Shake Shack

E. 23rd St. / Madison Ave. [Madison Square Park]  New York, NY

www.shakeshack.com

Favorite dish: …….Shackburger (duh)

I recently realized that after having been in the city for two summers, I still hadn't been to Shake Shack. I had heard so many great things about this place, and was dying to try it.  My friends Rachel and Remi told me they were planning on going for dinner, so I obviously tagged along in order to fulfill my long-lasting burger craving.  

After we arrived at Shake Shack, the line was long and wrapped around in a circle in Madison Square Park.  It was drizzling, and we weren't thrilled about waiting in a long line, but it ended up moving relatively quickly.

Here's what we got:

Shackburger, topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and shack sauce, and a side of french fries

Shackburger, french fries, and the Concrete Jungle: frozen custard ice cream blended with fudge sauce, bananas, and peanut butter sauce

[shackburger] 

[Rachel digs in]

[concrete jungle]

I absolutely fell in LOVE with Shake Shack just after eating there once.  The burger was outstanding--super juicy and flavorful.  The Shacksauce was a great addition to the burger--it tasted almost like a mixture of ketchup, mustard, mayo, and some spices.  The entire thing was super delicious and I can see why people wait in such long lines in order to get one. Rachel's Concrete was sooooo good too!  Their custard was creamy and rich, and blended with the chocolate and peanut butter made for a perfect combination of sweet and tasty flavors.

So glad I intruded on Rachel and Remi's dinner plans in order to get myself a Shake Shack burger!

XOXO,

Danielle

The CRONUT

189 Spring St.  New York, NY
www.dominiqueansel.com

Price: $$ ($5 per cronut)

   Cronuts seem to have become the latest trend in food, and I constantly heard about and seen the donut-croissant hybrid creation all over the internet.  The cronut was created by renowned pastry chef Dominique Ansel, of the Dominique Ansel Bakery, which I visited and blogged about last summer, long before the cronut was announced and became such a hit.  The cronut has caught the attention of many New Yorkers and beyond, and being the foodie that I am, I absolutely made it my mission to try out the delicacy before the end of my summer in NYC.
I arrived at the bakery at around 6:30 a.m. on a Friday morning.  I was expecting there to be a line formed, but I was not expecting a line that spanned down the block and around the corner! It was good I arrived when I did, as the line got much longer in the hour following my arrival.  The bakery opened its doors at 8 a.m., and I was let inside the bakery at about 9:30.  I was out by 10, making this at least a 3 hour process.  Despite the long line, the cronut was COMPLETELY worth it.

[the line in front of me around the corner at 6:30 a.m.]  

[the line behind me at around 7:15 a.m.]

Apparently, I am not the only crazy one who would wake up at the crack of dawn for a fried sugary pastry.  The bakery lets in around 10 customers at a time to purchase their cronuts.  Once I got inside, the smell of the bakery was incredibly mouthwatering.  I ordered two cronuts (you don't wait that whole time and only order one…), and they looked and smelled just as good as they sounded.

The flavor of the month for July is blackberry.  When I first found out the flavor, I wasn't completely thrilled about it, but after the first bite, I just could't get enough.

The cronuts looked and tasted exactly how it sounds like it would.  It had rich and flaky thin layers of dough they well resembled a croissant, but also had the delectable fried and sugary taste that resembled a very fresh donut.  Between the layers of the cronut was an unexpected cream filling.  The cream was light and not too sweet, but a perfect addition to the flavors of the cronut.  It was also filled with a blackberry jam, which was a surprisingly nice addition to all of the flavors.  It was topped with a blackberry icing, which I ended up removing, as I personally thought it was sweet enough, and tasted just good enough on its own.  When cutting into the cronut, the layers could easily be pulled apart, just like you could do with a croissant.  It was unbelievably delicate and delicious.

After trying the delicacy firsthand, I can honestly say that the cronut is not all hype.  It truly was worth every calorie and every lost minute of sleep waiting in line.  The cronuts continue to get more and more popular, and the lines have been getting longer in the mornings as time passes.  I am extremely happy I got the opportunity to try the cronut, and I would definitely wake up and do it again in a heartbeat.  Basically.. everyone should make time to go and get your own cronut!!


XOXO,
Danielle

Peels

325 Bowery.  New York, NY (btwn. 2nd St. & Bleecker)
www.peelsnyc.com

Price: $$
Favorite dish: Build-a-Biscuit

Prior to when I started blogging, I ate at Peels for brunch for my dad.  I enjoyed it so much that my family and I went back to Peels again for brunch so that I not only could enjoy it, but also share my experience with my readers.  My second time back was just as good as the first.  The restaurant has a spacious interior in addition to outdoor seating, which made for a perfect sunny Sunday morning brunch atmosphere.

Here's what we got:

Tropical Muesli with pineapple juice and yogurt soaked oats, mango, strawberries, toasted coconut, and seeds 

[muesli]

Spa Eggs: egg white omelet, sautéed spinach, and goat cheese with a side salad

Farmers Breakfast: fried eggs, smoked bacon, hash browns, and toast

Build-a-Biscuit: biscuit sandwich filled with scrambled eggs, avocado, and cheese with a side of gravy

[scrambled egg biscuit] 

Blueberry crumb cake

  This brunch was completely satisfying and a perfectly portioned meal.  Peels' muesli is famous and a very popular dish.  It definitely was an interesting muesli, as it tasted fresh with all of its fruity flavor.  It was different than what I am used to tasting, however it was still really tasty.  The spa eggs were simple and delicious with the goat cheese and spinach.  The Farmer's Breakfast included fried eggs with perfectly runny yolk.  The hash browns that were included were fantastic.  It was crispy, salty, and flavorful, and we were very close to ordering a second order of potatoes for all of us to share.  I ordered the build-a-buscuit, which I absolutely adored.  I think it was a perfect breakfast sandwich, and included great flavors with the avocado, eggs, and cheese. The biscuits were also wonderfully flaky and buttery.  I would definitely order this exact same sandwich again since I loved it so much.  We also decided to try a bakery selection, as Peels as a wide array of bakery items.  The blubbery crumb cake was moist on the inside, and the outside was crumby and sweet.  Every part of the meal was really excellent.

XOXO,
Danielle