Rack & Soul

Burgers meet Nawlins, Nawlins Meet Burgers...
Where to begin because I have my share of issues with this one. I guess the best approach is to stay burger focused. I went to Rack & Soul last week and was skeptical to say the least. It's BBQ meets soul food meets New Orleans and I was somewhat lost. It's like going to a diner and ordering eggplant parmesan, just because they offer it doesn't mean you should do it. Unless, of course, they have the best eggplant parm in the world. And even then, I'm skeptical.

Entering this soul food meets BBQ meets who knows what, I had one question - why the heck can I not get Kool Aid at a soul food restaurant? If you think that's wrong, you are wrong. Getting over my desire to be quenched by some red drink, I settled in and read what the menu had to offer. I was not in the mood for any traditional BBQ and my eyes found the selection of Po' Boys. I saw they offered a hamburger po' boy and figured I must be in the right place.

They brought a handful of scratch biscuits to the table that had a honey glaze on top. These were really good so I ate 5 and went back to waiting for my rare burger po' boy. Or so I thought. What I was really waiting for was a miniature hockey puck on a baguette that was lathered, heavily, with ground mustard. The burger was cooked to oblivion and was dry as eating a spoonful of cinnamon - even WITH the mustard and extra BBQ sauce (homemade, thankfully). Somewhere underneath my salad sandwich you'll see some brown, that itty bitty piece of brown is my burger. Tragic, I know.

Conceptually, the burger had a lot of promise. It reminded me of a favorite of mine that I get in AC at the White House - the foot long cheeseburger. At R&S, I was asked how I wanted it cooked and even a rare-medium rare burger was lost on this baguette. For the price, it's a horrible deal as you get virtually no meat and the meat you get tastes like nothing. Overcooked nothing in my situation.

Fortunately, they had some AMAZING collard greens. How amazing? This much!

Rating - 1/5 - Strictly points for the concept but it needs a LOT of work to get out of the burger basement.

Their site - http://www.rackandsoul.com/

For more, please visit 5boroughfoodguys.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/5BoroFoodGuys

Casabianca

Sometimes, even in the city that never sleeps it's hard to find a good slice of pizza. Not because they're not out there but because they, the pizza hiders like to hide themselves in some random places. In this case, they are the folks at Casabianca. I don't know much about the rent situation in NYC but I am certain it's so ridiculous that you need to be creative with where you place your eateries. It's probably why I don't have an eatery to call my own where I can serve you some of the finest treats my hands and mind can create.

Did you know Casabianca means white house? That's an Italian thing. Did you know "Paint the White House Black" was a song by George Clinton f. Ice Cube? Well it is and I own it on a cassette single. Did you also know that Casablanca was a movie from the 1940s and that means White House in Spanish. Lesson over.

If you have the pleasure of finding Casabianca you will simultaneously have the pleasure of finding a truly delicious slice of pizza. Fresh mozzarella, sauce, fresh basil. WOW! Loads of flavor here and the sauce was able to stand out . The crust was just about right and I think this slice is really worth the walk if you are in the area - especially if you consider that Luigi's place I spoke of last week. Are there other options? Sure but this is a really good bet if you're out eatercising on the UWS or in Hell's Kitchen. Just remember if you are walking down 10th you have to make a turn towards the Hudson to find this place.

Rating - 4/5 - Good flavor, good texture. Didn't blow me away but I would recommend their pizza. 

Their site - Cannot find one as of 8/26/11

For more, please visit 5boroughfoodguys.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/5BoroFoodGuys

Island Burgers and Shakes

Looks are deceiving. Deceptively deceiving sometimes. From the outside, Island Burgers has a small and rather modest appearance which does not foreshadow what you are about to encounter on the inside. Island Burgers and Shakes are yet another burger/shake spot in NYC. Unavoidable, I know but I comprehend it better than the burger/shake/cupcake craze that's trending on the NYC streets. Put a burger on a cupcake and you have me as your brand new BFF but you decide to bake those too b/c you know that the $4 cupcake is a trendy little snack on the NYC streets, shame on you cupcake cooker. Or baker. Whatever.

