Immaculate Infatuation

“Selling out” will always be a hotly debated topic. Growing up, my friends and I would spend hours arguing about whether or not our favorite bands were sellouts. Green Day, Rancid, Bad Religion, all bands that were supposed to be so punk, yet signed on with a major label at one point in their careers. Were they sellouts? To a 16 year old, absolutely. But looking back, can you really blame them for trying to make some money? After all, music is a business just like everything else. Is LeBron James a sellout? Hells yes. Sure, he took less money to play in Miami, but LeBron’s selling out doesn’t have to do with the green stuff. Not only did he sell out the city of Cleveland, he sold out his own legacy and all the fans he fooled into believing he had the make up and desire to be one of the greatest players of all time and lead his own team to a championship.

Now on to restaurants. Is Danny Meyer a sellout for popping out Shake Shacks faster than The Duggars pop out Mormon children? Nope, he’s just an opportunistic businessman flippin’ burgers in a silly hat, Reel Big Fish style. Shacks are multiplying at record speed, across NYC and beyond. Meyer just opened a Miami Beach Shake Shack, and has plans for Washington DC, Saratoga Springs, Boston and Dubai. We’re happy to report that this increase in quantity has had no ill effects on the quality. In fact, this Double Shack Burger I recently took down at the Times Square location was hands down the best Shack Burger I’ve ever had in my life.

Be aware going in, Shake Shack Times Square is quite the tourist attraction. As you might expect, that means insane lines, loud music and all kinds of Euros In Crazy Outfits. Good for them. Now all those tourists who fail to make it out of Times Square on their trip can actually get at least one taste of what this city is all about. Nicely done Danny. It doesn’t matter what Johnny Quest thinks, the only thing selling out at Shake Shack Times Square is the merchandise they can’t keep in stock.

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Bobby Flay, the ginger boy badass Throwdown king, is obviously about as famous as a chef can possibly be. I like the guy, and if I one day meet him, plan on challenging him to some sort of one on one battle of wills or a slap fight or something. It just seems like the right thing to do. In the interest of increasing the likelihood of said meeting and whatever might ensue thereafter, I have spent more than a few nights at his midtown restaurant, Bar Americain. The newest of the Flay NYC establishments is large, slick, and aimed squarely at the pockets of midtown suits and Times Square tourists who need something besides Ruby Foo’s to tell their friends about when they return home. It’s a huge space, and has an over the top, big money aesthetic you are more likely to find in a Las Vegas mega hotel than on 52nd St. Consider those things and know that – believe it or not – I actually love the place. Flay has built his brand on big Southwestern flavor, and the food at Bar Americain still touts that trademark flair, but it’s more New York than Santa Fe. The twists are subtle but perfect variations on traditional American offerings like the incredible hanger steak and the tuna tartar that packs a spicy kick right at the end of a bite. Thanks Bobby for giving us a place in midtown that doesn’t suck. Now I just need a layaway plan to pay for my meal. You do that right?

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Danny Meyer. Gobbling up screen time on this site just like he’s gobbling up restaurant space all over town. We finally got around to a review of The Modern, and it’s about time, they needed more good press. Or wait a minute, no they didn’t. Along with a Michelin Star and constant raves, Chef Gabriel Kreuther was honored this past year with a James Beard award for Best Chef: NYC. We’re actually still waiting to find out if we won for Most Influential Food Website: Earth. They’ll call or something right?

The best way for us to give you the lowdown on this place is to explain that it’s really two different experiences: the bar, and the dining room. The dining room is a beautiful, formal space overlooking the MoMa garden with a three course prixe fixe menu. It’s fine dining for sure, and it’s incredibly good. Think of it as a more “modern” Eleven Madison Park. The bar area is quite a bit different. It’s sleek, more relaxed, and on a good night, you’ll find some Action at the Bar. The plates are smaller and a bit more restrained, but you will still get A plus service and have a decent meal. We like the bar just fine, but what it really comes down to is this: … read more

A loyal reader recently reached out to us on our Facebook page with a great point: we need a Damn Good Steaks tag. Damn right we do. Thanks Valerie. So it shall be.

There aren’t all that many steakhouses that meet our Infatuation standards for high quality and low quantity of business class asshats. Quality Meats is one of those places, and is precisely why we needed this new tag. Even though it’s in Midtown, this multi-level meat market serves up one of our favorite steaks in town, and it’s not what you might expect from a steakhouse in the area. Though they aren’t nearly on the same level, Quality Meats has a downtown aesthetic in the vein of Gramercy’s BLT Prime, just a little louder and heavier on the testosterone. This definitely isn’t a quiet dinner over a steak. This is where you kick off your bachelor party. You’re going to Abe & Arthur’s after aren’t you? She’s a lucky girl.

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Somewhere in between the porky excessiveness of Ippudo and the basic, hangover curing magic of Rai Rai Ken lies a bowl of Totto Ramen. This Japanese noodle outpost opened back in June, and we’re not sure that there has ever been a more welcomed addition to the Midtown food scene. After a few weeks of walking by and evaluating the crowds, we finally made our way in for dinner not once, but twice, and we’re happy to report that this place is indeed, the sh*t. But before you round up a crew from the office for some slurping, be aware that Totto Ramen is packed pretty much all of the time. We found the waits for two to be mostly manageable – around 30 to 45 minutes on average. Tables of three and four probably should not be attempted during any normal meal hours. We also noticed frequent availability of a single stool at the bar, so Dining Solo will definitely give you an advantage in this situation. Find a book that you can pretend to be reading, and maybe someone will think you’re interesting.

Photo Credit: Daniel Krieger

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