an italian feast at home

this weekend could be called a splurge weekend-at least when it came to food. and to end it all, V and i started Sunday with brunch at Cafe Luluc. i'd always heard great things about their brunch, especially their pancakes, and since V usually has a sweet tooth for breakfast, i figured it'd be a good suggestion.

lo and behold, the one day where V doesn't want to eat too much. turns out he'd had a fast food junket the day before and he wanted to try and eat healthier, a la yogurt and fruit for breakfast. 

however, undeterred, i forged ahead with our walk over to Cafe Luluc. arriving around 11:15 a.m., the wait was a reasonable 10-15 minutes. shortly before 11:30 a.m., we were seated at the counter and ready to order. 

a sucker for savory breakfasts, especially eggs benedict, it's no surprise i ordered the eggs benedict with smoked salmon ($10). it's served with french fries (hooray! i'm actually not a big fan of homefries-i always prefer french fries) and a small salad. overall, i wasn't that impressed with their dish. the eggs were overcooked and the salmon portion was meager. 

courtesy of blissfuleats.com

V on the other hand ordered the goat cheese and spinach quiche, which was a special for the day. the spinach was well seasoned and was perfectly paired with the creamy saltiness of the goat cheese. also served with french fries and a small salad. this was clearly the winner amongst our 2 dishes.

their service was impeccable and friendly, even though the restaurant was overwhelminingly full with diners. i also noticed that they have dinner specials Monday-Thursday and Sunday which were interesting, especially the drinks specials (all $5). definitely worth looking into.

you would think that after such a bountiful brunch, V and i would've relegated ourselves to a light dinner. but V, who clearly possesses the metabolism of a teenage boy, was already planning our dinner before we'd even left Cafe Luluc.

his interest had been piqued for Durso's Pasta & Ravioli Company after seeing it featured on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. and so a few hours later, we found ourselves at the quaint italian shop purchasing the featured osso bucco ravioli and accompanying osso bucco sauce. to add carb on top of carb, V purchased half a dozen garlic knots ("to soak up the sauce" he said). in an attempt to balance out our carb feast, i got a half pound of broccoli rabe sauteed with garlic and some hot peppers.

in total, we spent about $50 for dinner for the both of us, which included all of the above and a box of lobster ravioli and spicy fra diavolo sauce. the osso bucco with the accompanying sauce was pretty epic. the sauce isn't a traditional red sauce, but instead more of a gravy which accents the taste of the ravioli perfectly. plus those garlic knots were heavenly with a strong garlic scent but not an overpowering garlic flavor. and it really was the perfect vehicle to sop up that amazing sauce.

something sweet and salty

i'm supposed to be watching what i eat.

and for the most part, i have. but on a recent lazy weekend, i found myself craving something sweet. like pastry sweet. and i realized how long it's been since i indulged in a true dessert.

considering the abundance of italian bakeries in my neighborhood, i figured i'd take a leisurely stroll down court street and peek my head into the shops and see if anything hit my fancy. around 11:30 a.m. (and it took all my willpower to wait that long), i rolled out onto the sidewalk on my mission for dessert.

first i rolled past Union Market. apparently 12 pm is too early for the market to be set up. none of the free samples had been set out (i love trying out their cheeses) and the displays for each food section hadn't been set up yet. it was a little like peeking behind the curtain while a performer's getting ready.

so i moved on to Court Pastry Shop. except 12 pm is too early for this bakery as well. i always thought bakeries were open at ungodly hours of the day, but it turns out i was wrong. when i walked into this small bakery, only 2 trays of pastries were displayed, and a bunch of cookies. the pastries didn't appear very enticing, and cookies, while delicious, is no pastry substitute. so i politely smiled and meandered on my way.

almost directly across the street was Caputo's Bake Shop. would they answer my pastry prayer? alas, not. they too suffered from the late-bakery-riser-symptom. i had just exited the shop to return home, a failure when i noticed a constant and fast-moving line of people purchasing bread. so i consulted with my trusty yelp app and discovered that Caputo's is well known for their lard bread and decided to take a leap.

and what a leap it was.

although i grew up in an italian suburb of New Jersey (Sopranos was filled 1 town over from me-that's how italian it was), i'd never heard of lard bread. clearly i was missing out.

the loaf given me was still warm and slightly crispy on the outside but soft and doughy on the inside. the pieces of ham (?), bacon (?), whatever it was, gave it a perfectly salty seasoned taste to it making it great to eat on its own, or with the burrata and tomatoes i later ate it with. the whole loaf cost $4.75 and lasted me the entire weekend (well, Saturday afternoon and Sunday brunch at least).

