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Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer – New York, NY

May 12, 2018 By karin Leave a Comment

Bar at Black Tap
Bar at Black Tap

If you’ve got a hankering for a tasty burger and have the time and inclination to line up outside (we were told an hour, but hung out in line for only about 45 minutes or so on Easter Sunday around 1pm), Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer is a fun and tasty choice.

Black Tap Interior

Packed with family groups (this was Sunday afternoon, afterall…) and young people grabbing a bite, it was a lively and colourful time, accompanied by loud thumping beats from the 80’s and 90’s. Service was very friendly and quick, and the menu had – as promised – lots of craft burgers to choose from (including All-American, Pizza and Falafel-inspired options).



Beers and cocktails looked promising, so I had one of my go-to’s – a frosty cold Moscow Mule.

Me and my Moscow Mule
Me and my Moscow Mule

We went fairly traditional to get a sense of the ‘essential’ Black Tap Burger, and it didn’t disappoint. Here’s a shot of the All-American Burger and a healthy heap of piping hot fries. The burger was fresh and tasty, and pleasingly meaty-greasy.(Especially good when lunch is at about 2pm and you haven’t eaten yet.)

Burgers and Fries, Black Tap Style
Burgers and Fries, Black Tap Style

I went low-carb – but not altogether virtuous – and had the ingenious Cheeseburger Salad packed with every tasty bit I craved, sans bun. The pickled onions were a nice touch and provided a nice zing to brighten up the richer beef-and-cheesy goodness.

Cheeseburger salad - genius
Cheeseburger salad – genius

I mentioned virtue was out the window, correct? Next up was this epic concoction – a milkshake that moonlighted as a monster brownie, topped with an insane heap of whipping cream.

Insane brownie milkshake
Insane brownie milkshake

These gargantuan signature shakes have to be seen to be believed. There are shakes stuffed with cake – lots of it – and rainbow-colored candy, others include oreos or chocolate cookies, or chunks of chocolate and luscious peanut butter (on that Easter Sunday there was one that involved those sweetie-bird yellow marshmallow chicks we all loved as kids.) All shakes seem to be packed not only into cup, but around the rim, and then piled as high as gravity allows up on top. (It’s no wonder the two tweens standing in front of us in line spent the entire time debating the pros and cons of their anticipated shake choices…)

Overall, Black Tap was very fun, tasty, and you’ll leave absolutely stuffed even if you ‘only’ have a shake. Good thing Central Park is just a few blocks away where you can walk away some of the damage.

We visits the Black Tap location in Midtown Manhattan, 136 W 55th St. New York, NY For menu and more locations, please visit www.blacktapnyc.com

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: beer, burgers, dining Manhattan, handcrafted milkshake

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse – New York, NY

May 1, 2018 By karin Leave a Comment

We arrived in New York City for a whirlwind vacation at around 1:30pm. After checking in at the Kimpton Muse, we hit the streets to soak in the city and to find some lunch.

We seemed to stumble upon iconic location after iconic location in just a few blocks…

Radio City Music Hall
The Iconic Radio City Music Hall
The Tonight Show
Another landmark…
New York Public Library
New York Public Library (Ghostbusters, anyone?)

…And eventually, we arrived at one of the ultimate sites – Rockefeller Center. At this point, we couldn’t wait any longer to eat after travel with an early start – so we were glad to find Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse right there.



It was almost pleasant enough to eat outside on this last day of March, but we opted for an inside table. It was bustling and energetic in there, but not overly busy. Soon, we were seated, and with beverage in hand.

Cheers!
Cheers!

beer on tap

The menu offered the classic steakhouse choices as you’d expect, from shrimp cocktail to a blue cheese lettuce wedge, and even a ‘business lunch’ section including starter and entree for $32.50. Prices are not low, but portions are fairly generous and the food was certainly good.

Though you could opt for a 16 oz. steak and stuffed baked potato including shaved truffle, we both went with more “lunchy” options. For him, the Wagyu Beef French Dip, a generous sandwich served on a crusty baguette with au jus and horseradish sauce ($23). With a choice of fries, chips, or salad he went with the side-salad to freshen things up. Washed down with a beer, lunch was good.

Wagyu Beef French Dip
Wagyu Beef French Dip

I chose the Prime Steak Salad (and somehow neglected to take a picture to show it off, although you can see it if you look carefully in the background of the Wagyu French Dip shot). It was very yummy and rich with its blue cheese crumbles and avocado, and a really zippy horseradish dressing ($25 – generous portion and satisfying).

All in all, a nice find for an upscale, relaxing lunch.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse is located at 1221 Ave of the Americas, New York, NY. To view the menu and information on other locations, visit www.delfriscos.com

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: beer, lunch, Rockefeller Center, Steak, steakhouse

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