Posts from the ‘Ameri-Mex’ Category

Nov 9

Great Burrito

I don’t really eat burritos in New York. It’s something I’ve weaned myself from, not because I’m a snob but because I just can’t find any made the way I’m accustomed to (and no, I don’t like Mission-style).

Great Burrito isn’t really about burritos (though you can see one above) and it’s definitely not about the pizza on display. Their main appeal is offering “real” tacos and tortas with fillings like tripe and tongue in a neighborhood that’s hardly a bastion of Mexican authenticity. Or any authenticity—as much as I love them, this strip of Chelsea is rife with the likes of Outback Steakhouse, Dallas BBQ and Olive Garden.

Purists might scoff at this hodgepodge 24-hour take out counter, but where else are you going to go in this part of Manhattan when a 4am urge for al pastor strikes?

Read my Nymag.com review.

Great Burrito * 100 W. 23rd St., New York, NY

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May 6

Pacifico

1/2 There are moments made for mish mash. And those moments tend to involve alcohol impaired judgment. Pacifico, it turns out, is great for what it is: drunk food. Unfortunately, it almost became puke food after swilling mint juleps and bourbon slushes for five hours straight. Despite the burgoo and derby pie consumed earlier, I still needed a little padding of the stomach lining.

Beer and a carnitas quesadilla did more harm than good. The cheese and grease backfired and I was only able to eat one of my four stuffed tortilla wedges. It wasn't half bad, I just wasn't primed for eating. But I was happy the next day to have hefty leftovers as hangover food.

Pacifico * 269 Pacific St., Brooklyn, NY

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Jan 15

Chevy’s

We had three choices in the Target parking lot: Applebee's, Boulder Creek Steakhouse and Chevys. After a hard afternoon at Short Hills Mall, giant margaritas seemed in order.

And they were massive, which made me worry a bit since they conveniently omit drink prices from the colorful menu. We were guessing $12.95, but then you have to remind yourself this is real chain dining, not the Manhattan facsimile. My supersized Gold Rush (Cuervo Gold, Triple Sec and sweet & sour on the rocks) was a mere $7.95–if I'd known that from the get go I wouldn't have nursed it throughout the meal.

For once I didn't feel bad about ordering an appetizer sampler since we were four rather than just the usual two. Spicy wings, taquitos, fajita nachos and a "chicken ?dilla" quartered up, isn't a wholly unreasonable starter.

When I go gringo I do it all the way, and that means chimichangas, but I resisted and fooled myself into believing that seafood enchiladas were healthier (perhaps minutely). Really, Chevys isn't any worse than anything else that passes for Tex-Mex in the NYC area. It's not completely horrible, and they were playing Weezer, for whatever that's worth.

As one of my favorite parts of Red Lobster is the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Chevys charms me with their little corn blob that's like a freeform corn bread, polenta hybrid. Ah, it's called a tomalito, and here's the recipe.

That would've, should've been enough, but then we had to go and order two desserts: an Ooey-Gooey-Chewy Sundae and something else with ice cream and caramel sauce that I can't recall the name of. I don't think it was the "potato," as they call it. Sunday night in Linden, NJ (I was treating it as a Sat. since it was a three-day-weekend) is a sparse affair. This is one of the only chain restaurants I've ever been to where there hasn't been a wait, not to mention empty seats. It was so desolate they had to send someone over to the Applebee's half-way across the parking lot to borrow whipped cream for our chilled desserts. Now that's service.

Chevys * 1150 South Stiles St., Linden, NJ

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Oct 31

Chipotle

1/2

I really dont get the appeal of overstuffed burritos, particularly ones rife with rice. But I was looking for something quick, cheap and near Sixth Ave. and 12th St. where I would be attending a Halloween party an hour later. So, I went the taco route instead. But I wasnt aware of all the options, I dont like fast food places like Subway or those salad counters where youre on the spot and have to pick and choose. Choice is nice, but I'd rather just have some solid standards. I ended up with three sad soft tacos with some shredded pork, hot sauce, white cheese and sour cream. Each bite was dominated by the chewy creamy combo of flour tortilla and dairy, like an unbaked quesadilla. It certainly didnt kill me, and provided padding for a not-smart-for-a-Monday-night drinking binge.