Youngins

last night i went on a second date with a nice, adorable guy. 

who is 5 years younger than me. 

seriously, he's like a baby compared to me.

admittedly, when i went on my first date with him, i was more enticed by the restaurant he had picked vs. him. i had been reading a restaurant review for Psari and happened to get a text from the Youngin asking me to go to dinner at the same restaurant. and that's how i found myself on our first date. 

side note: Psari is off the hook good. if you like seafood, then absolutely run there. it's affordable and the food is very well cooked. the service is also affable and homey. we had the most adorable woman as our waitress. she was like my cool aunt giving us winks and nudges since we were obviously on a date. 

Seafood Combo ($30)

Grilled Octopus ($15): this was so good.

the date went well: he was easy to talk to and kind of adorable. 

which brought us to our second date. this time he came to my neighborhood (i won the coin toss) and we went to Brooklyn Buschenschank for some pizza (yes, it's a German bar. but it has a wood-fired oven and makes incredible pizza).

The Villager ($13)

Pretzel with Bier Cheese ($8): epic bier cheese, a little spicy, but the pretzel can get a little salty.

i forgot how perfect this bar is for a date. during the daytime/afternoon it's not bad either, but is suitable for both friend outings and dates. at night time, the place is dimly lit with only the candles on the tables providing the ambient light. très romantic. 

it was a pleasant date with nothing to really complain about. and i haven't really thought too much about where this whole thing is headed, since part of me considers him too young to be thinking about anything seriously. hence, we haven't had the "expectations" conversation yet.

what i did find interesting was the obvious "boldness of youth" that he had. most dates i go on, who happen to be closer to my age or older, tend to be reserved in the initial few dates, and that's fair, because so am i. 

so i was little surprised when, after we exited the bar, Youngin reached out to hold my hand for the walk back.it's a bold move for a second date. but also kind of sweet. people don't go for the simple hand-hold anymore during the casual dating phase of getting to know each other. it's usually one extreme or the other e.g. no physical contact at all or too much too soon.

but then again, Youngin is young enough that he still sees everything with rose-colored glasses. he hasn't experienced too much rejection and can still shake off bad experiences because they're few and far between. and that allows him to be bold and act without fear. it's adorable but also a stark reminder of just how far apart we are in age and our experiences.

but for now, i'm just gonna enjoy the ride and let myself get swept up a little in the capriciousness and straightforwardness of youth.

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

                                                             

      -Robert Frost. "The Road Not Taken" from Mountain Interval

although i live in the beautiful and bustling city of New York, as a resident, i often take it for granted. until recently, although it was only 4 blocks away, i had never walked to the piers at Brooklyn Bridge Park. in fact, unless it was for something specific i.e. Smorgasburg or Photoville, i wouldn't travel to BBP much at all. 

so imagine my surprise when i found out how close Pier 6 and Pier 5 were to my apartment and how much i'd been missing out.  so what else was i missing out on? 

luckily, more and more of my friends have begun moving into the neighborhood, which means more people to explore with. which is exactly what Goldilocks and i did on a random evening after work. 

we started at Piers 5 & 6, observing the newly turfed soccer fields and the amazing view across the East River/Hudson (i don't know which one it is. i'm geographically challenged). did you know there is a whole barbecue area with accompanying picnic tables available? who needs a backyard space when i can just go grill in the park?

from there Goldilocks and began walking up towards Pier 1. there's been so many changes to the park that i never knew about. there now exists a suspension bridge to connect the Promenade to the park. 

but the most interesting finds were the secluded pathways within the shrubbery that take you from the inner walking path to the outer walking path near the water. usually i wouldn't take this kind of route because (as is probably obvious) i'm not really an outdoors girl. and dark pathways where i can't see the end don't entice me very much. but thanks to Goldilocks, i did that particular evening and learned something more to love about my park.

since then, i've been heading over to the park at least twice a week. who knows what else i'll uncover?

