Burgers

Owner Stephen LoCastro has transformed what was formerly Tribeca Studio Deli into Greenwich SteakNBurger.  Don't be deceived by the name as LoCastro (Tre Scalini) to implement an American bistro menu with an impressive selection of gourmet burgers (ten to be exact) and homemade sauces. 

Highlights include a New Zealand lamb burger with smoked onions, Maryland crab burger, and Sicilian veal burger with sweet potato gnocchi.  There's also a sizeable bistro menu with a signature "NY steak tartar burger" appetizer, grilled skirt steak with coffee barbecue sauce as well as grilled salmon with balsamic reduction.

The 70-seat space is outfitted with cherry hardwood floors, iron chandeliers and Morroccan benches.  Come spring, Greenwich SteakNBurger will also offer al fresco sidewalk seating.

Address: 369 Greenwich St., corner of Franklin St.
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11a.m.-11p.m., Sun, 11.a.m.-9p.m.
Phone: (212)625-1010

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
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There's no end in sight to the continuous barrage of burger joints, designer steaks and kobe clubs.  It's a carnivore's dilemma...and no, I'm not speaking of ethics.  Oh no.  I've had many a fling with foie gras and my way with veal, so I'm most certainly game for another chop shop. 

First things first: Angelo & Maxie's has taken over the kitchen store next door with plans for a July, Angelo & Maxie's Grill.  Of course, this means August.  Not unlike Smith & Wollensky's Grill, the menu will offer burgers & a host of other casual, less expensive grub.  But the real coup, will be the endless procession of flat screens and late-night hours.  Might there finally be a sports bar with decent food - why has this concept not caught on yet?  But wait, there's more...

The Scotto posse, who've been feeding the business lunch set at their midtown Fresco by Scotto and Fresco on the Go, have set their sights on the Financial District: 10 Hanover Square to be exact.  Anthony Scotto tells us come November, the family will open another Fresco by Scotto outlet, this one a whopping 8,000 square foot space with more modern decor than their Tuscan-designed flagship. 

Fresco by Scotto
10 Hanover Square
November opening

Angelo & Maxie's Steakhouse
233 Park Ave., at 19th St.
212.220.9200
website

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
**Don't forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl's Weekly Newsletter**

BAMN
37 St. Mark's Place (btwn. 2nd & 3rd Aves.)
(212)358-7685

TYPE: Asian-style fast food
VIBE: Bright lights, big city, fast food
OCCASION: Late night pit stop
DON'T MISS DISH: Roasted pork buns
DON'T BOTHER DISH: Grilled cheese
PRICE: $1-$2.50 per dish, $6 for two orders & a drink.
HOURS: 25 hours (whatever that means), seven days a week.
RESERVATIONS: No reservations
INSIDE SCOOP: It's standing room only.
RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10):  6 (for fast food)
FINAL WORD: Eat & run at America's only automat - the food's not half bad.

BAMN reinvents the concept of the Automat with self-serve fast food, amidst the nocturnal bustle of St. Mark's Place.  Owners David Leong, Nobu X and Robert Kwak, enlisted Chef Kevin Reilly (The Water Club) to consult on the on the menu after he answered a Craig's List ad for the best kroket recipe (a true story).  Squint as you pass under the neon pink signeage into this giant food vending machine, dealing in modern American and Asian-inspired fast food.  Come equipped with quarters or get change from the coin machine, then head directly to the heated fare of your choice.  No tipping or talking necessary, unless you want fries or a drink, both requiring a counter order.

Gimmicky, yes, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you're craving a quick midnight snack.  Think hot dogs, mac & cheese krokets, pizza dumplings and grilled cheese.  And that's just the American offerings. 

I sampled the gamut: an undercooked grilled cheese, an overcooked teriyaki burger, and a pb & j with frightening similarity to a microwaved hot pocket, filled with saccharine sweet peanut butter mousse and grape jelly.  I did take great comfort in thick Yukon gold fries, not to mention a tasty selection of thirty dipping sauces: a savory truffle aioli (code for garlicky mayonnaise), and a lively salsa verde - rich with avocado, tomatillo, avocado and cilantro.

