The New York Chronicles (NYC): Shake Shack (Madison Square Park, UWS, Theatre District)

A couple days in and my trip to New York was already off to a flying start: I had been to a Broadway show, visited the museums, had a slice of heavenly pizza, and topped the Empire State! All I needed to seal the deal was a real American hamburger - Heck if it was good enough for Tony Stark after 3 months of captivity, I damn well want one too! And it's not hard to see why: few things in life are more satisfying than a burger - simple, hearty, and starting at $4.50 - what more could you want! That said, I usually find it difficult to endorse chains (run of the mill food, frozen tasteless meats, and so forth), but Shake Shack is an exception. With locations all across New York City (I got a chance to stop by their Madison Square Park, UWS, and Theatre District locations) and the East Coast, they still remain true to exactly what it takes to make a good burger; no compromises involved!

Enter the freshly ground 4 oz. beef patty. Top that with a blanket of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes (onions and pickles at your discretion). Sandwich between two halves of a soft baked bun and you're done! Genius, isnt' it? Defying-ly simple, yet completely satisfying. You tell me, doesn't that sound delicious? 

Now, back to Shake Shack. The first thing you'll notice and printed in big block letters along the wall in a motto-esque warning, "Stand For Something Good." Wonder what that means? Well, let's dive into an illustrative example, shall we? Let's say.. per chance, you decide to visit Shake Shack around 3 pm. Depending on the location, chances are that there will be a line out the door. That's fine, a lot of people like afternoon snacks, right? Let's try again, 6 pm? Dinner time.. good luck. 11 pm? Surely, it still can't be busy at 11! Actually, that corresponds with when the Broadway shows are letting out so guess what? Yup, still packed! It becomes rapidly apparent that Shake Shack is a busy busy chain and you will most certainly be waiting for your burger. *BUT* the wait is well worth it. Stand for something good! I'm serious.

(Left to Right: Madison Square Park, UWS, Theatre District)
What's IN: Double Shackburger!
The extra patty is worth it and doubly delicious, trust me!

The New York Chronicles (NYC): Famous Famiglia Pizzeria!

Sometimes great food doesn't have to be complicated. And sometimes you just want a quick bite to eat or you might only have minutes before a Broadway musical -- you can't afford to wait in a long line or sit down at a restaurant! BUT at the same time, you want good food. Can all of these really coexist happily? Thankfully, with the advent of fast food and commercialism, the answer has arrived: It's easy to find a chain restaurant (large or small) or a simple joint around the corner! However, for some, the thought of reheated food and the feeling of herded cattle pushed through the store as quickly as possible are a steep trade-off! And I don't blame them. Is good food in a fast and homely setting that much to ask?

I walk in Famous Famiglia Pizzeria to find out! Just before, I had mosied through Times Square and it was getting pretty late in the evening; all I wanted was some soul food on the way home and Famiglia delivered big time!

"Is good food in a fast and homely setting that much to ask?"

What's IN: Calzones! 

(I had the sausage one specifically but they're all so good!)

Off the Trail: Food Matters arrives in New York City!

*hum* Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, There's nothing you can't do... Now you're in New York... These streets will make you feel brand new, These lights will inspire you... to write food blogs! (okay, I'll admit it, that was pretty bad but I do love the Empire State of Mind chorus haha) If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you can either click here for the music video or ...disregard the entire first paragraph and stare at the twinkly lights in my vlog =D

Right, so back to business, it's official guys: I'm going to the Big Apple! Rock on! ...actually that was a lie, I've already been here for over a week but that means, I've been stewing up a whole bunch of reviews for you guys! (Hey, it takes time to write them up!) Keep posted -- I'll being putting up a few of the more memorable ones over the next few days! PS sorry for the video quality, it was shot out of the apartment I was staying in (courtesy of AirBNB.com)

Off the Trail: Dining Street - London Heathrow Terminal 4!

Have you ever thought that airplane food was a little bland? Stale? Old? Whatever the adjective, join the club -- and as I was stepping off a marathon flight to London one chilly (and rainy!) afternoon, that was the dismally hungry state I found myself in! Needless to say... when a man's gotta eat, a man's gotta eat! Time to find some munchies! 

Off the Trail: Hong Kong - Ruth's Chris Steakhouse!