Back to IBS, their menu is simply amazing. There are so many options, each coming with different toppings, seasoning, etc. Did I mention that you can have any of the burgers as either a hamburger or a grilled chicken sandwich? Not a bad deal if you are craving a delicious, juicy, big burger and have a friend that's more into chicken. The complete menu can be found here and locals can use it to place orders for delivery.

Bourbon Street

At left, you can see the inside of a perfectly cooked RARE burger. At right, you can see the Bourbon Street burger, featuring a blackened burger patty, jack cheese, sauteed onions, and bacon.

I had two issues with the burger and that's going to hurt my overall review. Issue 1 - the bacon was cold. Not room temperature, not sorta warm, but cold. It was obviously cooked earlier and then just sat around and was not even heated prior to climbing on top of my burger. That was a bit of a bummer b/c I ended up eating the bacon separately and wanted it on this burger. Issue 2 - the sourdough was a nice, different touch. There are a number of bread/bun options there and again, that's a HUGE plus. I didn't ask if I could select a different bread but I am sure I could have. After eating it, I can say that I wasn't a fan of this pairing as the bread was a little too large and the crust was just kinda out there and out of place. Not bad, just out of place.

Rating - 4.75/5 - The variety of food here should be enough to keep me coming back for more and I'd surely recommend it to you too! The burgers are big, cooked to perfection, and have lots of flavor. Have you been here? What's your favorite?

Their site - http://islandburgers.ordersvc.com/

For more, please visit 5boroughfoodguys.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/5BoroFoodGuys

Dough

Hibiscus Doughnuts? That's Dough

I think we need a break from all that pizza and all those burgers, don't we? Since we're all in agreement, and since I hinted at this in the last post, I now bring you dessert!

Put it to you this way, if you don't know Dough than you just don't know. Bo knows Dough and Bo don't know jack because Bo can't rap.

Back to the DOUGHnuts, these things are BIG, these things are FRESH, and they sell FAST. On this visit, the line was long but it moved quickly. The DOUGHnut makers were working at a feverish place, making delectable treats right before my very eyes. I was happy. I was hungry. I ate GREAT.

Lots of variety and it's your not so run in the mill doughnut shop.

Rating - 5/5 - big, delicious, light, full of flavor. This is a true DOUGHnut hot spot for me.

For more, please visit 5boroughfoodguys.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/5BoroFoodGuys

Tony's (Dekalb Ave)

Tony's

Word on the street, that street being Dekalb Ave, is that Tony has been rockin' the spot since 1969. He's a one man show, cooking up hot and delicious pizza inside his tiny pizza joint that's big enough to hold a handful of people at most, including Tony on his side of the counter. You want no frills, this is no frills. But do not mistake no frills for no good because that's just silly, you silly goose.

Red Drink

A staple in the BK pizza scene is not the crunchy, thin crust I've raved about. It's not the delicious sauce. For me, it's actually the machine you see at right. This is not a common find outside of Brooklyn and I'm not sure it's truly, fully appreciated by the transplants. There are three things that I want from my pizza spots. Pizza, red drink, and ices. It's a very simple formula that I was spoiled by as a child. Moving away from BK, one thing became strangely obvious, red drink was really hard to come by (same goes for orange and purple but I'm a red fan myself).

That's a damn good slice

Seeing this machine puts me right back to my childhood when, many moons ago, you could get a cup of red and a slice for a buck. At Tony's, that same combo ran my $3.25 and I was not complaining. I visited here right as I finished my slice from Luigi's (the good Luigi's) and I was ready for what I had heard was another good slice. Tony delivered. Hot, fresh, delicious. The sauce really stood out as the flavors really popped when it hit my mouth.

Rating - 5/5 - Red drink and pizza. A big slice that might be good enough to fill you up with a large drink.

Editor's Note - Eatercising at it's finest is taking the train to downtown BK and hitting up Luigi's and Tony's for some great pizza. There's a lot more to do and if I may sneak something non-Pizza your way, it's filled with Nutella and it's from Dough...


