Avocado Burger — YEN 1,500

The most popular item on the menu is the avocado burger. Ripe avocados, fresh tomatoes, and the flavorful buns all meld to make this delicious burger a consistent hit. Although it’s usually crowded during meal times, its well worth the wait. Kua ‘aina is originally from Hawaii but has migrated over to Japan.

Maison du you Bldg. 1F, 1-10-4 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03 34 09 32 00

Cheeseburger — EUR 12

Americans make the best comfort food, and HAND in Paris is living proof. Perfect for brunches or quick eats. The restaurants name which stands for Have a Nice Day brings vintage American food to the French consumer. The cheeseburger comes with hash browns and a small salad.

39 rue Richelieu, Paris, 75001, France
Tel: +33 1 40 15 03 27

The Parker’s Special – 2 Eggs, 2 Pancakes, 2 Bacon, 2 Sausage and Ham, Home Fries and Toast – $11.99

Parker’s Maple Barn opened in 1960′s solely as a small sugar house, but the business grown and the Parker family decided to open a country breakfast restaurant. It’s the most popular restaurants in the area, but even today, the sugar house still produces their own maple syrup following the original method used 50 years ago. Pancakes are hearty and thick with fluffy texture, but the best part is…you can use as much pure maple syrup as you want!

1316 Brookline Road, Mason, NH 03048

(603) 878-2308

ShackBurger: American Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato and ShackSauce – Single $4.75  Double $7.25

French Fries: 100%  Trans-fat free, made with Yukon Gold potatoes – $2.75

Prepare yourself for a long line at Madison Square Park Shake Shack, where the legendary burger shack that started in 2004.

Southeast corner of Madison Square Park, near Madison Ave. and East 23rd St. New York, NY
Phone: (212) 889-6600

http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/

Fried Chicken Dinner – $8.50 (4 piece with fries, slaw, and roll)

This tiny shop from a small town offers a variety of foods, but there is one outstanding item. Fried Chicken. All the people that I have introduced this fried chicken to, family and friends, are surprised by the simplicity of this common comfort food. The place uses quality chicken and fries them with a simple breading. The outcome is a mildly salty and extra-crispy fried chicken.  A simple mildly salty breading may seem inferior to the immense variety of wild flavors out there, but it satisfies the one of the basic human cravings of salt, sugar, and fat. Not to mention the tongue searing juices squeezing out of each bite into the chicken. Carnivore unleash.

653 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe, IL 60022
Phone: (847) 835-4900

Grilled Thracian Beef Tenderloin — TRL 50

The steak has been butterflied as it was ordered ‘well done’. It was cooked with lemon and olive oil. The steak sits upon mashed potato with spinach and spring vegetables accompanying it. A demi glace sauce is also delivered with the dish.

Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 334 44 44

Cheddar Chesseburger — TRL 34

Classic burger with buttered and toasted buns. The burger comes with french fries, lettuce, tomato and onions.

Ciragan Cad. No. 28, Beskitas, 34349, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 381 40 00

Deluxe Burger — TRL 32

Grilled burger with swiss cheese, onion, lettuce, tomatoes and french fries.

Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, 34367, Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 334 44 44

Cheeseburger – Euro 20.00

Part of the freres Costes restaurants, Rival follows the same basic menu format as the others. Their cheeseburger is served in a lightly toasted bun, with bib lettuce, sliced tomatoes, peeled onions and of course a slice of american cheese. The dish normally comes with a side of fries but I opted out. Your fingers do get dirty while eating this, but on the bright side the burger does not fall apart, even though it is quite large.

