After the cupcake run, we meandered back to Times Square, to a delicatessen that is a favorite stop for one of my friends.
It was crowded, so we were led upstairs to a small back room, already bursting with people. The menu gave us pause. It was a huge menu, boasting equally huge portions (and prices). But this was New York, and, what's more, this was Times Square. What did I expect?
After much consideration, I decided on an open faced grilled cheese sandwich with muenster cheese...and some fresh fries.
Oh, boy was that good. The bread was toasty and grilled and absolutely blanketed with a thick layer of muenster cheese. It was much larger than I was expected, but I was not complaining. As for the fries, I gladly battled with the glass ketchup bottle so I could properly enjoy these piping hot sticks of potato goodness.
A hush fell over our table as my friends and I dug into our food. A couple of my friends ordered sandwiches that were piled high with a pound of meat! There was no room left in our stomachs to order dessert after that. But one of my friends (the one who had recommended we eat here) bought a slice of cheesecake to take home with her.
We took a break from feeding ourselves during the show. We saw Memphis and it was awesome! Honestly, it has to be one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. But, after the show, and a quick meet and greet with one of the dancers, we had about an hour and a half for dinner. And, on the recommendation of one of the other girls on the trip, we walked down to the Shake Shack.
I don't eat red meat. So you're probably wondering why I agreed to go to a place specializing in burgers and milkshakes. Well, the milkshakes were tempting, and I was up for an adventure, so I thought, why not?
Sure enough, the Shake Shack offered a vegetarian option, not to mention a plethora of milkshakes, floats and something called "concretes." Intriguing, right? This is frozen custard, whipped up and mixed with a variety of toppings. But alas, I could not resist the temptation of a good ol' fashioned chocolate milkshake.
I ended up ordering the 'Shroom burger, a portobello mushroom filled with muenster and cheddar cheese, and fried, then topped on with lettuce, tomato and Shakesauce on a lovely buttery bun.
You can see it's not a huge burger. One of my friends who goes to school in New York said she sometimes gets two because of their size. (And she's a very petite girl!) Once I took a bite, I understood what she was talking about. The cheese on the inside oozed out, forming one of those long, luscious strings of cheese as I pulled away from my first bite. I can't even explain how fantastic this was. The outside was breaded and crispy. The inside was hot and gooey.
Oh. My. Gosh. You have to try it. You must. If you are a beef-lover, you will not even realize you're not eating meat. It was over so fast. I couldn't believe how quickly I ate it! But, thankfully, I had a creamy chocolate milkshake over which to linger.
Everyone was satisfied and full when we finished our second meal in the city. And we hadn't completely blown our budgets! Shake Shack was actually pretty reasonable. Though the line stretched outside the door and the seating area was a little crowded, we lucked out by scoring a booth for the six of us, and had finished our meal in less than an hour. It was such a good find. I will definitely be adding this to my must-visit list.
As it turns out, there's a number of Shacks in NYC and a few scattered around the country as well. Next time, I'm definitely trying the "concrete."
The worst part of visiting New York is having to leave it. As our time wound down, we made our way back to the bus pick-up location. My belly was full, but my heart was heavy at the thought of going home.
Despite the separation from the city, I am still reminiscing over the food. Sometimes it's good to experience a familiar place with different people. It certainly opened my palate to new, delicious options for when I visit. The next question: when can I return?
