Stand

When I left for Stand on East 12^th and University, it was mid-February, but it was that rare winter day in New York City when the negative wind-chill gives way to just a hint of spring, allowing for what would have been a nice walk over from the Lower East Side…. Unfortunately, my neighbor, Tanya, had just finished her 200^th hour of work for the week at 7:45 and we had to be there at 8:00…. We cabbed it.

When Tanya and I arrived, Diana was already at the bar, already knew the bartender’s name, and had already knew more about the place than most people would after eating there three times. And this (the bar) brings me to an important aspect of Stand that should certainly not be overlooked…. Their drought beer collection is entirely regional.

I myself started the evening out with a Pilsner from Pennsylvania that I thought was very nice and flavorful. After one of those I switched to the toasted lager where I stayed for the evening. They are kind of proud of their beer collection and if you can’t make up your mind where to start, don’t worry…. Just ask the bartender for a taste and he will be more than happy to accommodate.

When Yousef and Katie arrived, we ordered another round and promptly sat to attend to the real business at hand…BURGERS. The ordering of the burgers would have been completely uneventful if it weren’t for the fact that we decided to order milk shakes as appetizers. I just want to say that ordering milk shakes as an appetizer was a completely new and foreign idea to me and I am now convinced that this may be the single most overlooked part of my childhood. I furthermore want to thank each and every one of you for your brilliance.

As the analyzation of classic literature can tend to move us further and further from the author’s original intention, I will not now assay to describe the taste or flavor of these milkshakes—I’m talking about you, Toasted Marshmallow; you know who you are…. Very simply: The Toasted Marshmallow milkshake at Stand is worthy of treks from the far corners of the Earth. If you haven’t had one, stop reading this immediately, and go! Go now! That is all I will say about the particular nature of the Toasted Marshmallow milkshake at Stand.

Now, unfortunately—unfortunately—Stand is a burger joint, and that was the impetus of our trip. Stand’s burger was lackluster and deserves no mention whatsoever. It’s not horrible, or even a bad burger, but, Hey!, this is a burger joint, and as such one expects the burger to stand out. The Stand burger does not stand out and, furthermore, if it weren’t for the beer and the shakes, could not stand on its own.

Would I go back for the burger: No.

Would I go back for beer: There are places all over Manhattan with 40 taps hinged to kegs.

Would I go back for the shake: All I can say is, “Welcome to the goodie room.”