Guest Blogger | WhyDid.com

Why Don’t You Eat Me: Down Under Eats

By Kirsten|May 24th, 2010|Guest Blogger, Why Don't You Eat Me?|

coa_Australia

I’m heading to Australia this fabulous Munchin’ Monday and I figured I’d leave you with a list of the best Aussie places in Manhattan so you can get a little taste of the land down under for yourselves. I won’t be blogging for a month while I’m there, so take that time to catch up on all the fabulous places I’ve reviewed and get yourselves ready for more once I return.

kanga

I’ll make sure to have a meat pie for you while I’m gone! I’m also dying to try Kangaroo (I only got to pet one last time), so wait to hear all about that once I return! Or you can always beat me to it and go and eat at one of the places mentioned below.

I have a feeling most of you have never thought about how many Aussie places there are in NYC. Well, there are quite a few. From low end to high end, restaurants and bars, of course NYC has a little taste of everything- including Oz.

Public
Eight Mile Creek
Tuck Shop (my fave meat pie in the city)
Van Diemens
The Australian
The Sunburnt Cow
Bondi Road

G’day Mates!

See you when I return!

xx,

WhyDon’tYouEatMe

Why Don’t You Eat Me: Cheeseburger in Paradise

By Kirsten|May 17th, 2010|Guest Blogger, Why Don't You Eat Me?|

Seeing as May is National Hamburger Month, I figured that it would be in everyone’s best interest for me to do a post on NYC’s best burgers. Now, of course, everyone has their opinion as to what makes a good burger, but these are my picks for the best low-end (typical all-American) and high-end (fancy schmancy) burgers here in NYC as well as some of my other favorite burgers.

“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” Kinda Burger:

shake-shack

Shake Shack: I call this the ‘take me out to the ball-game kinda burger’ because the Mets literally put a Shake Shack in Shea Stadium. This is your classic juicy burger that that you’ll never ever tire of. We’ve all waited in their line at Madison Square Park and we’ve all been happy to do so because it’s worth it. Danny Meyer definitely knows what he’s doing when it comes to food and he pretty much outsmarted every other restaurateur with his brilliant equation of good, simple burgers in a casual atmosphere. This is the simple burger we all grew up with and will always hit the spot.

shakeshack

“Black Tie” kinda burger:

minetta tavern

Minetta Tavern: While we all crave the all-American burger, we also crave a taste of excellence and that is exactly what Keith McNally has done with Minetta Tavern’s Black Label Burger. The Black Label Burger is a selection of prime dry-aged beef cuts topped with caramelized onions. Forget adding anything else to this burger because it doesn’t need it. The burger speaks for itself and it speaks my language. Good luck getting a reservation though. My recommendation is to get there as soon as they open and grab a seat at the bar.

black label burger

Other notable NYC burgers:

Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien
Corner Bistro
5 Napkin Burger
DBGB Kitchen and Bar
The Blind Pig

There you have it! Now I’m left craving a burger and you’re left with a list of the best burgers in Manhattan!

WhyDon’tYouEatMe gives both Shake Shack and Minetta Tavern 4 out of 5 mouths for being tender, juicy, and succulent in their own fabulous ways.

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See you next Munchin’ Monday!!

xx,

WhyDon’tYouEatMe

Why Don’t You Eat Me: A Few of My Favorite Meals

By Kirsten|May 10th, 2010|Guest Blogger, Why Don't You Eat Me?|

You all know I love food. Passionately. What you may not know is that I almost always plan my meals out in advance. I’m thinking about breakfast the night before. Once I’ve had breakfast, I start to think about lunch and well, dinner will be figured out way before the sun goes down. It’s not that I’m particularly OCD (okay, maybe just slightly). It’s the fact that I love food so much that once I’ve got one meal covered I simply can’t wait to think about the next. So, today I’m going to give you a little more insight into the person you’ve come to know and love as WhyDon’tYouEatMe and share my favorite meals to all of you! They’re good, so get ready. Here we go!

