Enough has been said about Shake Shack and their ever growing empire. I have not been to their UWS location nor their newly opened spot in Times Square, why? First, I’m a bit too lazy to trek all the way up to UWS and I hate the Times Square area. Second, wouldn’t you rather eat your tasty burger in this lovely Madison Square Park? On my most recent trip (last time I was at Shake Shack was back in November) there was a concert going on plus the weather was actually nice, also Robyn came along, super!

All you need to know is that I fully enjoyed my burger and fries and iced tea. I wanted a 2nd burger after that.

- Shake Shack 11 Madison Avenue, New York inside Madison Square Park

First time hearing about Gambrinus Seafood Cafe was on Serious Eats. Whats not to love about a Russian pirate themed restaurant in Brighton Beach that served sushi? The author of that blog post didn’t dare to try the sushi but WE DID. Oh hell yeah, that was one of the reasons why we went or why I REALLY WANTED TO GO!

After hanging out a bit at the Beer Island on the boardwalk, it was not an island at all but just a fenced off area filled with sand, umbrellas, tables and chairs and loads of beers, Howard, Matt, Phae and I strolled down the boardwalk towards Brighton Beach. Of course being on the boardwalk I just had to get an overprice corn dog. By the time we got to Gambrinus I was sweaty and sticky. Once we walked in we were greeted by waiter wearing a blue/white striped shirt. It was more a sailor look than pirates but oh well. We were seated outside which meant no nice a/c. But once I cooled down it was pleasant to be outside with cars zipping by behind and large group of people drinking bottles and bottles of vodka next to me.

Now we were here for the sushi, lets order some food!
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What do I know about Baltimore? The Wire? Even when Anthony Bourdain went to Baltimore for his “Rust Belt” show he did it around The Wire. It seems that The Wire is more famous than the city and from the one episode I saw of The Wire I should be really careful when I go. Baltimore has always been a city that I pass by on my way to somewhere else. Springfield, DC, Annapolis…and etc. Visiting Baltimore has never crossed my mind before until my ex-boss asked me to be her wedding photographer. I was honored when she asked me and then I got excited because I get to be out of town for a weekend. Okay I may have exaggerated a bit about only knowing Baltimore from The Wire, there’s also Ace of Cakes!

It’s so weird traveling by yourself. What do you do? I had spent a lot of time in the hotel room with the free HBO. Didn’t really do a lot of sightseeing nor did I venture out too far from the hotel. It helped that the hotel was RIGHT AT the Inner Harbor, tons of museums and shops for mostly tourists. I arrived at Baltimore around 8pm on a drizzling Friday night. After checking into the hotel, half of me just wanted to crash into bed while my other half wanted to go out. Damit it was only 8:45pm. I was invited by my ex-boss to go have drinks with them and their friends. I’m actually kind of shy and am always afraid of being quiet in front of people, especially people I don’t know. Took me 15mins to debate about it but finally decided to go. It was 9pm on a Friday night and I was in another city. I can’t be a frakkin’ loner. I went out and got a cab.
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Growing up in LA, it was what it was. It was me driving everywhere, it was me being stuck in traffic, it was me hanging out at the mall because of the a/c during the hot summers, it was me spending a Friday night with friends at a TGIF and thought the food was awesome, it was me at a school event where there was an In-N-Out truck catering, it was me doing what was normal to me in LA. Also if you DO go to a TGIF restaurant may I suggest going to Claim Jumper instead? It’s just better. I was inside the LA bubble. I didn’t hate nor liked being stuck in traffic, I was okay with going to malls, I was okay with chain restaurants because that was what I grew up with.

What happens when you move out of that bubble? To the other extreme city, NYC. You change. What happened to me was, NYC made me appreciate LA even more. All that were mundane seem so extraordinary now. Humid summers or dry heat? Stuck in a metal tube with other people or be in your own car your own space? A really good plate of Hainam chicken rice. Oh how I want mom’s cooking every night now. Even if its something plain like a plate of sauteed bok choy. But NYC has also shown me things that I never thought I would liked or cared about. Things like short walkable blocks, cabs, an abundance of bars and restaurants, being outdoor, hummus, a good slice, a real Christmas.
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- Photos provided by Frysmith
1) Please state your name, name your food truck, the type of food you serve, and how long have your food truck been in operation?
My wife Brook and I (Erik) are starting Frysmith, which serves hand-cut fries with stuff on top. We’re hoping both the fries and the stuff on top are really good. My fingers are crossed as I say that we’ll be opening soon.
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I’m not a burger expert nor do I care to compare burgers from In-N-Out with Shake Shack. But if you google In-N-Out vs Shake Shack, it’s definitely a hot topic in the burger-verse.
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