Chipotle * 510 Sixth Ave., New York, NY

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Aug 13

El Rincon Familiar

A girlfriend of an acquaintance recommended this place to my boyfriend. If anyone, she would know Tex-Mex since she grew up in the Lone Star State. I wasnt so wowed. I wanted gooey, greasy, cheese-laden fare, and this felt almost like spa food. Everything was clean, dry, fat-free and flavorless. My chicken enchiladas had no taste. The meat was too lean, Ive never understood the appeal of chicken breasts (though I use them extensively at home, we have the giant Costco bag in the freezer, but thats exactly why I dont want to eat chicken breasts at restaurants). The refried beans tasted dull and almost healthy. Not a lick of oil slicked the plate. It was all very Park Slope (despite being in that no man's land that's technically Sunset Park) and so not what I'd had in mind. I'd just as well stick with Mezcals for this sort of Americanized border food.

El Rincon Familiar * 651 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, NY

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Apr 27

San Loco

Ooh, I can’t believe I ate at San Loco. Sometimes I have to let my guard down and lower my standards so I don’t ostracize and annoy friends with what I call little kid palates. So, a chicken chipotle burrito before The Organ show at Rothko didn’t kill me. I will admit being disturbed by my dining companion ordering a rice burrito. I’ve always abhorred rice in burritos, it so doesn’t belong there, and neither does spinach. But a burrito entirely centered around the grain?! What the fuck? Ha, and then she ordered a rice krispie treat to cap things off. But I love those, so it was ok, albeit a lot of rice for one meal. (4/27/05)

San Loco * 111 Stanton St., New York, NY

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Oct 16

La Fogata

1/2

Yes, it's one of those suburban strip mall, big margarita joints. I don't
mind that type of food, in fact I crave it every now and then (luckily NYC
isn't so highbrow in the Tex-Mex department–there are plenty of
salt-on-the-rim, chips-and-salsa places to choose from). But Portland's west
suburbs actually have a Mexican population, hence "real" Mexican food. I saw
taco trucks in parking lots and read about tiny tacquerias in Hillsboro, my
mom's environs.
It just wasn't right to be so close and not even get to try the regional
offerings. But my sister is vegetarian (they're fine people, but the worst
for food exploring) and I didn't have the urge to get my mom and husband in
the mood. Trekking out on my own wasn't really an option since I didn't have
a car or any solitary time to spare.
This was hardly a culinary getaway. I was there from NYC, my sister from
England on short notice to see our father who'd unexpectedly been put on
life support. Hardly festive and appetite inducing. And in a way La Fogata
was wholly appropriate. My dad was a most un-Mexican Mexican. He loved these
sorts of Gringo-filled combo platter restaurants. He didn't speak Spanish,
though he must've grown up on at least some traditional Mexican food. I'm
guessing he wanted to be more American and he did a pretty good job (he was
exactly like Hank Hill if he were Hispanic). I wouldn't mind being a little
less, but honestly I wouldn't argue with a scalding hot plate of oozing
refried beans with a thick skin of pepper jack cheese and a nice crisp
chimichanga, authentic or not.

La Fogata * 3905 SW 117th Ave., Beaverton, OR

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Jun 25

Mezcal’s

I can't believe our first American meal after our Asian vacation was Mezcals. It just kind of happened. We were craving Mexican food and unfortunately, there arent any realer Mexican joints walking distance from our apartment. I'm still guessing that Mezcals is better than something like El Taco Loco in Hong Kong. You just know theyd put mayo in the guacamole. (9/10/05)

I guess Mezcal's is sort of cheesy (in both senses of the word) but sometimes that's just what you need. It was my suggested diversion from James's Friday night impulse for red sauce Italian. We're certainly in the right neighborhood for it, but I wasn't feeling the same urge. For some reason, mediocre Mexican food for white people doesn't bother me in the same way icky Italian-American food does. Nachos, chimichangas and pitchers of margaritas beat spaghetti and meatballs and Chianti any day.