Bombs Away!

going on dates can be fun. but they can also be a lot of work. always trying to keep the conversation balanced and flowing. watching what you eat (i almost never eat enough when i'm out on a date. i swear it's not intentional, it just happens). smiling all the time. so tiring.

my favorite eating and drinking excursions are with friends. so i was pretty happy that BlackSesame agreed to go to Momo Sushi Shack with me for dinner on Monday. i'm literally swimming in Groupons and Googleoffers that i don't know what to do with now that Sully and i are no longer together. BlackSesame has graciously agreed to help me use them.

the offer allowed me to order $60 worth of food (i only paid $30). even without the offer, Momo Sushi Shack offers a great price for fusion/modern japanese food. while perusing the menu, we quickly realized that we had a lot of food options. 

the setting is very Williamsburg/Bushwick hipster. communal tables in a industrially-designed space. be aware that you will be sitting veryclose to your neighbors (and sometimes eavesdropping on their conversation). the food also comes out in no particular order, so there's no structure of appetizers vs. entrees. it wasn't so bad for BS and i, since we were eating family-style anyway. 

so in no particular order, we had the following:
1. Yellowtail Bomb (hamachi, daikon, ponzu) ($6): the "bombs" are a unique aspect to Momo Sushi Shack.  they don't serve nigiri sushi in the traditional oblong shape, but instead mold the rice into small balls topped with a fish of your choice. i always want to order yellowtail and uni at japanese restaurants (they were out of uni that night).  this was good, but nothing memorable.

2. Party Bomb ($19): this is without a doubt the best deal on the menu. it's 12 bombs, serving a mix of 4 types of bombs (3 bombs per choice. it automatically comes with the Spicy McBomb (tuna, cucumber, spicy mayo, katafi), McLow Bomb (tuna, avocado, wasabi cream), and Pink Bomb (salmon, scallion). you can choose the 4th type of bomb: we chose the Spicy Una Bomb (bbq eel, wasabi cream, shiso).  

i thought i would be "meh" about the whole selection, but each one had a slightly different flavor profile or accent that set them apart from your traditional sushi rolls.  the Spicy McBomb had crunch from the katafi which a great texture enhancement to the bomb.  the McLow Bomb's wasabi cream was a flavor shot of horseradish that cut into the typical combination.  the Pink Bomb seemed to have a hint of sesame oil in it which made it seem reminiscent to certain salmon tartars i've experienced. no comment on the Spicy Una Bomb, which was good, but i'm not a big fan of eel on my sushi.

3. Heritage Pork Betty (sake, soy sauce, cilantro, wasabi cream) ($10): i've had many versions of pork betty at japanese izakayas and it's a hard dish to get wrong (in my opinion. i've also made this at home a few times). however, Momo Sushi Shack's pork betty is the most tender version i have ever consumed. it's simmered and stewed just to the point where the fat and skin hang onto the leaner meat, but only long enough for you to pick it up and put it in your mouth. after that, the meat simply dissolves in your mouth. 

4. Lamb Offal Gyoza (special menu) ($11): i am so blessed that BS is just as  adventurous a food eater as i am and willing to eat things off the trodden path. this was good, but very gamey from the lamb. the flavor aside, the texture never hinted that you were eating anything except ground meat. but if you're not a fan of the strong flavor of lamb, you should probably stay away from this.

5. Tofu Salad (avocado, tomato, basil) ($8): i didn't order this item because i was trying to be healthy. after all, i've already conned myself into believing that japanese food is healthy. but there were so many rave reviews for this item on Yelp, i figured i had to order it. and it did not disappoint. i suspect that certain portions of this salad are pre-made (or maybe the whole thing is) because it came out suspiciously ice cold. but everything tasted as it should: what was supposed to be crisp was crisp and nothing was wilted. no lie, this salad was damn good. and i rarely say that about salad. btws, there's also yellow squash and watercress/mizuna in this salad. i have no idea why they don't mention that on the menu.

for the price and the good/unique food, even without the Googleoffer,  i would definitely come back. now i just have to hip myself up a little more so i can fit in.

