El Toro Blanco

I haven't seen Z in for-ev-er!! I think the last time we hung out was post Vendy's!! Crazy right? I've noticed that we end up at Mexican spots frequently, but I'm a fan. So when we were deciding between two places, it was pretty easy to pick El Toro Blanco.  The space is well designed with a simple and clean look. It was pretty lively in there and had good energy but it's definitely not a space for quiet intimate dinners. Thankfully we were definitely more on the lively end that night. We of course started our meal with guacamole.

It was creamy delicious avocado with the right blend of spices. But the true winner in the starter column is the spicy habenero salsa in the trio that accompanied the guacamole.

We loved it so much we ended up asking for more to kick things up later in our meal. Although the menu had lots of terrific options, we both decided on the tacos. Z ordered the Baja  Swordfish.

The meaty taco included avocado, roasted jalapeño aioli and citrus slaw. She added some spice to kick it up but definitely enjoyed the tacos. I went with the Camarones en Barbacoa.

It was a good looking taco and definitely lived up to expectations. The roasted tomatoes were not as flavorful as I expected so I also spiced it up with the salsa. There was nothing left on my plate. Of course we had to try something else so we went with a side of poblano rice.

Although it looks tasty it was definitely the most disappointing part of our meal. The rice was undercooked and boring! We mixed in the queso fresca but still got nothing out of it. There was no kick or flavor. Overall a very disappointing side. I had to make up for it with dessert.

The Mexican Chocolate Cake was a notch above what I usually expect. The matchstick churros and dulce de leche ice cream definitely brought this dessert together. The rich chocolate was completed by the ice cream and churros. I was quite pleased and this was the perfect end to the meal.

Our service was definitely subpar but it didn't take away from the meal. I was a huge fan of the variety on the menu and loved the tacos as guacamole. The rice was a low point, but the cake was a fantastic end. I'll definitely be back to more thoroughly explore the variety of the menu!

Hungry yet?

Lupe Cantina

After good times at the spot next door we were famished! The manager or owner of Lupe Cantina stopped us outside and asked our group to come in. We negotiated a pretty good deal and decided to enter. The menu had a lot of options but our table ended up with a lot of repeats.

The Soft Tacos were my dish of choice.

I requested the flour tortillas stuffed with chicken. It included lettuce, cilantro, onions and pico de gallo. I wasn't expecting much but the chicken was surprisingly well seasoned. It was served with rice and beans which only made it better.  Ms. S and her Mr. K ordered the Chicken taquitos.

Three corn tortillas rolled with marinated chicken and deep fried.  They definitely enjoyed it. A little crunch goes a long way. Enchiladas were also a favorite at our table. 

Corn tortillas green or red lupe sauce. It was served with rice and refried beans.  Mr. S ordered the Fajitas.

The sizzling platter of sweet peppers, onions and cilantro was served with three tortillas, rice and refried beans. Ms. G and Mr. S ordered the Chicken nachos.

I must admit I had a little food envy when their Molcajete plate arrived.  The homemade tortillas chips were topped with refried beans, melted mozzarella, lettuce, guacamole, salsa, jalapeños, queso fresco and sour cream. Presentation wise, this was definitely one if the better looking dishes that we ordered.

Overall Lupe Cantina was uninspiring. The food was fine but I've eaten a better version of each dish elsewhere. The atmosphere is lively and if you bring the right group of people with you, you could end up staying there for a while. That's exactly what we did.

Hungry yet?

The Warmest House Ever

They moved!! Ms. O and Mr. M moved! To celebrate their glorious new home (which shares a wall with their old home) they invited several of their favorites to a rockin good time.  After brunch, I had a hard time getting it together so I didn't arrive at their home quite as early as I wished.  By the time I arrived, almost everything was already set.  Ms. O was still in the kitchen so thankfully I was able to help a little bit.  It was quite the spread!  The best part is that Ms. O labeled all the food and beverages with toothpick signs...umm awesome!  So let’s see, where to start...

This Armenian string cheese was my favorite thing that I didn’t eat enough of.  It was fresh and light and moist.

The chicken wings were FABULOUS I was quite shocked to see that there were so many left over and the next day I kicked myself for not taking some home. 

I loved the chicken meatballs. They were even tastier than last time.  Which I didn't think was possible!

The corn salsa was so good, I ate it by itself and pretended the chips didn't exist.  That is until I saw the guacamole.

Wowee. Many party goers were there because of the legendary guacamole.  It was creamy avocado heaven.

