Forking Tasty

First Take

Forking Tasty – 5 Napkin Burger from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

My cousin wanted to meet up for some lunch and when my cousin wants to get together I know a burger is not to far away. He mentioned 5 Napkin Burger which I have heard a little bit about. I could not refuse so the southerner, my cousin and I headed to Hells Kitchen. In my head I was thinking a small burger joint. I couldn’t be more wrong.

The Opposite of a Fast Food Burger

Forking Tasty – Black Shack Burger Joint from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

The Black Shack was a nice find. One correction from the video, The Steak House Burger does not have crispy fries on it, although that sounds great too, it has crispy onions, just like the Western Burger. After we were done eating the chief/owner came out to chat with us. The whole idea behind Black Shack Burger Joint is to give you a burger that the fast food chains of America have forgotten about when creating their burgers, essentially the correct way to make a burger. Those places like McDonald, Burger King, White Castle were the inspiration to show how a burger should really be made. White Castle is one of, if not the oldest burger joint. I’m sure their burgers were much better when they first came on the scene before the mass production line. Black Shack would be the opposite of White Castle, hence the name. Very clever.

I’m looking forward to heading back for a sloppy joe some time in the next couple weeks.

Sliders Can Be Filling

The slider. It’s a different type of burger. It can be used as a regular meal or just a safety meal depending on how hungry you are at the time. For this forking tasty experience I was joined with a friend who loves burgers just as much as me at St. Marks Burger. I enjoyed 2 regular sliders and we shared their fries. The burgers remind me of White Castle burgers. All the sliders come with cheese and grilled onions. The unique thing about the St. Marks Sliders is they use a grinder to make their own meat. They do put a good set of spices in the burgers as well. The fries are super crispy, just how I like them…

Does Vancouver Have A Good Burger?

Vera’s Burger Shack, Vancouver from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 108 | Post-meal (1 hour): 176 | Insulin: 5 Units

The Burgers I have experienced in Vancouver have horrible but after talking to a few locals they confirmed my choices of burgers. My friend from the ship that lives in Vancouver directed me to Vera’s Burger Shack. It just happens to be in a short walking distance from the ship. To my surprise it was located in the heart of Vancouver’s Jazz Feast. Check out the video on how it all went down.

Back In The States

After a few weeks with out being in an American port we finally made it to San Diego. I was not sure what to do that day; it had been years since I was there last. I bumped into some friends from the ship on my way out and they were headed over to Coronado Island. I joined them for the little ferry ride over. We were all looking for some lunch…

Shake Shack In The Park

Shack Shack from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

It had been a while since I had a burger from Shack Shack. It was a decent day, not to cold to be outside. More importantly, it was around 3:00 in the afternoon. The Shack Shack line will hopefully be short and not wrapped around Madison Square Park.

When I arrived there was a line but not the typical mid week lunchtime line. I got myself a single burger. The double burger is way to big. You are better off getting 2 singles. It will be a couple extra bucks but it’s worth it. The Shack Shack burger is one of my Fav’s in the city. I think I share that feeling by the looks of the line every time I go there.

Finally… A Burger With Wine

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 83 | Post-meal (1 hour): 131 | Insulin: 5 Units

I am home for only a few months and I like to see as many of my friends and family as I can before I ship off. I went to go visit my cousins out in Long Island with my mom. It’s been about a year and a half since I had been there and was really excited to see them, meet their chocolate lab (Bella) and see what they have done to their house.

Mom was treating for lunch that day so we were thinking of where to eat before we left the house. There were a lot of choices but my cousin mentioned her favorite burger place in Port Jefferson. Even though I had a burger the night before at BLT Burger my mind was set. If it’s my cousin’s favorite then I had to try it.

Burgers With The Boys

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 95 | Post-meal (1 hour): 149 | Insulin: 5 Units

It was man night and the men wanted to eat burgers! There are hundreds of places to go and eat a good burger in New York City. Jay couldn’t make dinner so the boys left it up to one of the Brothers Tasty to decide on a Burger. One of my personal favorite burgers in the city is at BLT Burger. They just do it right.

Now…, when we were trying to get everyone together lots of emails were going around on who can make it and who can’t make it. For those who could not make it were hazed a bit. It was a very manly night and I was prepared for a lot of testosterone that night. However, somehow the conversation turned to talking about Farmville over milkshakes. WHAT!, where was all the man talk??? We did bounce back to our man hoods eventually and start to talk about old and future bachelor parties. Way better guy talk.

Meet The Parents

Cheesecake Factory from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 74 | Post-meal (1 hour): 104 | Insulin: 5 Units

My girlfriend Kelsey made it in town for a long weekend. I was super excited to see her and for her to meet my family and friends. We jumped on a train in the morning headed to Long Island to meet the parents. This was the first time Kelsey was meeting my parents so I thought why not meet over lunch at one of my favorite spots in Long Island, Cheesecake Factory. I have never had a bad meal at Cheesecake Factory. I had a couple of my usual staples and I nibbled on a little cheesecake. That cheesecake is hard to resist but half of it went home in a doggy bag as did half my burger. It was a great afternoon having Kelsey meet my parents and whacking down a great lunch in the process.

Alaska Burger

On my last contract on the ship a buddy and I were talking about the best burgers we’ve had. He mentioned to look for a burger in Ketchikan Alaska called Burger Queen. Now I am on the Volendam and the beginning of my contract is in Alaska and I finally made it there. Ketchikan is a small little town, as most Alaskan towns and are known for their salmon. However, I was looking for that burger. I’ll get the salmon next week when I’m here again.