bobby's burger palace

Ever since seeing this place mentioned on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate- Hamburgers, I've wanted to visit Bobby's Burger Palace.  The Bobby in the restaurant name would be Bobby Flay, accomplished NYC chef turned omni-present Food Network star.  Lucky for me, the closest establishment (hard to call it restaurant, let alone palace) is only a 25-minute drive away.  As we were eating with an infant and two children, we chose to arrive early at 11:30 to beat the lunch crowd.

When entering, you line up to place an order.  The menu of basically 10 burgers, (low-carbers can choose a "topless burger salad"— a burger atop a bed of greens) shakes, and beverages, is printed on the wall by the registers.

image from Bobby's Burger Palace.com

After placing the order, you are given a number and then make your way to sit at a winding counter or a communal table and eagerly await the order.  

three sweet treats- s'more, please!

One flew in at midnight on the 3rd.  The sweetest, most delectable, scrumptious treat to date.

Let me introduce you to...

The Nephew. 

Look at those cheeks, the smile, the off-the-charts cuteness!  

I could just eat him up.

The Sister and he will be staying with us for a month. We plan on doing quite a bit of cooking and baking, as well as taking a few jaunts into the city for food related adventures.

The Second Treat flew in with him.  The Sister knows I love everything and anything sweet, and she brought me S'mores Bites by renowned chocolatier, Michael Recchiuti.  The vanilla bean marshmallow sits atop an extra crispy graham cracker, all enveloped by bittersweet chocolate.  Divine!

The third treat would never have been made had I not seen the results of the many Cookie Carnival bakers.  I had chosen to make Raspberry Thumbprints because S'mores Bars didn't appeal to me, but after the beautiful photos and eating Recchiuti's S'more,  I was sold on trying them out.  And am I glad I did! The bars were scrumptious, gooey, crunchy, chocolately, and a huge hit in this house.  The marshmallows puffed up to create a unique texture.  That they were simple to throw together was a plus.

The recipe comes from Hershey's website.  I used the same quantities, but substituted miscellaneous chocolates (milk, semi and dark) for the milk chocolate.

S'mores Sandwich Bar Cookies
from Hershey

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
¾cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1⅓ cups (8-oz. pkg.) Hershey's Mini Milk Chocolate Bars OR 5 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars (1.55 oz. each)
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan.

Beat butter and sugar until well blended in large bowl. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Press half of dough in prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. 

Sprinkle mini chocolate bars over baked layer or arrange unwrapped chocolate bars over baked layer, breaking as needed to fit. Sprinkle with marshmallows; scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallows, forming top layer. 

Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

n.b. On my fourth pan (in seven days), I put it under the broiler at the end of the bake time.  EUREKA!  The Crowning Touch! The S'more in All Its Wonderful Glory!  (Must give credit to The Second Brother, who, while eating the third pan, suggested this brilliant technique.)

north fork peach raspberry pie {sms}

Welcome to Sweet Melissa Sundays' Baked Good of the Week— North Fork Peach Raspberry Pie. What better choice for a summery dessert on the Fourth of July?

Luscious fruits in season.

sugar fix

On Father's Day, we were in Manhattan for BBQ.  We got our rock star parking right in front of RUB on 23rd, a good 30 minutes before they opened, so I had to, just had to drag the family a couple avenues over and a few blocks down to visit the newly opened Limelight Marketplace.

If the name sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because the Marketplace is located in the same space that once housed Limelight, the nightclub, ... a church.  At the corner of 20th and 6th.

national hot dog month

I cannot let this month-long celebration of America's culinary staple go without mention, considering that there are an estimated SEVEN BILLION hot dogs eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Yikes.

We eat our fair share in this house, at a greater rate than I would like to admit. We are split on our favorite hot dogs to eat at home.  My favorite is Nathan's World Famous Beef Franks with Natural Casing. I love the garlicky, juicy dog, and the natural casing provides a wonderful, crisp snap.

The Husband and The Daughter's favorite is Best's Natural Casing Frank, which is sold primarily wholesale, but is available on Fridays and Saturdays, when Best Provision is open to the public. The frank is a mildly spiced, 100% beef dog, also with an excellent snap to it.  The store is located at 144 Avon Ave., Newark, NJ.

The Son does not like hot dogs.

It goes without saying that the bun (potato roll, please!) is toasted.  If we want to get all fancy, we throw some chili and cheese on it.

Here in New Jersey, there are two hot dog establishments worth mention.

The first is Rutt's Hut, which deep-fries their dogs, causing them to split.  They are known as "Rippers." Do not go for the decor, do not go for the service, ignore the sticky floor, but if you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a unique, memorable experience.

The second is Jimmy Buff's, which has four locations in the state. (One is conveniently located two miles from my house.)  They serve an Italian-style hot dog, which consists of a deep-fried hot dog, topped with potatoes, onions, and peppers, all on a quarter of a large roll of Italian "Pizza" bread.