I didn't try the various meats but I heard good things from others.

I also realize I didn't try the brie. Definitely my loss because it looked amaaaazing and smelled really good too.

I was a big fan of the fruit plate and spent a lot of time reaching for the sweet sweet pineapples.

The sandwiches looked pretty good but they were close to the wings so I always picked the wings over the sandwiches.

The assortment of cheese probably went really well with the meat that I didn't try, but I saw some people enjoying the cheese solo.

The vegetables were fresh and also a nice healthy choice, but it didn't stop me from getting to the sweet treats.

Ms. O's sister was kind enough to send a couple of boxes of Crumbs mini cupcakes.  I had my eye on the red velvet and had a couple of them.  They're just as delicious as the monster sized versions.

Ms. O definitely knows how to make a party. Lots and lots of different types of nibbles, good music and an excellent crowd.  I hope the housewarming is not the only party they plan on throwing (hint, hint). I'm looking forward to returning for many more celebrations and amazing dining experiences.

Hungry yet?

El Centro

My reluctant return to NYC means that I now have to get used to the restaurants again (poor me, my life is so hard - ha!) I have a few outstanding meal dates and I intend to sort them all out this week.  Especially since I'm now 11 on urbanspoon and fast approaching 10!

I had a date with my mentee and when she selected Mexican food, I was thrilled.  There are lots of options for Mexican food on Ninth Avenue close to my office so it was only a matter of picking one I hadn't been to or blogged about.  After perusing the options on urbanspoon, I settled on El Centro.  The reviews weren't stellar but they were pretty good.  When we arrived around 6:15 it was empty in there, but within a half hour the place was packed!  We started with an order of guacamole.

It was quite good, but apparently a little too spicy for Ms. D.  They also served it with their house made salsa which was awesome!

I tried not to fill up too much on the chips, salsa and guacamole but it was so good!  Ms. D ordered the Chicken Enchilada.

Quite the presentation, no?! She was quite pleased with her meal but the portion was quite large so she didn't finish it all.  I ordered the Shrimp Fajita.

Steamy presentation - that's part of the fun in ordering fajitas!  They were quite good and accompanied with rice and beans. As well as peppers, 3 corn tortillas, guacamole and sour cream (which I stayed away from).

El Centro definitely exceeded expectations.  The food was good and not too expensive.  The decor is interesting - especially the table tops and the service was great.  If you're in the mood to explore the many restaurants on Ninth Avenue, you should definitely give this one a try.

Hungry yet?

Toloache

It’s been months since I’ve seen Z.  Our schedules finally lined up and we were able to meet for dinner last week.  We met at Toloache. I’ve passed the restaurant a few times and obvs got excited after reading Sam Sifton’s review, I figured it would be a good bet.  Z and I have similar palettes and often fall victim of wanting more than we can eat.  So of course we started off with the trio of guacamole.  The Tradicional was mild which usually doesn’t do it for me, but this had incredible fresh ingredients.

A blend of avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro, serrano apple salad and Mexican cheeses.  We loved it!  The Frutas, medium guacamole was nay the best.

It looged great.  And the ingredient list also looked good I mean what’s not to love about avocado, pomegranate, vidalia onion, mango, apple, peach, habanero and thai basil?  Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up the expectations.  We’re a fan of spice so maybe that’s why this one didn’t do it for us, but maybe it would work for someone else.  Our favorite was def the Rojo.

A spicy guacamole filled with avocado, tomato, red onion, chipotle and queso fresco.  YUM.  They also had this fantastic salsa.  

We definitely asked for another bowl.  We almost filled up on the guacamoles and chips, but of course we also ordered a couple of other dishes.  In unison we ordered the Langosta.

Two spicy lobster tacos, morita salsa and avocado.  Heavenly!! I really loved the tacos.  They were well seasoned the lobster was amazing and it was an ample amount too which isn’t usually the case.  They do come in corn tortillas though and I’m very much a fan of flour so I was a tad disappointed.  Of course our last item was the Camarones Toloache.

Quite the presentation, no?  A plate of roasted garlic shrimp, crispy tortilla, black beans, chayote squash "spaghetti salad" and cascabel salsa.  I was a tad overwhelmed.  The combination of flavors was good but the crispy tortilla was definitely necessary amidst what sometimes felt like a pile of mush.  They could have also kicked it up a notch with a variety of spices but otherwise it was good.  While I was stuffed to the brim, I was of course in favor of ordering dessert.  We went with the Pastel de Chocolate.  

