Coffee Shop vs. Shake Shack: Lunch Outside the Box

Even though it’s freezing outside (at least it was when I wrote this post), I want to honor two of my favorite lunchspots with an entry on how great they are year-round. Today, a virtual journey to Madison Square Park and Union Square via some fantastic sandwiches.

poorNY
Say what you want about hamburgers and fries and who’s got the best of the best, but in my opinion there is nothing better than a big fat Shack burger and Concrete from Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. On a busy Summer day the line at the shack can wrap around the edge of the park, so be sure to check ahead on their webcam: http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/

Recently Shake Shack has opened locations at the new Mets Stadium, Citi Field, and on the Upper West Side, but the original still reigns supreme. The park is packed with metal tables and chairs, and there’s a new set of benches in the street where Broadway runs into Madison and 23rd St. for you to perch on if it’s crowded. Work up your appetite, because you can’t miss a bite at Shake Shack: ice cream, burger and fries are all equal parts to a whole amazing meal. The fries aren’t your regular McFries: they’re squiggly and perfectly salted. The burger isn’t a boring one: it’s smothered in sauces and toppings and at $4.75 pretty affordable.

My opinion: grab a friend for a leisurely park lunch when it starts getting nice out and get your Shake Shack on. Until then, see you at the Uptown indoor location, which is just as yummy for the Winter.

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park
Or
366 Columbus Ave. (at 77th)
$

richNY
Union Square is such a popular meeting spot for lunch, conveniently home to a whole mess of subway lines and equally parts East and West sides. The problem is that around the square, most of the real estate belongs to big retail or supermarkets. While sometimes grabbing a bite in the Whole Foods cafeteria might suffice, other times you really need a sit-down meal, and Coffee Shop on the Northwest corner of the Square is your best bet.

Inside, it looks innocently enough like a casual diner with a well-stocked bar, but don’t be fooled by the vinyl seats and metal stools. When it’s nice out, Coffee Shop becomes sort of a see-and-be-seen-scene, with tables lining the sidewalk that are hard to snag at lunchtime. The kicker is the waitstaff – it’s a well-known fact that Coffee Shop is staffed entirely by models, actors and actresses, guaranteeing you something great to look at even if you don’t secure a seat on the sidewalk. But forget about the servers: the food, with its Brazilian inspired menu, is good enough to stand on its own. My favorite item on the menu used to be the tuna melt, served on a croissant with amazing herbed skinny French fries, but recently it’s disappeared from the menu. Not to worry, as the rest of the fare is equally satisfying, like the big smoked turkey on croissant sandwich, or for brunch, their spin on eggs benedict.

At any rate, if you’re looking for a good sandwich at a hot and convenient spot, Coffee Shop is always great.

Coffee Shop
Union Square West
$$$

Clinton St. Baking Co. vs. Sugar Sweet Sunshine: An Acceptable Sweet Treat

I fully admit to not having a sweet tooth: when it comes down to it, if I have to choose, I’ll always order another appetizer instead of dessert. That being said, sometimes you just need some sugar to get you through the day. richNY/poorNY exposes two such sweet spots downtown to quench your desires.

richNY
I’d been hearing about the Clinton St. Baking Company for what seemed like forever before my college roommate dragged me there for a pie-and-cake date a few years ago. Since then, it’s become a favorite spot for something decadent every once in a while. Clearly, from its name, Clinton features an amazing variety of baked goods: huge thick slices of the best homemade blueberry and apple pie you could every wish for, which will set you back $7 for a slice that you’ll have to split.

But here’s the thing: the brunch at Clinton is absolutely amazing. I met a friend there recently for ‘lunch,’ which we decided was an appropriate meal at 2:30pm, in order to avoid the actual brunch crowd. I ordered the buttermilk biscuit egg sandwich, complete with delicious hash browns and homemade tomato jam. My brilliant friend got the homemade blueberry pancakes, which I have to admit, were out of this world. They come in a thick stack and are accompanied by a maple syrup sugar glaze that will make you swoon, I promise.

