eatshowandtell » American

Moo Gourmet Burgers, Coogee

squishies — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

A few months ago, Sam told me about Moo Gourmet Burgers (rather it was his exclamations of “duck and bacon burger!!! BBQ PORK BELLY BURGER!!!” that got my attention) and ever since then, I became obsessed with them. It wasn’t until the end of December that I actually got to eat it and boy, I wasn’t disappointed. So good was my first experience that F and I actually went there not twice but three times (four for him) during the space of 3 weeks.

With a such a range of burgers to choose from, I found it difficult to choose the first time we went. I wished that we could have rallied more (i.e. any) of our friends to join us just so I could taste more than just two burgers. Sigh, if wishes were burgers and stomach space.(...)
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Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, New York

teresa — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:00:03 +0000

Note : I’ve been in New York for the past 2 weeks, so you might see a few posts covering my eating adventures!

This afternoon, I decided to do the new york-touristy thing and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and have my first sample of what’s been voted in a number of circles as New York’s “best pizza” at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. A reputation such as this, comes with certain things (i.e. lines, long lines).

After braving the brisk early autumn weather to cross the bridge, my dining companion and I chose to brave the approximately thirty-minute long line outside for a chance to sample New York’s best.

The interior of Grimaldi’s is quaint and reminiscent of most old-school Italian pizzerias. Plenty of red and white checkered tablecloths and pictures of Old Blue Eyes (Frank Sinatra).

The seating was rather cramped with my friend and I sharing a a long table with a number of other diners. Service at the restaurant was prompt and helpful. The menu options at Grimaldi’s were small, 16-inch pizza, or a large 18-inch pizza. We went with a large pizza with anchovies and capers on half and sausage, mushrooms and black-cured olives on the other half and…a couple of Brooklyn pilseners.

The pizza’s are said to fire in a coal oven that blasts the food at 1000 F. Which is over two times as hot as your conventional oven. Fire makes pizza good, may be considered their philosophy. We’re kind of going out of my culinary depth here, to be honest, I’m just speculating. The pizzas are baked in the oven for probably about ten minutes, it’s hard to say, the sparkling conversation I was sharing with my dining companion made it hard to tell how much time had passed.

The pizzas were brought out to our semi-cramped tables and were placed on a pizza rack that left the pizzas nearly in our faces. We dug into our first slices of pizza, me starting with the sausage/mushroom/cured olive combination and my lovely dining companion digging into her anchovies and capers.

My first reaction to the pizza after the initial bite was “these olives taste strong.” I continued to think that halfway through the slice and by the end of my first slice of pizza I was picking off the olives. They are strong black olives with a bit of a bitter taste that permeates throughout the pizza. I don’t highly recommend ordering the olives on your first visit here unless you really love olives.

Anchovies and capers. Two technically salty ingredients did not overpower the other half of the pizza and we found it to be the better side of the pizza. The experience overall was good. The crust on the pizza was chewy, not crispy and the fresh mozzarella and basil they used on the pizza really made it something to remember. If I had to rate this pizza on my overall experience, I would say it’s good, but it’s not worth the wait. If you find yourself in New York City and are crossing the Brooklyn Bridge definitely give Grimaldi’s pizzeria a shot. Make sure to visit during off hours. Visit early and on weekdays. The reputation for this pizza was too tough for any food to live up to. If you find yourself in the area and you find the line’s not that long at Grimaldi’s pizzeria, give it a go, but remember New York has too many great restaurants to be waiting around for a good pizza, not a great pizza.

There are a few stores around the New York state area, but I hear the original one in Brooklyn is the best. Plus, what’s better than a brisk walk across the Brooklyn bridge then devouring over some warm tasty pizza.

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
19 Old Fulton Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Ph:718.858.4300
Opens…
Sun – Thurs 11:30-11:00
Fri & Sat 11:30-12:00
Web:http://www.grimaldis.com/

The Cow, Wanaka, New Zealand

minh — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:49 +0000

Our trip to New Zealand is a first for most of us, Astroboy is actually New Zealand born but defected to Australia many years ago, she immediately becomes our expert in all things NZ (much to her dismay). Having never had a proper opportunity to explore New Zealand we decided the best way to tackle the country would be via epic road trip! Thus we planned our route, 10 days of driving in a loop around South Island with stops in Moraki, Wanaka, Franz Josef Glacier, Lake Brunner, Hamner Springs and finally Christchurch.

Day 2, Moeraki to Wanaka

Our eating adventures in Moeraki at Fleurs Place took somewhat longer than expected, by the time we leave its almost 2pm! The decision is made to skip over Queenstown and head straight to Wanaka. Unfortunately our gorgeous weather has ended and things are looking decidedly overcast by the time we roll into town. Wanaka is essentially a ski town and driving around I’m immediately reminded of Jindabyne as the town is built around the shore of Lake Wanaka.

