Lunch | Good Stuff Eatery

Over the past weekend, Marcus and I made our way down to Washington D.C. to celebrate our anniversary. Not arriving to Union Station until late afternoon (many hours after lunchtime), we were beyond starving and hurried over to Capitol Hill for some burgers at Good Stuff Eatery after checking in with our Airbnb host (which I highly recommend doing for multi-day stays!).


Good Stuff Eatery first opened in 2008 by Chef Cathy Mendelsohn and her son, Chef Spike Mendelsohn (of Top Chef fame!) over on Capital Hill, with a subsequent location opened later in Arlington as well as upcoming locations in Georgetown and Philadelphia this year!


Love this cowbell fixture near the entrance of Good Stuff Eatery!


Following suit with its locale of neighborhood, there's cheeky little decorations like this one throughout the space. Gotta love puns!


The mother and son team were inspired by a vision for "a place where people can enjoy the nostalgia of eating the best of their American favorites" -- handcrafted burgers, handcut fries, handspun shakes, and farm fresh salads made with the highest quality ingredients from local suppliers. The restaurant is also constructed almost entirely of recycled materials.


Along with this, Good Stuff Eatery strives for "sustainability in all of its business practices" as every business decision is made with its environmental impact in mind. Every effort is made to recycle all waste from the restaurant, spanning from the delivery boxes and the oil from fryers.


Goodness gracious, indeed!


While patrons can place their orders on the main floor, where limited counter seating is available, the upstairs portion of Good Stuff Eatery has a lot more seating, including this communal table.


Along with the wide varieties of burgers offered at Good Stuff, it also has for its patrons a condiment bar, which is mostly comprised of different mayonnaises including mango, Old Bay, sriracha, and chipotle varieties. We opted for the traditional ketchup and mustard along with some mango mayonnaise.


Marcus had the Farmhouse Bacon Cheese burger, served with Applewood bacon, American cheese, and lettuce. We also shared a side of Sunny's handcut fries sprinkled generously with sea salt. First off, I would just like to say that I love the size of these burgers -- they're slightly bigger than a typical slider, which makes it the perfect portion for lunch or one to be split with a friend as a snack. Plus, there's no issue with trying to figure out how to eat the burger -- it doesn't stack up super high nor does it have a difficult-to-conquer circumference. As for the Farmhouse Bacon Cheese, the bacon was crispy and savory and melded well with rest of the standard burger accoutrement. The patty was cooked to an ideal temperature -- somewhere in the medium region -- where it was juicy on the inside without spewing out with meat juices and oil. Whatever blend of beef is used at Good Stuff Eatery, I now want that blend for all my burgers. And the icing on the cake was the bun -- well buttered and toasted/grilled to a warm yet soft delectableness that made every bite into the burger so glorious.

The handcut fries were great -- such a refreshing contrast to the usual frozen shoestrings we're used to -- as they were fried to a lovely browned crisp without being at all oily. They went surprisingly well with the mango mayonnaise -- the tangy flavor was very interesting against the delicate starchiness of the fries.


I opted for the Steakhouse burger with roasted cremini mushrooms, onion straws, Emmental Swiss cheese, and tangy steakhouse mayonnaise. With the same basic characteristics of Marcus's burger (delicious blend of beef, well-toasted bun, ideal portion size), the Steakhouse burger was fantastic, too. I love me a really good mushroom-and-swiss burger, and this one is undoubtedly a list-topper, especially with the pleasant addition of onion straws, which not only added a nice flavor to the burger but another textural dimension as well. Even with all of the condiments and toppings on this burger, the super soft bun (mine with sesame seeds!) was strong enough to withstand it all without becoming soggy -- the meat-to-bun-to-condiment ratio (as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory postulates here at 1:14) is, simply put, just very satisfying.

Findings: Marcus and I left Good Stuff Eatery quite happily, where we even are audacious enough to declare the burgers there the best we've ever had, a close one for us, making it slightly ahead of how we feel about our home city Shack burger at Shake Shack. The combination of well-portioned burgers, favorable meat-to-bun-to-condiment ratios, original condiments (c'mon, mayonnaise bar = AWESOME), nicely toasted bunsm and super flavorful, juicy (but not at all greasy!) patties made Good Stuff Eatery an instant winner in my "best of" chronicles in eating. I am officially making this a must-do every and any time we're down in DC, because it'd be blasphemous to miss out on such deliciousness otherwise! :P

Price point: $6.95-6.98 for each burger, $3.69 for a regular-sized order of hand cut fries.

--April 19, 2013

Good Stuff Eatery (Capitol Hill)
303 Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast
Washington, DC 20003
http://www.goodstuffeatery.com

Dinner | S'MAC

Last week, Jess and I got our fix of macaroni 'n' cheese over at S'MAC (which stands for Sarita's Macaroni & Cheese) in the East Village.

