Yay, It's Farm to Table Time!

One of our most favorite events by far was being invited to last year's Farm to Table at Rockefeller Center. We'd just met Farmer Bob a few weeks before (and been sent home with a backseat full of veggies) and we so happy to hang out with him again for a couple of hours. Great Performances really is one of the best caterers in the city, their wedding food catering is superb and well worth it, despite what some think about wedding food. So naturally we kept an eye out on when tickets for this year's Farm to Table would be available.

And the first two dinners are available now! Saturday, July 17th, the first dinner is up on the farm at Kinderhook-talk about local. The drive up there is pretty easy, and could be a welcome little weekend out of the city. Purchase tickets, with or without a gift bag of fresh (probably picked that morning) vegetables here.

The next dinner is a little under two weeks later on Thursday, July 29th at City Winery! Yes! And they're getting a little Latin with this menu-arepas, whole hogs, fish tacos, churros...woah. Purchase tickets for this dinner here. Sorry no fresh veggie gift bag option.

Check out both menus here, as well as the dates for the fall dinners. jump

Midtown Lunch: It's Like a Sauna Out There

How did it go from comfortably warm to unbearably hot in less than two weeks? It's not even July yet! I already just feel like drinking vodka lemonade instead of eating actual food. But eat I must, and here's what I've been eating for Midtown Lunch.

I've been up to a lot for the last few weeks starting with this massive guide to frozen treats in Midtown East, got street cart falafel with some eggplant on top!, tried out the latest pizza truck at their preview and tried them out the first day on the street, Danny and I accidentally visited the same truck on the same day, and I've been giving into my chicken parmigiana cravings.

And just because she's home with Little B doesn't mean Brownie's not paying attention, she reminded us to visit the places we love before they go buh-bye, and made sure we visited one of our faves, Miss Softee.

Check out our Midtown Lunch-ing highlights and lowlights over on MidtownLunch.com. jump

It's Fancy Food Time!

There's lots of reasons to love June--the summer solstice, the start of cherry season, and of course, the Fancy Food Show. This year with Little B in the house, that unfortunately means no Fancy Food Show for me. Fortunately we have some very special Fancy Food guest posts from Lawman and Lawman-in-law. While they are distilling their fav Fancy Food finds, here's a little taste of something I'm super excited about...

Sôcôla Chocolatier, an Oakland based local and organic focused gourmet-chocolate company is pairing with the good folks at Cypress Grove to create some delicious new truffles.

It's hard to pick a favorite one of Cypress Grove's goat's milk cheese line.
That said, Truffle Tremor has a special place in our heats. And Sôcôla has paired it with Guittard Chocolate to create the "Double Truffle." This is perfect for those who like their savory paired with sweet. The richness of the truffles and the dark chocolate both come through. Delicious.

The Yuzu Honey Chevre Delight was my favorite of the two new truffles. It was subtler than the Double Truffle and a little more on the sweet side. The Yuzu marmalade pieces were tasty and gave it a nice bit of textural variation.

Either of these truffles would be a welcome hostess gift and would fit in well on either a cheese plate or dessert platter.
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The Italian Special from Faicco's Pork Store

I can't believe that I walked by Faicco's Pork Store every day for nearly a year when I lived in the nabe and I never ventured inside. Shame, shame on me...

I first became familiar with Faicco's Italian Special via Serious Eats' most excellent Sandwich Alley post. It takes a lot to get me to fork over $10 for a sandwich but the Italian Special is worth the coin: prosciutto, cappicola, sweet or hot soppressata, and fresh mozzarella, topped with lettuce, tomato and either roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes. Delicious and perfect for sharing, this sandwich is perfect picnic fare.

Faicco's Pork Store
260 Bleecker St.
New York, NY 10014
212-243-1974
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Trying Out the Junior I at Shopsin's

With a menu as extensive as Shopsin's you could have a different dish each visit for years. That said, there are some dishes that are too damn delicious to resist. The Piaf is my longtime love, perfectly scrambled eggs, fried onions, and Gruyere cheese sauce over whole grain bread? Yes, please. But every once and a while I get the hankering for a little something something different. And on my last visit to Shopsin's that something was the "Junior I"...

