5 Napkin Unveils a $5 Burger

We sure love our deals in Astoria, so when I heard that 5 Napkin Burger has rolled out a $5 burger for lunch, I just had to spread the news.  Known for their sizeable 10 ozers, its $5 sibling is about half this size at 4 oz, which will still be delicious and filling.  

The $5, 5 Napkin Burger is a classic take on their namesake dish - dressed with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles.  You can get this all week, Monday-Friday starting from 11:30 a.m. all the way through 5:00 p.m. And if your hunger still gets the best of ya, you can add on a $2 slider from their Happy Hour menu (M-S from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.), which intersects with $5 burger time.  So the moral of this story is...get your burger on!

5 Napkin Burger - 35-01 36th Street, Astoria, NY 11106 
 718.433.2727
N/Q Train to 36th Avenue
5napkinburger.com

The Burger Garage - Park that Appetite Right Here

The Burger Garage - 25-36 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City NY 11101
718.392.0424
7 Train to 45th Road/Courthouse Square

www.theburgergarage.com

Closing in on a month right about now, The Burger Garage is a cool, newbie on the LIC dining scene.  Its motto is reconstruction--transforming the old into new, as the space is a converted industrial garage.  I love this concept, and especially when you put it together with tasty, made-to-order burger fare, it's a winning combination.

Atmosphere:
From the outside, The Burger Garage looks like any other burger joint and if you didn't already know of its "industrial" origins, you probably wouldnt've guessed what it used to be. 

But the interior certainly gives more clues, with funky tongue-in-cheek garage decor such as tires, street signs, hubcaps, repair signs and other garage memorabilia that give you a good feel for its motif.  The music is nostalgic and the seating reminds me of a 50's diner with mostly booths and a couple of small tables for two and four.  Overall, it's very cheery, fun and a perfect mix of modern and preserved items. 

Food:
We came for some good ol' greasy spoon food such as burgers, fries, onion strings and milk shakes.  I was impressed that everything is made to order, therefore exemplifying quality and freshness, evident in each bite.

Burgers - With three types of burgers on the menu (beef, turkey and portobello) we tried two - me ordering the turkey and Dan the double beef.  We added all the free fixins such as tomato, lettuce and pickles but also some cheese, which was $.50 extra. 

Both burgers were awesome, mainly because of the excellent quality of meat used.  These patties were tender, flavorful and juicy - and mine incorporated some fresh herbs that I could see marbled throughout the meat.  Just delicious and so fragrant! The bun needed some help, as it could've been fluffier, but overall it reminded me of a Shake Shack burger, which as we all know, is very highly regarded.

Fries and Onion Strings - An order of sweet potato fries and onion strings was just what we craved with our delicious burgers.  I have nothing bad to say about both and would heartily recommend this combination - the sweet potato fries are hand cut and super crispy, while the onion strings have a nice coating of batter that manages to remain crunchy and wonderful.  It's disappointing when onion strings get limp sometimes, but this is far from the case here.

Shakes - I ordered a banana milk shake and Dan got the chocolate egg cream, which was a special.  Yowza! The shake was goooood, with a banana flavor that was ever so pronounced and natural.  At times, the shake was a bit too thick to pass through the straw, but that's just because there were chunks of real banana in it, which is certainly a good thing.

Dan's egg cream was good too and on the lighter side, as it was made up of seltzer water and chocolate milk.  Pretty refreshing and indulgent at the same time - however, an acquired taste.

Service and Cost:
The servers at The Burger Garage are friendly, informative and they provide speedy service.  You first place your order at the counter and then wait for your number to be called, which takes about 5 short minutes.  It's a great fast-food option, except with high quality food and service.

Costs are inexpensive, especially for the caliber of food you're getting:

Burgers - $4.20 - $7.45
Sides - $2.75 - $3
Shakes - $4.75

One other thing to note is that The Burger Garage does a fantastic job accommodating gluten free diets with their gluten free buns.

3 Mmmms

Hudson Eatery - Good Ol' Nosh Never Goes Out of Style

Hudson Eatery - 601 West 57th Street, New York NY 10019
212.265.2300
A/B/C/D/1 Train to Columbus Circle
www.hudsoneatery.com

I was graciously invited to a blogger tasting at the newly opened Hudson Eatery all the way on the West side by 11th Avenue.  Not really exposed to that area on a regular basis, I'm always curious to discover new things that lie in this neck of the woods.  My intrigue was heightened further when I found out that the proprietors of this place also own Central Lounge in Astoria. 

I brought Lisa with me for the ride and we both had a great time munching on comfort food and meeting cool bloggers such as the NYC Foodie/Magician/Comedian, Josh Beckerman, Amuse *Bouche's Brad Hawks and the gals from 89th and Broke.

Atmosphere:
Located on the ground floor of a new luxury high-rise building called The Helena, everything about Hudson Eatery looks and feels brand spankin' new.  The space is quite extensive with high ceilings and eclectic seating arrangements from small round tables to horseshoe shaped booths and even a large communal table near the bar.  We had the pleasure of sitting at this long table, which was great for a family-style meal and lively conversation. 

The overall vibe is casual and fun with lots of bright colors and upbeat music.  I'm sure that a lot of Helena residents come here to enjoy an impromptu meal or to get some deliciously-crafted cocktails after a long day.

Food and Drink:
I couldn't believe how generous this tasting was, as we tried almost everything on the menu.  We shared all dishes, which I really like doing because it gets everyone involved with many opinions bouncing around the table.  Here are my highlights:

Hand-Cut Potato Chips - Although simple, this was one of my stand-outs of the night - hand-cut, thick barbecue flavored potato chips with tangy gorgonzola fondue.  The latter component elevated this snack to ultimate potato chipdom.  I loved that they had spice to them but weren't overly salty as some chips can be.

Fried Calamari - This classic appetizer was done in a traditional style, coated in a super crispy crust.  It tasted fresh and delicious and its flavors were enhanced by a spicy mayo served on the side.  Both Lisa and I loved it and couldn't stop reaching in for seconds, thirds, fourths - I think you get the point.

Mac 'N Cheese - One of their signature dishes, this was truly out of this world.  It was nicknamed the "loaded mac 'n cheese," as it included every delicious pleasure under the sun such as gooey cheese, applewood smoked bacon, caramelized onions, breadcrumbs and G_d knows what else.  It was really creamy, flavorful and kept getting better with each bite.  After a while, I had to physically push it away to make room for the other dishes still in store.

Cheeseburger - Woah, just look at this beauty. Similarly to the mac 'n cheese, it was chock full of goodness including thick-cut smoked bacon, gouda cheese (one of my favorites!), fried onions and really tender Angus beef on a soft brioche bun.  Lisa and I devoured it and loved how all the flavors worked together to create perfect gluttony.  It was all good though because it was cut into fourths, and a little slice of gluttony went a long way.

Drinks - The drinks are definitely worth noting, as they were very creative and fun to consume.  I had the Gummy Bear martini, which was tangy and as Lisa pointed out, tasted a bit like a sweet tart.  Other fun options include the champagne cosmo (Lisa's favorite!), white & red sangria, the Bacardi Dragon punch and more.

Service and Cost:
Our servers were friendly and on several occassions asked if we were enjoying everything.  Although they were a bit slow with providing extra plates for sharing, we were a large party and these things sometimes happen.  Overall, our experience was pretty smooth on the service end.

Costs are affordable, especially for a modern Manhattan eatery:

Appetizers & Snacks - From $6
Entrees - $14 - $20
Drinks Specials - weeknights from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. $4 draught beers, $6 mixed drinks & wine

2.5 Mmmms