So, chimichangas (filled with seafood and oozing cream sauce) and surprisingly fancy nachos, delicately placed around the plate with individual slices of medium-rare sirloin tucked on top, hors d' oeuvres style, totally hit the spot. I would never brag about eating at Mezcal's, but there's less shame involved than one might expect. And it's not like there are any authentic taco joints walking distance from our apartment anyway. No harm, no foul. My only suggestion is that they consolidate menus. I swear they hand you like five different documents, some laminated, some on paper, some handwritten, some using ten fonts and as many colors on one page. It's enough to induce a seizure. (6/25/04)

Mezcal's * 522 Court St., Brooklyn, NY

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Feb 27

Mexican Sandwich Company

1/2 *Closed sometime in early 2005

First off, I must make it clear that this place doesn't really serve Mexican sandwiches. I got excited when I first heard about it because I love tortas to death (and they probably will be the death of me will all that yummy fat). But these are not tortas, they are quesadillas. I'd almost call quesadillas Mexican pizza before I'd say Mexican sandwich, but whatever.

What inspired a visit was a viewing of that British cooking show "The Best" on Discovery Home & Leisure where three people whip up a dish based on a theme and one is swiftly declared the winner by a group of judges who are never introduced. The whole thing is so un-American, it's rapid, there's no build-up or suspense, maybe these people are somebodies, but they're never introduced, they cook, the judges eat, then text message who won, the show ends. But on this night they were making sandwiches and the female chef was making a "Mexican sandwich." The judges referred to it as a "cheese and chile flatbread." Not once was it referred to as a quesadilla, which is clearly was. The British are so weird and backwards about certain cuisines.

So, our cravings for faux Mexican food were sated by this Park Slope caf. I went for duck confit and mango salsa, and James the chorizo and white bean. Heck, it was the best filled and cooked flatbread I've had.

Mexican Sandwich Company * 322 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn,NY

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Jan 24

Lobo

Brunch is not my thing. I partake maybe once every four months, if that. One, I can't get out of bed, and two, I'm scared of the stroller set that plagues practically every eatery in the neighborhood. Sunday, James suggested going to Hill Diner, but there was a crowd out front so we went for Lobo, across the street, instead.

I think they actually do a good breakfast and weren't packed to the gills either. I tend to admonish people who always order the same thing like they're afraid of change, but I've started realizing that I'm equally guilty. Lately, I've been noticing when I add my little write-ups here that on previous visits I'd eaten the exact same items. In this case, that would be the Texas breakfast.

I am not chaste on those rare occasions I actually do go out for breakfast or brunch. I don't want to choose between sweet or savory offerings, I want both (that's why IHOP is so genius). You need an egg, a meat and a treat, and that's what I got: two eggs over easy, a mess of bacon and two large buckwheat pecan pancakes. I don't even care much for pancakes (one would've been sufficient) but I wanted something to slather butter and drizzle maple syrup on. If I ever return, I will force myself to branch out. (11/13/05)

This is the old Harvest, which I never ate at anyway, so that doesn't mean much to me. Supposedly the brunch is the same (I mean, it's advertised as such on the window). I very, rarely brunch (did I just use brunch as a verb?). I'm just not up early enough, and if I am I'm not in the mood to deal with sitting near the type of people who do eat brunch.

Well, it turned out to be pleasing in a hearty, satisfyingly stuffed to the gills way that you can't do on a regular basis. I get the same effect from Old Devil Moon's breakfast offerings. But here they have the Tex-Mex slant as opposed to the Southern thing. Country ham, grits, huevos rancheros, big omelets, it's the works. I opted for dense, pecan-laced, buckwheat pancakes, and normally I don't even like pancakes. It just sounded so toothsome and right. And it was. (1/24/04)

Lobo * 218 Court St., Brooklyn, NY

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Posts from the ‘Ameri-Mex’ Category

Great Burrito

Pacifico

Chevy’s

Chipotle

El Rincon Familiar

San Loco

La Fogata

Mezcal’s

Mexican Sandwich Company

Lobo

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