NYC Tastes

Fish tacos at Tacombi are amazing.  I love the crunchy batter and spicy slaw but what else on the menu is worth ordering?  Certainly the Corn Esquites are a big winner. This cup of toasted corn with chipotle mayo and lime was so incredibly creamy and delicious.  I honestly think it would give the corn at Cafe Habana down the block a run for its money. The Ceviche was decent.  They use tilapia and marinate everything in a strong cilantro sauce which overpowers any other flavor. The Al Pastor de Puerco were tasty but they forgot the pineapples on my last visit.  Odd but none the less tasty.  However next time I would add on that delicious corn but stick to my usual order of fish tacos and sparkling sangria. Tacombi

The week Talde opened I stopped working in Brooklyn.  I had been so excited to go opening day when suddenly my commute kept me in Manhattan and my days and nights were chock full of visitors.  I really tried to get out there. One day I missed the end of brunch by 5 minutes, another day a sign on the door said "Closed for Routine Maintenance".  Finally last Friday I made the trip out again and dashed inside 5 minutes after opening to plenty of open tables and bar seats.  Success! We took some seats at the bar and ordered up some drinks. I'll admit my Watermelon Margarita was a bit over the top, but the bright pink drink kind of made my day.  The beer list wasn't too shabby either. We started out with the Perilla Leaf- toasted shrimp, coconut, bacon-tamarind caramel and peanuts. I didn't love the furry texture of the leaf but the contents inside really packed a ton of delicious flavor. It was strange something so small co...

I hadn't planned on having this delicious Yellowtail Scallion Roll and melty piece of Toro at Hatsuhana.  Honestly it just kind of happened. I was re-reading Garlic and Sapphires on my way home from work and the review of Kurumazushi had me practically drooling.  I was so excited about her experience I convinced myself that I needed an amazing sushi experience immediately.  My thought process went just like this: "I need sushi...serious sushi...wait...Oh my goodness...Kurumazushi is still open!!! YAY!!! I'll go there by myself and order the omakase just like in the book!  Sure it might be hundreds of dollars but I really need sushi right now...wait...okay maybe not Kurumazushi...that's a little crazy...yes crazy but what about...Yasuda!! Just a few rolls here and there maybe some unagi and uni at the bar...nothing that's completely outrageous...well actually I'm not even that hungry and Yasuda is still rea...

I really can't get enough of this place.  I've talked about their wonderful Chicken and Meatball Parm sandwiches but that's not even the best part.  The best is their amazing Mozzarella Sticks. I'm not kidding, these are amazing!!!  Somehow the breading has no greasy feel.  The fresh gooey, cheese is encased in a crunchy, light breadcrumb mix that is so delicious and addictive I'm beginning to think I might have a serious problem on my hands.  I was there three times last week just for sticks alone. But don't stop there- The Saratoga Club is an absolute knockout as well. Look all the delicious layers of Chicken Salad, Bacon, Rosemary and Potato Chips.  It's impossible not to fall in love with this big, bold sandwich. And don't forget about the Buffalo Cucumbers.  I highly suggest an order of the spicy veggies with big crumbles of blue cheese.  Just writing about this food makes me want it...

I love absolutely everything about pumpkin flavored things- pumpkin gelato, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins.  I could go on and on but one of my favorite pumpkin items is pumpkin beer!  The one I get most excited for is the Dogfish Head Punkin. It has such a wonderful brown sugar aroma with smooth flavors of pumpkin, nutmeg and biscuit.  This is easily my favorite pumpkin beer of all time.  However if you don't see a Dogfish Head you could pick up the Harpoon Pumpkin UFO.   This is a little lighter than the Punkin and has a bit more carbonation making it nice and refreshing.   At Foley's they even dressed up the rim with some cinnamon and sugar which was nice.  If sweet and strong is more up your alley I'd get the Southern Tier Pumking. This has the same wonderful pumpkin notes but adds in lots of cinnamon and spice.  This reminds me more of a Caramel Pumpkin Pie than anything. ...

The area that stretches from 34th to 51st Street on 9th Avenue might as well be called Little Thailand.  There is at least one Thai restaurant on each block and some have three or four.  Some are hit or miss but I keep coming back to Thai Select.  There's just something about their Pad Thai that's out of this world. I love the abundant amount of crunchy peanuts on top, the large addition of protein and absolutely wonderful sauce.  There are never clumpy noodles here.   I love it so much I took Mr. T there for dinner when we were in the area last week.  He ordered the Whole Bass and we were able to enjoy happy hour as well. The selection is small but our beers were quite tasty and a bargain at $3 a piece.  Thai Select is a solid choice for neighborhood Thai Food. Thai Select

Can you believe it's Labor Day already!  Where did the summer go?  I'm sad for the season to be ending but I can't complain much.  I closed out the month enjoying a plethora of my favorite things. Of course you all know I love Eataly.  I feel like I almost live there and their luscious Prosciutto and fresh Mozzarella is just one of the many things I love about the place. A stop at Gramercy Tavern provided me with a big juicy burger. Over to Danji for that addictive Tofu with the amazing ginger scallion sauce. Onto Cha-An the cozy and serene tea spot in the East Village for some serious desserts including my favorite Black Sesame Creme Brulee.  I think that about wraps up my week of eating.  Not to shabby for an end of summer fling.  Bring on Autumn!