed.  

The options for the main course range from chicken, steak, and pasta, to fish, burgers, and pizza, so there really is something for everyone. Even with the diverse menu offerings, I always get the same thing here:  The Natural Amish Turkey Burger.  It is a turkey burger that is filled with spinach and cheese (in the center!) and is topped with caramelized onions, and it never disappoints.  On the side you can either get a salad or fries, but to me it seems like a waste to get a salad.  If you are going for it and get the burger, you might as well complete the meal and get the fries.

First off, I love the presentation of the dish.  The fries come in a cool take-out container, and the burger is stacked nice and tall.  I always cut the burger in half because I like to see what the center looks like, and it is too big for me to eat the whole thing.  Inside, there is a very generous amount of spinach and some cheese to add some creaminess to it.  The whole combination of the turkey with the spinach, cheese, caramelized onion, and ketchup is spot on and makes it such a treat.  The fries are also really great and have the perfect balance of saltiness and crispiness.  We also got a side of roasted carrots for the table, and while it may seem like carrots are just a distraction, they were roasted perfectly and had tons of flavor.

After the main course we were all really full, but made the mistake of looking at the dessert menu and obviously had to order something.  Their parfaits and sundaes are what they are most known for here, and I have previously tried each one of their offerings.  They have the strawberry sundae, which is layers of strawberries, meringue, cream, and shortcake in a huge bowl, the chocolate sundae, which is layers of brownie, chocolate sauce, and ice cream in a huge bowl, and the banana parfait, which is layers of waffle cone, vanilla ice cream, caramel, coconut, and caramelized bananas.  They all are huge servings, and can easily be shared with at least three other people.  While I am a true chocolate lover at heart and love brownie sundaes, the banana sundae was the one we settled on for tonight.  They actually offered a smaller version, which we got for the table instead of the larger one which they say serves 2-3 people, but in reality the smaller one serves 2-3 and the large one can serve probably 4 or 5.

This dessert was so sweet and delicious that my sister and I somehow managed to finish it even though we could not breathe because we were so full.  The best part was the caramelized banana layer on top, but it was extra good when combined with the vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.  This was a perfect way to end the meal, and highly recommended for anyone who loves banana and caramel.  

While we had taken a hiatus from TBar for the past few months, I think it has officially been put back on the rotation. All of the appetizers, main courses, sides, and desserts were delicious, and even the bread basket was great (it came with olive bread, which, as I previously established, automatically gives a restaurant 5 stars in my book).  Our evening was filled with great company and great food, and you can't really ask for much more than that!

  

Bareburger

Something about July 4th always gets me in the mood for a good burger and fries.  Even though it isn't until tomorrow, my sister and I decided to have our burgers a day early and we paid a visit to Bareburger.  I love Bareburger because not only is it only 5 minutes from my apartment, but everything there is organic and they have a large selection of different meats to choose as your patty.  Inside, there is a very cool "hippie" vibe, which I think goes along with the natural, organic theme.  You can really get creative here with your choice of burger, bun, toppings, cheese, sauce, etc., but I tend to keep it pretty simple.  In the past I have gotten their beef burger which is very delicious and juicy, but today I decided to go for the turkey burger.  In addition to those, they offer a veggie, bison, elk, ostrich, and lamb burgers (there may be more I just can't remember!), and they even put a little informational card on all of the tables that has the fat breakdown of each option so you can be fully informed before making your choice.  All of the patties are 6oz, which is the perfect size.

For the buns, I always go for the brioche because it is soft and delicious, but you can also get multigrain, gluten free, or even a lettuce wrap.  I chose to go for the classic lettuce, tomato and onions as my toppings, but they also offer pickles, avocado, cheese, bacon, etc.  They also have a lot of specialty sauces that you can get, and I decided to try the honey mustard.  I also got a side order of french fries because I can never eat a burger without having fries with it!  My sister got the california burger, which has cheddar, avocado, watercress, onions, tomatoes, and salsa verde, in a lettuce wrap.  It is recommended to have the veggie burger with that combination, but she chose to get the bison burger instead.

The turkey burger was juicy and delicious, and exactly what I had been craving.  The combination with the onions, honey mustard, ketchup, and the soft brioche roll really elevated it and I would definitely order this combination again.  I only ate half since I was trying to control myself, but it was a struggle.  