Warm Mexican chocolate cake with dulce de leche ice cream.  Awesome! There's a lot to be happy about when there's chocolate oozing out of chocolate.  The ice cream made it even better!  Toloache was great.  The food was good and the company was better.  It also has a very lively atmosphere and the staff is extremely attentive.  Rare to find a decent restaurant in midtown amidst all the pre-theater spots.

Hungry yet?

Burrito Night!

If you can't tell by now, I love food.  I might be picky in my tastes but generally me and food get along pretty well.  That's also the case for my siblings.  My brother invited me over for dinner on Sunday and I couldn't be happier.  I really wasn't in the mood to cook and he's always holding it down.  I was hoping for some magical jollof, but instead he featured chicken burritos.  

I'm not sure how he made everything but I was around for the final product and it was AWESOME. Some of the parts that made up the whole include: 

Onions and peppers

Delicious non-greasy chicken (trust it's an accomplishment for him!)

His roomie made some guacamole that was creamy and delicious. Also a lot better than the one I tried to make the day before. So bad I couldn't even blog about it (ouch!)

My bro wraps burritos like he has worked at chipotle. Witness the magic...it's like being in chipotle - BUT BETTER!

Loved it. The chicken was delicious, the vegetables beans and rice all belonged and the chipotle mayo brought everything together quite well. Perhaps he'll share his recipes! Yup no better way to ward off the sunday night blues than a good meal and some good tv. Next Sunday promises to be equally exciting! Stay tuned...

Hungry yet?

El Vez - Philadelphia

I fully intended on posting food news yesterday but in truth knowing that I would be out of town this weekend means I had less motivation to compile the list. (sorry!) I'm in Philadelphia for a firm retreat.  We are staying smack in the middle of Philly at the Ritz-Carlton.  I was initially excited because of the potential for delicious treats at the hotel, but that was quickly dispelled during our reception last night.  Breakfast this morning wasn't much better.  So for lunch, I set out on a little adventure to El Vez.

I read about the restaurant on Urbanspoon and figured if it was number 10 of all the restaurants in Philly, it had to be pretty good.  It was a surprisingly sunny day in Philadelphia so Ms. F and I sat outside.  Our server was very attentive and helpful in letting us know her favorites on the menu.  We started out with the "Indian Red" Lopez guacamole.  The guacamole is made with the usual ingredients and spicy crab, cilantro and salsa roja.

It's served with warm tortilla chips and red salsa.  The guacamole was amazing!  Fresh avocado, red onions and tomatoes mixed into a creamy delicious texture and topped with crab and salsa roja.  There definitely could have been more crab but I wasn't complaining (too loudly).  The chips were also really good and I definitely ate more than I intended.

Shortly after we started dipping into the guacamole, our Open Faced Shrimp Quesadilla arrived.

Looks just like pizza right?  This quesadilla contained oaxaca and chihuahua cheeses with pasilla chile sauce, red onions, jalapenos and of course topped with shrimp.  Woweee! This quesadilla was incredible.  Although it had tons of cheese, it somehow didn't taste too cheesy.  The onions and jalapeno added a nice contrast and bit of spice to the cheesy flavor.  Yup, I was definitely a big fan!  Once we devoured our quesadillas, our Sea Bass Tacos arrived.

The tacos were served with sweet potato puree, grilled scallions and fried jalapenos.  The sea bass was seared and sat on top of the sauce.  I was pleased with my first bite, but as I continued to chew, I realized  there was an odd taste that I wasn't ready to taste.   Somehow, they snuck a hint of cinnamon into this dish! Crazy yea? It actually worked pretty well but I needed the jalapeno to help cut through the sweetness.

After that taco, we were looking for something spicy.  Our waitress informed us that spicy isn't really their thing at El Vez and she recommended that we try the Duck Gorditas.

The presentation definitely looked good.  The gordita was stuffed with duck confit and chihuahua cheese.  It was topped with some combination of nuts and poppy seeds and served with pickled cucumber and mole negro.  I was so full by the time this arrived that I was only able to eat a small portion.  It was REALLY delicious.  I wish I could have eaten more but I could barely drink water let alone push another morsel into my mouth.

El Vez was definitely a good look and it's no surprise that they're currently ranked #10 Philly restaurant on Urbanspoon.  The service was on point, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was extremely lively.  Considering the track record at the Ritz, I'm happy I had such a delicious lunch so that way dinner won't matter much.  Although I must say, considering Eric Ripert owns a restaurant in here, they better step their game up!

Hungry yet?