BBQ pork, mac’n cheese, eggs, and toast make for a hard to resist combo. You can get the pork hot or mild. I went for hot. Meaty, spicy, tangy and so good. Not to mention I love mac & cheese in the morning. Junior I FTW!

Shopsin's
Essex Street Market
120 Essex Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 924-5160
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Legalize Cachaça!

Friday was a brutally hot day and I was wandering around Manhattan doing some last minute Father's Day errands. By the time I got to Union Square it was the real heat of the day. Then I noticed the bright green truck. Was it a mirage? Were they selling Caipirinhas? What's up with this "Legalize Cachaça" movement?

Alas the truck doesn't vend Caipirinhas, but they were offering samples of Caipirinha sorbet which was not too sweet and super refreshing on a wicked hot day.
The Leblon Caipirinha truck will be in town all summer promoting Cachaça and working on their mission to get the liquor officially recognized as "a distinctive type of Spirit and unique only to its country of origin, Brazil."

Tonight they'll be at a "Caipi-Hour" from 5pm until 8pm at The Royalton Hotel, 44 West 44th Street, New York, NY. Stop by and sample free Caipirinhas! And follow the truck via their blog and twitter
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Governors Island was Beer Paradise

The only acceptable excuse for not attending the Mermaid Parade last Saturday was if you were with me at the 4th Annual New York Brewfest on Governors Island. Over 300 breweries were there for the sold out event, and lucky for me, I had a Connoisseur Pass meaning early entry and a different cup. I was there primarily for the booze, but we know I'm always down for the food.

First thing's first, getting the early admission is crucial to enjoying your day. This is what the lawn looked like early on: peaceful, serene, birds chirping.

And this is later on in the afternoon. Being there first means getting numerous samples of your favorites, or making sure to try out new brews.

Speaking of, many of my favorites were there and I tried to get an ample amount of each, but my favorite vendor had to be Fisherman's Brew from Cape Ann Brewing. He was in waders! They brought a van! How could you not love it?

Onto the food. We only managed to try a few things-drinking was the priority of the day-but from what we did get, the favorite by far was the homemade, fresh potato chips from Heartland Brewery. I heard the burger was good-small and pricey, but respectable. Made to order potato chips though, that's not something you see every day. And if you do, then you need to let me know where you're hanging out.

And that's my round-up folks-someone got a little too tipsy to remember to take pictures so you'll just have to go next year. jump

I love Alcoholic Treats

Those of you who've met me know that I'm sort of shy. I'm not the mingle-r of this duo, that's Brownie all the way. I do try to overcome this personality trait, making myself go to food events without a security blanket to hide behind. Often times this only works when I've made a personal deal that probably involves a food reward. Yes, I have to bribe myself. This last week, I bribed myself with gelato. Thank God, the gelato had alcohol.

The said events, there were two that evening, were both set in trendy, yuppie places. You should also know that though I wear a lot of dresses (easy outfits to put together), I'm a dive bar kind of chick. I'm not cool enough for the cool people. Not that these places or events were bad, both were thrown by generous, nice people, but both placed me far out of my element. As I was on my way to the second location, I passed by Sugar Cafe on Allen and Houston and spied gelato through the open doors. "If you can handle two drinks at the next place, you can get gelato." I did, and my tummy won out. I was ready to get a usual flavor when I spotted a handwritten 'whiskey' sign in one of the tubs; there wasn't a second thought after that. This was perfect and summery, cool, creamy gelato with just the right amount of whiskey added in. Not too overpowering where you think you'd be better off having a drink. But it had just enough to take me to my happy place.

Sugar Cafe
200 Allen St (@ Houston)
(212) 260-1122
www.sugarcafenyc.com jump

Baby's First Cupcakes!

We're big fans of Robicelli's. Matt and Allison make terrific cupcakes, and better yet, they're terrific people. A few days after I brought Little B home from the hospital my apartment buzzer rang. I had just gotten a diaper delivery from Amazon so I figured it was a package from my mom or something. A few short minutes later there was a knock on my door and instead of UPS it was Allison with a dozen cupcakes...

