The morning after the wedding a breakfast was held about 20 minutes away from the resort at the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal. It is the best place to see ships go through the canal and learn about the building and history of the canal with its good sized visitors’ center. The canal was pretty awesome and we were fortunate to have seen a ship go through this set of locks.

After we were done we headed back to the resort for some time by the pool and enjoy the brief window of non-raininess before heading back to Panama City for the rest of our vacation. After we got all settled in our new hotel, I decided I was in the mood for a good steak. I remembered seeing a restaurant called Gauchos Steak House when we were in the city before the wedding and it looked right up our alley. Argentinians know their steak and this was the closest I had ever been to Argentina, so we gave it a shot.

The restaurant layout was pretty cool since it was inside of a large, old house. As we were being seated, I saw the grill had a large window that was asking to be pictured. After confirming with the waiter, I went ahead and snapped a pic. Now that’s what I call a grill!

As you can see on the left side of the grill, they grill their bread. We were both quite hungry at this point, so we dug in heartily. The char on the bread gave it really good flavor.

I was also impressed that there was a little table for our bread tray to make room for other dishes. It reminded me of the stool given for the ladies purse at Daniel or Per Se.

The appetizers were pretty cheap, all around $6.

CT ordered the Picada de Chorizo y Morcilla (pork & black sausage). Both were full of flavor and fortunately the blood sausage wasn’t too “mineraly.”

CT says: Ever since my high-school summer in Spain, I’ve been trying to find a morcilla like the one I had there. While this one wasn’t the same, it was really tasty. Both sausages had great flavor and I quickly chowed down.

I ordered the Ceviche Mixto. It had a nice variety of seafood including shrimp, octopus and fish. There was a lot less onion in this preparation than the one we had at the fish market, so it wasn’t as spicy. It was a good base for all the grilled meat that would be following.

CT says: If ordering too much ceviche was possible, we might have been pushing our limits. However, all the ceviches were so fresh and delicious that we just couldn’t stop ourselves. Yum!

The appetizers were accompanied by two sauces. A tomato/shallot vinaigrette and a salsa verde/chimichurri. We were both big fans of the salsa verde.

CT says: I believe some people might call this stuff “crack.” I just pointed to the bowl and asked for more. Lots more.

I believe CT got what amounted to a NY Strip.

It was cooked to a perfect medium rare.

It came with choice of sides. She went with the mashed potatoes.

CT says: The meat was cooked perfectly! A nice char on the outside and dark pink on the inside. So juicy, tender and flavorful. Since I’d eaten fries earlier that day, I opted for the mashed potatoes and I was glad I did! They were buttery, garlicky deliciousness and paired so well with the meat. Not too heavy with butter, but went down smooth. Can’t go wrong with well prepared meat and potatoes!

Since I was on vacation and calories don’t count, I ordered the mixed grill. It had skirt steak, short ribs, and I think also a NY Strip. The meat like CT’s was also cooked perfectly. All three had a nice butter bath while on the grill, which made the already tender meat as great as it gets. I was a little surprised that skirt steak was included on the plate as it doesn’t make for the best steak on its own. I prefer it in tacos or sandwich form as it can get chewy if not cut properly. The short ribs and strip were excellent. I definitely got the meat sweats which is always a sign of a good meaty meal.

I got fries as my side. They were pretty meh, but I didn’t really need any more food so it wasn’t a big deal.

We got another plate of the same sauces with the addition of a steak sauce. This sauce was pretty sweet and really wasn’t needed on the already perfectly seasoned steaks.

We skipped on dessert and were presented with a little cup of toothpicks. It was a nice touch to end the meal, rather than grabbing one from the hostess stand.

All in all, Gauchos Steak House knows their meats. I was in a steak mood and got all of my desires fulfilled. One of the reasons you hardly read a review of a steakhouse in NYC here is that they are all very expensive and not that special IMOH. I’d rather spend half the money somewhere else and get a better meal. Gauchos set us back $105 include a bottle of wine, tax and tip. This was considered a splurge restaurant down there, but I considered it a bargain. A tasty, tasty bargain!

© TT for The Feisty Foodie, 2011. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Panama

My dear friend StB has had an exciting year.  Long time readers may recognize her as my former partner-in-eating-crime; we ate many many meals together (as that link will show you), but then she did something horrible and moved to Ohio.  But this year, she moved back!  She got engaged!  She turned 30!  And when I finally had a minute to breathe during this intense, scary, terrible, awesome, amazing summer, we took a jaunt around Jackson Heights for food – cheap.  We started off at Mira Cali II for pandebono…

This was $1.  We split one because we knew how much more food was coming.