BREAKFAST:

maincafeatlas Atlas: I used to live a block away from this place and I was there probably there at least 2x a week. First of all, the food is just plain good. Secondly, it’s fairly healthy. Thirdly, it’s inexpensive. That’s a winning combo in my book. My two favorite dishes are the granola with yogurt and fresh fruit or the goat cheese eggs with olives, and sundried tomatoes with a side salad and whole wheat bagel. Breakfast of champions.

LUNCH:

Cafe Gitane: I honestly love this place any time of day, but it’s best for lunch. I probably go here about once a week during the spring/summer. Their moroccan couscous with chicken is amazing. Their goat cheese salad with apples, olives, and goat cheese croutons is perfect. The avocado with lemon juice, olive oil, and chili flakes on seven grain toast is a MUST. Everything I’ve ever had there is good and I’ve tried just about everything on the menu at this point.

DINNER:

Momofuku Ssam Bar: Two words: pork buns. This is another menu where I’ve more or less tried everything at this point and it rarely disappoints. I’ll just highlight my faves for you though. The cured hamachi with edamame, horseradish, and pea leaves has the most amazing flavor. I get this dish every time along with an order of pork buns. My two favorite main dishes are the spicy pork sausage and rice cakes and the hanger steak. The flavors in both of these are sensational as well. I could eat here multiple times a week every week and never get sick of this place.

DESSERT:

Veniero’s: When I’m not craving cupcakes from Baked by Melissa or cookies at Momofuku Milk Bar and want more of a variety, then I go to Veniero’s. This is where I find the best cannoli, eclairs, and napoleons around. They also have mini pastries, so I can get one mini of everything and pat myself on the back for getting to try ten different things in one sitting.

Now you have my favorite and most frequented restaurants in the city. They may seem simple and fairly uncomplicated, and inexpensive, but when it comes down to it it’s all about consistently good food that keeps me coming back.

See you next Munchin’ Monday!

xx,

WhyDon’tYouEatMe

Guest Blog: The Student Teaches the Master

By Kirsten|May 8th, 2010|Guest Blogger|

I am very happy to introduce my guest blogger this week. I remember this pretty little lady when she was merely a sweet little baby girl in middle school. Now, she’s all grown up and ready to take on the world. She’s my very best friend’s younger sister and we were both shocked (and awed) by how wise she is at such a young age. Oh, if ONLY we had been so smart upon graduating college. We probably could have avoided some of our trainwreck romances… but then again, what would I have to write about? Anyway, below is Lala’s advice oh how to avoid any more dating drama:

Are you starting to see patterns of failure in your love life? We , as women, want to believe that our failed relationships should be blamed on men. Maybe you do have a cheater on your hands, or maybe you have a guy who is afraid of commitment. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of skeezy guys whose intentions we couldn’t see coming even if the truth was hitting us right in the face, but when you start to see a pattern of one failed relationship after another, it’s important to realize that it could be you who needs to do the changing.

This can get confusing, and you don’t want to go blaming yourself for everything, so here is how you tell:

Is there a reoccurring theme in the way your relationships end?
Do you feel hurt, but completely out of control in cleaning up the debris of your relationship?
Do you think you don’t deserve answers because of the way in which you let the relationship evolve, and then end?
Do you get intimately involved too quickly?
Did you let him talk down to you during the relationship and not stand up for yourself because he wasn’t technically your “boyfriend”?
Do you see yourself having to let go out of nowhere?

Now, this type of relationship is by no means what any woman would consider desirable, yet some of us are so afraid to be happy, and then hurt, that we set ourselves up with the wrong people, and ultimately, for disaster.

Many of us have a subconscious commitment-phobia. We undermine what we deserve in a relationship because we do not want to be let down by our expectations, so we go for the men who we do not believe we would ever make a serious commitment to. At the beginning, we do not think this person would ever have the power to hurt us. Ultimately, we are terrified of the men who could give us happiness, and then take it away. We have this pathetic preference of numbness over happiness and, potentially, pain.

