December 4, 2011

Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger. Your host this week is Social Eatz and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your host, Social Eatz!

Over the river and through the woods...

To Social Eatz we go. Let's go in and check it out.

It's long and narrow in here, kind of a shotgun space.

There's tables off to the right...

But I chose to sit at the bar, just like they say at the Aged Home for Nuns, "old habits die hard."

Sitting at the bar was a wise choice, here's the pretty and friendly bartender, Hannah.

She quickly served up a giant can of Sapporo beer. See, I do drink other beers besides Budweiser!

A view of the restaurant and bar from the back.

The lit up bottles behind the bar.

Here's some of the draft beer selections available at the bar.

Hannah busy behind the bar.

And dinner begins! Hannah suggested the crispy spring rolls for an appetizer, so who am I to refuse such a suggestion?

This was a good suggestion from Hannah! The roll was crispy on the outside and filled with chicken, mushrooms and scallion. And the sweet and sour dipping sauce was delicious.

And here's the cheeseburger with a side of Korean cole slaw, the main course!

It's got bacon, lettuce and a special house made sauce and is a great cheeseburger!

I also got a bowl fries. They were crispy and the cheese dipping sauce was spicy and a nice compliment to them. A great meal!

And what the hell, I haven't had an obligatory bathroom mirror shot in a while, so here we go! Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.

My Meal
I got the only burger at Social Eatz that comes with cheese, the Social Burger. It was topped with cheddar cheese and bacon and the burger is served on a bakery fresh sesame potato bun. It was juicy and a delicious cheeseburger. The only thing that bothered me was the name of the homemade sauce that accompanies it, it's called, "Longetivity Sauce." For some reason that bothered me.

There’s five other burgers available at Social Eatz including one of their signature dishes, the Bibimbop Burger, which is ground beef with a slow cooked egg on top and served with pickled carrot, lettuce and cucumber. The other two signature dishes are: The  Imperialist Hot Dog, which is made with organic chicken and served on a toasted bun, topped with sweet and spicy relish and The Kung Pao Sandwich which is a combination of soy-sesame marinated organic chicken which is then iron-seared with Thai chili and topped with roasted peanut spread. There’s also three types of tacos available and several appetizers including: hot wings, ribs and crispy spring rolls.

To wash it all down with there’s specialty cocktails, wine, half a dozen draft beers and 18 varieties of bottled beer available.

Cheeseburger Rating
Three Wimpys—a very delicious cheeseburger, indeed.

Social Eatz
232 E. 53rd St. (Between 2nd and 3rd Ave.)
212-207-3337

Further reading: NY Times, NY Journal and Two Fat Bellies.

I get a thrill when I think how it really is,
No one can ever take that away.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

November 20, 2011

Live, from New York, it’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night! Tonight’s host is Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop!

It's a rare MAD episode where we venture out in the somewhat upsetting daylight. We're headed to legendary Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop and while they're open till 8PM on weeknights, on Saturdays they close at 6PM, so we'll make the sacrifice of heading out when the sun is still shining to have a cheeseburger at this historical New York sandwich eatery.

And here we are, as the sign says, Eisenberg's has been on the block since 1929.

Here's the front of the restaurant which is a narrow, long shotgun space with a classic counter, red stools and tables opposite of it.

There's a dining area in the back.

But I decide to sit at the counter.

And the lovely Tess hands me a menu. Tess has been working here for close to 4 months and told me she loves it here. It's a friendly neighborhood joint for sure.

Pictures of celebrities who have eaten here hang behind the counter...

And there's lots of them on the wall opposite the counter, let's check some of them out.

Here's Spike Lee and owner of Eisneberg's, Josh Konecky.

MIchael Imperioli and Josh.

A purple bespectacled Tim Allen and Josh.

Jim Belushi and Josh...Belushi...hmmm...that makes me think of something...

Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger!

A delicious burger with cheddar cheese, bacon and a really fresh bun.

Super-cute Kelly is manning the front cash register and the bill is paid...

And its out into the night, where it's finally dark out. Hooray! Goodnight and see you tomorrow after dark.

My Meal
I got the Eisenberger, which is a half pound sirloin burger and I got it topped with cheddar cheese and bacon. The burger is grilled over an open flame and was cooked perfectly and served on a bakery fresh bun. A nice, all-American burger, delicious. I got it with onion rings and asked for them extra well done, something that a lot of restaurants and diners just can’t seem to get, but like everything, Eisenberg’s gets it right and they were extra crispy, crunchy and perfect. For my drink I had the chocolate malted which is creamy, smooth and probably the best malted in town.

