Worth a GO

Despite being on somewhat of a health kick lately (down 12 lbs so far, woohoo!), there are a few, common "healthy" dining techniques that you will never catch me doing! These include, but are not limited to, ordering salad dressing on the side, having Pinkberry or Tasti D'Lite for dinner, or eating a burger or sandwich sans bun.

Recently I had to make exception to that last technique, but only in the name of Passover. Luckily, this time giving up bread didn't force us to give up good food at GO Burger.

What we ordered...
- Custom built angus beef burger topped with Vermont cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, and housemade smoked ketchup, served with skinny fries
- The Turk - turkey burger ground with fresh herbs topped with madeira mushrooms and Vermont cheddar, and served with skinny fries

Doesn't that burger look so little and lonely on the plate without a bun?!

Worth the trip for if you're looking for...
- A huge variety of meat and burger options
- A super friendly waitstaff - so refreshing sometimes
- Insanely good fries dipped in their ridiculous homemade ketchup

Skip the trip if you're looking for...
- Big burgers - The fries portion was huge, but the size of the burgers definitely seemed a little on the small side

GO Burger
1448 2nd Avenue
b/t 745th & 75th Streets
website
Menu Pages listing

More Than MEDIocre

After a long day of drinking for St. Patrick's Day in Hell's Kitchen, it was definitely time for a real meal. My friends took me to MEDI, one of their favorite neighborhood spots. Going from a loud, drunken Irish pub to a dark, trendy wine bar was a hilarious contrast! They didn't lead me astray - it turned out to be a great meal.

What we ordered...
- Vegetarian paella with zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes and green peas

- Risotto with wild mushrooms, thyme, parmesan, and blueberries

- Foie gras bruschetta with roasted rosemary apples, and vincotto
- Portuguese octopus with celery and kalamata olives

Worth the trip for...
- A really cool atmosphere, great decor, dim lighting, and a lively crowd
- A very worldy, extensive wine list featuring wines from the more typical locales like Italy and France, but also less typical places like Israel, Montenegro, and Slovenia
- Delicious, well-cooked risotto featuring fruit - definitely a first for me!
- A pretty hefty serving of great-tasting foie gras...so I'm told

Skip the trip for...
- The "paella" - more like a bowl of rice with veggies and no flavor. Where was the saffron and the cripsy bottom layer?!

MEDI Wine Bar
811 9th Avenue
b/t 53rd & 54th Streets
website
Menu Pages listing

Next Stop: USA

I've been hesitant on deciding which restaurant to use for my stop to "the US" since so many restaurants can be classified as American...any burger place, any diner, any bar food. But, when I made plans to go to Southern Hospitality, it seemed like the perfect example of true Americana, especially with my Southern roots.

What we ordered:
- Beale Street BBQ chicken - a half dry-rubbed smoked chicken brushed with BBQ sauce, served with sweet potato fries and coleslaw

- Pulled chicken platter - a boneless version of the Beale Street chicken pulled and coated with BBQ sauce, served with tator tots and coleslaw

Worth the trip for...
- A really cool, lively atmosphere with a great bar for watching games
- A restaurant owned by a celebrity - if you're into that sort of thing
- Three really good BBQ sauces

Skip the trip for...
- Tiny portions - don't they know that BBQ and large portions go hand in hand?! Where are the true Southern-sized portions?!
- A bus boy spilling sour cream all over your jacket, bag, and pants - I know it was an accident, but YUCK!

Southern Hospitality
645 9th Avenue
@ 45th Street
website
Menu Pages listing