This beloved comfort food joint was created by husband-and-wife team, Sarita and Caesar Ekya. When they were eating one day at Peanut Butter & Co. (another comfort food-centric restaurant in the West Village), Mrs. Ekya wondered (in a half-joking, half-serious way) how cool it would be if there were a place that served PBJ, grilled cheese, AND mac 'n' cheese. They both laughed and went on their way, but for some reason, the idea couldn't be shaken, and nine months later, in 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Ekya opened up S'MAC, serving up ten variations of mac 'n' cheese.

Inside S'MAC -- very bright oranges and yellows (fittingly so, of course). Even the ceiling light fixtures resemble elbow macaroni! The cast iron skillet pans hanging on the wall delineate the different sizes offered at S'MAC. The smallest is Nosh, next sizes up are Major Munch and Mongo, and the largest size is Partay! We had no idea that the Nosh size would be THAT sizable (especially with the price), so we decided to err on the side of caution and ordered that size. All of the mac 'n' cheeses come with a generous sprinkling of bread crumbs. There is also a "make-your-own" option as well, so you can get pretty creative if you want to!

Jess decided to go the classic route, and ordered the All-American ("nostalgia at its finest") with a blend of cheddar and American cheeses. The mac 'n' cheeses at S'MAC are casserole style (just how I love it), and the combination of breadcrumbs and cheese covering the macaroni creates a really nice and delicious faux-crust. It's crunchy, toasty, and cheesy, providing a great textural contrast to the creamy and soft cheesed macaroni. It also comes scorching hot in those black, cast-iron skillets with a quilted potholder and a wooden trivet. With that being said, the All-American is the no-nonsense version on the menu -- just straight up cheese and elbow macaroni -- which is ideal for those who are purists of this comfort food form.

I decided to try something a little different, so I went with the Alpine with Gruyère and slab bacon. The aforementioned crust is nearly mind-blowing, and the combination of Gruyère and bacon was fantastic. This might be one of those really? things to complain about, but the slab bacon (I should've known from the description right there) was cut really thickly and spread out unevenly, so it was hard to gauge whether I'd have enough bacon to go with each bite of cheesy macaroni. But really, did I have much to complain about? I mean, it was HUGE chunks of bacon after all.

Findings: Overall, I think there is some delicious stuff cookin' over at S'MAC. Its location is perfect, attracting the hangover crowd as well as college students (and let's face it, any reasonable adult) yearning for that childhood indulgence. Satisfying for the stomach and very easy on the wallet, S'MAC offers an array of different kinds of mac 'n' cheese, spanning all kinds of cuisines bound to appeal to any hungry palate. When comparing it to the other mac 'n' cheese haven, macbar, in SoHo, I would say that I like the breadcrumb crust better at S'MAC while I prefer the gourmet selections at macbar (as it's more fitting to my own tastes). Either way, they're both solid places to find a generous helping of mac 'n' cheese at a decent price for any jonesing that may occur late at night. Definitely adding this to my list of late-night cheesy binges (plus, Artichoke Pizza is around the corner).

Price point: $4.75-7.25 for Nosh-sized macaroni and cheese.

--September 13, 2012

S'MAC (Sarita's Macaroni & Cheese)

345 East 12th Street

New York, NY 10003

http://www.smacnyc.com

S'Mac
345 East 12th Street
New York
NY
Great place to get your fix of macaroni-and-cheese. They have the classic All-American or others with nuances inspired by other international cuisines. You can even make your own!
Four Tines and a Napkin

Lunch | Japadog

To celebrate the first weekend this year that I didn't have to work, Marcus and I hit up the newly opened Japadog over in St. Marks Place for lunch on Saturday.

A brick-and-mortar import from Canada, Japadog was started by a Japanese couple that had moved to Canada with a dream of creating a world famous food stand. With many challenges, especially with the language barrier and initial operations, and lots of hard work, Japadog soon became popular with the general public, particularly during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, where it had two stands with hundreds of people lining up every day. By then, Japadog had expanded to three stands as well as to its first shop, which allowed it to explore different concepts for "the Japanese-style hot dog." This past January of this year, Japadog opened a location right here in New York City, its first "global" location -- just a month old!

The condiment station at Japadog.

Initially from looking at the hanging menu outside, Marcus and I desperately wanted to try the Yakiniku Rice hot dog (i.e., flavored rice with barbecue-style beef on top of an arabiki sausage) and the Okonomi hot dog (i..e, a Kurobuta sausage topped with bonito flakes), but these two menu items were in actuality "coming soon" -- not yet available to order.

