NYC - Shake Shack, BBQ, and an epic brunch at Le Barricou, Brooklyn

The reservoir in Central Park

It hadn't been long since my last visit to the States, road-tripping down the coast of California, but a couple of weeks ago I was back again, this time in NYC. I was there on a business trip, but managed to squeeze in some socialising, sight-seeing and eating too, and had a great time!

 Sunrise view from my office window (jet lag + calls with the UK = early start!)

One of the most memorable meals of my trip was lunch at Shake Shack, New York's answer to In N' Out. The question of which chain makes the better burger is hotly debated in the US, but having now had the privilege of sampling both, I have to present Shake Shack with first place.

Crinkle cut fries - add cheese sauce for the ultimate tastiness

With its squishy brioche bun, juicy burger, crispy bacon, and a squirt of tasty shack sauce, my Shack Burger (plus bacon) was absolutely exquisite. The chips - fat, golden and crinkle-cut, with a side of squeezy American cheese for dipping - were also excellent (far better than In N' Out's dried out skinny fries) and (predictably) the shakes weren't bad either!

Early May is an incredible time to visit NY - the cherry blossoms were in full bloom all through Central Park, something I took advantage of with a couple of stunning runs (and a less energetic afternoon spent lazing on the grass with friends).

On my last day I nipped over to Brooklyn to meet a friend for brunch in Williamsburg, at a lovely French restaurant called Le Barricou. After pondering the fantastic selection of omelettes (the apple, bacon and gruyere frittata really caught my eye!) and other great brunch dishes (eggs Benedict, croque madame, goats cheese and spinach croissant) we decided to share a spinach and mushroom omelette, followed by some truly epic pancakes.

B'Burg :)

Tasty spinach, mushroom, and gruyere cheese omelette

The pancakes required a 25 minute wait, so we started with the savoury course. Our omelette was excellent - slighty runny (as a good omelette should be), and crammed with spinach, gruyere, and an assortment of mushrooms. The pancakes were even more impressive: two huge fluffy delights, served with berries, maple syrup and a delicious strawberry-butter concoction. While they bore almost no resemblance to the slender crepes one would traditionally expect in a French restaurant - being closer in fact in texture and size to a small victoria sponge cake! - they were delicious, and definitely one of the more memorable brunch dishes I've had.

It was a real struggle to finish, even after splitting the lighter omelette option (I seriously don't know how anyone could ever hope to finish a plate on their own!), but an hour later, satisfied and sticky with maple syrup we did succeed in polishing off the final bites (although I couldn't eat for the rest of the day!)

I'll be going back to NY fairly regularly with work, and with the amazing bars (The Lambs Club near Times Square, Hotel Chantelle in Lower East Side), restaurants (Blue Smoke BBQ, Le Barricou, and of course Shake Shack!) and general fun-times which made my visit so special this time round, I can't wait to get to know the city a little better.

California - San Francisco to Laguna (via In-N-Out Burger!)

Over Easter my boyfriend and I spent 10 days in California, driving down the coast from San Francisco all the way to Laguna beach. It was a great trip (stunning beaches, beautiful views, breath-taking coastal roads...) and - in addition to that amazing breakfast - we had a good few notable culinary experiences along the way.

We started our journey in San Francisco, which has to be one of the hilliest cities I've ever been too. Despite the inclines, it was pretty pleasant to walk around, with plenty of pretty tree-lined streets, and beautiful stretches of waterfront. And while the hills may have made things a bit more challenging, the views from the top were definitely worth the climb.

After a long day of walking (and suffering from some serious jet lag to boot) we decided to treat ourselves to an In-N-Out burger. I'd heard a lot about these burgers, which are something of a West Coast specialty, and  was pretty impressed.

My boyfriend and I both ordered a double burger. These were simply enormous, with two juicy beef patties, a couple of half-melted slices of oozy American cheese, and plenty of crisp salad, all sandwiched in a soft brioche bun and served with a side helping of delicious thousand island sauce.

