eat me drink me

Who doesn’t love a pile of spicy, smoky, diced tomatoes with cilantro, lime, jalapeno, and onion, all mixed together and placed on top a corn chip, burrito, or taco?  In Colorado, you go to a Mexican restaurant and immediately they serve you a ramekin of garlicky tomato puree, rarely the bowl of fresh pico de gallo you get in New York (which people mistakenly call salsa).

But as New York Times writer Julia Moskin dives into the new Mexico chic cuisine that has popped up all over the city, she finds that a lot of places are getting this simple sounding, but not so simple dish, right.  Surprisingly, as a Mexican food snob, I totally agree with this article.  There are some great places to get some unique and tasty salsas.  Her list includes: Cascabel Taqueria, La Superior, Hecho en Dumbo, and more.  I would definitely add Cabrito, one of my personal favorite taco spots here, to the list.

Who has your favorite salsa?  And, what is the best way to make it?

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Today New York Times writer Manny Fernandez wrote about the 99-cent pizza craze that has been spreading across Manhattan.  But, he isn’t the first one to note cheap, $1 and under food.  About a year ago, I did a round up for Serious Eats that included pork buns, noodles, and sticks of meat from Flushing, Queens’ Chinatown; $1 falafel sandwiches; cheap sushi; and 39 cents an ounce frozen yogurt.  Josh Bernstein has also been rounding up cheap eats by neighborhood for Metromix.  He recently stumbled on the Hell’s Kitchen area and talked about the same pizza Fernandez did in his article.

What’s up with this craze?  Is 99-cent pizza worth it?  Adam Kuban of Slice didn’t say in his cheap pizza battle last year, but he also didn’t say he really liked either pie.  Some things I think work well as $1 items, like ices on the street in the summer, hot dogs, and French fries.  But overall, I would rather pay $2 for a really good slice, then bother with a kind of gross one for less.

Can I just tell you that I love coffee? Love, love, LOVE the stuff, and, because I drink it black, it totally makes my day when I stumble across a really good cup.  At RBC NYC in Tribeca, they have gone all out there. Enter, the Slayer. This variable pressure machine is the only one on the East Coast, and one of 20 in the entire WORLD. Wow. Handcrafted in Seattle, I can see why this beast is so special.  The three level system (which I am writing about for the New York Press right now, so more later), draws out a perfectly smooth, buttery shot of espresso.  I was buzzing so hard core after going there.  Of course, I also sampled a cup of drip Sumatra. Yum.  It’s no wonder the New York Times included it in their great coffee shop round up.  But there was a downfall, all that coffee and no bathroom.

I don’t know when sushi shaped like cats, or cats eating cute pieces of sushi became a popular image, but I am glad it did. What could be cuter then a salmon roll with a smiling cartoon cathead on it? Or a game where you play a round blue feline who eats sushi? Either way, sushi and cats, what a perfect combo.

One thing you should know, I think Starbucks is brilliant.  Well, more I think the people behind the brand are brilliant.  Not only have they made coffee into a luxury and necessary item, but they have trained us to ask for it by funny names like caramel macchiato, or crave a skinny vanilla latte, or even worse, use a benign size system.  Tall?  What does that mean?  I worked in a cafe for over 5 years and nothing was more annoying then someone asking for a grande macchiato when really they meant a medium (I think) latte.

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Last night I had the pleasure of attending a party at the Brazilian Consulate in honor of Leticia Moreinos Schwartz’s new cookbook, The Brazilian Kitchen.  The small room was packed with Schwartz’s family, friends, publisher, and other food-oriented people mulling about the makeshift bar and sipping fresh made Cabana sponsored caipirinhas.  As we downed the dangerously delicious cocktails, plates of finger food created from recipes in Schwartz’s book made the rounds.  From delicate puffs of hot cheese bread (page 16), to the heavy and fried beef croquettes (page 23) and black-eyed pea fritters (page 31), and to the rich caipirinha flavored bonbons (page 166), the samplings of the evening barely brushed the contents of her book.

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One recent Friday afternoon, I found myself with an hour to kill and was conveniently located near Union Square and its fabulous greenmarket.  Normally I just rush about, wanting and craving everything I see, but either I have no cash, or don’t want to carry my bounty around town.  This time, while the fresh veggies, eggs, and meat tempted me, what really pulled me in was the goat stand.  For about 20 years, Ellie Hushour has owned and operated the Patches of Star Dairy in Nazareth, PA, and her goaty goods are found every week at the green market.  She sells goat milk, yogurt, and cheese, all packaged fresh, with no preservatives, and at reasonable prices.

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photo by Randy Mayor (from Cooking Light)

Man, so about a month ago I took on the task of rounding up the best all-you-can-eat joints in the city.  My results? You can now see them HERE in this week’s Time Out New York! My all time favorite one was Cabrito, mostly because the staff was so nice and their tacos-AMAZING.  Of course, from fried chicken, to piles of meat, to delicate mussels, all these places are good, I tried each one in less then a week.  Still not sure how I did it, I mean, that is a lot of food.  Lucky me, it seems I was born with a second stomach.

Does anyone have a good all-you-can-eat place that I missed? Always looking for more places to gorge.

Time to round up some of my latest, tantalizing food reviews for your enjoyment. Yum yum!
MacBar in Soho (New York Press)

“My gang and I dove into six of the options, all sized small, all gooey, all damn tasty. Each of the dishes was baked to perfection, with the insides hot and melty and the top brown and crispy. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to get an order, but every one is made fresh. My favorite of the ones we sampled was the “Mac lobsta’” ($8.99). It surprised me due to its unbelievable lightness, explained by the use of mascarpone cheese instead of a classic cheddar or fontina. Because of the mild nature of the cheese, the freshness of the lobster chunks really came through, and mixed with tarragon and cognac, the flavors eased together to create a rich and delicious combo.”

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A while back I was traipsing around Jackson Heights, Queens, researching sexy spots for a Time Out New York article, when the scent of meat on the griddle wafted into my nose.  My mouth started salivating and my head felt dizzy with anticipation.  I had struck taco stand heaven.  For $2 you can get two, hot corn tortillas piled high with savory, perfectly cooked meat (usually pork for me), fresh cilantro, pickled carrots and peppers, and a sprinkle of chopped onion.  You know a taco is perfect when you don’t have to add any sauce to it, and the one from this stand was key.

As a Colorado native, I really miss out on tacos here in New York.  Though the ones found in this Mexican heavy neighborhood certainly can contend with my beloved home state’s spicy, savory treats.  Bring me tacos or bring me death!  Ha.  But really, with all the new taco places opening up (I told you months ago that tacos would be the new bahn mi, which were the new cupcake), I am shocked more of them can’t get it right.  I won’t divulge my secret top taco spots yet…but in time you will know them too.