Whenever I think about eating in Hong Kong, fond memories come to mind: dim sum, 30%+ off Japanese sushi, and Chinese BBQ to name a few. But I'll be honest, one thing rarely crosses my mind: steak. Now, you might wonder why anyone in my position would travel elsewhere for steak when such things as triple A beef run free in our backyard, and... I would agree with you. I love steak and Alberta beef is a beautiful thing.

That said, however, when someone invites me to try something new, I'm definitely not going to turn them down and it was one warm summer evening that I found myself standing outside Ruth's Chris - Hong Kong. Mmm!

Now a couple things make me wonder: how is steak in Hong Kong? Moreover, how does the steak compare to Canada? Is it going to be imported? (Yes, from Australia.) Local? How does the same chain, in this case, Ruth's Chris (!), compare? Well, let's go find out!

Overall Score (This blogger's opinion): 60/100

What's IN: Rib-Eye Steak

Off the Trail: Hong Kong - Cafe de Coral

When you've got a population of 7 million (hungry!) people, you have to find a way to feed them all. To that end, Hong Kong has a solution, and it's called Cafe de Coral.

Cafe de Coral, or as I fondly refer to it, CDC, I think I'm in love. Granted, for those of you not from Hong Kong, I may sound like a crazy man and at times, even I struggle with my "obsession", but CDC is honestly just "one of those things" here. It's in the airports, malls, hospitals (crazy, right?), on the streets, everywhere! Even more so than a certain fast food chain or a coffee shop in Edmonton!

On the corner of every street, think Chinese restaurant meets Henry Ford - assembly line production of food: you place your order and get a corresponding ticket, present the ticket to the call person (aptly named for the person calling out the order) on the line, he shouts out your order, and the fun begins! Over the next 4 people, each section of your order is assembled and put together on the plate before being shuffled along to the next person. At some locations, they're even putting in a "vending machine" (I BS-you-not, see below!) instead of the order person; just press a few buttons like a movie kiosk and tada, your ticket is printed and ready!

Overall Score (This blogger's opinion): 85/100

What's IN: Whatever you feel like at the time =)

Off the Trail: Hong Kong - The Verandah - Food Matters Goes For High Tea!

Another day on the trail -- figuratively, I doubt living in Hong Kong can be considered "roughin' it"-- brings me to our next destination, The Verandah! Situated in one of Hong Kong's more affluent neighbourhoods, Repulse Bay, and with a dress code no less (!!), I knew I would be in for a little treat. See, Hong Kong takes a lot after the British (you would too if you were under British rule for around 50 years! -- edit: I just realize Canada WAS under British rule, Canadian history fail), including the administration structure and such, but what brings me to The Verandah was the promise of "high tea". Now, perhaps I'm too uncouth but I've never actually had high tea -- I've always imagined it to be a bunch of old English women sitting around a table sipping from dainty tea cups and acting all aloof (to be distinguished from afternoon tea). Well that, as I was soon to find out, is more or less the idea (with some snacks along the way!)

Overall Score (This blogger's opinion): 94/100

(No Urbanspoon rating to help me here!)

What's IN: Classic Afternoon Tea

Off the Trail: Hong Kong - KFC Portugese Egg Tarts! - Item Feature & Edmonton Bonus

Fast food... mmm I'll admit, this might not exactly be the height of fine dining over here in Hong Kong BUT it definitely is tasty! (This next blog post is going to be a fair bit shorter than a full review -- just a little item feature I wanted to share!)

When I first arrived at the airport in Hong Kong, I started gathering a list of all the nooks and crannies I wanted to go to and all the little food stories I wanted to tell -- I thought I had it all figured out! Silly me, it only took a day before it became painfully obvious that I was completely naive of WHERE and WHAT to eat in HK. In my defense, the culture climate here changes at least once every few months so it's hard to stay up to date on everything! Either way, the latest and greatest item I have for you comes straight from across one ocean, a couple continents and one very popular fast-food chain:  KFC.

Off the Trail: Hong Kong

Food Matters hits Hong Kong! Beware of the crazy white-washed asian kid! Serious though, I am in Hong Kong and will be doing a couple feature posts from here: you can look forward to a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse comparison to Edmonton as well as some local spots! Stay tuned! As always, review location requests are welcome.