Eisenberg’s is known for their generous sized sandwiches and there’s over fifty to choose from including: Hot Pastrami, Tuna Salad, Meatloaf and Fried Salami or Bologna. There’s also burgers, soups, eggs and omelettes available on the menu. Beverages include: Egg Cream, Malted, Lime Rickey and an Arnold Palmer. Full breakfast meals and platters are served Monday through Friday till 11 am.

Cheeseburger Rating
Three Wimpy’s—a great burger!

Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop
174 Fifth Avenue (Near 22nd St.)
212-675-5096

Further reading: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, Midtown Lunch and Roadfood.

She don’t have to be assured of many thing to find,
And she’ll always be there, my love don’t care about time.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

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Bonus Photo Album By Gene Rubbico!

Two thirds of the BBC, Gene and Smoopy were in town last weekend and Gene took some great photos. Check them out here: Gene's New York Photo Album.

November 13, 2011

Live, from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger. Starring, Live Bait with special guest stars, Gene, Smoopy and Kurt and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen, Live Bait!

As I reported on yesterday's blog, Gene and Smoopy, 2/3 of the BBC are in town and they're coming over to my place for beers before dinner, so it's time to put on my snackologist chef's hat and make a decent snack.

I call it The Cracker Barrel, and it involves all the above ingredients in secret amounts and prunings and it's dusted several times with chili powder. I serve it with onion dip.

And here's the guests of honor, Gene and Smoopy enjoying the snacks and beer.

And through the miracle of the internet, you're spared me taking a wrong turn and getting us moving in the wrong direction for about three blocks. Instead, you're magically delivered right here to Live Bait.

The bar has a southern, bayou theme going on as witnessed by the crocodile in the window.

There's a bar up front, but we decided to sit in the dining room in the back.

And here's the lovely hostess and our waitress waiting to seat and serve us. Like an idiot I forgot to get their names. I had had a few beers by this time, so I'm not really responsible for the rest of this post.

And check out who's at the table waiting to meet us, Kurt, who I originally met at the Coal Yard Bar last summer. Kurt's a photographer from Florida, check out his work here: Kurt Rogers Photography. He came along with his friend Simon who's also a photographer, Check out his photos here: Simon Garnier Photography. Okay, let's check out Live Bait before dinner arrives.

The back dining room has tables in the middle and blue booths line the walls.

A shot of the bar from the back end.

Candygram.

Vintage boat house signage hangs on the wall.

And there's not only neon in the window...

There's also neon on the walls inside of Live Bait.

See?

Okay, back to the table because I sense that dinner is about to be served.

Kurt got the cheeseburger deluxe with fries.

And Smoopy got the same, except got a salad instead of fries.

Being the rebel, Gene ignored the Cheeseburger Saturday Night theme and got the salmon.

I got the house specialty burger, The Bait Burger. And no, that's not a chocolate doughnut on top of it, it's a giant onion ring slathered in barbecue sauce. The burger is made out of spicy sausage.

It's a little sloppy to eat, so I ended up eating it with a knife and fork. Delicious and spicy cheeseburger!

As we were having after dinner drinks, Kurt's friends showed up and like an idiot I forgot to write down their names. I've had more than several beers at this point (I have an email in to Kurt, so be watching for an update naming these lovely women.) It was a great night with great people, thanks to everyone for showing up and enjoying Cheeseburger Saturday Night! **************Update: I just heard from Kurt and that's Natalie directly behind him and Annie is behind Natalie, sorry for the horrible memory, ladies, I blame it on all that acid in the '70's!

My Meal
I got the BBQ Bait Burger, which is andouille sausage, American cheese, topped with a giganzo onion ring and barbecue sauce and it was delicious. The barbecue sauce added a little zing and the bun was bakery fresh. It’s the first cheeseburger I’ve ever had made from sausage and it was a great cheeseburger.

In addition to the Bait Burger, there’s also a deluxe hamburger, a turkey burger and a soy burger on the menu. Some of the other entrees on the menu at Live Bait are: Seafood Jambalaya Over Dirty Rice; Smoke House Dixie Spareribs; Robert E Lee's Chicken Fried Steak and Jailhouse Chili Over Dirty Rice with cheddar and red onions. They also have a raw bar featuring fresh shrimp, clams and oysters.

