Minetta Tavern

This is my last in my New York series. It was a good run and there were many more I did not get to try. I guess I will have to make another trip. Oh well.

Minetta Tavern was one of the most recommended places. Even after my trip it seemed people were still telling me about it. I went here before going to the Comedy Cellar for a night of comedy. Minetta Tavern is not what you typically think of as a tavern. First off, you should make reservations ahead of time unless you want to wait a long time for a table. When we got there, the bar was packed and we could barely step into the restaurant. Secondly, it felt more like a French café than a tavern. The service felt like a French café as well. I think we got our food before we got our drinks.

I ordered the Minetta burger. Most people afterwards said I should have gotten the Black Label burger, but I was going for the namesake burger. The meat was good but not amazing. It was cooked very well as you can see from the picture. The bun was soft but held up and didn’t get too soggy with the juicy meat. It came with caramelized onions and sharp cheddar cheese. The cheese was very strong but it was a good cheddar so I quite enjoyed that. The onions were flavorful but not overpowering. The biggest issue with the burgers here are the price. Seemed to be a little overpriced at $17 for the Minetta and $26 for the Black Label. But this seemed to be par for the course in NY.

Shake Shack

Shake Shack was one of the places I knew I needed to check out when in New York. I had heard from several people that it is the place to go. There are several locations and there seem to be more every time I visit the website. It started as a hotdog cart in the Madison Square Park in New York. They are known for their burgers, fries and what was most recommended, the custard. The custard is like a cross between ice cream and mouse like textures. There are some standard flavors, but you should check the website for the custard calendar since they have some special flavors. I tried the marshmallow milk chocolate flavor, which hit the spot in the August heat of New York.

The burger is more of a fast food style burger. For my west coast peeps, it is closer to In & Out then Fatburger. I ordered the Shack Burger. The meat was good and flavorful for the level of burger you are getting. The bun was a little soggy, but I am not sure if it was from the humidity or just the way it comes. It came topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and shack sauce. The shack sauce was a little underwhelming and the rest of the toppings were good. Overall, it is a good cheap burger and the fries, shakes and custards are definitely worth the trip.