The chips were a bit disappointing (somewhat dry and nothing special) but the burger itself was great, and we treated ourselves again towards the end of our trip. A top tip from those in the know is to order your burger and fries "animal style" - an off-menu code-word which results in your food being generously smothered in a healthy (ha!) mixture of thousand island sauce, fried onions, and cheese. Heaven...

From San Francisco we hired a convertible and headed down the coast. Monterey was our first stop, and from there we set off on the epic journey down Big Sur and along the famous 17-mile Drive - a narrow winding road with beautiful coastal views.

Our next stop was Santa Barabara, which was pretty, but not very pedestrian friendly (with the exception of San Francisco, Californian cities don't really seem that suited for a good old-fashioned English-style stroll!). And despite greatly enjoying the enormous Tex-Mex meal I had here (steak, chicken and king prawns served on a sizzling hot plate with onions and peppers and an obscene amount of melted cheese) the swiftly ensuing bout of food poisoning put a bit of a dampener on things!

Journeying on, we arrived in Los Angeles, where we foolishly ditched the car at our hotel and once again attempted to walk around. Two and a half hours of fast-paced walking didn't get us very far - although we did make it to Rodeo Drive, and had a nice wander through Beverley Hills. I found it hilarious how every house was designed to be completely unique from the ones next to it - Roman-style villas rubbing shoulders with Tudor manor-houses, Alpine chalets, and sweet country cottages...

The next morning we drove out to Santa Monica, which was lovely (boasting a great farmer's market and a beautiful stretch of beach) before hitting the road again and making our way South to Laguna.

Dana Point, near Laguna

There we met with friends and spent a few days relaxing; whale watching, shooting pool, and playing some very competitive volleyball. One of my favourite meals of the holiday was a surprisingly tasty quesadilla -  made with traffic cone orange American cheese - from the very basic ship's kitchen on our whale-watching trip.

This was an incredible trip - one I've wanted to do for years - and while I was sad we didn't have time to visit San Diego or Las Vegas, hopefully we'll make it back there some day!

 

Best breakfast ever in Monterey, California

I recently spent 10 days in California, driving down the coast (in a convertible nonetheless!) from San Francisco to Laguna. We stopped in lots of places along the way, but one of my favourites was Monterey. Situated on a beautiful stretch of coastline just North of Big Sur and the famous 17-Mile Drive, this picturesque town boasts a charming street of converted canneries (the "Cannery Row" of John Steinbeck fame), some lovely coastal walks, a large population of local sea lions, and a famous aquarium (which we didn't get around to visiting...).

 

 

It was also the location of one of the best meals of my trip: our breakfast at First Awakenings featured the lightest, fluffiest pancake I have ever eaten in my life, setting me up for a lifetime of disappointment back in the UK!

 

Free refills of coffee...yes please! (cue caffeine shakes)

 

It took me a while to choose from the selection of pancakes on offer (raspberry-coconut-granola was particularly tempting), but I ended up shunning the more traditional options (blueberry, or - dare I say it - plain) for the very breakfasty-sounding "Fresh Apple Cinnamon and Oatmeal" pancake. I was slightly worried that the oats would make this too heavy, but they were sprinkled on top (rather than incorporated into the batter), and - lightly toasted - brought a lovely nutty flavour to the dish.

 

 

The incredibly airy pancake was packed with little cubes of sweet apple (perfectly cooked, neither too hard nor too soggy), and the dish was completed with a sprinkling of oat flakes, a dusting of powdered sugar, and the traditional American pancake accompaniment - a scoop of whipped butter. I had a tentative taste, in the hope that it may have been ice-cream, but was sadly disappointed. Still, I maintain - this was the best pancake I've ever had, and if you ever pass through Monterey, you have to go here!

 

 

The savoury options were pretty impressive too: my boyfriend went for the "Caps, Etc" - a dish of sautéed mushroom caps tops with a bubbling layer of melted cheese, served alongside fried eggs, toasted English muffin, and a very generous portion of home-made hash-browns. Delicious.

 

 

After our breakfast we went for a stroll along the bay, and said hello to some of the local sea lions, who were lounging on the protected beach below the coastal path. And then, sadly, it was time to go - heading off down the 101 to Santa Barbara.