Now there are few things that a new mom appreciates more than a box of delicious cupcakes. This box from Matt and Allison included their Egg Cream Cupcake that they created for Brooklyn Based Anniversary. The egg cream cupcake was really good--the chocolate cake and sweet buttercream really captured the essense of a proper New York egg cream, but it was their Orange Chocolate cupcakes that captured my heart. In fact, I'll say it here--I do think that they are my very favorite of the Robicelli's cupcakes I've had thus far and easily in my top 5 all time favorite cupcakes. Rich delicious chocolate cake, silky smooth orange chocolate frosting with hand candied orange peel on top. So freaking delicious. Orange and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations--I make killer orange chocolate chip cookies that a certain, ahem, Lawman pretended to like before we got married and then admited that he wasn't fond of the citrus chocolate combo. Well, even he loved these orange chocolate cupcakes. They are THAT GOOD.

I've been stalking the Robicelli's Twitter and Tumblr to see when they might be making these again. No luck yet, but perhaps (hint, hint) they might make their way into the rotation soon. A girl can hope, right?

Robicellis
917.509.6048
info@robicellis.com
Robicellis on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr
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Travels with Brownie: A Taste of Summer at the Dairy Frost, Brunswick, Maine

I love soft serve and I'm happy that one of our favorite soft serve vendors, Miss Softee is back on the streets, but I have to admit when I think of summer and soft serve, I think of Dairy Frost in Brunswick, Maine...

Dairy Frost is a great summer only ice cream shop in on the Bath Road in Brunswick. They serve Maine made Gifford's ice cream and of course, soft serve. My regular order? Vanilla cup with peanut butter sauce. Mmmm...summer.

Dairy Frost
107 Bath Rd
Brunswick, ME 04011
207-729-6720
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Doing Something Naughty to Grapefruit

Summer Fridays are grand. With no work restrictions, you're free to wander around town, and enjoy two breakfasts, and visit your good friend and her little baby. And by visit, I mean packing the little one away so that you two girls can go eat pie together because pie is awesome and you were more than a tad jealous when she told you (and the world) about the pie she enjoyed while you were slaving away at your corner workstation. And now, my choice for what should be Florida's first pie from Four and Twenty Blackbirds.....

Grapefruit Custard Pie. BLASPHEMY! Grapefruit is for breakfast, cutting in half, sprinkling a good amount of sugar, and eating with the special spoons (yes, I stole my mom's grapefruit spoons.) That is what I ate for breakfast for the better part of my childhood-I believe we had a grapefruit tree in the backyard, how's that for locavore! Grapefruit was never for dessert or pie or custard! It's not supposed to be sweet and yet so tangy, like a ray of hot, hot sun in my mouth; light and refreshing with little bites of crust and a crème brûlée-like top crust. Grapefruit is not supposed to be one of the best desserts I've had all year and a pie that I wish I could have every day. Bonus points: it's the most perfect summer pink shade.

Salty Honey, Farmers Cheese, and Pear Ginger are all also supremely awesome pies and should be eaten post haste.

Four & Twenty Blackbirds
439 Third Avenue at 8th Street, Gowanus
(718) 499-2917
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Is This Worth $3.75?

I think this is going to be the summer of the ice cream sandwich for me. It's everywhere I go, it's what I'm mashing together in my own kitchen, it's what I'm craving this very moment. I randomly came across the Street Sweets truck recently while they were advertising their gelato cookie sandwich. It was hot out-I broke and got one even though I was mere minutes from my apartment and some Ronnybrook ice cream.

When I hit up the truck, they were only offering the chocolate or pumpkin tops from their whoopee pies with a medley of ice cream flavors. They do get exceptional props from me for using Ciao Bella Gelato. I went with chocolate and dulce de leche filling. My problem was with the tops, they're good for whoopee pies, but not as great as a chocolate chip cookie for a gelato sandwich. I enjoyed the dessert, though it did get very messy after two bites. They could place it in a dish like Peter Pan Bakery has learned with their sandwiches. Maybe I should have taken Amy's advice and seen if I could make a macarella sandwich, that would be awesome. But $3.75 for a sandwich I can hold in one hand and consists of three to four bites? I'm pretty sure I don't like that so much even if I adore the truck.