In order to overcome this detrimental pattern that leads to a completely unfulfilling love life, we need to reassure ourselves of what needs to be done in order to begin a healthy relationship. First, we need to recognize what we deserve, and then expose our vulnerabilities to start something that could actually be real. Tell yourself these five things before the start of a relationship:

I know I deserve happiness and to get what I want from a man: love, loyalty, friendship, and passion.
I need to stop talking to losers. If I am not interested, I have to STOP trying to be so nice! Tell him straight up, “I am not interested,” and walk away. We tend to feel sorry for some guys who hit on us and we’re too nice while trying to escape them. They often get the wrong idea and believe that we’re interested. As the old saying goes, you must be cruel to be kind!
I should try a little harder when I see someone I want. I can’t expect him to do all of the work. It’s not forward to give him “the eye” and a smile. Let him know you’re checking him out! For those of us who are more outgoing, just walk over and start up a convo. What’s the harm?
I need to take things slow and allow the emotions to build before the sex, not after the sex. I know we like to pretend that men want sex much more than we do, but let’s face it, it’s hard to hold off! Especially when there is a real connection. Just give yourself some time, and make sure you are both on the same page emotionally before you dive into the sheets.
I need to work on my courage. If I feel something, I should tell him! If he does not feel the same, you won’t have any regrets or wonder what could have been. It also allows you to move on from something that is not fully there. If he does feel the same, game on!

Take these steps in the beginning of your next potential relationship or romance. Understanding what you want and what you deserve before diving in will make that relationship much more fulfilling both mentally and physically.

xx,

Lala

headshot 3

See, I TOLD you she was smart! Brains and beauty, people. Anyone looking for fresh new voice for their publication? Probs should scoop this one up before someone else does (email me @ whydidyouwearthat@whydid.com).

xx,

WhyDid

Why Don’t You Eat Me: I Fon-due

By Kirsten|May 4th, 2010|Guest Blogger, Why Don't You Eat Me?|

Mix cheese and chocolate and I’m sold. Toss them into a fondue pot and I’m double sold. Who can resist dipping multiple scrumptious items into even more scrumptious melted sauces? Not me. So, when Taureau opened up on 7^th street between 1^st and A (one of my favorite block as far as food goes) I couldn’t wait to try it out!

After feasting on BBQ and Mexican all weekend in my hometown of Memphis, I decided to head on over. We had reservations for 7:30 and got there at 7 after stopping by to pick up a bottle of wine first (they’re BYOB!). No one else was in the restaurant, but then again it was a Monday at 7 in the East Village.

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Obviously I’d already scoped out the menu and knew exactly what I wanted. I ordered a cheese fondue called Devil’s Wiff. The very helpful waitress explained that Chef Didier came up with this name himself (even though Wiff isn’t necessarily a word and doesn’t exactly have a meaning). Well, when you come up with something that tasty, you can call it whatever you want. The Devil’s Wiff is a blend of pepper jack cheese and wine. I picked this one for the “spice” factor. The fondue comes standard with a side of greens and croutons for dipping and they leave the rest up to you. I chose cauliflower, red apple, hot chorizo, and marshmallow cut slab bacon. Oh yes, I did indeed just say marshmallow cut slab bacon. Phenomenal.

They also have meat fondue that you cook yourself in different choices of oil, but I decided to save that for another time and leave room for their milk chocolate fondue called the petite au lait (for 1-2 people). It’s served with fresh fruits (bananas, strawberries, and pineapples) as well as dried figs, dried apricots, and baby marshmallows. This is the kind of dessert where all conversation ceases until every last bit is consumed. It was so good that we may or may not have started dipping our spoons in for the remainder of chocolate once our fruit was depleted.

During our meal, Chef Didier walked in with his motorcycle jacket and helmet in hand and stopped to greet us. I told him how much I enjoyed dinner and he told me that it’s all about simple, good food. Exactly what I’d been looking for and exactly what I got!

I give Taureau 4 out of 5 mouths for being fun, different, yet straight forward.

4 mouths