asian chicken soup: ramen

just as the weather started to turn colder, Sully found himself with the beginnings of a cold/flu. as often happens to me when i get sick, this triggered an unquenchable desire to go out and eat up a storm of food (i have no idea why, probably because i've convinced myself that i need giant quantities of sustenance in order to beat whatever illness i have, whether it be a hangover or bronchitis). the motherly side of me decided we should check out Ganso, the newly opened ramen restaurant near my apartment which would kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

upon entering, we found ourselves facing a japanese izakaya setting that managed to both be trendy and home-y at the same time. simple wooden benches and furniture with minimalist furnishings and tableware. in the interest of time we chose to sit at the bar counter, which had its positives and negatives: we were stuck sitting in those teeny tiny stools with no back and no place to put our jackets/bags, HOWEVER, we were afforded an awesome view of the bustling kitchen and were thoroughly entertained by the symphony and efficiency of the chefs.

i wasn't particularly hungry so i opted out of ordering a ramen entree.  instead, we chose Crispy Gyoza ($7) pork and garlic chive pot stickers with chili oil soy sauce dipping sauce and Buta Kimchi Buns ($9) braised pork belly, jalapeno kimchi, and spicy mayo. 

the gyoza were similar to ones i'd had at Samurai Mama meaning that had that crispy webbing from the fried starch that had bled into the pan from the dumplings. and while these were really good, when compared to Samurai Mama's, they lose out by just a little. and Sully pointed out how odd it was to have an odd number of pieces (they give you 5) since it can't be evenly shared between 2 people. 

the buns were a mixed blessing.  they use pre-made frozen buns which can be purchased from any grocery store, and the dish suffers from it since we've all become accustomed to home-mode pillows of fluffy buns at other establishments. the inside pork and accoutrements had an amazing flavor of juiciness from the pork and spice from the seasonings. if only they had provided a larger portion.  the mass-produced bun dwarfed the inner ingredients which is never a good bun-to-innard ratio.

for his entree, Sully chose the Short Rib ($15) soy-sauce beef broth, slow braised short rib, "onsen" egg, seasonal greens.  it's a good portion for a single person and would leave you feeling satisfied and warm inside. however, the short rib was slightly overcooked, which made it a little dry (which is quite a feat considering it's swimming in soup). the "onsen" egg also suffered from the same fate. 

on the walk home, i considered whether i would return to Ganso for another meal. Sully basically summed up the Ganso experience: the food was good, really good, but not amazing, and for the price point, i wouldn't be running back to Ganso but if i was ever craving ramen and didn't want to travel far, i'd consider returning.

Barbarians

i rarely travel over to Park Slope, although i live in Brooklyn Heights and Kiddo is a Park Sloper.  however, Kiddo finally got me to go when an important event required that i attend a party at Kiddo's favorite local hangout, High Dive. 

although the event was sort of sad (it was a going-away party), the High Dive proved to be a great local bar! only a 10+ minute bus ride from my apartment. and the gratis popcorn they serve with various flavoring options is a bonus as well.

it was a sad occasion for Kiddo but he did it with style and grace, which made it a sweet memory for everyone since we all got to say our goodbyes in a celebratory fashion instead of a melancholy one.

as a bonus, i got to try out Pork Slope, which i never would have done if i hadn't ventured into the neighborhood. it's conveniently located right next to High Dive, which allows you to bring outside food into the bar.

well actually, i had been thinking about getting some Pork Slope, but before i had a chance to head over, one of Kiddo's friends arrived with the Porky Melt ($7) in hand. as i unabashedly stared and salivated at her sandwich, she politely asked if i wanted the other half since she wasn't that "hungry."  

any reasonable, civilized adult would have declined since this girl was clearly hungry (she had just been to the gym for an hour workout before she arrived to the party) and she had clearly only offered because i was so overtly staring at her food.

however, when it comes to yummy delicious porky food i've learned something about myself: i'm a savage who flouts the rules of civilized society. 

and so i ate the other half of her sandwich. 

and it was delicious. i mean, holy shit delicious.  yes, there was more bread than filling. and yes, it was a little tinier than i would have liked. but that delicious pork patty and melted cheese and caramelized onion was f*ing good.

of course, since i rudely eaten this poor girl's sandwich, and she was obviously still hungry, we headed back over to Pork Slope so i could return the favor.  i allowed her to pick anything she wanted off the menu, and perhaps being polite (had she not learned?! i clearly have no human decency when it comes to food), she ordered the Cheeseburger ($7) which was the only equally priced menu item.

the cheeseburger, while good, was nothing special, although the pickle was a nice touch. after we'd finished eating it, we both lamented how we should have purchased another Porky Melt instead of the ambivalent Cheeseburger. later someone brought back some tater tots which were completely consumed before i even got a chance to sneak a peek at them. rumor has it that they're pretty good too.

it was the best of times and it was the worst of times, but regardless, it was a "time" and it was a memory. 

and there's nothing more you can ask for in life than to make great memories with great people.

