The Feisty Foodie » Mexican

Los Panchos de Charly

Feisty Foodie — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:15:39 +0000

Directly following my trip to Peru, I left on a research trip to the West Coast for two weeks. What was I researching? Glad you asked: a book on Stadium Eats! Um, yeah, without a deal in sight currently (hint, hint, anyone reading this who is interested!), I went to preemptively scout out the 6 West Coast stadiums and eat my way up and down the West Coast at the same time, starting in San Francisco, working my way down to Los Angeles, then San Diego, back up to San Francisco and then to Seattle! Phew! Tune in at 4:15 EST (or 1:15 PST, lunchtime on the West Coast) for the next 6 weeks to see what I ate and where I ate it… and how I gained 10 lbs in two weeks!

During my minimal time in San Diego, I tried to hit up Gas Lamp Strip Club (no pictures, or even real commentary about the food), but unfortunately, it opened at 5, and that was cutting it way too close to the game. So I wandered around until I stumbled on this place and decided why the heck not.

Amusingly, while I was standing there, looking at the menu, I bumped into a friend I haven’t seen in years, who decided to join me for lunch.

I ordered the horchata, a cinnamon-nutmeg rice milk drink (left). She had the limeade, which she said was tart and nicely done.

Chips and salsa came to the table as we sat and looked at the menu. Nice, with a light kick, the salsa was on the liquidy side.

Being hungry girls, we opted to order the sampler platter, with cheese quesadilla, nachos, taquitos, and shrimp ceviche (center). It was all tasty enough – hell, deep fry anything and I’ll probably think it’s ok (unless it’s soggy!) -

but a little strange, with mozzarella in the cheese quesadilla, leaving that a little soft and bland,

and while I like liquid cheese (oh yes I do, as artificial as it is), I thought it was a little out of place on the nachos.

The taquitos were alright – crisply fried tubes filled with meat (two were beef, two were chicken), and slathered in guacamole and sour cream, yes please!

The ceviche was also just alright – the shrimp a touch rubbery and nothing fantastic, though the mixture with it was yummy. Nothing was outstanding, really. Still, we ate this up and were happy enough to chat away while eating.

My piggy lil friend opted to get the combination platter, which had an enchilada, fish taco, and a tostada. It cost extra to get a fish taco, but she didn’t mind. Though we were busy gabbing away the whole time, I’m positive she enjoyed her food (perhaps she’ll speak up?) because she cleaned her plate. Love my piggy friends who eat at least as much as me!

As for me, I opted for the simple fish taco platter. The rice and beans were both very flavorful, making me one happy girl already.

The fish, unfortunately, was a little over-breaded and a soft from the sauce inside with it. I didn’t like the tortilla part – finding it soggy and a bit lacking what I want from a tortilla in terms of taste and texture. I wound up eating just the fish part, but that was entirely so I wouldn’t be too hungry later. Overall, it was just meh. I contented myself eating the rice and beans. (Perhaps I’m asking too much from fish tacos? Perhaps I don’t know what I “should” be looking for? But I do know what I like, and this was not it.)

Yvo says: Our server was friendly and attentive, and it was nice sitting outside to eat and enjoy the weather. Our food was enjoyable, but I wouldn’t say if you’re visiting, you should go here, because that certainly was not the case for me – I could easily have eaten somewhere else and fared better. Oh well, at least it wasn’t expensive.
middle of the road

Oakland Taco Truck Tour

Feisty Foodie — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:15:59 +0000

After the Old Oakland Farmer’s Market, I decided to drive around seeking out taco trucks. Someone who knew I was in San Francisco had emailed me this Frommer’s article about taco trucks in Oakland, so I decided to give it a shot and hit at least some of the trucks. Driving around during the middle of the day – using my GPS – I was confused a lil bit. It was a Friday, around lunchtime; my experience in New York has been that food trucks will park near places with lots of foot traffic, lots of people working who want something interesting to eat. Not in a fairly deserted area. But what do I know…

The first place I picked out of the list was El Ojo de Agua.

The menu!

Something I found even more interesting than the truck being in the middle of what felt like nowhere (off a highway, but not very close to the exit – it was next to the underpass) was that it was parked in its own parking lot, with a small shack to one side that even had bathrooms. I don’t get it. I’m clearly missing something here – do they sometimes take the truck out and park it elsewhere? If they have the space, I just don’t understand why they don’t use more of the shack part? (I don’t even know what’s in there, since I didn’t peek in.) But it was nice to have parking for customers, which is where I parked and subsequently stood to eat.

Having just returned from a Spanish-speaking country, I absentmindedly ordered in (poor) Spanish. The woman didn’t seem to mind, and my order was in. Tres tacos…

lengua (tongue)

cabeza (head, or really, the cheeks)

y chorizo (spiced sausage).