They have 12 bottled beers and 9 beers on tap. Some of the specialty drinks include: Lynchburg Lemonade, Key Lime Martini and an Oyster Clam Shooter which is a raw oyster, Absolut Pepper vodka, cocktail sauce and tabasco. (Mental note to self: Never type in the ingredients to the Oyster Clam Shooter while hungover. I’m going to go throw up now.)

Cheeseburger Rating
Four Wimpy's, a fantastic cheeseburger!

Live Bait
14 E. 23rd St. (Near Madison Avenue)
212-353-2400

Further reading: Shecky’s, 365 Bars and This.

Baby, it feels like I'm dying,
Now, I swear there's something better than,
Gettin' off on sweet cocaine.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

October 30, 2011

Live, from New York, it’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night! Starring, Korzo Haus and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Korzo Haus!

It's a horrific night out tonight. Windy, snowy/rainy and it's freezing. I'm hoping to get a cab, no way am I walking over there.

Usually it would be hard to get a cab at this time on a Saturday night, but since it's so shitty out, there's not many people out and about and I snagged one within minutes. Here's my view from the back seat.

And  the view of another cab from the side window. Heh heh...heh heh.

And here we are, Korzo Haus. Let's get inside and escape the rotten elements out here.

It's nice and cozy in here. The front room has a bar/counter that you can sit at and it overlooks the kitchen area.

And no sooner am I seated than Matt delivers a bottle of beer. I complimented him on his John Entwistle-like t-shirt.

Here's Keith who was working in the kitchen area. Keith's an artist and graphic novelist, check out his work here: Nobodyland.

Jay a.k.a. Dick Bulger was seated next to me and is hanging a portrait that Jay drew of him. That's horse menstrual blood on his face. You had to be there, folks!

There's a brick-walled dining area in the back with wooden tables.

But I preferred to sit up front where the action is happening.

I ordred the Korzo burger which is a burger that is grilled, then wrapped in Langol dough and deep fried. I've never had a deep fried burger and I'm curious as to how it will be. We'll find out soon as Steven starts to make the burger.

Fire!

Condiments are placed next to me and the burger is about to be served!

Wow, it looks and smells great!

Wow, it's one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever had. I thought it would be greasy, but it's not at all. It's crispy on the outside and doughy and soft on the inside. I added some of the homemade hot sauce and was in burger heaven!

No wonder it won the best burger of the year from Village Voice! Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.

My Meal
I got the Korzo Burger which is a ground beef burger with bacon, cheese, house made mustard and a dill pickle wrapped up in Langol dough and deep fried. Deep frying things sometimes can be gimmicky and gross, but this was one delicious burger. it wasn't greasy at all, like I had thought it would be and the different textures and tastes from the fresh cheese to the pickles to the homemade mustard made for one of the most delicious cheeseburgers I've ever had. If you come to New York or if you live here, you have to try it out.

In addition to the Korzo Burger, there’s four other varieties of burgers available including: The Slav, which is a  beef patty, slow-cooked pork neck, haus sauerkraut, caraway seeds, juniper berries and bryndza; The Otto is a five meat burger including fresh ground blend of beef, pork butt, neck, hudson valley fois gras, chicken crisps & apple kompot and for you vegetarians there’s a Portobello burger which is all vegetarian, oven-roasted portobello mushroom, edam, bryndza, mozzarella, baby arugula topped with a spicy garlic emulsion. Also available are Spicy Hungarian Goulash, Fresh Bratwurst and a Wonderwurst Platter which includes, three sausages, sauerkraut, horseradish and haus mustard.

Bottled and draft beer are available and there’s also an ever-changing daily menu which you can view from their website listed below.

Cheeseburger Rating
Four Wimpy's—The mark of cheeseburger excellence!

Korzo Haus
178 E 7th St. (Between Avenues A and B)
212-780-0181

Further reading: Time Out New York, New York Near Say and EV Grieve.

Man buys ring woman throws it away,
Same old thing happens everyday.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

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Bonus Photo by Ragin' R.R!

MAD commenter and quote-supplier, Ragin' R.R. sent in this picture of a Halloween mutant strain of Cardboard Box Man. Aaaahh!

October 3, 2011

Live from New York it’s Cheeseburger Sunday Night! Starring Island Burgers and Shakes and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Island Burgers and Shakes!



