Tag Archives: tortilla

Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Queens, Restaurant Reviews

Queens Taco Crawl

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First, check out my episode of Around the Hood in 8 Minutes HERE:

We hit six or seven spots on this awesome food crawl through Queens. Let me hit them one by one.

Taqueria Santa Fe

This first spot ended up being my favorite. The al pastor taco stood out. Crispy, yet juicy. Well seasoned, great toppings. The only thing to make it better would be a more toasted tortilla, like Mr. Burrito had.

Mr. Burrito Loco

The carnitas taco here took third place, but the tortilla shells were the best of the day. Great spot! I want to try the crispy fish tacos next, and, of course, a burrito!

El Sabor Del Rancho

The carnitas taco here took second place. All it needed was a little hit of salt and it would have been a contender for first place!

Al Chile Cafe

The al pastor here was a bit more saucy than other spots, so that made for a juicier and more flavorful bite, generally. The only down side was that there were a few bites with rubbery/chewy sinew that I had to spit out. Bonus here because they give you roasted onions and jalapenos on the side!

La Esquina Del Camaron Mexicano

This place was fun! Big portion for $17, mixed octopus and shrimp. Bring vodka with you to make a Bloody Mary with the leftover sauce/juice at the end. Or tequila for a Bloody Maria!

Lemon Ice King of Corona

An absolute classic. I got the lemon, and I loved it.

TAQUERIA SANTA FE
47-08 47th Ave.
Woodside, NY 11377

MR. BURRITO LOCO
4320 Greenpoint Ave.
Sunnyside, NY 11104

EL SABOR DEL RANCHO
41-21 58th St.
Woodside, NY 11377

AL CHILE CAFE
3809 69th St.
Woodside, NY 11377

THE LEMON ICE KING OF CORONA
52-02 108th St.
Corona, NY 11368

Italian, Midtown West, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, Union Square/Flatiron

Cardoncello diVino

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My wife and I discovered Cardoncello diVino this week and so far we are loving it.

First off, they have great cocktails like the smoked negroni and grande stella (tequila, mezcal, elderflower).

The table bread is a good variety of quality breads and breadsticks, served with a zucchini puree.

To start, we had a side of Cardoncello mushrooms, salmon carpaccio and sardines.

The salmon was a slight favorite over the mushrooms, but not by much. All were very good.

The pasta dishes really shine here. This paccheri with veal ragu was absolutely perfect. Cooked to a nice al dente texture and impeccably seasoned.

This crab and lemongrass tortelli dish had a fresh pea sauce that was awesome.

For one of our mains, we had shrimp with quinoa in a sambuca sauce. It may sound weird, but I assure you it was great. Only thing I’d change is to maybe swap the quinoa for something heartier like a farro risotto, made with that sauce.

The wagyu beef cheek was braised to fork tender deliciousness. It’s very easy to mow through this dish very fast.

For dessert, we had a lemon and coconut budino (rice pudding) with raspberry jelly on top, and a goat cheese and barley tart that was a teetering balance between savory and sweet.

I’m psyched to go back and try more pasta dishes, as well as take on their extra virgin olive oil tasting.

CARDONCELLO DIVINO
43 West 27th St
New York, NY 10001

Recipes

Devil Tacos

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Devil Tacos is a recipe I concocted for usage of Saint Lucifer Spice during my review of their product. If you can’t get your hands on their delicious shit, then substitute for some other pepper like cayenne powder. But I highly recommend their habanero garlic blend. It just works better. Or use some actual habanero peppers to season the meat (just be careful with those fuckers).

What do you need and how do you make them?

1) Coat some skirt or flank steak with Saint Lucifer Spice.
2) Grill for two to three minutes per side, depending on thickness. 
3) While the meat rests, warm up some soft tortillas.
4) Also while the meat rests, prep some cilantro, onions, sour cream and jack cheese for a cooling taco filling.
5) After resting, slice the steak into thin strips for taco filling (cut on the bias for tenderness). 
6) Slice up an orange (or any sweet citrus element, really).
7) Fill your tortillas, and squeeze some orange juice on before eating.DSC09884

 

Note: That sweet tartness from the orange will pair perfectly with the habanero of the Saint Lucifer spice and cut it ever so slightly. Trust me. Your taste buds will thank you. I swear that shit is fucking good. Orange + habanero is fucking amazing. I used to soak fresh habaneros in my cartons of orange juice to give the juice a nice kick.

If you have hairy balls, and you’re drinking a Bloody Mary with your Devil Tacos, you can even add a few shakes of Saint Lucifer into that shit as well.

Florida, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Restaurant Reviews

Amigos Tortilla Bar

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This Key West spot is home to some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. For just $12 you get a platter of three tacos (choose hard shell, round soft flour or square soft corn) with sides of rice and beans.

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I went with carnitas (spiced pork meat), baja fried fish and shrimp. The carnitas was a bit salty, but it was packed with juicy flavor.

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The seafood tacos are topped with a really nice fresh cheese, as you can see on this shrimp taco:

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But by far the best taco of the three was this baja fried fish taco. The golden crisp on the outside of the fish was light and crunchy – not bready at all. So fresh and delicious.

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The rice and beans are standard issue – tasty.

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My wife ordered this baja fried fish bowl, which is an amazing deal for just $9.

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The place also serves up some killer nachos and roasted corn. You MUST try the roasted corn, even if it is the only thing you end up trying here. Fucking absurdly good.

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They also have a ton of fun hot sauces to light your ass up, and great strawberry margaritas.

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