I admit that I may have gotten the pictures of the tongue and cheek mixed up, but I do recall the textures, oh the wonderful textures, and flavors of each. The cheek was silky soft, succulent, and delicious, with all the right notes being hit in my mouth. The tongue had a dense chew to it, a lovely meatiness that I really enjoyed. The chorizo was very tasty as well, but unfortunately covered in a fairly spicy sauce that set my mouth aflame - thankfully, this was the last one I picked up, as I eyed the red glazing it a bit suspiciously – so I was able to take some time to recover before the next taco truck.

All three were delicious, and at $1.25 each, honestly, I probably could have made a simple meal just out of those three tacos. But I wanted more! So I left and headed over to…

El Novillo, a truck that not only sits in a parking lot, but it’s the parking lot of a related restaurant! (Different menu, but same owner(s)).

The menu!

I got extremely excited when I saw I could have a chicharrons taco, or pork skin… deep fried. Each piece was airy, light, not too oily, and delicious on its own, but in a taco, not quite what I was looking for. I wanted something with more substance; this tended to be so airy that as I clutched the taco and bit into it, the pieces would practically float away. Still yummy though!

I decided to go with al pastor, or spicy pork, as my last choice. I couldn’t imagine it being too spicy (because I’m a fool)… in any case, this was also very good, very flavorul, with large chunks of meat to make up for my other choice. A squirt of lime and heavenly – I love the bright acidity that lime juice gives just about anything – mmm, yummy. This was one of my favorites of the day, right up alongside the lengua and cabeza from the other truck.

It also came with some hot sauces (which I didn’t touch; I like eating things the way they’re served first, and the next time, getting creative to find my perfect combo), and some pickled carrots, etc. By this time, though, I was getting full, and needed to head out – it was time to drive back to San Francisco for the game at AT&T Park.

Mm nommy.

Yvo says: I can’t see any reason not to go visit one of (or all of) the taco trucks and keep trying all of them until you find the one that makes your heart sing. Luckily, I found a couple already that I’d return just to eat, but honestly, at $1.25 each, I will keep going back and trying different ones as well. I might even try a chicken one *makes face* (I’m not a big fan of eating chicken outside the home, unless it’s fried). So… when will one of these trucks be poppin’ up in NYC? (I know there’s one near my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, but I don’t know if it’s $1.25 a taco!)
recommended, go nuts and try one of everything! (and tell me how it is)

Tuesdays with TT: Pinche Taqueria

TT — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:15:03 +0000

Over the past couple of months I have become quite the food blogger. I or (CT) bring a camera to every restaurant we go to. Since Yvo has been busy with school, I am stepping up and will now have a weekly column, Tuesdays with TT. Bon Appetit!

I love good tacos. It still amazes me that are very few places in NYC that make a great taco. After traveling to Austin a few times to see my sis and having some great tacos, I really don’t see why the same tacos can’t be made in the greatest city in the world? Cascabel is unfortunately the lone exception to the rule. Pinche Taqueria has been on my horizon for a while now. I went to see Solitary Man at the Angelika with BLC and CM, so it was a perfect opportunity to grab a bite at Pinche afterwards. It was a pretty good movie starring Michael Douglas.

Pinche Taqueria is in a very small, triangular space next to the Bleecker Street 6 train subway station. Accordingly, it only has a few small tables and no waitress service. This helps keep prices very reasonable.

We started with some nachos($6.25). As you can see they were a gloopy mess. The guacamole was especially sad. Check out how watery it is. It was not a good way to start the meal.

I was pretty hungry so I got three tacos.

Taco al Pastor($2.95). Spit-Grilled Pork. All of the tacos come with a nice heaping of the sad guacamole. The taco was tasty, but could use a little more spice. I put some extra salsa on from the communal station, but it did not help very much.

Taco De Carnitas($2.95). Braised pork. Again, tasty, but the flavor was weak.

Taco De Camaron($3.95). Shrimp. My favorite of the three, but once again on the bland side.

CM got the same as me. BLC got the carnitas and the chicken.

Here is the Taco De Pollo Asada($2.95). Charbroiled chicken. Not much to say here too.

All in all, it was a ok meal after the movies. Good for a quick bite, but nothing special. I hope there is a taco renaissance in the city soon or possibly and uprising to tell restaurants that New Yorkers will no longer accept mediocre tacos. Everything used to make tacos in Austin is available here, so there is no reason they shouldn’t be the same albeit pricier.

NOTE: This is a different location below. I went to the Lafayette Street location.