The Cow. Not sure what the Queen has to do with the Cow but I loved their menu!

A little eaten and worn out by the driving we decide to take a local recommendation and keep it simple with Pizza at The Cow. The directions seem simple enough, head down until you see the Post Office and take a right. Somehow we drive past 3 times before spotting a tiny alleyway and the entrance to The Cow. I’m immediately charmed by the exposed ceilings, the booths tucked along the walls and the sight of the open fireplace and we decide to relax and eat in rather than take away as per our original intentions.

(...)
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Burger Battle, New Zealand Style

squishies — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:00:56 +0000

The second and final part of my two-part series of our eats in New Zealand’s beautiful South Island is a burger battle!

In the ring we have the newly found (i.e. we just found it) Red Star Luxury Burgers challenging the old favourite Fergburger for the title of EST’s Burger Champion of New Zealand.

The opponents are rearing to go, so… let’s get ready to ruuuummmble!

In the Red Corner…

Hailing from Wanaka, we have the challenger Red Star Luxury Burgers – a place that has just come onto our radar this year. I’m not sure how long it’s been around, but if it’s been there for a while I have no idea why we never noticed it before during all the years we’ve visited!

Our first day in New Zealand’s lovely South Island consisted of a very early morning wake-up followed by a 3-hour flight and a 6-hour drive. It was late by the time we drove into Wanaka, all bleary-eyed tired and hungry. We were going to settle for cooking instant noodles in the apartment once we checked in (but really didn’t feel like it) until someone pointed out the burger joint on the opposite side of the road.

Just as we trooped inside, the waitress came out with a couple of the burgers. Our eyes fairly popped out of our heads – the burgers were humongous! And oh they looked ever so tasty. With heightened expectations, we ordered and were not the least bit disappointed. We were all astounded by the freshness and deliciousness of the burgers.

I was too tired to take photos that night, so we went again – this time with some more friends in tow.

Virgin - Chickpea Patties, Salad, Sundried Tomato Hummus, Sweet Chilli and Minted Yoghurt ($12)

(...)
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Angus Beef Burgers, McDonalds

Howard — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:47:48 +0000

Angus beef hits Macca’s

There use to be a time when I didn’t feel too guilty eating Macca’s. Life was so much simpler as a kid, when Macca’s was a treat every few weeks. I use to get really excited when we we went for breakfast or for a meal after Thursday night shopping. There was a time when all the burgers came in styrofoam boxes too, ah those were the days. These days, Macca’s is more of something which I grab if I’m in a rush or if I’m after a snack after a big night out.

In recent years, Macca’s has come out with a few new burgers. Some have triumphed (McChicken) whilst others have not. This month, Macca’s introduce a new range using Angus Beef and I am luckily enough to try it before it hits the stores (though they have now started appearing on menus).

The Grand Angus

Grand Angus burger ($6.45)

All burgers have 100% Aussie angus beef. In between we have classic Macca’s cheese, spanish onion, baby salad, tomato, mustard, pickles and mayo. All this is served on soft sourdough bun, in a square like form.

My first impressions of the burger was good, it still had the element of classic ‘macca’s to it. The beef tasted less dry, but still retained the Macca’s beef taste because of the cheese. Whether this is a good thing or not, is up to individual taste buds but it was a winner for me. I did find the spanish onion a tad overwhelming, but onion breath cannot be avoided when having a good burger.

I’m quite surprised by the size of it too. For $6.45 you get a pretty good sized burger, I might even get away with having one burger instead of the usual two.

The Mighty Angus

Mighty Angus burger

The Mighty Angus burger is deemed a ‘blokier’ burger by Daniel Gould, Executive Chef of McDonald’s test kitchen. Out of the two, it is my favourite by far. Gone are the vegetables and in comes the bacon. This burger is filled with angus beef, two slices of Macca’s cheese, onion relish (caramalised onions) and spanish onions.

A few bites in and I am quite happy, it tastes like a real burger. It’s up there with the qtr pounders and the Whopper’s of the world, but whether it can stick around for as long remains to be seen.

For research purposes of course, it’s a tough life for some.

There you have it, another new range of burgers from McDonald’s. Is it just another burger which will come and go or will it embrace the burger loving public ? The prices are creeping up each year, but if the burgers are good then people will be happy to pay for it. Would I buy the new burgers ? I’d definately go for the Mighty Angus, but it’s a hard task to move me away from the classic qtr pounder.

Available in stores now at your local McDonald’s
For more info visit http://mcdonalds.com.au/#/angus-beef

eatshowandtell dined as guests of Zing and McDonald’s