Something Like Korean

initially when Cousin told me she was coming into town, i was a little put-out in that selfish-aww-man-but-i-wanted-to-laze-about-and-do-nothing-like-i-do-every-weekend kind of way. there's always something slightly inconvenient about being asked to deviate from your normal schedule.  but, as with all things, change can be a good thing.

the eating and drinking theme of last weekend definitely took an unintended "korean" turn. it was kicked off by meeting BlackSesame at our usual friday night happy hour at K-town for some 50 cent chicken wings, soju and Hite beer. i'm supposed to be dieting (the result of a "serious" conversation with my Mom) and had had a little Checkers relapse the night before, so i'd abstained from eating all day except for a giant iced coffee (with skim and splenda) and a half of a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese.

so after 2 bottles of soju, 4 beers, and a lot of inappropriate conversations with the bouncer, BS and i headed off to Chinatown before i became one of those "unni" girls in the bathroom. i had intended for us to check out Super Taste so i could cross another restaurant off my list (hey, if i'm gonna fall off the diet wagon, i might as well go down slugging noodles and dumplings). unfortunately, by the time we rolled onto Eldridge Street from the subway, most of the restaurants were closed except for one sole beacon of light: Sheng Wang. and so it happened that BS and i found ourselves sharing a bowl of Fujianese Dumpling Noodle Soup ($5) and an order of dumplings ($3). 

i honestly couldn't have been any happier at that moment. the dumplings were juicy and flavorful with thin dumpling skin, but not so thin that the filling just falls out at the slightest touch.  the noodles were chewy and a great texture.  the only thing that would've made it better was if i had been clear-headed enough to order what i had really meant to order: the fishball noodle soup. because fujianese fishballs are the best little treasure bombs any fishball could have (it's fishball on the outside and meat on the inside. surprise!). but that being said, our order was perfect for the meal we were fulfilling and the shared order was just the right portion so we didn't walk away feeling like fatties.

after dinner i lame-assed it home in order to prepare for my cousin's arrival since she was taking a red-eye from Cali. and by laming out i missed out on meeting Sarah Silverman who BS saw at the bar he went to (Bell House in case you were wondering. they were doing a comedy show there that night.)

This is what happens when you decide not to be lame and go home.

after cursing my bad luck when i woke up the next morning, i diligently cleaned my room waiting to hear from my cousin. but around 12:30 i had still heard no word and was getting stahving. so Kitty and i made plans to meet up at Miss Korea in K-town for some delicious kalbi and  pork belly bbq and dumplings.

Miss Korea supposedly has some kick-ass lunch specials and is generally all-around good. when we arrived at 2 pm on Saturday, the place was packed. however, by the time we finished eating (around 3:30ish), the place had completely cleared out except for a few stragglers. 

we ordered steamed beef and pork mandu ($8.95) to start. being chinese, i'm a big fan of boiled and steamed dumplings. however, to date i have yet to have any steamed korean mandu where the dumpling doesn't completely fall apart. when i'd told Kitty i wanted to order it, he raised his eyebrows in a "are you sure?" look which i had chosen to ignore. lesson learned: when eating mandu, always ordered to fried version.

for entrees we decided to go with straight-up BBQ, so we ordered a serving of thick-sliced pork belly ($22.95) and premium kalbi aka Hang A Ri ($26.95). while the samgyupsal was ok, the galbi was superb. the marinade flavoring perfectly complements and tenderizes the meat and the portion is very generous. and it comes with some interesting vegetables inside the pot which is also grilled with the meat. another perk of Miss Korea is that they allow you to specify which type of rice you want (healthy or white).  the healthy version is the purple rice with various types of beans and oats. very hearty and it fools you into thinking you're counteracting all that dense meat you're putting into you're stomach.