Save Clinton for a special occasion brunch or a splurge-worthy dessert fieldtrip, but either way, it’s worth the journey.

Clinton Street Baking Company
4 Clinton St.
$$$

poorNY
Recently a friend dragged me into Sugar Sweet Sunshine, an inconspicuous coffeeshop on Rivington St. that didn’t look like anything special. Well. I was wrong. Sugar Sweet is the best deal in town! For a dollar, delicious hot coffee, and for a dollar FIFTY, a cupcake so moist, magical and delicious it rivals the best of the best like Magnolia, (which I personally don’t care for all that much) or Crumbs. I think a dollar fifty is how much a cupcake should actually cost. And they’re amazing; definitely go for the pumpkin spice with cream cheese icing, or one of the TWO varieties of red velvet to brighten up your day or sweeten up an evening stroll. Warning: around 3:30 on weekdays Sugar Sweet gets swamped by local highschoolers, so if you’re trying to read something serious there, beware.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington St.
$

Noodle Bar vs. Moustache Pitza: Perfect Pickings

I’ve recently been separated from my city and its culinary delights by a sidetrack to graduate school out in St. Louis, which can explain my long absence from eating and judging. However, Winter Break has just passed, and with it, a new slew of food and restaurants to check out and report back on, because believe it or not, I’m still bargain hunting and splurging at the same rate I was in college.

Being home for only a month meant lots of catching up with lots of different friends in different places, and I found that the best way to do this was to grab meals that consisted of lots of little things we could split, share, pick at and gnaw on as we caught up. This week’s richNY/poorNY features two downtown casual joints where small plates are fun to share.

poorNY

Dilemma: it’s early evening, maybe a little too early to get a drink and a little too late to get a coffee but you need somewhere to whet your whistle and catch up with a friend, so what do you grab? Delicious tea and some Asian cuisine at Noodle Bar, with convenient locations in the West Village and on the Lower East Side. I met up with two friends at the LES Noodle Bar where we split a few pots of tea; one black with vanilla and another jasmine with hints of orange. At $4.50 a pot, it was the perfect pick-me-up and excuse to hang out inside on a chilly day.

Noodle Bar isn’t named for their tea, of course; they have yummy food, too. I ordered the kimchee pancakes, which, at a mere $5, were deliciously hot from the fryer and just spicy enough. The thick pancakes came with a sweet hoison and chive sauce, perfect for sharing around the table. My friend S ordered fried dumplings, another delicious staple, and courageous N went for a noodle dish: Mee Sian wok noodles with chicken. Delicious, cheap, easy.

Noodle Bar

172 Orchard Street

or

26 Carmine Street

$

richNY

It’s just as easy to have a catching-up meal with friends and spend a few more dollars for a little more food. Let’s say you’re looking for a slightly trendier location or perhaps a little more exotic cuisine: well then there’s Moustache Pitza, a delicious Middle Eastern joint also with a few locations, one in the West Village and another on the Lower East Side, and an additional one in East Harlem. I met up with a few friends at the West Village location, which is a little off the beaten track but all the nicer for it. The baskets of fresh puffy pita are to die for, but watch out: they charge for them, which was somewhat unexpected, although not a huge financial hit. The three of us split a hummus and a babaganough, both delicious, and then we ordered a chicken kebab plate, a garden salad smothered in feta with grilled chicken, and a tasty chicken pitza with lemon marinated chicken with garlic, red bell pepper, scallion and parsley. Yum. Top it all off with some hot mint tea and you’ve got a reunion of friends with scrumptious accoutrement.

Moustache’s ambiance is super cozy, too, but be warned: the service can be slow, so this isn’t a meal to rush through. Order wisely and definitely share.

Moustache Pitza

90 Bedford St.,

265 East 10th St.,

or

1621 Lexington Ave

$$$