The fluffy innards.  I liked this – it was airy, chewy, slightly sweet – but I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to get get it again.  I like pao de quiejo

After we wandered up and down Roosevelt Avenue for a few minutes looking for a tamale lady said to sell out of a cooler under the train stairs (we saw no such person), we decided to pick a truck and order.  This looked a lot like any of the trucks I’d hit during my Oakland truck tour, so we stopped and quickly agreed upon…

Oreja, or pig ear. 

Slightly chewy in texture, the flavor wasn’t actually all that interesting.  We both agreed that at $2, this was a steal, and quite tasty but next time we’d both opt for a different “meat” (we split this, too). 

Our next stop turned out to be a taqueria/sit-down type of restaurant. 

As soon as we sat down, we were given menus to ponder and a basket of clearly housemade tortilla chips and salsa.  Not spicy, but a nice nibble for while we perused the offerings. 

We both ordered the horchata, but because I’m always thirsty lately, I got the supersized version.  I think this was $1.50 and $3. 

StB went with the cesina, or salted beef.  (We split both of these again.)  When they say salted beef, they mean salted.  I mean, it was really freakin’ salty.  Tasty, to be sure, but something both of us agreed that we couldn’t eat the entire taco because it was just too salty to comfortably consume.

I went with al pastor (pork) I believe, and this was really yummy.  I liked mine quite a lot, finding it super tasty and everything worked well together.

Also, before anyone gets upset at how the “guacamole” looks – I don’t think that’s guacamole.  I think that’s salsa de aguacate – a sauce made of avocado, and meant to be blended quite a bit more (and therefore “waterier”/more liquid-y than guacamole, not nearly as chunky or thick and creamy as many Americans are used to).  And it tastes good, as long as you know what to expect. 

Following that, we walked over to Seba Seba to look at antojitos. 

Small bites that range in price from $1 to a few dollars. 

And yet somehow, we were too full to consider picking and choosing from the cases displaying some really amazing bites. 

Yeah, we walked to East Elmhurst from Jackson Heights to find Cannelle… which was the lone patisserie that BeerBoor skipped during his Macaron Day trip.  I hadn’t even known that was where we were heading, but when we arrived, I excitedly asked the woman behind the counter if there were any macarons.  She looked at me as though I were a little nuts, and flatly informed me that no, there were no more macarons.  Hmm. 

We were there for a dessert that made some list in Time Out New York, though –

The Creole. 

Which, not being that into sweets, both StB and I found a little too rich for our tastes.  For some reason, we were both under the impression it would be lighter, airier, fluffier, but this was pretty heavy and we ate only a little more than half of the $3.50 individual cake before we had to dump it and walk back to the train station. 

What are friends for if not to walk around and eat for hours?  Welcome home, StB.  You were missed.

Yvo says: None of the places we visited were particularly expensive, and all had very many tasty treats to explore and discover.  I highly recommend taking a similar walk around (and if you know me, invite me along!) and checking out all the goodies, eating to your heart’s content, as we did.  The most expensive meal of the day was, of course, the one sit-down place we visited, where even that came to just around $10 before tip.  Everywhere we went, despite clearly not being locals, everyone was nice to us, and our food was yummy! 
recommended, every single place, explore your way through the menu!

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: horchata, tacos

I actually wrote about Mi Tio a while ago (over 4 years ago now), but recently returned to see if it was still worth all the fond memories I have of this place.  As I mention in that post, I’ve been going to this place since my father was still alive.  It used to be a very small, hole-in-the-wall, family oriented joint; it doesn’t seem to have changed much from that save the ‘hole-in-the-wall’ description, as it’s expanded quite a bit in the past 10+ years and looks almost fancy.  Almost.  In any case, the prices have changed only slightly… 

Spicy chimichurri on the left, and regular chimichurri on the right.  Back in the day, going here for dinner with my family, we’d easily finish the whole non-spicy one (slathering it on the bread, on the steak, on everything in sight; it was that good) and have to ask for another one.  And yes, we’d reek of garlic for hours afterwards… good times, good times.  Since then, I’ve managed to make my own version that is pretty good.  On this occasion, I actually found it unnecessary for most of the food… 

We opted to start off with an order of ‘special onion rings’ – which were really damn tasty.  The batter was perfect except that it kept sliding off the onion rings… and the ‘chipotle’ dipping sauce was only marginally spicy, which was a nice boost to the onion rings.  Love.  Would order again. 

