Bobby's Burger Palace

My most recent adventure has been to Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, Long Island to the newest branch of the Bobby Burger Palace chain. This location recently opened, within December of 2011, and I was able to go twice within a week, and had varying experiences. The first thing about this restaurant is the concept behind it. It is semi fast food, with communal seating, meaning you order your food at the registers and have the option to sit in the restaurant at these long tables, or take the food to go. Both times I was in a party of 2, and had no trouble finding seating. The interior is really clean, and quite striking. There is a wait staff that will bring your order (they give you a number when they take your order) and clean the tables and even offer free refills. They were all extremely friendly and helped to add to the experience. This portion of the service both times was incredible. The menu for this place is relatively simple, burger, fries and milkshakes (which can even be spiked!) There are some non-burger options such as salad, and there is the option for a turkey or chicken burger instead of the beef patty. The surprise on this menu is the beverage selection, which includes beer, wine, and Bobby's famous margarita from his MESA Grill.

The first trip was below par in my opinion, and that was because of the register service of the person taking my order. I understand that when the place is packed and they're trying to take the orders as quickly as possible, however, skipping the most important question is a big No-No. He did not ask my how I would like my burger cooked (which is always rare) and when I reminded him, he made some movements on the computer and said that he fixed the order. When my original CrunchBurger arrived it was actually cooked to Medium (at best) it was still juicy and delicious, so I ate it anyway, but it detracts from my opinion of the place. I really could not get over the fact that my burger was not rare. So the CrunchBurger, (I got mine with bacon) Is a simple yellow american cheese burger with a stack of potato chips add on top. "Crunchifiying " your burger is a big thing being advertised at the joint, meaning you can add chips for no extra charge to any burger, it is even the slogan on the back of all the staff shirts. However, after eating a crunchified burger, I did not feel that it was worth it, and in reality after that first bite, the chips did not add anything special to the burger. That texture that should have been there from the chips became lacking after the initial bite and after holding the burger. I had the regular fries, they were good and came with the BBP Fry Sauce, which was interesting. The sauce had an unexpected kick to it, making it a tad spicy, but overall I was not a fan of the sauce, and the fries themselves were only OK. I would not order these again. I also had the dark chocolate shake, which was like drinking a thick and creamy version of hot fudge, which I really enjoyed. The shake variety is awesome, however, I did wish that the "adult" versions had better combinations of flavors and alcohol.

The second trip was even better than the first because my burger was cooked to a perfect rare, it was delicious. This burger was red throughout and juicy to the point that it was leaking from the burger. This was the burger of the month: Pacific Northwest Burger, which had white american cheese, cremini mushrooms, and a red wine BBQ Sauce. One word: AMAZING. I do wish there was more of the sauce on the burger, because not every bite had the complete flavor, but other than that, it was perfection. I had the onion rings, which were good and huge! I want to know where they find onions that big. Also had the sweet potato fries, which I think are the winning side here. They were perfection, they had the honey mustard horseradish sauce, which had a great taste, a little on the honey sweet side, but paired well with the sweet potato. I would absolutely order those sweet potato fries every time I come in.

If you missed the location of this great place, its in Roosevelt Field mall, need I say more? The only thing to do before and after (to work off all those calories) is SHOP! This in my humble opinion in the best mall on Long Island, has all stores from high to low end, and everything in between.

Overall this is a great concept restaurant, and perfect location, I expect it to do extremely well. The menu is affordable, and simple, it keeps to the basics (burgers, shakes and fries) and Bobby Flay threw a couple of well placed surprises as well. So when you need a break from shopping at Roosevelt Field Mall, grab a Burger of the Month and a side of sweet Potato Fries, and relax (and make sure you double check that order)!

Adventure On!

-Amanda

Roxy's GC Adventure

Since the onset of the Food Network show, The Great Food Truck Race, food trucks have been all the rage. There are too many to count in NYC and they have started to take Boston by storm. From the second season of TGFTR, the "cinderella story" truck, Roxy's Grilled Cheese quickly became the fan favorite, but unfortunately was sent home before the finale, and I was dying to try their creations. Being so mobile has its advantages, such as a couple of locations throughout Boston (Coolidge Corner, Northeastern, Boston Public Library, and BU), if you want an update on when and where they will be, follow them on Twitter! I was lucky enough to live down the block from their tri-weekly spot on the Northeastern University Campus! YAY. Let's just say that location has led me to be an expert on their menu. 


Roxy's grilled cheese has a solid menu of various grilled cheeses (and even a few for the vegetarian as well) and different side dishes, (fries, tomato soup etc). I have gone to this truck too many times for lunch after class (or hungover), and the guys on the truck are always amazing. They have such energy, even on the crappy weather days, have great taste in music, and crank out those GC's with speed and perfection. I haven't had a sandwich I didn't enjoy. They bring the upscale flavors, combinations and ideas to a downscale concept. If you see them, the line is worth the wait! 

The Mighty Rib

I had the pleasure to try a majority of their menu, and there are two classics that are my hands down favorite: the Mighty Rib and the Green Munester. These are there staples on their menu, and sometimes sell out! The mighty rib was the first GC I had from them and still my favorite, it is a perfection combination of fontina, caramelized onions and braised short-ribs. (And its the right price.) This gc hits the mouth with such amazing flavor, its hard to believe it came off of a truck. It does have the tendency to get messy and melty, so I suggest eating it as quickly as possible. The Green Munester is munester cheese (obvi) guacamole and bacon! This really struck me as such a unique combination, and I was almost afraid to deviate from my fav mighty rib, but these guys can not steer you wrong. This was heaven. 


As for the sides, handcut truffle fires, sausage gravy poutine, or beer battered Grillo's pickles (sometimes they even have home made tomato soup!) the poutine is where it's at. I had never heard of such a thing before seeing it on their menu, and so I took that flavor adventure, with not knowing at all what it was, and it was one of the best decisions I made. Poutine is fries with gravy and cheese curds, in its most basic form. The poutine at Roxy's is just elevated to perfection, and again, not something you would expect from a food truck, but with these guys its always better to expect the unexpected. 

The Green Munster

I have two different qualms with the guys on this truck, the first is that the special "Fall Melt" was not added to their permanent menu. (understandable i guess when you think of seasonality of ingredients). It is Vermont cheddar, butternut squash, apples and rum soaked rasins. Instead the The second is the price of the duck gc, $11. While I understand food costs, and labor costs, and that you want to make a profit in this world, it's hard to really justify buying a sandwich (off a truck) at that price, hence why I have only had that once, and I know a lot of people who had to go with other options because of that high price.  With that being said, it is absolutely delicious and the epitome of the high class flavor profiles Roxy's is known for to such a rustic and traditional menu.  

Poutine

I would go to the GC truck when its parked either on Heminway or in fron the the Boston Public Library, because these locations lead into a couple of great things to do/see in Boston. The location on Heminway is down the block from the Museum of Fine Arts, which is one of the best museums in Boston. The MFA has recently opened a new wing containing the "Art of the Americas", and always has such amazing collections. Currently, there is a Degas and the Nude being showcased, but keep checking their website for the most up to date information. The location in front of the Boston Public Library leads for some great adventuring of Boston.  This really is a central location, and has many sites to see within in a 5 minute walking radius. Here you can explore the Copley Church/Square, the Boston Public Library, and even some shopping down two blocks on Newbury Street. Or walk down the street to the Prudential Center, where you can pick up the famous Boston Duck Tour, or even do more shopping! 








Grab a Mighty Rib, walk down the block, and go stare at the brand new wing in the MFA. This is a great way to spend any day in Boston. 


Adventure On! 
-Amanda