Tag Archives: hamburger

Rachel’s Restaurant

11 Feb

There is NO shortage of Italian restaurants in NYC, especially in Hell’s Kitchen.  But I have become a fan of Rachel’s (on 9th Ave between 43rd and 44th Streets).   They bill themselves as comfort and “American Bistro” food, however, it is definitely based in Italian roots. 

On the order was the Trenette Scampi, which was black pasta with sauteed shrimp, asparagus, & tomatoes in a garlic & oil sauce.  It was a great garlicky sauce.

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Next up was the burger, which came with with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato & swiss cheese.

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Someone got the Seared Tuna with asparagus, avocado salad with roasted pepper coulis.  I was told it was tasty.

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I got the special, which was ravioli in an orange cream sauce.  It tasted like a creamsicle!  I really enjoyed this dish and wanted to lap up the sauce.

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Overall, Rachel’s is hearty, classic food done well.

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10

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Beacon

26 Jan

Mike and I had an itch for brunch, so we made a reservation at Beacon on West 56th Street between 5th and 6th Aves.  I had heard great things about their burger.

The space was beautiful.  Very open with nice decorations without being overdone.

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Lots of vertical lines in a lofty space.  And I really dug the lamp shade chandeliers.

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We were starving by the time we arrived and were thrilled to see that brunch came with a basket of breads and muffins.  Unfortunately, it took a LOOOOONG time for our items to arrive (the table next to us had similar service problems, even though the place was nearly empty).  Luckily they were worth waiting for.

Mike, of course, got the burger.

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It was perfectly good and perfectly scrumptious.

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I went with the steak and eggs, which was a filet mignon and “shirred” eggs.  I still have no idea what shirred means, but it seemed to mean fried.

The steak was in a delicious red wine sauce that I wanted to lick off the plate.  Very tasty.  The steak itself was nothing special.

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For all the buzz I heard about this place, I was expecting more.  But it was satisfying and delicious, even if the service was lackluster throughout.

Total Nom Points: 6 out of 10


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Father’s Office – LA

27 Oct

When I asked my coworkers where I should be sure to eat lunch, a few questions later (mainly… do you like burgers? and do you like craft beer?) we were told that Father’s Office was a MUST!  My coworker recommended the Santa Monica version rather than the larger LA location.  We were fine with that since we wanted to check out the pier anyway.

The inside was VERY small and it’s seat yourself when you can stalk someone until they give up their seat find a chair.  It only took about 10 minutes until there were 2 stools open right in the center of the bar.  I was impressed with the beer selection.  My type of place.

We each ordered a draft and the sweet potato fries.

We decided to split the famous Office Burger.  This burger cannot be modified and is served as is (dry aged beef, caramelized onion, applewood bacon compote, gruyere, matag blue cheese and arugula).  In my opinion, that didn’t need modification anyway!

I found it interesting that it came on more of a long roll than a hamburger bun.  No complaints from me though!

The burger was INSANELY juicy.  The meat was hardly formed into a patty… it was so loose and tender (without being greasy).

While I’m not a huge fan of arugula in everyday life, I think it’s a great foil for a burger.  The bitterness really compliments the fats and cheese.  And those onions were to die for.

Overall, the sweet potato fries, burger, and beer all surpassed expectation.  I really enjoyed this meal and highly recommend stopping in if you’re in the area.

Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

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