Friday, October 26, 2007

Landmark Tavern: Disappointing

What we love: The decor. Landmark Tavern's colorful history. Ghosts.

What we could live without: The over-hyped but mediocre burgers. Forgetful (but friendly) service.

Burger scale: B

Price range: $$ out of $$$$

Payment method: all major credit cards, cash

It's October, and we wanted a burger joint with a juicy past. The Landmark Tavern definitely fit the bill.

Established in 1868, the Landmark Tavern originally sat on the banks of the Hudson and was a watering hole for dockworkers. One hundred forty years later, the Tavern's still there, although further inland. It's developed an uncanny ability to reinvent itself. It was a flophouse during the Great Famine. It was a speakeasy during the Prohibition. It was a television landmark, featured regularly on episodes of Spin City. Today, it's a British gastropub.

The Tavern has also managed to acquire a few things during its 140 years. It still has the mahogany bar carved from a single tree (1939) and the door is descended from its speakeasy days. It's reputedly home to as few as three ghosts. Legend has it one of the ghosts is an Irish girl who arrived starving during the Great Famine only to die on the third floor of the building. Another story tells of a Confederate soldier who was mortally wounded in a bar brawl and died in a bathtub on the second floor of the building. The last ghost is supposed to be George Raft, a speakeasy era gangster who grew up in the neighborhood. More recently, it's developed a reputation of having a decent burger.
Burgers at Landmark Tavern
While we loved the Tavern's history, we were less enthralled with its burgers. The burgers looked every bit the part of a gastropub burger -- tall, juicy and stacked. There was the panino bun, the eggplant jam, the caramelized onions. But alas, it was all look, no taste. Bland. Boring. Uneventful. Disappointing.

If you're in the neighborhood of the Landmark Tavern, definitely stop in for a pint. Pass on the burgers though.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Burger Series 5: Landmark Tavern

October's the time for tricks or treats!

In honor of All Saints' Day and All Hallows' Eve, we've combined our two favorite things about the month, ghosts and burgers, and will meet at Landmark Tavern on Thursday, October 25th at 7:30.

Rumor has it that the "Landmark Tavern, which opened in 1868...was a speakeasy favored by George Raft, the Hollywood tough guy who grew up in Hell's Kitchen. His ghost is said to haunt the bar, along with that of a Confederate Civil War veteran who, knifed in a fight, staggered up to the second floor to die in a bathtub that's still there. The ghost of an Irish immigrant girl who died in her bed wanders the third floor." ("Turf of Gangs and Gangsters" by John Strausbaugh.)

For more on Landmark Tavern, check out NY Magazine. The restaurant is located at 626 11th Ave at 46th Street.

To get to the restaurant, take any of the following trains and then walk to 46th St and 11th Ave.
A, C, E to 42nd St & 8th Ave
N, R, W to 49th St and 7th Ave
1, 9 to 50th St & Broadway

If you won't be able to make it, please let us know so we don't end up waiting for you.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

eat for beauty

we'll be danged if we don't like the sound of that idea.

Eat Yourself Young Looking!
Japanese fountain of youth cafĂ© to open in city. Will pig’s feet keep you pretty?
By Beth Landman

The beauty-addicted have long loved collagen, rubbing creams into their skin and plumping up lips and cheeks with injections. Now there’s a movement to eat the stuff. Himi Okajima, whose restaurant Himiyabi in Japan was one of the first to introduce collagen cuisine, will open Hakata TonTon in the West Village next month, where he’ll serve foods rich in the protein responsible for skin and muscle tone. “Collagen helps your body retain moisture,” Okajima says. “Your hair and skin will look better, but it’s not just for looking beautiful now. If you begin eating collagen in your thirties, you will look younger in your forties.” Hakata TonTon will concentrate on dishes made with pig’s feet, including spring rolls, pasta, and a hot pot that also contains chiles meant to cleanse your intestines. (Shark’s fin, a common collagen-rich ingredient in Japan, was deemed too expensive to serve here.) Does it work? “No question, ingesting collagen has a positive effect on joints, muscles, skin, and hair,” says Upper West Side–based celebrity nutritionist Oz Garcia. “People add collagen powder to their protein shakes, and even years ago our mothers ate Knox gelatin, which contains collagen, to strengthen their nails.” Dr. Ellen Gendler, an Upper East Side dermatologist, isn’t convinced. “There’s no evidence that this does anything beneficial,” she says. “The only way collagen definitely works to improve your appearance is by injecting it.”

From the October 1, 2007 issue of New York

Monday, October 1, 2007

a fat pig is a fat pig

in any language.

Dinner was at Fette Sau last night. It was good, but we'll opt out of eating 2.5lbs of meat any time in the forseeable future and only after we've fasted a week beforehand.

We shared the pulled pork, brisket and boneless rib along with a side of baked beans and potato salad. Next time we're there, however, we'll skip the baked beans, potato salad and boneless rib and just head straight for the pulled pork. Yum.