Food That Teases: Hors d'oeuvres, High Prices and Hype

Whew! Food-wise it's been a busy week. I've had the opportunity to scratch a few items off of my culinary to-do list.

Patio @ Cavo

Last Tuesday, BF and I were treated to a free evening of cocktails and Greek tidbits (courtesy of the Queens Yelp Elite Event) at Cavo in Astoria. It was my first Yelp Elite Event and I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by how nice the venue and entire evening were. Food and drink can take all the awkwardness out of lounging with strangers, especially booze and passed hors d'oeuvres.

Crowd @ C

Small bites always seem more tantalizing, in my opinion. They leave you wanting more! I got to nibble on some tender fried calamari, a skewer of chicken souvlaki, a crab cake, pita triangles with yogurt and quite a few meatballs.

Calamari, Souvlaki & Pita

This may sound ridiculous, but in my 25 years of life I don't think I've ever technically had chicken souvlaki before that evening. Yes, I've had chicken kebabs and beef souvlaki, but never chicken souvlaki. Just goes to show that I've got a lot of eating left to do as I discussed last post.

Also, I found out that watching bellydancers is quite good for one's appetite. Maybe it's all that attention on the stomachs?



Memorial Day was spent with two of my oldest, dearest friends waddling around that other NYC borough. You know the one. Anyway, after joyriding on the Staten Island ferry to catch a breeze and a view, we found ourselves at Eataly and later Shake Shack.

Oh Eataly, you hurt so good. It was painful how many things looked delicious. I can't believe it took me this long to make it there and am equally incredulous that I controlled myself and didn't walk out with any purchases. Probably my church-mouse status was a contributing factor.

I really wanted that $12 bottle of sciroppo di latte di mandorle (almond milk syrup) so I could reminisce about my Rome adventures. And the package of prosciutto, the ball of fresh mozz, the squid's ink spaghetti, the jar of crema di pistacchi e cioccolato, the absolutely flawless petite eggplants... Sigh.

Ultimately, we left with hungry tummies after determining it would be too expensive to get our proper fill at those gourmet prices. Thus, we crossed the street for some Memorial Day appropriate burgers 'n shakes instead of splurging on the paste, salumi e vino that were teasing us.

After hearing all kinds of "Shake Shack is the messiah" buzz, I was naturally eager to see what was what. It was certainly an experience. That line is no joke, but good company made it tolerable. We had to endure yet more teasing as we waited and contemplated. I loved their idea of a deep-fried, cheesey portobello mushroom on top of a burger, though I think it could be executed better than it was. Great idea, decent reality. The hype was not completely justified. Especially in the shake department. I've had way better shakes at many other places. I like mine very thick. Theirs was sweet and didn't hold up - turned liquidy quickly. A thin shake is pointless! You could just drink melted ice cream instead.

I wonder how places such as Shake Shack achieve messiah status? How do they get so insanely popular that people are willing to wait an hour for only moderately interesting food? Fascinating! Is it only possible in a big city like NY or does this phenomenon occur in small towns, too?

In any case, watching the queue was very entertaining. It always seemed to remain approximately the same length until nearly closing time. My friends and I couldn't help wondering if they try to keep the line long by slowing down if it gets shorter. I certainly noticed that the pace at which we moved when in line was not constant. We would sometimes move a lot at once and then not move a step for ages. Do you think an establishment would stoop so low to create hype? I'm cynical, so I think it's a definite possibility. Hey, bars and clubs do it so why not, right? But don't take my word for it - I don't want to be blamed for starting culinary conspiracy theories!

What's your favorite taste that teases?