Tuesdays with TT: Austin: Hula Hut

TT — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:15:08 +0000

It was a particularly nice Wednesday in Austin and I suggested we go to Torchy’s Tacos for lunch. I went here last time I visited M and loved it. M suggested we go to a Mexican place that is right on Lake Austin called Hula Hut. They have a large deck area where we could eat and enjoy the water. Unfortunately we got there at the height of the lunch rush and were too hungry to wait for an outdoor table. I would have to say that Hula Hut has the appearance of a local owned Chili’s. The same kitsch on the walls and same turn & burn table philosophy.

After we were seated we were given some chips and salsa. The salsa was ok, but too watery.

We also decided to get some guacamole. It was pretty good. The pinapple mango salsa that came with it was fresh and refreshing. It added a good sweetness to the guac.

Now onto the entrees. I actually don’t remember what Mom & Dad actually got. They each got one of the burritos or enchiladas. When I started blogging, I was told that taking notes is for the weak. I should have been weak at Hula Hut.

I got the daily special, which was a pulled pork burrito. It was tasty and got the job done. I added some innards pics too. Beans on the side and beans in the burrito. That’s a lot of beans!

M got the Diamond Head Noodle Salad. Angel hair pasta marinated in our Hawaiian vinaigrette dressing mixed with carrots, poblano chiles, red bell peppers, zucchini and green onions. Served on a bed of fresh mixed lettuces with peanut sauce on the side. It was a pretty intense salad with all those noodles. She seemed quite happy with her decision.

Overall, you end up paying for the ambience of eating next to the lake. Is it the best Mexican food in Austin, not by a longshot. Is it a good lunch place for the business crowd, yes. I would go back for a happy hour on the deck, but maybe not for lunch.

Tuesdays with TT: Austin: Tacodeli

TT — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:15:38 +0000

Before I left for Austin, I decided to do some research of places to eat when I get there. Serious Eats recommended Tacodeli for their tacos, so I added that to my list. M suggested we go there for breakfast. NYC is definitely lacking in the good taco department, especially when it comes to breakfast.

This location was pretty nice with a bunch of tables on the patio to eat. Inside was the quirky kind of place you would expect with a bunch of hipster working there. Since we woke up late and were having an early lunch with our cousins later, we only got 3 tacos. 2 for me, 1 for M.

M got the bacon, egg, and cheese taco. By the look of it and her response, a great choice.

I had the Popeye, eggs with spinach and queso fresco. The fresh spinach was great and was the star of the show. I added some house-made hot sauce for a nice kick.

I also got the Jess Special, eggs with migas, monterrey jack, and fresh sliced avocado. For those fellow Northerners, migas can represent a variety of dishes. The Tex-Mex version is eggs mixed with strips of corn tortillas. This was also a very tasty taco. I can never get enough fresh avocado.

In all, for the 3 tacos and 2 coffees it was less than $11. That is a pretty good deal in my book, especially considering the freshness of the ingredients.

NYC Taco Update:

One of my new favorite deal sites is Blackboard Eats. They offer a couple deals a week to various restaurants in NYC & LA, usually 30% off. The best part is that this is a free service, no membership fees or anything. A couple weeks ago they came out with an extra special deal for Cabrito. 30% off plus a free margarita for each person in your party. I had tried the tacos before when Cabrito had a stand at Madison Square Park last fall and liked them a lot.

Unfortunately, it was very dark inside so pictures were out of the question(sorry Yvo, no picture is better than a dark, blurry one).

We started with the guacamole, which was nice but on the small side.

For mains, the three of us decided to share a couple different things.

Lengua y Tomatillo Tacos- I am all about the tongue tacos, they were good, but not especially memorable.

Al Pastor Tacos- The pork tacos with pineapple habanero pico de gallo. The chef definitely didn’t use a light hand with the habanero. These were pretty hot! CT didn’t think so, since she isn’t a wuss, but I struggled a bit.

Chicharrón Tacos- These were a nightly special. CT & I both have a love for chicharrón ever since we had them at Momofuku Ko. This time around wasn’t as good. I believe the pork skin was braised, not fried, therefore not a true chicharrón.

Al Carbon Hurache- The steak hurache. I like this for the good char on the meat. The other two thought it was bland, but this was after they ate the Al Pastor tacos.

Cabrito- the signature dish. “Sour orange, garlic and chili rubbed goat. Slow roasted and served chopped with salsa borracha & warm flour tortillas.” I only had a small taste of this since we ordered way too much food. It had a nice crisp exterior, but the meat was a little dried out. Some salsa was definitely needed.

All in all a great experience. Be warned that it gets pretty busy on the weekends, so there may be a wait, especially since they don’t take reservations. While waiting I saw Sylar from Heroes walk by in full hipster garb with the red headed guy from Modern Family, gotta love the West Village. After the BB Eats coupon, all of that food plus an additional beer for me was about $30 pp. We ended up saving about $60.

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Post tags: Blackboard Eats, Breakfast, Cabrito, tacos, TT