Alternatively, Marcus had the Love Meat hot dog with homemade meat sauce fused together with melted cheese, and I had Japadog's signature hot dog, the Terimayo with teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise topped with shredded nori (seaweed). The first thing we noticed about these hot dogs was that they were pretty sizable -- not petite like the ones offered at Gray's Papaya or the Asian-inspired hot dogs we've had at Asiadog. The bun was definitely hero-sized, and the hot dog itself was pretty hearty as well. Considering we were going to order two hot dogs each, I'm glad we just stuck with just one instead.

Another nice thing about the hot dogs at Japadog is that the hot dogs are cross-cut with small slits along its length, making for easier eating and better cooking and perception of flavor. The terimayo was absolutely delicious -- a well-balanced fusion of teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise with a nice subtle crunch from the julienned nori. The bun-to-dog ratio was exactly what I look for in a hot dog -- just enough bun to go around with each bite of meat. I only urge you to eat any hot dog from Japadog as soon as you get it because the condiments/sauces/accoutrement can quickly become really drippy and cause the bun to become very soggy. Otherwise, the hot dog itself is incredibly juicy and flavorful, so much so that even without all of the Japanese-style toppings, the hot dog would be amazing standalone.

The Love Meat hot dog was great, too. I was a little surprised how the cheesy meat sauce worked so well as a hot dog topping (though, I suppose it's pretty much like a Japanese-style chili dog). The homemade aspects of the ingredients make this a very comforting hot dog, bringing me back to the days of my childhood. I liked that it wasn't overly cheesy because that could turn me off very quickly.

We each ordered a "value meal" which came with a side of fries. For the choice of seasoning over the fries, Marcus and I both went with the shichimi and garlic -- roasted garlic with nanami togarashi spice (Japanese hot pepper). Oh man, the seasoning made these fries pop with even more flavors. The golden, crispy exterior and the soft potato interior matched with the garlicky spice made for an incredibly winning combination. It reminded me of the American snack, Andy Capp's Hot Fries -- only this was Japanese-style. Highly recommended to accompany any hot dog at Japadog!

Findings: Overall, Marcus and I really, really enjoyed our quick lunch at Japadog. The hot dogs are incredibly flavorful, and the menu offers a variety of Japanese-inspired toppings that will sate those with a palate for the flavors, ingredients, and spices of Japanese cuisine. Though, in my honest opinion, the best part about Japadog is the portion size: a generously sized hot dog (juicy and delicious, too!) with a very well-balanced bun-to-dog ratio. I'm looking forward to returning for another quick lunch (hoping to try the Yakiniku Rice and the Okonomi) and some midnight snacks at Japadog. Make sure you order fries if you stop by here -- especially with the shichimi and garlic seasoning!

Price point: cash only -- $7.20 for each hot dog value meal, $2 for each can of soda.

--February 4, 2012

Japadog

30 St. Marks Place

New York, NY 10003

http://www.japadog.com

Dinner | Dos Toros Taqueria

Per an insistent recommendation by my co-worker, Elan, Dos Toros Taqueria has been on my list of places to try before the end of the year. So when I saw this LivingSocial deal (i.e., $20 to spend on food and drink at Dos Toros for only $10!), I nabbed it so Marcus and I could finally go try it together.


Elan said he prefers going to the Union Square location, but as the LivingSocial deal was for the West Village location, that is where Marcus and I ended up going. Love the "T" in the Dos Toros logo -- minimalist, serifed bull horns!

Leo and Oliver Kremer, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, started Dos Toros here in New York City. Growing up, the two brothers ate at their favorite taqueria nearly every single day of the week. Later, upon venturing to the East Coast, they were shocked to discover that the same stuff simply was not available, which inspired them to come up with Dos Toros Taqueria. The Kremer brothers has made the focus of Dos Toros to be obsessively about food, spending countless hours perfecting the taqueria's recipes and sourcing fresh, high quality ingredients from local vendors.


The interior of Dos Toros is a combination of custom light fixtures pairs with counter tops made from reclaimed wood. As for the menu, the Kremer brothers is proud to say that it is "short and sweet" in that you can "spend mroe time eating and less time trying to figure out what to order." There's a choice from burrito, taco, quesadilla, and plato as well as the respective protein (e.g., carnitas, pollo asado, carne asada, and rice/bean).


Per Elan's sole recommendation that I "HAD to get the crispy chicken tacos," I, in fact, got the crispy chicken tacos -- crispy meaning the tortilla is heated and grilled slightly with some cheese before plopping on the protein (chicken, in this case) and the token condiments (sour cream, salsa, and guacamole). Oh man -- these tacos were out of this world! Toasting up the flour tortillas with a little bit of cheese made a big difference for the tacos at Dos Toros! The chicken had a nice char to it. The condiment combination of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream were really dynamic in flavors, mainly because you can taste the fresh ingredients used in each. The avocados mashed within the guacamole were rich and buttery while the tomatoes in the salsa were fresh and juicy. The sour cream was a nice unifier of the salsa and guacamole -- it was just enough to get that mildly sour taste going with the rest of the taco. As someone who has a very hard time eating, enjoying, and digesting Mexican food, Dos Toros is a beacon of hope. The tacos did not feel like one big gloppage of Mexican condiments all mixed in with chicken you can barely taste because of the condiments' flavors drowning and overpowering it. By the time I finished them, I was already craving some more!


