Los Feliz

Last Saturday night: we went down to Los Feliz to have a tasty meal, some delicious drinks and enjoy a fun atmosphere on the LES. LF has all the benefits of the La Esquina vibe (dark, subterranean feel), without the hassle of LE's exclusivity and lack of reservations!

There are two options for seating at Los Feliz, and downstairs is where it's at, especially for the aforementioned decor and vibe. They accept reservations for the downstairs room and even though we didn't have one, we were able to score an empty table for a little over an hour before it's inhabitants would arrive. Upstairs, the food is the same, but the room is well-lit and fairly cramped with tables - just not as unique as the dining room below.

They have a menu of many different margarita options. We took down some classics, as well as the jalapeno and cilantro margarita, which was not too spicy. Just perfect!

Any self-respecting Mexican joint has good salsa, and Los Feliz's is mention-worthy. It's pureed, not chunky, and very smooth and flavorful. The guacamole, on the other hand, wasn't as noteworthy. It was salty and lacked flavor.

On to the ceviche, which was arguably the best dish of the night: Mexican style tuna tartare, habanero, soy sauce, lemon-lime marinade, cucumber-ginger pico de gallo, sesame seeds, avocado & fresh sorbet - what a laundry list of tastiness! Each bite was delicious - chunks of tuna & avocado along with a little of the liquid citrus juice made the dish perfectly balanced. It was also served with a wonton-style tortilla chip perfect for adding a little crunch. Don't skip the ceviche!

As for entrees, it seems like the way to go is tacos - plus, two tacos per order makes it easy to share. We got the Pez Dorado: crispy sea bass, valentia aioli, avocado and cucumber-ginger relish, which was great, although we didn't really taste the fish under it's coating and all of the other ingredients. Along with the fish tacos, we got the Puerco: braised pork, chili pasilla, Cotija cheese, corn and pico de gallo - these were delicious! Corn + Cotija = automatic flavor town, but the pork was well-cooked and really flavorful on it's own.

Los Feliz is great for big parties, also and with the pitchers of margaritas flowing, it probably gets loud and rowdy later on in the evenings. Check it out if you're looking for good Mexican and a fun vibe!

Neighborhood Eats - Greenwich Village Edition - Part II

This is another series of mini-blogs about places around our apartment that we’ve sampled over the past few weeks:

Pinché Taqueria – I’ve always found it difficult to find really good, inexpensive Mexican food in the city, so when this spot was recommended to me by “Web,” I was pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty excited (anyone else excited for Curb to come back?!). I read good things online about the fish tacos so I went with the Taco de Pescado (Fish) & Taco de Camaron (Shrimp). While both were OK (not good, not bad, just OK), they were not filling at all and they each cost $4.

Side ramble: I felt like they should have been $2 each so I could have four. You might be thinking, “Stop being such a cheapskate & get 3 tacos for $12!” Well, if I’m going to spend $12 + tax on 3 tacos, I might as well go to Rosa Mexicano and spend $20 to eat their Budín de Pollo dish that I love so much. Like I said, I’m looking for good, cheap Mexican food. I want to be able to get a burrito the size of my head with fresh ingredients from a non-fast food Mexican spot, and I want it for under $10! Anyhow, I digress…

They taste worse than they look.

What made the tacos worse was that next to me, Jess was sitting PRETTY with a Pinché taco salad that looked somewhere between 10,000 & 1 million times better than my dish! The taco salad comes in a tortilla shell, which means you can add as little or as much crunch as you want. It’s also a heaping pile of lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, guacamole and comes with a delicious cilantro dressing (they have other options too).

In short, epic fail.

However, I wasn’t ready to give up on Pinché for good. Not me! I went back just the other night & got another dish that was recommended to me… nachos w/ carnitas (braised pork). Bing bang boom! Just like that, Pinché was in my good graces! The nachos were loaded with cheese, topped with tasty, fresh guacamole, and the beans & pork were mixed into each layer of nachos!

They taste better than they look. You'll have to trust me.

Pinché redeemed itself and while I’m not ready to anoint them “my Mexican spot,” I’m pretty, pretty, pretty excited for my next experience.

(There are two Pinché locations. I went to the Lafayette Street location for both meals but the “eb” in “Web” claims that the Mott Street location is better. I don’t buy it.)

Pizza Box – This place was recommended to Jess & I by her cousin’s fiancé, Jordan, and we were anxious to find a good pizza-by-the-slice spot near our apartment. Jordan claimed it to be his favorite pizza place in NYC. Do I trust his pizza opinion? Not that much, to be honest, as he’s from Cleveland. But, I gave it a shot and was proven wrong... Clevelanders can know good pizza! I got a cheese slice & a ‘roni slice and both were on the money. As Jess said, “this is what you expect when you think of good New York pizza.”

We’re both pumped to have found our local pizza joint. We will probably be stopping by there after a night out drinking. Taboot, there’s a chill garden in the back that’s perfect for dining in.

Quantum Leap – Yet another recommendation - this one was by my sister’s friend, Julie K. Quantum Leap is a vegan, natural food spot with locations in the E & W Village. We ordered in from here and really, really enjoyed our meal. I got the Portobello Pesto Burger with a side of sweet yam fries. It’s a grilled veggie burger topped with roasted sweet peppers, grilled onions, Portobello mushrooms, & pesto sauce, and it absolutely rules! Along with the sweet potato fries, it’s a hearty, healthy meal that hit the spot! We’ll definitely be coming back here to sample the rest of their menu.