Follow Street Sweets on Twitter for updates on their daily location, or check out their website, www.streetsweetsny.com. jump

Another Year and Still Great BBQ

Ah yes, I did eat some delicious BBQ this weekend, hitting up the Big Apple BBQ for the fourth year in a row, but my first without Brownie (sadness). I did have a good replacement with my friend who can eat his weight in 'cue, and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed by the amount of food he downed in a little under two hours. Yes, everything that follows was done in record time.

I had to hit up Ed Mitchell & The Pit first, it's tradition with Brownie and I and I'm not one to break a good tradition. I missed out on cracklin' due to a small greedy child and some yuppie in a hot pink polo complete with popped collar. Little B, lesson #1: Don't come between me and crispy pork skin, it could get ugly.

After that, I was no longer in charge of the menu; when you're with someone who is a self-professed "BBQ snob," you don't start making recommendations. Onwards to Pappy's Smokehouse and their St. Louis Style Ribs AKA my favorite of the day. Saucy, crispy, tender, and good portion size-it helps when a pretty girl is smiling behind you saying, "Ask them for extra."

Then we got the only out-of-town beef brisket from Jack's Old South. Brisket was pretty tasty, and they got extra points for placing cut peaches in their beans.

The line for Big Bob Gibson's was WAY too long, even for us. None of my favorite slaw this year, maybe this calls for a road trip to Decatur. Next up was Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint and some of their whole hog. Though I didn't like being made to eat coleslaw on my pork sandwich, the sandwich as a whole was delicious-more tender and moist pork and complementary sauce.

Then was old stand-by 17th Street Bar & Grill for some more ribs. I believe they've changed their sauce a bit. It's more mustard-based than I remember, its uniqueness stood out in a crowd of sweet traditional sauces. Not bad, my friend loved it, but I've never really been one to love any mustard or their sauces.

Last of the savories was BlackJack BBQ. If I'd had more room in my stomach, I could be telling you how delicious this was. The little piece I ate tasted like everything I'd want in a sandwich. Alas, I was defeated in this BBQ competition. Yes, he ate all of this too.

But I ALWAYS have room for dessert, Blue Smoke changed gears this year, offering brownies, blueberry crisps, and root beer floats. This I ate with a happiness and joy, only to hear "I hit the food wall." "You've got to be kidding, you just ate a small farm."

All in all, a good time was had. Everything was excellent, the lines weren't nearly as bad as I've seen them before, and it was completely feasible to hit up a good number of stands before the rains came. Until next year! jump

Great American Food and Music Fest All Access Ticket Giveaway

The folks at the Great American Food and Music Fest have given us a pair of All Access Tickets for this Sunday's Fest at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and we're giving them away to you...

A little bit of info about the festival...The Great American Food and Music Festival is a celebration of great American food, chefs, musicians, and wine and beer makers. Sunday's events will feature the Food Network's Paula Deen, The Neelys, Top Chef's Tom Colicchio, and star of Ace of Cakes, Duff Goldman.

Some of the most acclaimed eateries in the country will be on-site to serve their specialties, including: Al's Beef (Chicago, IL), Anchor Bar (Buffalo, NY), Goldie's Churros (Los Angeles, CA), Hell's Kitchen (Minneapolis, MN), Jim's Steaks (Philadelphia, PA), Louis' Lunch (New Haven, CT), Neely's BBQ (Memphis, TN), UNO Chicago Grill & Pizzeria (Chicago, IL), Southside Market & BBQ (Elgin, TX), Ted Drewes Frozen Custard (St. Louis, MO), Tony Luke's
(Philly, PA), Turtle Alley (Gloucester, MA), All Star Sandwich Bar (Cambridge, MA), and Zoe's Cupcake Café, a nonprofit bakery benefitting teen mothers (Teaneck, NJ).

Not to mention music from Buckwheat Zydeco, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Texas singer/songwriter Bob Schneider and Season 6 American Idol Finalist Melinda Doolittle.