20 Avenue George V, 75008, Paris
Phone: 01 47 23 40 99

Marinated Portobello, Blue Brie, Griddled Scallions, Dijonnaise – $8.00 (additional fried egg, $2.00)

This American delicatessen is one juicy contender using grass-fed beef cooked till slightly pink core, sandwiched between two freshly toasted crunchy buns. Grass-fed beef is suppose to taste different due to the cow’s different diet compared with the typical American feedlot cows feeding on corn mill. But all that goodness from the included ingredients makes it hard to really pick out the beefier taste; however, we can take comfort in the cow’s healthy well-being before the slaughter. As for the innards of this burger, we have diced and sauteed marinated portobello mushrooms, melted blue brie cheese, griddled scallions for the herby taste and texture, and dijonnaise for the slight tang. If that mouthful of flavors isn’t enough for you, a fried egg can be added. Perfectly orchestrated fried egg with still runny yolk will end this burger on a high note.

2954 North Sheffield Avenue, Chicago 60657
Phone: (773) 360-8686

Zucchini Basil Soup (Low Fat) – $3.45 (cup) $5.50 (bowl)

I visited this outdoor restaurant as I was looking for a quick lunch around Coconut Grove in Miami, and was recommended to try this healthy summery soup. What’s surprising was that it might look very creamy, neither butter nor cream was used! The soup was very soothing, and had a very fresh and distinct flavor of basil. The texture was not too thick and not too creamy, and there were minute chunks of zucchinis here and there. I was very happy to have found such healthy comfort food!

3468 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, FL 33133
Phone: 305 444 0244

Crispy Southern Fried Organic Chicken – Euro 36.00

At this diners third foray at the Ralph Lauren restaurant in Paris, I ventured to try one of their poultry dishes. This classic came with home style mashed potatoes and sauteed baby spinach with cornbread on the side. While the food is excellent the service and attention to detail require some working on, surprising considering the 2:1 service to patron ratio.  I realize it is not standard policy of HighTea to inject strong personal opinon but I feel three times in a two week span cannot be overlooked.

The outer layer of the chicken was crispy and the inside soft and tender. The accompanyments fit the dish superbly complementing the flavor of the dish with watery spinach and puree mashed potatoes.

173 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75006, Paris
Phone: 01 44 77 76 00

Ralph’s Burger – Euro 27.00

Ralph’s Restaurant in Paris is Ralph Lauren’s second venture into the restaurant business, with the first one located in Chicago. Ralph’s Burger is served with ranch style fries, American farmstead garden slaw, onions, pickles, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, cheddar cheese and crispy bacon. All the meat is flown in from Ralph Lauren’s ranch in Colorado. The burger itself was extremely soft with the sprinkles of bacon adding a bit of crunch to each bite. The burger itself, as well as the rest of the portion, are noticeably smaller from their American counterparts, which seem to have been adjusted for the French palate.

173 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75006, Paris
Phone: 01 44 77 76 00

Hot Artichoke Dip with Crisp Bread and Endive Leaves – $10 plus $2 for Endives

It’s a perfect appetizer to share between 2-4 people.
Freemans is located at the end of an alley between two streets in Lower East Sides.
Extremely low-profile because it does not have any signs.
Go early to avoid long wait since the restaurant only takes reservation for parties of 6+.

End of Freeman Alley (off Rivington b/w Bowery & Chrystie) New York, NY 10002
Phone:  (212) 420-0012
www.freemans restaurant.com

Purple Potato Skins – $9 (3 pieces)

This is the first starter listed in Lola’s fancy menu wrapped in real leather, $9 get you three pieces of purple potato skins and $3 for each extra piece. They are topped with sundried tomato creme fraiche, roasted garlic cloves, smoked bacon bits, chives, with American sturgeon caviar. This is an elegant take on the otherwise simple baked potato skin usually boringly topped with bacon and cheddar. The choice of purple potatoes was well-made as they matched the pretentious caviar. I thought this appetizer pleases the eyes more than the taste bud, the creme fraiche clearly dominates both the flavors and texture. You see many condiments, but you only experience one.

2032 Harrison Street,
Hollywood, FL 33020
(954)927-9851

Corned Beef Hash $7.95

The OPH has their own special recipe of corned beef, not too salty,
and doesn’t leave you thirsty.
The hash brown is not pan-fried, it isn’t exactly mashed,
and doesn’t leave your tongue itchy.
I ordered my eggs over-easy, I let the well-balanced mixture of corned beef  and hash
submerge in the two yolks.
With the silky egg white, this comfort breakfast item is a mouthful experience of textures and
will last you till time for
high tea.