Their site -  not a chance

For more, please visit 5boroughfoodguys.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/5BoroFoodGuys

67 Burger

I get a message one day telling me that I need to try this hot burger

Fly your flag 67.

spot in Brooklyn and then I find myself there. It's that easy. Not far from the soon to be home of the Nets is 67 Burger, located in Fort Greene, amidst some other really good eateries, Smoke Joint and the landmark Junior's immediately come to mind, 67 Burger has been building a really solid reputation with a fairly tough crowd.

When I am told something is a "must have" I usually am a skeptic. When this particular friend tells me it's a must have, I'm there without hesitation. Why? Usually because it means he's buying, both the burgers and the coke and by coke I mean nose candy and by nose candy I mean cocaine.

Hi, I'm the 67 Burger. I wear bleu cheese.

Hi, 67 again, profile shot. I sit on bacon.

All gone.

I absolutely love their menu. It's simple to the point of being short bus but deep to the point of being Grand Canyon. Sounds oxymoronic or just plain moronic, I know but let's examine what I'm trying to say. You start with the meat of choice though in reality there's only one meat for a hamburger but you can choose beef, turkey, chicken, or veggie. From there, it gets fun. Well, fun for me but I'm a bit of a slob. When I am presented with the amount of choices a place like 67 presents, I do a lot of pre-planning and show up in sweatpants. Not so stylish but certainly spacious. Since choice one is so simple for me, choice two made things tough. My brain does not work in a manner that says, "just go back another time or two or four to try all the things you want to try" rather my brain says "you gotta catch 'em all, Pokeman" or something along those lines. NO I cannot eat 12 burgers in one sitting, YES I can try. My eyes shifted to the specialty burgers and I immediately crossed one of the 12 off the list. "The Ranch" was my Judas and was quickly crossed off the list of 12. Not sure if "The Ranch" proceeded to hang itself but I don't do ranch so I skipped that offering.

The choices are abundant and there's just too much to list here so I've opted to give you a link instead - http://67burger.com/assets/67.menu.06.14.09.pdf It's a link to a pdf so you can print it and plan your course. I'm not going to say exactly what I had because my photos are not up to my usual standard but I can tell you that I vouch for the 67, the Cajun, the Southwestern, and the Western.

Multiple visits are recommended, especially if you care to dine al-fresco. If you choose to eat the opposite of al-fresco (or indoors) that's ok too as there's ample seating.

Rating - 4.75/5 - Cooked to order, fresh not frozen, nice sized bun. Lots of toppings and options if you so choose and it's all just done right.

Their site - http://67burger.com/

For more, please visit 5boroughfoodguys.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/5BoroFoodGuys

Luigi's (Dekalb Ave)

Luigi's on Dekalb Ave

Sticking with yesterday's theme, I needed to give the plumber in green a shot at redemption. No, I'm not crazy and did NOT return to that Luigi's. Instead, I found my way to the train, found my sister on said train, and hit up BK. Brooklyn, not NYC at large, has a reputation for the BEST pizza your precious pennies can buy. It has that rep because it earned it. It earned it from the most discerning critics you can imagine. It's often emulated but unless you eat some real deal Brooklyn pizza, you know it's rarely duplicated. Please keep in mind that our other Luigi's is NOT related to this Luigi's, things don't work that way thankfully, just ask the folks at Ray's in NYC. In my world, we call this, the build up. Well, we're building up to Luigi's. A tiny, neighborhood spot on Dekalb Ave (near Pratt if that means something to you) that's not much more than a store front. But who needs more? It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood so why not grab one to go and then walk and eat? I call it eatercising.

I was urged to try Luigi's by a longtime friend that calls Luigi's his go-to pizzeria. I gladly obliged and was happy that I did. The slice here is perfect. Thin but not too thin. What does that mean? There's some depth to the dough and it's not razor thin, ready to cave from the weight of the sauce and cheese. Speaking of the sauce, it had flavor and the appropriate consistency. It was thin but not watery. The cheese provided the proper final layer and was melted nicely and not too heavy sitting on top. Unlike the OTHER Luigi's that deserves no more props who had cheese that settled so heavily on top that it laid there like Marv Albert's wig - YES!

