Salted Caramel Custard at Shake Shack

A number of elements came together last night to convince me that a stop at the UWS Shake Shack was a necessity:

1) It was over 90 degrees.

2) The A train just wasn't coming and the C offered a welcome respite from the sweltering platform.

3) Jon's in Florida and I was in no hurry to return to my empty apartment.

4) SALTED CARAMEL CUSTARD is Shake Shack's Monday flavor-of-the-day throughout August.

5) I still hadn't been to the UWS Shake Shack outpost. A visit was long overdue.

Inside, I hopped on the "C" line for cold food and ordered a single dip of salted caramel custard in a cup with their seasonal fruit, blueberries, on top. I waited less than a minute in line and less than a minute for my treat, a welcome change from my experience at the downtown Shake Shack, admittedly usually earlier in the day.

The custard was in some ways just what I was looking for. It tasted almost exactly like the inside of a Fran's salted caramel but with a cold, creamy texture that went down like silk. Unfortunately, it wasn't as refreshing as I'd hoped. In the hot weather, it was both a little too sweet and a little too salty to satisfy my thirst for cool. The blueberries helped cut the sweetness, but at $1.25 for approximately 15 berries, they certainly weren't a bargain.

Overall, I'm glad I tried it but if anything, it only makes me more eager to return on Thursday for Sweet Corn.

Baoguette

It seems I might be a bit behind, as their website indicates they've already won a couple of awards, but last night I chanced upon (literally, I was hoping to hit Gem Spa for my after-show snack, but see previous post) Baoguette's St. Marks Place (East Village) location. I'm not a banh mi authority, but I've certainly had my share and I'm quite fond of them. I can honestly say that theirs is tops.

While I may try some of the other fillings in the future, last night I had their version of the basic banh mi: pork, pork pate, minced pork, and pickled carrots and cucumbers. It stood above the other banh mi I've had in the city in nearly every way. Hot ingredients were hot, cold ingredients were cold; the baguette was fresh-baked (around 12:30am. I asked, and they bake small batches throughout the day), and one I would have been happy getting had I just gone to a bakery for a baguette; the pork was very good, all three kinds; and they offered a sliding scale of spice, going "none"->"sriracha only"->"sriracha and jalapenos"->"sriracha and thai chiles". Definitely a very good sandwich.

I also tried a small sample of their soft serve ice cream, which comes in interesting flavors. They were out of Durian, so I tried Pandan, which had a very interesting, subtle taste.

Also on the menu is some good-smelling pho, some good looking stewed beef belly, and bun (noodle) dishes endorsed by other patrons.

General Greene Ice Cream

After reading in Grub Street today that, "General Greene is following in the footsteps of Jacques Torres and opening an ice-cream cart… Five flavors will be on offer at any one time, rotating throughout the summer (‘Additional flavors will be added as we come up with them!’). There may be a test run as early as this weekend —look for scoops of burnt-honey vanilla, pistachio mocha chip, pretzel salted caramel and chocolate banana with peanuts," I just so happened to be in the neighborhood and sampled some. $3 bought me two scoops in either a cup or a cone. In an attempt to compare them with two well-loved Haagen Dazs flavors in my house, I went for one scoop of pretzel salted caramel and another of burnt-honey vanilla in a cup.

The pretzel salted caramel was a little too heavy on the salt and a little too light on the caramel and I wish the pretzels had been crunchier. Between it and Fleur de Sel Caramel, Haagaen Daz wins hands down. I mean their version has chocolate! I don't think I'd get this General Greene flavor again.

The burnt-honey vanilla, on the other hand, was a dream! Rich honey flavor, but not too sweet. There was a subtle distinction between the honey bites and the vanilla bites, unlike in Haagen Dazs' Vanilla Honey Bee, which all tastes like honey and vanilla and is a little too sweet for my liking. Aside from the General's lightly powdery texture (Emily liked it, thought it tasted homemade), I call it the winner.

So we're at a draw.

I guess I'll have to go back (if I'm in the neighborhood, not worth going out of my way) to try the other flavors. Matcha pistachio was on the menu tonight and Haagen Dazs makes a mean Pistachio and Green Tea!