Tickets are still available for purchase online but one lucky, randomly selected reader will get a pair of All Access tickets to this weekend's fest. Each of these All Access tickets include: "Reserved Seat, Exclusive backstage meet-n-greet party with celebrity chefs and performers (Guests will have their own "Green Room" for the entire event)... plus All Food and Beverage from Any of our purveyors served to you backstage, Admission to the Grand Tasting areas for beer and wine sampling, and VIP parking." The All Access tickets are $600 each. Pretty sweet!

Here's how it's going to work... I've tweeted the link to this post. To enter, retweet the link to your followers and post a comment here with the link to your tweet. You can enter as many times as you'd like, but you have to post a separate comment and separate link for each entry. We'll randomly select and post the winner tomorrow. Please also post your email in the comments so we can contact you quickly if you're the winner, as we'll need to give your name to the PR folks so your tickets can be held at will call.

Remember this festival is this Sunday, June 13th at the New Meadowlands in East Rutherford NJ. You'll have to get there on your own steam, but come on, for All Access tickets to a great event I think it's worth it! What are you waiting for? Get tweeting!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this last minute giveaway! Thanks to the wonders of random.org, our go to random number picker (yes, I am a statistics geek), @lindsayishere is our big winner. Enjoy!
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Checking Out the Pie at Four & Twenty Blackbirds

I love pie. Love to bake it. Love to eat it. I've heard some great things about Brooklyn's new pie shop, Four & Twenty Blackbirds, but I've always had bad luck or bad timing when comes to actually getting over to 3rd avenue to check it out. But this week I came across an offer I couldn't refuse...
If you don't already subscribe to Tasting Table, you should because then you'll get access to exclusive deals, like this special pie flight from Four & Twenty Blackbirds. Individual slices regularly go for $4.50 each. Three different pie slices for $10? Yes, please.

I hit this special on Tuesday and got a slice of the Apple Bourbon, the Farmer's Cheese and the special for Tasting Table readers only Salty Honey pie. Each slice was delicious in it's own way. The Apple Bourbon slice was heavy on the bourbon (this one's for your, Blondie!) and the apples were sweet and tender. The Farmer's Cheese pie was mildly sweet with a pleasant scattering of herbs. And the Salty Honey...mmm...the Salty Honey had almost a custardlike quality. I loved this sweet and salty combo. The pie flight special is an excellent deal and is good through Friday (though the pie selection varies daily and the distribution is at the discretion of the management). Don't miss out.

,

Four & Twenty Blackbirds
439 Third Ave. at 8th St,
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-2917
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Grapenut Ice Cream is Back at the Prospect Park Uncle Louie G's!

It's no secret that I love Grapenut Ice Cream--what can I say, I'm from New England? Last year I was sad to discover that Uncle Louie G's has taken it off their regular menu, so I'm pleased to report the flavor is back at least at one Uncle Louie G's location...

The other night Lawman went on an ice cream run and noticed a small sign that said Grapenut Ice Cream is available here. Sweet!

Also discovered that they'll do two flavors in their hand packed pints. I highly recommend getting Grapenut with Mint Condition Chocolate Chip.

Uncle Louie G's
157 Prospect Park Southwest
Brooklyn, New York 11218
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Twice Fried Cherry Pies Return at Chip Shop!

I've always been a big fan of The ChipShop and was sad that they took their Twice Fried Cherry Pies off the menu before I had a chance to try them. But cardiologists in the tri-state area rejoice! The pies are BAACKK...

The other night I met up with a friend for dinner at the ChipShop. We worked out way through a couple of my on menu favorites--the Wild Mushroom Mac & Cheese and the Curried Chicken over Chips. When it came time for dessert, I happened to glance in the direction of the specials board and noticed that the Twice Fried Cherry Pies were back in action. Score!

They take two Hostess Cherry Pies, batter them in a lightly sweetened batter and deep fry them. It's diabolically delicious. Even my friend, who doesn't normally like cherry pie, couldn't resist. You can still taste the sweet original fried pie crust you remember from your childhood, the additional ChipShop batter just takes it to another whole level of friedom.

