Shake Shack

The Shack of Shake
Originally uploaded by Ozzdo

Sarah, Matt Mendell and I had dinner at the Shake Shack last Friday. A warm summer evening on the grass, under the lights, in the middle of a crowd has a particularly New York feel.

Madison Square Park has really grown on me during my time in New York. It has the Shake Shack, public art installations, live music, benches and lawns for relaxing, a younger crowd, and most importantly, a dog run. The park is totally different from the way it was ten or fifteen years ago, when it was a dangerous, run-down and overgrown site that most folks stayed away from. Not all of the changes to New York in that period have been good, but it's hard to argue with this one.

Li Hua Korean Cuisine

Li Hua is a tastefully modern Korean restaurant at the corner of Grand St & Center St in Chinatown. The dining space is open but quiet, well-suited for lunch with a few friends. The kitchen serves up high-quality Korean classics like gopdol, bibimbab, scallion pancakes and ribs at downright reasonable prices -- entrées are $10 to $15. The bowls of "little eats" that come out at the beginning of the meal are appetizing even to Korean-food neophytes. I also recommend the warm house sake, even at lunchtime, even if you've never had sake.

VERDICT: Much better than Manna Express off Union Square. If you have a Korean lunch itch that needs scratching, try Li Hua.

Flight of the Conchords

Flight of the Conchords, a new show on HBO about the tribulations of a two-man band from New Zealand, is pretty funny. The first episode is online, as is their first "music video":



You can see the complete first episode, too.