Marcus not only got a crispy chicken taco but also a crispy steak taco. Elan was right -- the crispy chicken taco simply dominates taco side of the menu. Nothing supercedes its sheer deliciousness.


Along with our tacos, Marcus and I shared a Mexican bottled Coke and a bag of chips.

Findings: I was very impressed with the crispy chicken tacos over at Dos Toros. It not only is crispy (love, love, love that they warm up the tortilla with a little cheese prior to filling it), but it boasts the freshest of ingredients (juicy tomatoes and ripened, buttery avocados) wrapped in its interior. Definitely will come back to Dos Toros when I'm craving some tacos! So if you do make it to Dos Toros, do yourself a favor and order dos crispy chicken tacos. You'll be glad you did.

Kudos to Elan for this great recommendation!

Price point: $7.35-7.81 for each taco, $2.30 for a bottled drink, $0.92 for chips.

--October 28, 2011

Dos Toros Taqueria (West Village)
11 Carmine Street
New York, NY 10014
http://www.dostoros.com

Lunch | Jack in the Box

So Jack in the Box was our first meal during our trip to San Francisco. You might laugh and say, there are so many great things to eat in San Francisco and the Bay Area--why the heck did you go to Jack in the Box?! Well, I've never had it before, and I've heard people (namely my friends from the West Coast) rave about it and how they crave for it when they're away from home on the East Coast. I wanted to see what's up.


In case you didn't already know, I'm a hugeee Snoopy fanatic, so the drive up to the Charles M. Schulz museum (aka, the Snoopy Museum) up in Santa Rosa (a little over an hour drive from San Francisco) was a must. Marcus and I were on our way to the museum, when I saw this Jack in the Box location, and simply asked, "Ahhh, can we go to Jack in the Box for lunch? I really, really wanna try it!" Marcus simply replied, "Uh, yes!" So I turned in to embark on a greasy lunch ahead of us.


The set-up is just the same as a McDonald's or a Taco Bell, so it really was fast food style.


Marcus and I both had the #4, the Sourdough Jack burger.


The Sourdough Jack is a beef patty topped with bacon, tomato, Swiss-style cheese, mayo-onion sauce, and ketchup on toasted sourdough bread. I absolutely love sourdough bread, especially when it's toasted and is in contacted with melted cheese. The Sourdough Jack is like the perfect grilled cheese sandwich with bacon on sourdough bread, only with the added goodness of mayo-onion sauce and a beef patty. Contrarily, I found the regular fries (as opposed to the signature curly fries offered at Jack in the Box--I typically prefer straight fries) to be nothing special--it was missing something (perhaps additional seasoning or something). In retrospect, I wish we had ordered the curly fries. There was a wave of comments on my Facebook status ("My first visit to Jack in the Box" with the above photo) that ordered that I must get the curly fries. Sadly, it was already too late, but the Sourdough Jack made up for that.

Findings: Perhaps, it's ordinary for a native midwesterner, west coaster, and/or southerner to not think twice about Jack in the Box as a new concept, but being from the East Coast, I totally see it different. I really enjoyed the Sourdough Jack sandwich/burger because up until this point in time, I've never had a burger like it. It reemphasized my love for sourdough breaded grill cheese, showing me a "new twist" on the classic sandwich that I crave as comfort food. And after have been on a flight to San Francisco from New York without eating much, this was a great lunch to satisfy my perpetual hunger throughout the morning into the early afternoon. Surely, when I return back to New York, I'll be thinking about Jack in the Box and how I wish there were ones near me. Or maybe I'll get a little creative and make my own version of the Sourdough Jack!

Price point: $5.39 for a Sourdough Jack with a medium-sized soda and a side of fries.

--May 19, 2011

Jack in the Box
multiple locations throughout the West Coast, Midwest, and South
http://www.jackinthebox.com

Culinary Sundry | bye-bye, McRib

Yesterday was the last day the McDonald's McRib will be widely available in the United States, so I just wanted to wish it a proper goodbye (if you haven't already noticed, I'm an unfortunate sucker for both haute cuisine and fast food). The delicious goodness behind a ground pork patty covered in barbecue sauce and served with pickles and onions on a six-inch roll surprised me so much that I had two during the duration of McDonald's recent limited promotion.

So I bid you adieu, Mr. McRib--I hardly knew thee. Hope you'll come to visit again soon.