BRGR

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/44663976/new_york_ny/brgr.html

Joining the new fad of making a burger joint that is still somehow trendy, BRGR opened on 7th avenue right near the FIT campus. The place looks like it was decorated by a FIT student as it tries to mix Ono with Johnny Rocket's.

I ordered the roquefort, bacon, and sweet onion marmalade burger which turned out to be rather good. The burger was rather good but unfortunately not in a gourmet burger manner though; the cheese and bacon was mashed in well with the grease into between the beef and bun the way one would want from a real burger joint. However, for the prices, this establishment should be trying to create something different. The sweet potato fries were fairly soggy and didnt even compare to fries you'd get at any deli.

While you won't feel like you wasted your time coming to BRGR you probably will feel like you wasted your money.

BLT Fish

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/41417129/new_york_ny/blt_fish.html

The "Shack" at BLT Fish is the lower level of a two floor establishment. The upstairs level is the definition of NY 'shishi' (does anyone actually know how to spell that word?) while the downstairs Shack level provides a more casual dining environment, attempting to resemble a seaside fish/clam shack of sorts. We entered the place with exactly that experience in mind..not terribly hungry, but just in the mood for a quick snack and drink.

While the prices still dont quite remind me of being in Maine, this place definitely fit the bill of a busy, fun and casual place to get good quality seafood. The shellfish selection is quite extensive; we started off with an assortment of oysters and our waitress was fairly knowledgeable in explaining the differences. I will say that this eating expereience was solid enough to get me interested in oysters enough to spend about an hour at work the next day reading about all the different varieties. That must count for something....

I then had the Manhattan Clam Chowder. The waitress prefaced the order with "do you like bacon?" which seemed like a somewhat odd question. This made complete sense though when the soup arrived as the aroma of bacon was suddenly everywhere (a sensory injection which i can't say i really mind). The chowder had good size chunks of clam and I would recommend as a great starter.

I would recommend the Shack as it does exactly what it set out to do; try to bring a little bit of the seaside to the city.