But the worthy investments are the Asian-inspired dishes - roasted pork buns, Japanese donuts, and Musubi.  Bite and ask questions later when it comes to the musubi, a slice of mirin-glazed spam, yep spam, atop sushi rice.  The roasted pork bun was a satisfyingly, doughy bun with savory chunks of pork tucked inside.  As far as dessert goes, I'd skip the green tea ice cream, which left a bitter aftertaste.  Instead, snatch up the scrumptious Japanese donuts, pleasingly puffed-up funnel cake of sorts, sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

Despite the shortcomings that often come with the fast food territory, the Japanese dishes and bargain basement prices make this Automat worth a visit.  The best part: nothing sits in a vending machine for longer than fifteen minutes.  I taste a chain in BAMN's not so distant future.

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl

458 Ninth Ave. (btwn. 35th & 36th Sts.)
(212)643-1200

VIBE: Cafeteria cool
OCCASION: Breakfast or your lunch break
GO WITH: Co-workers or go it alone
DON'T MISS DISH: Beef Burger
DON'T BOTHER DISH: Fresh squeezed lemon Fizz
PRICE: under $ 10
INSIDE SCOOP: Will deliver anywhere in the
city if you pay the cab fare
HOURS: Monday-Saturday, 8-9 PM, Sat. & Sun. 10-9 PM
RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 6
FINAL WORD: What could be better?

You'll think you've died and gone to heaven at Burgers & Cupcakes if only it weren't in Hell's Kitchen with a window view of Lincoln Tunnel traffic.  This simple, but perky cafeteria-style luncheonette with pink & brown painted walls invites you to rediscover your inner child, bringing you back to a time of blissful naivete when calories and carbs didn't matter.  I took the leap of faith, making the trek to Mitchell London's (of catering fame) newest Ninth Avenue eatery where he cleverly pairs burgers & cupcakes, all but resolving the universal conflict between men and women negotiating over where the hell to eat. 

The curiously meatball-shaped burgers are dressed any way you want them - grilled mushrooms, avocado, blue cheese, vegetarian chili, pizza and on and on.  I got mine with an unusually soft goat cheese and turkey bacon.  While other burger joints press their burgers against a grated grill numerous times with a spatula (letting the juices tragically escape), Burgers & Cupcakes cooks their chuck sirloins on a flat grill and press them all but once to make for a crunchy outside, yet remarkably juicy inside.  It arrived at the table in a classically wrapped in paper, served in a basket with lettuce, tomato and a pickle. 

If beef's not your game, they also serve non-beef burgers - veggie, turkey, salmon, lemon grilled chicken and portobella mushroom all made fresh daily.  Co-owner Nance Avigligiano told me they get a whole salmon delivered every morning, then cut it up and grill it right on the premises.  I ordered added fresh avocado and pepper jack cheese to a flavorful lemon grilled chicken, a tasty combination.  Don't skip the crispy and fresh cut french fries, skins and all, reminding me of the salty Boardwalk fries of my youth.  I would skip the fresh squeezed lemon fizz, which tasted like a club soda with a squirt of bottled lemon juice. 

The cupcakes are ironically more "grown up" than your typical Magnolia-esque cupcake with sky high butter frosting.  Mitchell London churns out a denser cupcake topped off with a thin coat of frosting.  Call me a frosting fanatic, but the vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting didn't live up to my sugar-coated expectations.  Personally, I'd go with the carrot cupcake, a moist cake decorated with a luscious cream cheese frosting and capped off with shredded coconut. 

Only on my way out did I learn that they'll deliver anywhere in Manhattan (just pick up the taxi's tab), perfect for big office lunch orders.  Burgers & Cupcakes also serves breakfast - eggs, omelets, fresh-baked pastries & pancakes.  Next time, I'll send a car for my burger & fries.  Why shouldn't my lunch get to ride in style, too?

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl

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