Ramen Burger, Cronut, & other Food Fad Craziness!

I love food, don't get me wrong, but what is up with these crazy food fads that have people lining up for hours in the wee hours of the morning??

Did you know in Japan they actually pay people to stand in line to add hype to something? Because if people are in line, it must be ah-mayyyyyyyy-zing, or that's the idea anyway. When Cold Stone and Krispy Kreme first came to Japan - forget about it - lines around the block!! I actually did wait in a long line at Krispy Kreme in Yokohama when they first opened, I was THAT desperate for a taste of home. What's funny is that they actually gave you a free donut while you waited! I ate my freebie, re-evaluated the need to wait any longer, and ended up going home - HA!! Crazy foreigner. I guess most customers were there to buy the big ol' box to bring to their co-workers or families.

OK, so let's talk about some food fads going in in New York at the moment...

First, we have the Ramen Burger.

A burger, some sauce, and a bun made of noodles. Created by Keizo Shimamoto it has become THE THING at Smorgasburg on Saturdays in Williamsburg. Seriously, people wait in line over 2 hours to grab one of these $8 burgers. They only make about 400, once a week, and then they're gone by around noon. So is it the low supply causing the high demand or are these things really that fabulous?

Here was the line when we went. Ridiculous! At least it was a beautiful day...

Behold - the Ramen Burger!

My hubby biting into the much anticipated burger!

Survey says... yeah, they're pretty good! Personally, I'm not a huge ramen fan, nor am I a huge fan of red meat (I eat it about twice a year), so I'm not the best judge here. But, the bun was really interesting - the noodles (freshly made - not the horrid $.99 ones you downed in college!), despite being fried on the teppanyaki grill, were soft and stayed congealed together in bun form through every bite. My favorite part was the sauce which was tasty with a capital T!!

My advice, if you're intrigued, go for it! But do it on a nice day when you won't be standing in line for two hours feeling miserable! Go with some friends, brown bag it and play some games in line :) There are port-a-potties nearby so no worries there! After you're done, check out the other bazillion food vendors - tons of amazing things to try! Then, take the ferry down to Governor's Island!

OK, next up we have the oh so famous CRONUT!!
Half croissant, half donut, this thing looks de-freaking-licious!!!

Launched in May of this year, these $5 pastries are only sold at Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York's SoHo. Apparently your best chance of getting a cronut is by lining up by 6am on a weekday morning, facing up to 5 hours in line. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA??? Also, there's a 2 cronut limit per person, so don't think you're all smart by sending a friend to buy for all of you lazy sleeper-inners! Another option is calling on Monday at 11am and trying to get on their pre-order list - you can order up to 6 but apparently it's hard to get on the list. The final option is doing a bulk order (at least 50) one month ahead. If you're planning some kind of party, this could be a good idea - your guests would luv luv luv you and forever remember your bash as "the one with the cronuts" haha!

So... have you tried the ramen burger or cronut? Do you have another crazy food fad to tell us about?? Please leave a comment below!!

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