mac and cheese | hazardouseating

Approach Shopsins with caution, its been called the soup nazi of breakfasts and it wont take you long to figure out why. Luckily we were the cutoff for the line (even though we got there an hour and a half before it closed), the tourists from Arkansas that got there five minutes later weren’t as lucky.

As you wait in line anxiously pressed against the wall I’d recommend getting comfortable and checking out Saxelby Cheesemogners, and maybe getting some of their legen-dairy Goats Milk Burrata for later. Of course if your starved self can handle checking out the mind blowing menu while you wait in line for what seems like ever, it would be much more productive since it easily consists of about 300 items (the old west village location had near 1000). Once you find something you like, in true l.e.s. fashion, don’t think twice its alright, in fact it will be more than alright it will be amazing.

Its refreshing to find a place in New York that focuses more on the food than the buzz, the comfort than the obnoxious and their most fusion-y situation is the TexMex section (something that as a legit Mexican I usually steer clear of but not here – the Chilaquilles have feta and chipotles, ill leave it at that).

The Junior – bbq pork, mac and cheese, eggs, toast- is an American ropa vieja on crack basically. The pork is pulled and can be either hot or mild, its tender and juicy and literally soaking in sauce. The eggs are scrambled, plain ihop-y and the only normal part of your breakfast. The mac and cheese is gloriously heavy on the cheddar, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you ate a spoonful containing no mac whatsoever. … Now for the toast, I BEG you not to scream multigrain at the guy in a pathetic attempt to make this breakfast healthy. Seriously, inquire within, you should get corn bread – its brunch, come on! The corn bread toast was sliced and toasted on either side, although don’t even think you be able to make yourself a sandwich with that crumbly deliciousness.

Finally, my partner in crime got Blisters on my Sisters, which we had both been craving since the last time we were here. Shopsins’ take on Huevos Rancheros, it features eggs sunny side up over rice, beans greens a choice of bacon, sausage, chorizo, shrimp, pulled pork, brisket, chicken, etc. What I had of this was impeccable, although I was too involved in my Junior as portions are definitely large enough to keep you entertained with your own dish for a change.

In whatever star rating system I intend to enforce on this blog Shopsins definitely get two extra points for: asking you how spicy you want your food from 1 to 10 (take this seriously they don’t joke around with their habaneros); having the best home-mixed hot sauce (its frowned upon to ask for Sriracha); and giving me a free SPIDERMAN comic book!