I skipped Cheeseburger Saturday Night after hearing about the death of Bob Arihood. Shawn and Lindsay were kind enough to call me up and we hung out and reminisced about Bob. But, the show must go on, so I thought I'd do the cheeseburger thing tonight for Sunday dinner, let's go inside and check it out.

Wow, it's crowded for a Sunday night, but luckily there's a couple free chairs at the small bar up front, let's snag one.

And no sooner do I sit down, than Paul, the friendly host/bartender serves up a bottle of Red Stripe. Perfect!

The view of the narrow, railroad restaurant. Close quarters in here!

The specials hang over the tables on this chalk board.

A shot from the back of the restaurant. It's a casual place with kitschy signs hanging on the walls. I like it in here.

Here's an acid-flashback inducing painting of the restaurant on the front wall.

A bucket of iced wine sits atop the bar.

And here's some of the beers on tap.

Okay, some condiments in a box are placed before me, I think it's going to be cheeseburger time any minute now!

I got the cowboy burger and it looks delicious!

It's a great burger, but impossible to eat with your hands.

So I attacked it with my fork.

Burp. Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.

My Meal
I got the Cowboy which is a burger topped with barbecue sauce, onion, bacon, cheddar, ranch and it’s served on bakery-fresh soft sourdough bread. it was spicy and delicious. I also had french fries on the side and a couple of bottles of Red Stripe to wash it all down. I was going to try one of their famous shakes or a malt for dessert, but I was too stuffed, maybe next time.

If you like different styles of burgers, this is your place. They have over 60 varieties including: The Clyde which is a blackened burger topped with bleu cheese, salsa and bacon; The Bourbon Street, another blackened burger with, bacon, jack cheese, bayou mayo, onion on sourdough; It’s a Mad Mad World, topped with pesto, salsa, swiss, pickle relish, pita and The Napalm a blackened burger with barbecue sauce, jalapeno, cheddar, habanero sauce, hot stuff indeed! All the varieties are also served as Churascos, which is a grilled chicken sandwich. Appetizers and salads are also on the menu along with baked potatoes with such toppings as cheddar, guacamole, peppers and chili.

If you have a sweet tooth, they serve fresh fountain milkshakes, malts and ice cream floats. Homemade cookies are also available and there’s five bottled beers to choose from including: Red Stripe, Corona, Chimay Rouge and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Burger Rating
Four Wimpys, an outsanding Cheeseburger that Wimpy would be proud of!

Island Burgers and Shakes
766 Ninth Ave. (Near 51st St.)
212-307-7934

Further reading: New York Magazine, NY Times and Trip Advisor.

 

Here's wishing you the bluest sky,
And hoping something better comes tomorrow.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

September 18, 2011

Live, from New York, it’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night. Tonight’s host is Jules, on St. Marks Place in the East Village and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your host, Jules!

Okay, it's one of the MAD nights where it's still light out as we start out. We're heading to Jules, a French Bistro/Jazz Bar in the East Village and I thought it might be crowded later on, so I thought we'd head over there a little early and beat the Saturday crowd.

The chess players are hard at it in Union Square Park.

And here we are, Jules on St. Marks Place in the East Village.

Let's go in and see what's happening.

Just as I thought, we beat the crowd, let's go grab a stool at the bar.

And the lovely and friendly bartender Zsuzsa, serves up a bottle of Coney Island Lager. And since we're early, it's  happy hour and beers are just three bucks a bottle. Cheers!

The specials for the evening are displayed on this chalkboard next to the bar.

Here's the dining area opposite the bar. It's a comfortable space with wooden tables and a red leather banquette lining the all.

There's outside tables to sit at and it's nice because it's a step down and you're not sitting right out on the sidewalk. A nice spot for people watching.

Some of the draft beers available at Jules.

Here's the stage where the musicians set up. It's early, so there's just a lone drum set there now. The live music starts around 8pm, for now jazz music is played over the house speakers at a conversational level.

A long shot of the other end of the bar.

The view from my bar stool as night starts to fall on St. Marks Place.

Zsuzsa behind the bar listening to a customer. She's a great bartender who's attentive to the people at the bar.

And here's the cheeseburger and frittes. it looks delicious...

And it is!

Okay, I'm done with dinner and it's out of Jules and on to St. Mark's Bookshop.

If you saw yesterday's post, you'll rememeber it's "Buy A Book Weekend."