Silver Spurs Diner/Restaurant – Sweet potato fries were MONEY!! Turkey burger with swiss and avocado grew on me as the meal moved along and I ended up enjoying it. Similar to Quantum Leap, this meal was hearty, and felt healthy (even though it probably wasn’t). I want to come back here to get a beef burger (which I hear is huge) and to eat more of those tasty fries! Jess went with a salad and wasn’t disappointed – their salads are big and there are so many different options. This is a good spot to have right around the corner.

NoHo Star – For a recent catch-up session over dinner, I headed to NoHo Star with a friend. The menu is a little odd – they have salads, sandwiches, omelets and then a side Chinese section that seems out of place. We both went for the American food there and I ordered the chicken burger that came with fontina, pickles that almost tasted like they had been marinated in soy sauce and some coleslaw. The burger was pretty tasty when paired along with the coleslaw but the pickles seemed a little out of place – in keeping with the random Asian aspect of this restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid place with lots of food options and a good place to catch up over food and drinks…but the food is by no means amazing. It did the trick and I would come back for another low-key weeknight meal.

PS – We’ve got a big weekend coming up with dinners planned at L’Artusi (cross it off the list!) & Nonya! Stay tuned…

Earth to MATILDA

Oh, BlackboardEats, you have brought us to many great places with your deals! This week's adventure...Matilda on 11th Street between Avenue B & C. It's tucked away and is definitely a local hangout, which is why it was completely empty until around 8 pm. We went from being the only table at 7 pm to being ignored by our waiter at the end of the meal! That brings me to the only flaw - bad service. Besides that, the meal was great and full of flavor!

Mexican & Tuscan fare, you say? We're there. We started out with the guacamole with basil (instead of cilantro) and red pepper, which made me think: why doesn't everyone make guacamole with basil? It was GREAT and definitely a stand-out against every other guac I've had. We almost ordered a second, since it's not that large of a serving, but ultimately decided on another appetizer.

The BlackboardEats deal was a free bottle of wine with your dinner, so we got a bottle of the Pinot Grigio. I'm always a little afraid to take advantage of deals or discounts, but this restaurant was all for it and I'm sure they've gotten a lot of new business because of it.

For the main course, I got the Salmone Al Tamarindo - roasted salmon fillet topped with a balsamic-tamarind reduction, served with sauteed spinach and shoestring tortilla chips. The menu also mentioned that this dish is the winner of "Matilda's Cooking Slam," whatever that is. But I will say (as would the other other diner who ordered this), it tasted like an award-winning dish. The salmon was perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The balsamic sauce and spinach really complemented the dish and the tortilla chips gave it some texture & crunch.

Eric got the BlackboardEats-recommended Gnocchi with a basil-cilantro pesto. This dish is right up his alley and with a little help from his friends (me & the 2 other diners), the plate was wiped clean by the end of the meal (this is not a rare occurrence). They even left him the Parmesan cheese dish so he was able to spread it on top of the gnocchi liberally. The best bites came from the middle of the dish when the gnocchi was soaked in the delicious pesto & topped with a dash of cheese. Gnocchi with pesto is a famous & dangerously delicious dish. Matilda threw us a Mexican cilantro twist curveball and hit it out of the park.

With a cute atmosphere and great food, I would definitely give Matilda another visit in the near future! Check 'em out here: http://www.matildarestaurant.com/menu.html

Pampano

Pampano was a go-to “special occasion” restaurant for the Hoppers a few years back – great upscale Mexican cuisine that blew us away the first time we went there. However, it’s a little overpriced. Although I would have dreams about their tuna, I just couldn’t justify the $31 price tag. Plus, it’s not in an area that we frequent all that often – 49th between 2nd & 3rd. It wasn’t until we saw a Blackboard Eats (http://www.blackboardeats.com/) deal for 30% off dinner at Pampano that the memories came flooding back and we decided to go for it.

The décor in Pampano makes it feel like you’re in a Latin dream – white swirly ceilings with fans giving off a cool breeze. They have a great outdoor patio upstairs that’s open for dining when it’s nice out. Unfortunately, the deal we had only permitted us to eat in the dining room.

We started out with sangria and a margarita to kick things off appropriately on this lovely Saturday night. For an appetizer, we shared the Tacos de Filete – Filet Mignon, soft corn tortilla, cilantro, onion and tomatillo salsa.

It was nice and flavorful but I don’t know if I would get this dish again. The tacos were mini and could be consumed in one bite if you have a big mouth…and the dish only came with three. Not a good bang for your buck at $14. You might be better served getting the guac & chips for the table at the same price.

For the main course, there was no question about it – we were both getting the Atún – pistachio-chile ancho crusted tuna, sweet potato, green apple salad, mole verde.

This dish is the reason we used to come here – its savor-every-bite good. The tuna is just slightly seared, cut up into big pieces and spread out over their delicious mole sauce. It goes too quickly but is absolutely delicious.

Our beef with this place: main dishes don’t come with side dishes, they come with garnishes, leaving you not as full as you’d like to be. And at $31, they should at least throw you some rice & beans.

Pampano would be a great place for someone with an expense account. The food is definitely high quality, but it’s not inventive enough to be that expensive. We’ll be back here, but on someone else’s dime for sure.

http://www.richardsandoval.com/pampano/

Epilogue: Pampano led us to another one of our favorite upscale Mexican places – Maya. They’re both owned by the same group and they both have amazing tuna dishes! Check out Maya on the Upper East Side – it’s more moderately-priced.