Salada de lengua, or tongue salad.  I was expecting thin slices of tongue, but this was a nice change: thick chunks, which had been pickled or marinated in something such that the texture was completely unlike tongue as I know it (as a cold cut, or as a dish my mother occasionally made, which was chewy and super savory).  This had the sharp tang of a pickled meat, and was quite tasty, but the platter was way huge for me to eat too much lest I ruin my appetite for my upcoming main course.  My buddy happily ate the rest of it, citing surprise equal to mine over the texture and taste. 

My “Russian” potato salad (I’m still not sure why they call it that) was a bit too much mayo this time around; almost like mashed potatoes made with mayo instead of butter and cream, which kind of threw my taste buds out of wack.  However, it was a good foil with my main course, which was actually a touch too salty. 

My full skirt steak!  This was really well-flavored/seasoned, which is why I wound up not using too much chimichurri, despite my love for it; the steak was seasoned (marinated?) exactly perfectly such that it needed no more accompaniment.  When I added a bit of chimichurri solely because I love the stuff, it was way too salty altogether so I had to abandon the chimichurri.  I can’t say this is a bad thing, but I would have liked it if I could use the chimichurri liberally like I usually do!

My dining companion opted for the mixed grill, which came with blood sausage (that had exploded), sausage, intestines, short ribs, and sweetbreads.  I tried a bit of the sweetbreads, hoping against hope that I’d finally find a place that made them right again.  I was super happy when these turned out to be quite food – the last two places I’ve had sweetbreads – one of them a Michelin-starred establishment! – both were chalky.  T’was not the case here; these were really quite delicious, and I will be back to get my fix of sweetbreads sooner than later, for a very reasonable price!  The entire platter (minus the intestines, which were a touch too chewy) was cleaned, so I presume it was good. 

Along with the mixed grill, roasted potato was ordered.  They were OK. 

Yvo says: The highlight of the night for me was discovering that the skirt steak was still just as good as – if not even better – than I remember.  The prices have gone up, yes – my complete skirt steak (with one side) was $27.95 – but I still feel it was pretty worth it, all things considered.  Very tasty.  I was also excited about the appetizers being so good, and the sweetbreads being good as well.  I need to return this to a regular rotation in my life!  Nommyness!
recommended

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Steak

This is going to be a picture-intensive post, so bear with me.  Also, keep in mind while looking at these pictures, this entire meal cost us $27 USD.

Bread with tangy butter spread on the table

As soon as we sat down, they served us this, which we thought was an empanada but might have been a salgadinho, Brazilian snack that is like an empanada…

The meaty insides.  Pretty good.

Now, for pictures of the accompanying buffet, which are many and wow, speak for themselves.  Excuse the blurriness, I had to take them quickly since the waiters were looking at me uncertainly, possibly wanting to stop me, and people were starting to crowd the place.

Bread section – no pao de quiejo though, unfortunately.

Meat/cheese section; charcuterie- that’s a whole turkey with slices taken off, and a whole leg of jamon serrano standing over there (with slices taken off as well).

The pickled/antipasto section, with marinated veggies, olives, … yum.  I am getting so hungry right now!

I guess I foreshadowed when I said, “I’m worried; places like this, if the buffet is really good or has a lot of awesome stuff, sometimes it’s because the meat isn’t that great… or it could be everything is really good,” I offered lamely when everyone turned to look at me.  Haha, oops.

When we’d sat down, they’d presented us with the bread, the empanadas/salgadinhos and lemon drop shots for some reason…

The salad I started off with – yummy, lots of greens to choose from.

HB’s first plate- look at the size of those shrimp/prawns!  As big as my hand and tender, sweet.  We all agreed the hearts of palm were too soft, however.

MD/PB’s first plate

StB‘s first plate

My first plate : I was pleasantly surprised by the little cup with a shrimp on top; I’d thought “Oh, shrimp with tuna salad underneath” but it was lobster salad and quite tasty!  The salmon with roe was only so-so, but the little cone was filled with octopus and quite tasty as well.  The sushi pieces were weird: the rice not quite done properly, smashed down and not the right taste to it; and the fillings were just odd.  The stuffed mushroom cap was good, though.