The fried Snickers that we also shared for dessert was also delicious--how could it not be? But of the desserts I've tried at the ChipShop, the Twice Fried Cherry Pie is tops!

The ChipShop
383 Fifth Ave. at 6th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-832-7701 / 718-CHIPSHOP
Mon-Thur 12:00pm-10:00 pm
Fri 12:00pm-11:00pm
Sat 11:00am-11:00pm
Sun 11:00am-10:00pm - They serve a full English breakfast on the weekends!

Related: Deep Fried Cadbury Eggs

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Midtown Lunch: Baby's Here, Party's Over

I've been spending the vast majority of my lunchtime doing serious "research" and Brownie's been off doing mommy things with Little B, but that doesn't mean we're not eating. We'd never stop eating.

Brownie finally tried Grand Central Oyster Bar's She Crab Soup and got a doughnut ice cream sandwich for lunch.

I found a fantastic fried tilapia on a pita, pretended to eat healthy with the Crisp Asia, and I am now waiting patiently for another pizza truck.

Last, but certainly not least, you all need to check out the results from Street Meat Palooza 3. It's easier to get a Michelin Star than to win this!

Check out our Midtown Lunch-ing highlights and lowlights over on MidtownLunch.com. jump

Elvis Sandwiches, Gowanus Beer Garden, and/or Crawfish Boil?

Yay, summer. Long days, hot nights, drinking beer outside, fried banana and peanut butter sandwiches. Really, does it get any better? Could it get any better? If you need something to do, I have a few ideas....

The Renegade Craft Fair is coming back to Williamsburg and McCarren Park for the entire weekend, and one of my favorite things from last year will hopefully be served, the Elvis from Lefty's Silver Cart: grilled peanut butter and banana served with Fluff. I miss it so much, I've been recreating this exact sandwich repeatedly during the last few weeks. Loads and loads of cool vendors will be there selling all sorts of things, if you're a fan of The Flea, this is definitely something you should check out. It's going on from 11am to 7pm both days.


Even the Gray Lady is on to the party that is the Bklyn Yard. The party goes on from after work on Friday straight through to Sunday night. But word to the wise, Sunday is $12 at the door, $8 if you RSVP beforehand to RSVP@sundaybestnyc.com, or get tickets at Resident Advisor. Disregard, BKLYN YARD is dunzo.

For you Manhattanites, you've got you're own special food/drink event on Sunday: The Redhead's 3rd Annual Crawfish Boil. At $30 per plate, they're serving up crawfish, sausage, corn, potato, artichoke, and roasted garlic. Of course, they'll have drink specials too-the bar's actually opening an hour before the boil begins at noon.

If you're like me, you'll be laid up and exhausted come Sunday night, unwilling to do anything, but watch TV. If that's where you find yourself, be sure to check out The Next Food Network Star. I was lucky enough to get a few sneak peeks and I have to say I'm a little hooked already.

Renegade Craft Fair
McCarren Park, Williamsburg (Nassau G Stop or Bedford L Stop)
Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 7pm
www.renegadecraft.com/brooklyn

Bklyn Yard
388-400 Carroll St, Gowanus (F/G to Carroll St; N/R to Union St)
Friday, 6pm to 2am; Saturday, 2pm to 9pm; Sunday, 3pm to 9pm
bklynyard.com

The Redhead
349 East 13th St
Crawfish Boil is Sunday from Noon to 10pm OR when they run out
www.theredheadnyc.com jump

Coffee and Donuts Custard Back in the Rotation for June at Shake Shack

If you're eager to pre-game National Donut Day tomorrow, consider hitting up Shake Shack today for their delicious Coffee and Donuts custard. Coffee custard plus donut chunks?! There's nothing wrong with that...

June also has some summery offerings like Strawberry Lime, Black Raspberry and Cherry Almond, but of all the June flavors, Coffee and Donuts is the most compelling in my book and worth the wait on the A or B line.

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park
23rd Street and Madison Avenue

Upper West Side
366 Columbus Ave (at 77th Street)
www.shakeshacknyc.com
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