after the late lunch, i was pretty full and skipped dinner which worked out well for Cousin, who had a double dinner at Ippudo and Soba-Ya due to a miscommunication with the hostess at Ippudo. 

the next morning, continuing my korean-themed food-a-thon, we grabbed brunch at Bistro Petit in Williamsburg. hole-in-the-wall doesn't begin to describe how tiny this restaurant is. it has 3 dining counters and self-serve station of fancy sodas and coffee (and no free refills on coffee and no tap water available). we sat at the counter facing the kitchen and helped ourselves to menus. it's a limited menu, with only 1 page of options, but then again, for a place so small, what else would i expect?

we ended up sharing an order of Watermelon Salad ($10)-diced watermelon, pickled watermelon rind, mint, grilled haloumi cheese, and spicy watermelon reduction sauce and the Kimchi Bouillabaisse ($19)-mussel, scallop, pollack, shrimp, fried tofu, rice gnocchi, kombu, white wine, korean chili paste, watercress and kimchi. 

the clear winner was the Watermelon Salad. sweet, refreshing watermelon with contrasting yet complementing flavors of picked rind and salty haloumi cheese. amazeballs. the Kimchi Bouillabaisse on other hand was a little salty. while the seafood was well-cooked, the soup itself was salty. and i kept wishing it had made up its mind whether to be fusion or kimchijigae instead of a wishy-washy version of neither/both.

after our meal, i took Cousin down to Brooklyn Flea in order to walk off some of the food and to check out the wares. it was my first time visiting the Flea since they moved from Hanson Place to the Williamsburg location. the wares were interesting, but a more important food lesson learned: the lines at vendors at Brooklyn Flea are significantly shorter than at Smorgasburg. well, with the exception of Dough.

A Day of Rest

every once in a while i get a little burnt out with the monotony that is (my) life. sometimes the whole "rat race" concept feels a little too close to home. so when i get into one of these moods, i tend to take a day off from work. although it's not a true day off since i usually have to work from home, but the good part is i can enjoy some of the day-time things that i don't get to partake in when i have to be in the office all day.

luckily for me, Life is 1 of my few remaining friends who hasn't been tied down to a 9-5 (or 7) yet. so he was more than game to meet up with me to catch the happy hour deal at Strong Place, a few blocks away from my apartment. in turn, i got to partake in my favorite kind of happy hour: $1 oysters. 

if i could eat only 1 food for the rest of my life- ok, wait, that's too horrible for me to think about. let's start again: amongst my favorite foods that i don't get to eat enough of, oysters would probably be at the top of my list, perhaps along with pate, foie gras, porterhouse steak, korean barbecue, uni....

 tangent aside, oyster happy hours depress me because i can never get off work in time to enjoy them and most of them only run during the week. 

 and so it was that Life found me sitting at the bar at Strong Place with a dozen oysters in front of me and a 2-for-1 draft beer.  the oysters are already a great happy hour deal, and for beer drinkers, the 2-for-1 draft deal is even better. Strong Place has an extensive list of draft beers and includes its entire menu in its 2-for-1 happy hour special. the only catch is that the pours seem to be 12-oz pours vs. the traditional 16-oz pour. but for $5 for 2 beers of the more unique variety, i think it's a good trade-off.  i usually don't partake in fancy beers because they almost always give me the traditional asian-red-face and then just make me pee a lot and sometimes even gives me a headache. but who can say no to 2-for-1 int eh $5-$7 range?


while Life and i chatted, we somehow got onto the topic of Scoutmob, of which i'm a strong advocate. particularly since the first time i'd heard about it was while eating the best burger from Burger on Smith. although it's a little more expensive than two-8-two, it has a ton more topping options and remains cheaper than Moo Burger. plus, if you have Scoutmob, you get 50% off your entire order (capped at a $15 maximum discount). when Life and i went, they were also doing a beer special (with a better option than your generic Yuengling/Bud/Coors options). 

the fries are always crispy and flavorful but the burgers are what i go for. and 1 burger in particular: the Left Coast (beef burger, gruyere, avocado, oven roasted tomato, arugula, and garlic aoili) ($13) which is also served with a pickle and coleslaw. 


great. now i'm hungry.