And then the meat began.

Perfectly cooked!  The slicer wanted to take a picture with me.  I obliged, happily waiting for the succulent meat to enter my mouth and astound my tastebuds.

Big, happy smile!

Three different cuts of meat; oh, the meat.  Terribly disappointing because despite the glorious way it looks, despite all that, it was completely flavorless.  We’d read that the national “spice/seasoning of choice” here was salt; salt hadn’t seen these pieces of meat at all!  I doused my meat in the chimichurri from the salad bar, which of course was delicious, but the meat would have been so much better had it seen some salt before being cooked.

We were pretty full at this point, but of course had to partake in dessert!

HB’s something or other – she thought it was alright.

MD/PB’s something or other, that she liked very much (flan? with dulce de leche and crema on the side).

StB’s choice of three flavors of ice cream

And last but not least, my something or other.  I’m sorry!  It’s been almost two weeks since this meal happened!  And I tried to get through these reviews as quickly as possible.  I’m looking at this picture right now, and I’m amazed by how good it looks.  The fruit gently spilling over the top, the walnuts on one side… but the dessert was good, not mindblowing, and I was too stuffed to finish it all.

Yvo says: At the total price of, with a generous tip, $27 USD per person, I can’t deny that this is a great value.  The buffet alone is worth that price, but if you do go, go knowing that the meat will need generous salt and that it is not the main attraction here.  The buffet is definitely worth a go, and go hungry!
middle of the road, more recommended than not

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2008. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Steak

For our very last dinner in Iguazu Falls, we wanted churrascaria.  Brazilian, as we know it back here in NYC, where they come around and keep feeding you meat and don’t stop… Yum.  (Yes, we decided one night off meat was enough.)  Though we were clearly in Argentina, we figured since we were at the border of Argentina & Brazil, we should be able to find a really authentic one…

Unfortunately, through the language barrier arose a miscommunication or misunderstanding, and we were sent here.  A happy mistake… this was no churrascaria as we know it in NYC- where the meat flows freely- but still had a huge parrilla (grill) outside and we sat nearby, watching them grill the meat to perfection…

We opted for a local winery (or so it said on the wine list!) red, which turned out to go well with our meal of meat meat meat. 

Still wanting some greens, we started out with two salads of tomato, onion and lechuga or lettuce.

Fresh.  I should mention here again, we were eating “early”, still not accustomed to eating at 10pm (the average dinner time in Argentina), so the place was empty save a few tourists aside from ourselves.  But as the night progressed, this place filled to capacity- and it was quite huge, with outdoor and indoor seating that extended far back- with locals.  The prices will tell you why…

As we browsed the menu, searching for meat, I noticed a parrilla completa por quatros personas (a complete grill for four people) priced at $66.  I turned to StB and asked, very confused, “Is that per person?  Or perhaps in USD?”  We quickly ruled out USD because that was just way too expensive, but it nagged at me that it might be per person, which, at ~$22, seemed a bit pricey for the area.  Finally, we asked the waiter, who seemed amused that we asked him three times if that was the total price, not per person.

Behold the platter we received with all this meat for approximately $5 USD a person.

From three sides:

in front of me: blood sausage, steak, pork, chicken

excuse the blur, they were hungry and threatening to attack me – short ribs

intestines and other offal

Those are all the pictures from this meal; delicious, yummy, we were all stuffed at the end of the meal.  Though we hardly touched the offal or the sausages, this was well worth the $5 USD we paid for it… yummy, authentic, and super cheap.  So much food, too!  Everything else on the menu was even cheaper- we ordered probably the most expensive dish (though it IS meant for 4 people) and didn’t finish.  We couldn’t order dessert, though we finished our bottle of wine, haha. 

Our entire meal, what you see above plus three bottles of water, a soda, a bottle of wine, a side dish of rice… came out to the grand total of hmm… I’m not sure.  It was probably less than $10 USD a person, based on my memory of how much the wine, the side dish, and the drinks were…  Truly a bargain. 

Yvo says: If you’re in Iguazu Falls and don’t know what to eat, this is another great place, even cheaper than the last – and really good food.  A nice experience as well; our waiters didn’t really speak English that well, but it was an authentic experience and a yummy one. 
recommended; great bargain

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cheap Eats, Steak