The fries here are amazing also.  While they are a bit salty, they are nice and crispy.  Again, it was a struggle to not eat all of them and I really had to put my self control to the test!  My sister also enjoyed her bison burger, even though it was very messy because of the lettuce wrap.  

In addition to the burgers here, they also make their own homemade sodas, milkshakes, cute little sliders, chicken fingers, onion rings, salads, and much more.  I love coming here because everything is organic and fresh, so you don't have to feel too bad about yourself after eating a burger and fries!  There are also not many places in the city where you can choose between a bison, elk, and ostrich burger!  Even though a Fatburger just opened across the street from them, you should definitely come here instead and enjoy a delicious and healthy(ish) meal.

Shake Shack

Part of the charm of living in the city is having the ability to find a restaurant from just about every cuisine within a 2 block radius.  A lot of times it is nice to just go to these neighborhood places and not give in to the hyped up "tourist traps" that plague the city.  That being said, there are a few exceptions, one being Shake Shack.

I would consider Shake Shack an institution in the city, and everyone that lives here has either been to a Shake Shack or has heard of it.  The thousands of yelp postings just verify how popular it is among city residents and visitors, in addition to the long lines that normally span at least 20 minutes.  Since it is officially the summer and I have been smelling that charcoal bbq smell all around the city, I have been craving a burger.  After going through the list of places in my mind, I knew that Shake Shack was the place I wanted to go to.  

There are many places in the city where you can claim to find "the best burger," but my taste in burgers is not that sophisticated, and therefore I find it difficult to rank one above the next.  However, I am able to recognize when a place serves a great, high quality burger, and Shake Shack is one of those places.  To me, it also ranks above the rest because coming here means getting the complete experience (with fries and a shake), as opposed to going to a nice restaurant and getting a fancy, overdone burger. The only one that I have ever been to is the one in Madison Square Park, because that has always been the closest to me and it is nice to be able to get your food and sit outside in the park to eat.  Upon arrival, the line may appear to be a bit daunting...

And, yes, I was in line when I took this picture, so clearly it wrapped all the way around.  From the time I got in line to the time I ordered, it was about 20-25 minutes which is not bad for Shake Shack.  They do have a "B" Line for those who just want to order Ice Cream, Beer, or Wine, but that one tends to be very short since most people come for the food/shakes. 

Once you finally order, you are then given a buzzer to wait for your food, which took about an addition 10-15 minutes.  Part of the charm is being able to sit outside in the park, so you have to be pretty vigilant and jump on a empty table when you have the chance, otherwise you my get stuck eating on a park bench.  

I ordered a single hamburger with the works (lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion), an order of french fries, and a black and white milkshake.  I decided to go all out because I did a ton of walking today and a very hard boot camp class.  I had also been craving a black and white milk shake, so I knew I had to order that.  

This was such a satisfying meal, and exactly what I had been craving.  The burger was very juicy, and the patty was the perfect size.  I hate when burgers are too thick and everything falls off the bun, but this one was perfect.  It is a very simple and straight-forward burger, but that is what I love about it.  

The fries were also very good.  While they were not the best fries I have ever had, I can never eat a burger without having fries on the side, and these did the job just fine.  The shake was so creamy and delicious, and it was very hard not to drink the whole thing.  I made the mistake of looking up the nutritional information before I went, so I was too scared to drink the whole thing (note for the future: don't look at the nutritional information unless you are sure you want to see it!)  Even though I am generally a chocolate person, black and white milkshakes are my all time favorite.  My sister, my dad and I used to get a black and white shake from the country club we belonged to growing up, and now that we don't go there anymore I have been looking for a shake to fill the void.  This one did the trick.  

While there are many shake shacks in the city, I would highly recommend going to the one in madison square park if it is a nice day like today was.  They offer a variety of different shakes and frozen custards/concretes that also looked so good, in addition to burgers, fries, and hot dogs.  Sometimes you are just craving a burger with fries and a shake, and Shake Shack is the place to go for those days.  They now have tons of locations outside of the city, like in DC, Connecticut, Long Island, and Florida, and are quickly expanding, so you don't have to live in the city to experience Shake Shack!