Burger Night

I'm declaring Sunday night Burger Night. If only to have an excuse to return to Stand (24 East 12th Street - 212.488.5900), a new restaurant by Jonathan Morr, the creator of BondSt, APT, and Townhouse Hotel in Miami.

On the door, it reads STAND. That rare well-done burger restaurant. And, it's not false advertisting....they got it right in so many ways.



Designed to be sleek and utilitarian, Stand is a sophisticated yet hip mess hall where every night is burger night. The menu features a good offering of 7-ounce burgers that include the usual suspects (beef, turkey, veggie) along with a few originals (bacon & egg, mushroom and chopped steak) - all with interesting condiments like green peppercorn sauce or onion marmalade. Sides like coleslaw and onion rings are classic. More interesting are the mashed sweet potatoes and parmesan.

Refreshments may be an afterthought at most burger spots but Morr has paid special attention here with a wide selection of shakes ranging from banana to apple pie to toasted marshmallow and unusual sodas like fresh blackberry and pineapple-lime. You can even order a pitcher of beer (so old school!).

As a marketing girl, I can't help but comment on the brand concept. What Morr does so well with each of his establishments is find cutting-edge talent to carry his brand vision down to the last details. In this case, BDDW (and the amazing Tyler Hays) was commissioned to design the cafeteria tables and school house chairs. Branding was done by my friends at Base Design. Their creative includes matchbooks that read "I met........at Stand," with blank lines for name, gender and number as well as napkins printed with "Use napkins. Save your pants."

Stand has take out and will deliver from Houston to 23rd Street and from 1st Avenue to 8th Avenue. Noon to midnight. No catering as of yet, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. They can accommodate parties of up to 12 but they don't take reservations.

At least you know that wherever you sit, you'll be at the cool kids table.

Photo above by Noah Kalina.

Tucked Inn

They say that after 10 years of living here, you can finally call yourself a New Yorker. I guess it means that you you are tough enough to make it on the mean streets of Manhattan. Ironically, when I hit that marker, all I felt was proud to be Canadian.

Over the years, I've assembled quite the crew of Canucks in NYC - all of whom have endured the same ribbing from our American friends about ice hockey, South Park ("Blame Canada"), Celine Dion and the cottage (no, it is nothing like the Hamptons).

So, imagine my excitement when my good friend Lyman Carter (with Jeffrey Jah of Lotus and Double Seven, culinary partner chef Daniel Boulud and David Lopez), finally opened his ode to Canada called The Inn LW12, a gastro-pub inspired by summers in North Hatley at his family's lake house mixed with a little bit of Brit.

Located at 7 Ninth Avenue in a rustic townhouse from 1860, The Inn LW12 is a cool spot in the otherwise frenzied Meatpacking. Hang out in the Tap Room with a pint of draught beer (ours really is better) and an order of poutine, a Quebecoise specialty of fries, cheese curds and gravy. Or, reserve a table upstairs in the cozy Canoe Club for a dinner of Guinness braised beef with parsnip mash or smoked trout with leek veloute.




But, if you are a true insider...you'll pass by The Inn LW12 after midnight for a little tuck before bed. The Tuck Menu, named after the British/Canadian slang term for "snack" (that any camp-goer will nostalgically remember), is the best late night nosh around.

Try the Eggs Cocotte with spinach and mushrooms, grilled lamb burger or the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream (my favorite). Tuck is served 5 nights a week from Tuesday to Saturday from midnight to 3AM in both the Tap Room and Canoe Club.

Can't get a reservation? Try asking for Phil - The Inn Keeper. He has a wicked sense of humor and if you can impress him with some random Canadian factoid, he might just let you in.

All you Yankees better start studying up on your Strange Brew.

The Inn LW12 7 Ninth Avenue 212-206-0300