Where to Eat: New York City
Burgers and hot dogs, yes, but also jerk oysters and crispy-bottomed seafood paella.
I don’t grill, but I love being around grilling. Who doesn’t? I love the smell, the standing around and rubbernecking to see the food cook, the smoke in my eyes. (Smoke follows beauty, right? Right?)
Weirdly, I can’t find a place to put a grill in my sixth-floor walk up. So if you’re blessed with a backyard and the means to char burgers and hot dogs any night of the week, I’m happy for you.
For the rest of us, chasing down pop-ups is often the best way to get a fresh-off-the-grill meal with the full smoke-and-loitering experience. Finding a pop-up feels like a game of Pokemon Go — you have to diligently stalk the pop-up’s Instagram for locations and plans, often show up reservation-less and hope the line isn’t catastrophic. Here are a few summer pop-ups that are worth setting post notifications for.
Grilled oysters on repeat
The highlight of my Fourth of July was a grilled oyster topped with the flavors of pan con tomate — vinegary grated tomatoes, garlic and cilantro macho, served with a piece of grilled bread skewered with a Panamanian flag. I may never try it again, such is the nature of the ever-changing pop-up menu from the “unapologetically Panamanian” Flatbush Oyster Co. But I can rest easy knowing they’ll always serve their elemental dish: grilled oysters with buttery jerk seasoning, a bite worthy of its own hashtag.
Details on their upcoming pop-ups can be found on the @flatbushoysterco Instagram.
Smash burgers with a fan club
Shy’s Burgers proudly advertises that they have “no hours, no address, no number.” Probably because if they did have a number, the line would be perpetually busy, and if they had an address, there would be fire hazard-level crowds every day. Sometimes you can expect a few types of burgers and sides, and sometimes it’s straightforward: smashed grass-fed beef, American cheese, white onions, special sauce and a potato bun. At Mimi in Greenwich Village, where Shy’s is doing a residency for the summer, there’s also a bright sardine dish, mortadella with potato chips, and a few other non-burger dishes. For the full outdoor cookery experience (and top-tier people watching), hunting down a pop-up is still the way to go.
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