Yesterday, I had no recipes to share with you because my boyfriend and I took a little mini vacation in our own city.

There are so many amazing things to see in the city, and with work and errands and every day life, sometimes we don’t get the chance to explore. Sometimes I think tourists see more of a city than the people who actually live there.

So we decided we’d change that.

There are two places we’ve been talking about going but something always comes up.

So yesterday we said no to cleaning and grocery shopping and, yes, even cooking, and hand in hand, set off for a stroll through Central Park.

It was an absolutely picture perfect summer day. It was the second day of summer in fact, so a walk through the park and a trip to the Central Park Zoo was in order.

I was surprised at just how many things are packed in! The park itself is a sprawling field of green in the tangle of the city, but the zoo doesn’t occupy much of the space of the park overall.

Exotic birds, polar bears, penguins. The sea lions! Can’t forget the sea lions swimming around playfully in their tank.

The only problem with the zoo trip is that now my boyfriend wants a red panda as a pet.

Thank goodness our apartment does not allow for pets.

We left the zoo and made our way over to Argo Tea for the best chai I’ve ever found in the city.

But the zoo and the park and the tea were just warmups.

We were walking around so we wouldn’t feel guilty for what we were about to do.

In Midtown sits the rocky facade of the Parker Meridien Hotel. Doormen in crisp shirts greet you. The gleaming marble, the heavy draperies. It’s gorgeous. But we weren’t here for the scenery.

We were here for the burger.

Say what?

Yes, the burger.

I had been there once before, but I couldn’t remember how to get to…

“You here for the burger?”

One of the doormen, seeing us in our tee-shirts and shorts, rightfully guessed that we were NOT checking in to the hotel.

We laughed.

“You look hungry,” he said. This guy was good.

He pointed us around the curtains and down a narrow hallway. There was no sign, no indication. Until you got to the end and saw the neon light in the shape of a burger with an arrow pointing right.

We were in the right place.

You walk in and you do a doubletake. Were we really just in that elegant lobby? Really?

This is what you see when you walk in:

A dimly lit wood-panelled box completely covered in scribblings and signatures, 6 or 7 booths, a long table with barstools, and there, directly in front of you, an itty bitty kitchen.

The grill, the register, the fryers, the blenders for milkshakes. Yup, all crammed in that little space.

And guess what they crank out of that itty bitty kitchen?

These big burgers and even bigger bags of fries.

Any description I give here will be completely inadequate.

Just go.

Read the rules on ordering (yes, there are rules), and wait your turn.

Grab a seat as soon as one opens up.

Sip your beer and get ready for a bite of the best burger you will ever have.

No overexaggeration.

I mean, did you see the kitchen? There’s no room for overexaggeration.