40 Hands - Singapore

Outsourcing the Hobby
Puff List readers realize I don't know what I'm talking about and my photos are crap.  I'm no pro, this is a hobby - one that can be very time consuming.  At 40 Hands, I accidentally stumbled into an epiphany - I may be able to outsource some of the work.  I was there for brunch with Dodo and her friends MC and Pirate Pixels, two photo fanatics.  They whipped out their expensive cameras and were like food paparazzi.  In this post, I'm using their shots and you can definitely tell the difference - notice the beautiful depth of field in Pirate's egg cocotte.

Fish and Chippers - Melbourne

Wasn't in the Cards
We set off from our hotel to Fish and Chippers expecting a short tram ride to a tasty fish and chips.  We should've known better.  We got on the wrong tram, then switched to a wronger one.  One of those typical couple arguments broke out where I, the man, was determined to go my way and Dodo, the woman, wanted to interrogate my thinking. When we got off the second tram we were standing next to a rental bike stand and decided to ride there.  A friendly Melbournian helped us figure out the system and we ignored the large signs warning that it was against the law to ride bikes without a helmet.  Dodo pedaled like a turtle, doubtful of the route or in protest, perhaps.  When we dead-ended at a busy street and had to push our bikes across, I thought she was going to kill me.  Save me, Fish and Chippers, save me!

Freshness Burger - Singapore

Where's the Beef?
Back in the 80's there was a series of Wendys commercials in which an insistent senior kept yelling "Where's the beef?" as a way of tweaking McDonalds and Burger King for their small patties.  When the crew at Freshness Burger handed over my "classic" cheeseburger at lunch yesterday I felt like screaming the same thing.  To make matters worse, when I bit into it all I tasted was hype. 

Hill Country Chicken - Manhattan

Newcomer Bird vs. Popeyes
Every new fried chicken spot gets compared to Popeyes - that's how it works on this silly blog.  Why? Because this is the Puff List.  She'll ask is "is it better than Popeye's, babe?"  I still can't get over it - the little Singaporean chick loves Popeyes.  Will Hill Country Chicken come out on top?  Will Popeyes keep the crown?  It's the pseudo South against faux New Orleans.

Mother's Cupboard - Syracuse

Manly Burger Lunch
I wasn't comfortable cutting my burger in half at Mother's Cupboard - there are pickup trucks and Harley's parked outside in the lot, know what I mean?  It's like sitting ringside at a mixed martial arts fight wearing a pink bow tie.  I had to do it though - I wanted you to see the beautiful cross-section.  Just look at it - a juicy patty with bacon, cheese and an over-easy fried egg between a toasted, flaky bun that was up to the task.

Hungry Jack's - Sydney

The King is Dead, Long Live the King
When Burger King tried to expand into Australia they found that the name had already been trademarked in by another restaurant. They offered their franchisee his pick of some of their other trademarked names and he chose Hungry Jack's. Rest assured, tastewise, if not namewise, this is a delicious Whopper Jr.

Mile End - Brooklyn

Jewish Deli Straight Outta Montreal (but in Brooklyn)
Let me jump right to it - here are the reasons why I like this place:
One, the owner quit law school to open it - which is like a two-fer. Second, the brisket on rye pictured below was SLAMMING. Third, they were running a Joy Division soundtrack. Joy Division! Who the hell knows from Joy Division these days?

Fresh-N-Fast - Manhattan

The Burger Wars as Spectator Sport
Some folks take their burgers very seriously, I'm just not one of them. I simply ask that they taste good and refrain from sitting stubbornly in my stomach like a monkey wrench. That doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the "In-N-Out rip-off" controversy - I am - but I'm not going to let it interfere with my analysis. You see, I've been in Paris for a long time and they ain't got no burgers in Paris. Know what I mean?

Heid's - Syracuse

This is How a Dog Should Be, Frenchies!
I promised to take Pingle to Katz's Deli in Manhattan to get her a real dog. Last week, I got her something even better - a frank and a coney from Heid's in Syracuse. Technically, it's located in Liverpool, NY - just outside Syracuse - so no hate mail please. Heid's uses dogs from Hofmann's in Syracuse, sorry Katz - you can't top that no matter how hard you try. Just take a look at these franks - their natural casings charred to a cancer-inducing crisp. My mom's is topped with sweet relish, the other with onions.

Schwartz's - Paris

Just Say No to Fake New Yorkery...
Pingle and I were walking in the Marais near rue de Rosiers when we got caught out in a pretty big downpour. We looked around for somewhere to duck outta the rain and settled on the nearest thing - Schwartz's. It's trying to be a NY Jewish deli, unfortunately way too hard. Pictures of John Gotti and Frank Sinatra on the wall are just some of the "over the topness" that good food could have made up for. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Pingle got a hot dog and fries that looked really good on the plate. I took a bite and simply told her "I'll take you to get a real dog next week in NY." Just imagine - this dog and fries cost close to 15 bucks!

Pommes Frites - Manhattan

Ode to the Fry
The atomization of all things continues unabated. It makes sense on cable tv, I think; you can flip amongst the hundreds of specialty channels according to your interests. But restaurants? There are now places that serve fries, nothing but. I knew this walking into Pommes Frites, but still half-expected a side of chicken on offer or maybe even waffles. So old-school in my thinking....

La Bourse Ou La Vie - Paris

Old-School Steak-Frites in a Whimsical Setting
I simply love this place, where do I begin? The name, roughly translated, means "Your Money or Your Life." My French colleagues explained that the word "bourse" can mean stock market, purse and balls (yes, the sensitive type.) So, the name is a play on its location (it's a block away from the stock market here in Paris) and perhaps the owner's change of vocation from architect to restaurateur. He changed careers to focus on one thing: making steak-frites the way they're supposed to be made.

Chip Shop - Brooklyn

Shaving Years off the End of Life
What better way to combat my incessant sweet tooth than with a plate full of deep-fried chicken and taters? Just another path towards reducing my life expectancy, as I see it, and what a path it is! This spot is an English pub experience boiled down to its essence. I guess I should have ordered the fish and chips, but the chicken and chips were calling out to me.

Five Guys - Brooklyn

Cajun Fries Cure the Blues
Came out the subway after work feeling kinda down, kinda enervated. Remembered there was a Five Guys a few footsteps away and slowly made my way over.

67 Burger - Brooklyn

All Looks, No Personality
I am a burger lover, pure and simple. Thus, I went to 67 Burger with a predisposition to like it. Nothing in the lead up hinted otherwise. Not the sweet smell of sizzling beef that hit me one step inside. Not the dizzying options available on the menu. Not the smiles of those half-way through their burgers. Puff and I ordered and waited hungrily at our table. She a ranch, me a bacon-cheese. They arrived and were shockingly beautiful.