This restaurant serves from 6:30am-12:30pm and till 1:30 pm on the weekends.
Be ready to line up and bring cash, that’s the only big price you need to pay.

Madison
5518 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53705
608-231-3666

It is a chain, though it feels more like a family business,
check out www.originalpancakehouse.com for locations near you!

Roasted Pig’s Head for two – $60.00 (two person meal)

Please don’t be put off by this succulent pig’s head special for two.  Most people wouldn’t be able to stomach this, but I tell you, there are hidden gems to this dish. Before I go on about the entree, let me forewarn you. If you can’t handle looking at a deceased pig’s head in front of you over the meal, don’t order this (obvious). If you find it embarrassing to order this at a relatively fancy restaurant, don’t order this. If you can’t handle the mess that is required to meticulously dissect the head, don’t order this. Finally, if you can’t handle people staring at you the whole night… don’t order this. Now for the good part. The pig’s head is diced in half and thoroughly cleansed. The main way the pig’s head is prepared is through slow roasting. Because of the slow roast, the skin becomes very crispy with a sweet undertone. The flesh beneath is extremely tender and juicy which boggled my mind because I was expecting a dryer meat. The waitress told us that the best part of the dish was located under the eye where it was just as tender as the rest of the head. The ears were crispy due to the thin nature of the appendage. There are pitfalls to this dish (the mess). The tender meat is there, but much of the pig’s fat is lodge in the way of the meat. I, on several occasions, swallow the fat with the meat. Caveat emptor (buyer beware). Lastly, I would like to note that before I ordered the dish, I knew that the restaurant might call me a ‘sucker’ for taking the usually unwanted part of the pig and paying an exorbitant premium to eat it, but how often can say you have eaten a restaurant-quality pig’s head. Skin:Fat:Meat ratio (1:14:8)

853 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617 ) 497-5511

Roasted Littleneck Clams – $25.00 (lunch)

A plate of littleneck clams bathed in a tangy spicy red sauce with scallions. The light sauce has hints of tomato paste and white wine similar to moules frites. On top of the entree are three baked garlic bruschettas which may be too hard for the average customer to eat without cutting up their gum, but the plentiful sauce allows the bruschetta to soak up and soften. The ideal way to tackle the meal should have plucked clams on the soaked bruschetta eaten in one bite, but that is typically impossible with this kind of dish, so expect a mess. I suggest take a bite out of the bruschetta and then fork a clam, simple and easy. The clam meat may be small, but the dish has enough clams to provide a satisfying meal.

550 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 423-0550

Raw Oysters – Market Price ranges from $2.00 -$3.00 each

A small seafood restaurant with the raw bar occupying half the space, this truly is a seafood hole-in-the-wall. Neptune Oyster has a set of daily oysters from the east to the west coast that changes every so often. Their selection of oysters is quite large with every oyster having its own distinct characteristic. On our raw dine out, we had the following. Who knew oysters could have fruity tastes.

Starting from the lemon on top to the center of the plate:
Island Creek: medium-large, medium salinity, juicy, fruity finish
Taylor Bay: medium-large, medium salinity, seaweed finish
Summerside: medium, medium salinity, juicy, citrus finish
Kumamoto: small, sweet, plump, creamy, hints of honeydew melon
Fanny Bay: medium, low salinity, sweet, cucumber finish

63 Salem Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 742-3474

RL Burger – $12.00 (lunch)
Addition of Mushrooms/Bacon/Cheese – $2.00

Another one of those juicy seasoned sirloin burgers brought you to by RL Restaurant. The patty comes with a sesame covered toasted challah bun, usual lettuce, and caramelized onions and mushrooms. Like most quality burgers, this one is teaming with bursting flavorful juices that inevitably cause a mess at this quality diner. And seasoned fries.

115 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 475 1100