This is the Brooklyn I know. Not that I grew up anywhere near there but you can find this perfect pizza by strolling just a couple of blocks from home. I've read some reviews that mentioned "this pizza isn't good cold" and some other nonsense. If you are gauging food that is meant to be eaten hot, (so hot that it will cause the roof of your mouth to blister) on how it tastes when cold, you are an idiot. I say to that fool, get Elio's if you want cold pizza because you surely don't deserve this. This is your basic, not so many frills pizzeria that serves up a perfectly cooked, flavorful slice without a ton of options to overwhelm the user. Want something with pineapples or any exotic toppings, save it for those chains that will satiate your every whim.

Rating - 5/5. It's neighborhood pizza at it's finest and perfect to grab a slice and go for a walk through Pratt's grounds to enjoy the artwork.

Editor's note - Dominic was often "forced" to play as Luigi as a child. We don't feel this had any impact on his psychological development and did not swing his opinion of this pizzeria in any manner.

Their site - yeah sure.

For more, please visit 5boroughfoodguys.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/5BoroFoodGuys

Luigi's - UWS

Hello? Is anyone out...Oh hi! Hello there! Thanks for coming by. Before we get started I have something I really need to tell you. I, yes I, am a video game nerd. I'll even go a bit further and tell you that when I see Mario's face on a game, I'm all over it. It's been that way since forever and I'm not gonna change. He's always off on some crazy adventure to save the Princess with his brother and some mushroom men in tow. Luigi? Sidekick, straight up. But he was thrust into the spotlight once to save the Princess. JK, he had to save Mario. I'd be first in line to save my brother if he went missing but a little help is appreciated. After all, Mario always gets the girl and is constantly trying to save her and all Luigi gets to do is go to a ghost infested mansion and save Mario. Speaking of Mario, I've always found it a bit odd that his last name is Mario. Mario Mario just sounds a bit over the top but may be appropriate considering his star status, pun not intended. Luigi Mario seems like a somewhat normal name, maybe his papers got screwed up at Ellis Island, things happen.

You may recall that I recently reviewed a new Pizzeria/Restaurant in Hell's Kitchen called Uncle Mario's. That place is really going to be a contender for that neighborhood's pizza attention and rightfully so. Slightly further uptown and a bit more west is Mario's brother, not really but work with me here, Luigi's. Located on 61st and West End, Luigi's is one of the rare NYC Pizzeria's that has no competition for a long stretch of streets (assuming you stay on West End so don't get cute and walk to 10th or 9th and tell me there's something close because I won't listen.)

Luigi's is really large which leads me to believe they must serve a lot of people or else the space is just wasted. The interior is rather dark and I was thinking that a cock-fight or a numbers ring would be perfectly served in here. Maybe it is and I just don't know it? Maybe I just have a vivid imagination? Maybe, just maybe. Life's like a bowl of maybes covered in a box of chocolates. Chocolate covered maybes.

Speaking of wasted, that's what happened with my time and money. I got a slice, it was really BIG and the $2.50 paid was reasonable considering the size and that is the going rate at most NYC places. I was just hoping to eat something that didn't just look like pizza but maybe tasted like it too. Or at least tasted like pizza that wasn't IDENTICAL to what I ate in public school cafeterias growing up in Brooklyn. The taste was so eerily similar I was immediately transported back without the help of warp zones and large green pipes. Everything about this slice screamed don't eat more than one bite. So I barely did. I got half way through it, decided it was basically as gross as the sausage slice from Sal and Carmine's and had to part ways with it. The sauce was definitely out of a jar. DEFINITELY! I know jar sauce. I loathe jar sauce. I felt betrayed. Mario always saves the Princess, Luigi got to save Mario once, but nothing can save you if you stumble in here looking for a piece of real pizza.

Rating - 0.5/5 - If you are STARVING and have $2.50 and will die without any sustenance, this large slice will feed you and hold you over for a while. It's not inedible, it just tastes like it was not too fresh. The guy behind the counter seemed nice though.

Editor's note - If solely grading the sausage slice at Sal & Carmine's, that would have received the same rating. Also, this placed is now DEAD as of July 2011, a mere 2 months after the initial posting of this review on gothamPIZZA


For more, please visit 5boroughfoodguys.tumblr.com and follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/5BoroFoodGuys