Tisha Eats New York: Junk in My Trunk

A friend who used to live in the US once told me that there, he could only manage one quarter-pounder, while he would need two at the local Golden Arches to feel as full. So if there was any place in the world to get my burger fill, America was it! Land of the free, home of the brave, and begetter of the whole Supersize-Me movement.

I had a total of four awesome burgers during my trip: one from Major's, one which I have dubbed The Most Expensive Burger I'll Probably Ever Have (in an upcoming post), and two from good, ol'-fashioned fast food joints.

Shake Shack
SE corner of Madison Square Park, near Madison Ave. and E. 23rd St., NYC
(212) 889-6600
www.shakeshacknyc.com

It was a tad cold that day

Trusty tour guide/now native New Yorker/rakstar King introduced me to Shake Shack, a burger and shake kiosk located within Madison Square Park. The line was enough to tell me that the burger was definitely in demand. The shake, though incredibly tempting, would have to wait 'til my next visit as it was freezing that day. (My tropical blood still hadn't gotten used to the biting cold. See thick-ass coat in the photo above!)

I got me the ShackBurger, which was made of freshly ground beef, and which came with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Shack sauce--and they certainly didn't scrimp on any of the ingredients! If there were any burger, among all the burgers I've had over the years (and I've had a lot), that could be a contender for The Unhealthiest Burger Ever, this would've been it. And when it comes to burgers, the unhealthier, the better! That thing was perhaps the oiliest burger I've had in my life.

Unfortunately, the outdoor heating system was still under construction, so King and I sat on the park benches, me shivering as I bit into that sucker. As we sat there, we spied the fattest squirrel I have ever seen, munching on a french fry! Ahh, squirrel cannot live on nuts alone. That little critter must feast daily on Shake Shack junk.

Note: They have a thing called the Pooch-Ini--as far as I can tell, it's a shake for dogs!

Five Guys
319 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030
(212) 683-3273
www.fiveguys.com

Gooey! Mmmm. Slightly squished from the walk home...

The great thing about my bro's place is that he lives right near Washington Street, which is home to lots of interesting little stores and restos. Among the establishments on this street is Five Guys, which, my brother told me, has been voted the best burger in, like, the country. It'll set you back about six bucks BUT you could load it with any (or all!) of the toppings for free!

It was a pretty damn good burger, made more enjoyable by a hefty serving of their yummy cajun fries.

Gray's Papaya
539 Eighth Ave. at 37th St., NYC (plus two other locations)

My friends outside the hotdog joint

A junk food post won't be complete without a little something on an item that is so New York: the mighty hot dog. On our "movie tour" of NYC, my friends and I decided to swing by Gray's Papaya, made popular by that Matthew Perry starrer, Fools Rush In (among lots of other movies). While we passed on the papaya shakes, we wolfed down the uber-cheap hotdogs (served by a kabayan!): a little over $3 or $4 and you get the recession special--two hotdogs and a drink!

I miss this hotdog

These aren't fat hotdogs; they're actually pretty skinny, but are longer than average. But these things are awesome! In my opinion, they taste exactly the way a hotdog should taste.

In general, it's hard to get out of the mindset of converting from dollars to pesos, so in a Pinoy's head, the prices might seem a bit steep, especially for fast-food stuff. But once you get out of that way of thinking, and once you bite into those burgers, those 'dogs, you'll realize that given the quality of the stuff, you are so getting your money's worth.