BURGER

FIRST COURSE

Pounds & Ounces has been on an upgrade rampage. Just recently they opened a sidewalk cafe and their awesome double happy hours. But now it's time to meet their new burger: The F&Kn Burger (Fork & Knife Burger).

This 8 ounce monstrosity ($26) comes with onion marmalade, fontina cheese, pineapple braised short ribs, more fontina cheese, lettuce, and pickled green tomato chips. You can even choose to add Foie Gras on top your your burger.

This ain't your regular Burger King Whopper. Check out this bad boy asap!

FIRST COURSE

Michael Mina has opened a new Steakhouse in San Francisco called Bourbon Steak. Slide into a plush Pullman-style booth and check out the menu of deluxe steaks and strong cocktails.

Try the Prather Ranch Lamb Chops (coriander yogurt, Muscat grape and panisse, isot chile gastrique) or Chef Min’s Falafel Burger (tahini sauce, tomato and cucumber relish). Not looking for meat, Bourbon Steak has Butter-Poached Main Lobster (sweet corn crepe, thai curry, citrus, basil).

Open for reservation, this hot spot is only open for dinner or the bar. The bar/lounge opens nightly at 5pm. Dinner is Sunday-Thursday 5:30pm – 10pm and Friday and Saturday 5:30pm-10:30pm.

Bourbon Steak
at the Westin St. Francis
355 Powell St
(at Post)
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-397-3003

FIRST COURSE

When Marc Schapiro, Rob Morton, and “Rev” David Ciancio set out to open “Idle Hands” their vision was a far cry from the barren basement of no frills artisan debauchery that now exists on Manhattan’s lower east side. The trio was originally planning high ceilings and a big outdoor area, but moved into a space that is by all measures the complete antithesis. “Idle hands” is essentially a basement adorned with a few rock posters and one important picture of Mario Andretti.

FIRST COURSE

Between fashion week and the nightlife of New York we (the lowly sweet tooths) never really stood a chance. This cupcake movement however has stood too long unopposed in its monopolization of "street sweets". The ubiquitous confections have been taking over the city like a swarm of locust bakers but now they have met their match.

Down in the west village on a stretch of 6th ave. that is curiously barren of many restaurants is BLT Burger, the awkward teenager in the BLT family. The décor is reminiscent of Danny Zuko and Kenickie’s burger joint but instead of your Eskimo pies you will find milkshakes that really deliver the goods. Cold, creamy, luscious and for an extra couple bucks spiked with the booze of your choice, it really doesn’t get much better.

FIRST COURSE

4Food
40th St. and Madison Ave.
New York
http://4food.com

4Food, a New York City burger chain, will be opening on July 6 near Bryant Park. This burger joint is unlike any we have seen before. With bleachers and communal tables for dining, what can we expect? Serving organic burgers with holes, you get to choose your own toppings and create you very own burger. Better yet, you can even name your creation and post it on Twitter or Facebook. If people start ordering your burger, you will receive 25 cents per burger! Unfortunately, you will not get the payment in cash but you will be able to build up store credit and eventually get a free meal or more! That's not it! As 4Food supplies a 220 square feet monitor, you can stream Twitter feeds, Foursquare check-ins, as well as Facebook activities. Best of all, employees will be using the new iPads to take your orders. How's that for being tech-savvy! So come check it out, I know I'll be there tweeting along.

Here's an animated video that 4Food created to better explain their concept.

FIRST COURSE

BLT Burger
Cuisine: American/Burgers
Price Range: Moderate

Greenwich Village
70 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
www.bltburger.com

Burger joints in NYC are almost as common as Starbucks these days, and the promise of the ultimate burger is almost as frequent as the promise of the world's best cup of coffee. Various eateries boast that they serve the biggest burger, the most innovative burger, or even the most expensive burger. More often than not, restaurants fall short of their burger promises, leaving us lost in the search for the elusive title of Best Burger.

Enter BLT Burger, Laurent Tourondel's casual burger restaurant with LT's signature service and quality ingredients. BLT has mastered the delicate balance of a neighborhood casual dining experience, while never skimping on product quality or attentive service. BLT Burger is a great go-to restaurant for almost any occasion, and for those who frequent BLT often, the menu offers enough variation and specials to keep regulars from getting bored.

Diners who want to keep the bill down and get the most bang for their buck should order one of the three combo meals that include the classic burger, fries and either a soda ($15), milkshake ($17) or a draft beer ($18). The shakes at BLT are velvety smooth and sweetened to perfection, with flavors as basic as chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and coffee or as intricate as the Twinky Boy (vanilla ice cream, Twinkies and caramel syrup), Cookie Monster (chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and chocolate chip cookies), or the Lunch Box (vanilla ice cream peanut butter and grape jelly). This classic burger is everything that a burger experience should be, with the quality 100% certified Black Angus beef (a mix of sirloin, short rib, chuck and brisket) cooked just as you asked, and a perfectly spongy bun to hold the masterpiece together.