Let's go in and find a book, there's always a great and unique selection in here.

I found this coffee table book about Max's Kansas City, which was rung up by Jed, who we met in April. You won't find this at a Barnes and Noble. And remember, if you don't live in New York, you can do what GENE and Ragin RR did and buy some books online. Do it today and let's make "Buy A Book Weekend" a big success. Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.

My Meal
I had the Jules Bistro Burger with cheddar cheese and frittes. The burger was tasty and the bun was bakery fresh and knocked it out of the ball park. I always say a fresh bun makes the burger and this one was slightly toasted and melted in my mouth along with the burger. Delicious!

Other dinner selections from the menu include: Onglet de Boeuf Aux Echalotes which is grilled hanger steak with shallot sauce, mushroom risotto topped with parmesan and truffle oil; Steak Frites; Moules Frites and Le Canard de 7 Heures which is braised duck leg with sausages, bacon and pig trotters, buttery vegetables and steamed fingerling potato. In addition to the fine food and drink, Jules has live jazz, seven nights a week with no cover charge.

Cheeseburger Rating

Three Wimpy's, a delicious and savory cheeseburger.

Jules
65 St. Marks Place (Near First Ave.)
212-477-5560

Further reading: New York Magazine, Shecky's and The Village Voice.

You Might Also Like: Animal House, Animal Crackers and Animal Farm.

Win a game, lose a game,
Don’t feel sad when things go bad,
You just do the best you can.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

September 4, 2011

Live, from New York, it’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night! Starring Chat 'n' Chew and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, one block away from MAD headquarters, please welcome Chat 'n' Chew!

The Chat 'n' Chew is just a block away from where I live. We took this walk last week, but everything was shut down due to Hurricane Tropical Storm Irene. I'm pretty sure we'll have better luck tonight.

Yes! They're open. I tried about ten shots to get the Chat 'n' Chew neon sign, but it wouldn't turn out. It says, "Chat 'n' Chew," trust me.

They have outside dining in the front here, but let's go inside and check it out.

Tables and a kitschy atmosphere greet you as you walk into the Chat 'n' Chew.

They've recently installed this large silver-topped bar in the front, so I decided to sit there.

And as soon as I sit down and get situated, Robbie, the friendly bartender happily serves up a Red Stripe.

At the front of of the bar is a subtle reminder that they serve pork chops in here.

They have a full bar here with drink specials every night.

Christmas lights, vintage signs and pictures decorate the walls and give the place a fun and festive feel.

Here's Jack, the manager of Chat 'n' Chew.

Ayda is filling up the ketchup bottles, I told her that Kari and Britta would appreciate this shot.

Meanwhile, back at the bar Robbie is busy filling orders.

And here's my dinner! I decided to change things up a bit and got the veggie burger instead of a beef burger. I got it with cheddar cheese and slathered it with mustard. Sorry Kari and Britta.

It was delicious!

And now time to head home and rest up for a road trip I'm taking on Sunday. Read all about that tomorrow! See you then, after dark.

My Meal
It was a first last night, instead of a beef burger, I got the Chat ‘n’ Chew’s Veggie Burger and it was great. I got it with cheddar cheese and it came grilled and it was really tasty. Not dry like a lot of veggie burgers are and the bun was bakery fresh. I always say the bun can make or break a good burger and this one definitely made it.

In addition to a turkey burger and a traditional burger called the “Holy Cow” the emphasis at Chat ‘n’ Chew is comfort food from your past. There’s meatloaf, mac and cheese (one of the best in New York in my  humble opinion), fried chicken and a roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings on the menu. Some of the specialty items include a TV Dinner which consists of: chicken fried steak, green bean casserole and skin-on mashed potatoes with country gravy; The Boss's Favorite which is a grilled steak sandwich on toasted garlic bread with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, mushrooms, and horseradish mayo on ciabatta; and Thanksgiving On A Roll which is fresh roast turkey with homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo on ciabatta. Breakfast and lunch are also available and there’s also beer, wine and a full bar for your boozing pleasure.

Cheeseburger Rating
Three Cheeseburgers, a very good burger!

Chat 'n Chew
10 E. 16th St. (Between Fifth and Union Square)
212-243-1616

Further reading: New York Magazine, NY Times, Travel Channel and Black Book.

You Might Also Like: Dandruff and Dan Druff.

Yes, ‘Ive got the desert in my toenail,
And I hid the speed inside my shoe.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)