Revisit: Taka Taka in New York, NY

Taka Taka characterizes itself as a Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos joint. I guess you understand: this is a Mexican / Japanese fusion restaurant with a very interesting menu, branching out to these two distinct cuisines. It is not our first time there (previous review here) and we were looking for an original place, close to the heart of Tribeca, to celebrate my cousin Sandrine's visit.

Another originality of this place is its conveyor belt or kaiten sushi. It is like a fun way to eat: dishes with a number will pass in front of you and you decide to pick them or not. The number refers to the menu on the table set, so it quickly becomes a game. First you will look at what is passing by and then quickly try to know what it is, and then, it will be the reverse: you will be waiting for that number 5 to come. But do not worry: if you really want a roll, you can just ask them and they will make it for you.

Each plate has a color that corresponds to a price, so be careful: it can be a fun game, a pricey game...

To start our dinner, we decided to order some mocktails. Sandrine and Jodi got  Kiiro that is tangerine juice, basil and a touch of lime.

I ordered the Gogo, a mango frappé with macerated blackberries:

Empellon Taqueria in New York, NY

As we were craving Mexican food, we decided to go to Empellon Taqueria, located in the West village; a place whose staff has definitely a sense of humor...

Big place with beautiful mural on the wall.

That day, they were hosting a birthday party and I did not had time to have a look at the menu crafted for the event, but noted that this could be a good place for a group meal. 

To start, we went for the guacamole and chips.

Authentic Mexican dinner at El Maguey Y La Tuna on the Lower East Side, NYC, New York

I was recently invited to El Maguey Y La Tuna, a restaurant located on the Lower East Side that serves authentic Mexican cuisine. As a blogger, I love these press dinners, not only because you get to meet other people who love food, but also because you often meet with the owner or Chef who will give you some information or back stories that you would not have as a regular diner.

I admit that I had no idea what the name of the restaurant was referring to and thought that Tuna was...tuna! In fact, it means "The Tequila/Mezcal and Prickly Pear Plants". It is a family owned and operated business: in the kitchen, Executive Chef Leonides Cortez and his wife, Sous Chef Manuela Cortez. At the front of the house is their daughter Maria who gave us plenty of hints that evening.

It is a medium size place, with a 45 seats capacity that, as Maria mentioned, was designed to make people feel like they are in the family kitchen, a feel perfectly rendered by the terra-cotta floors, the wood and tile tables and the white tile walls, decorated with photos (one of them is Maria's grandmother, overlooking the dining room and emphasizing the importance of family), as well as ceramic from Mexico.

We started off with drinks. I could have gone for a Mexican beer but decided to go for their margaritas that they flavor with fresh fruit puree. 

I ordered the mango margarita that is my favorite flavor. 

It might not have been the best margarita I ever tried, but I liked it, although a bit dangerous because you couldn't taste the alcohol too much making it taste like an innocent drink...

I also tried, out of curiosity the jalapeño margarita (don't think I drank two margaritas: that will never happen!).

I never heard of such a drink and if there would not be jalapeños floating around, I would have never guessed what it was. It was refreshing, not spicy as I would have expected.

We started the dinner with chicken tamales that they made especially for the Holidays as Maria told us.

We had to unwrap it to discover the filling made with chicken and masa (a corn dough), that we ate with green salsa.

Pinche Taqueria in NYC, New York

Recently, we ate at Pinche Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant located few steps from Union Square. It all started in 1973 in Tijuana and now, they have three locations in NYC: 14th, Mott street and Lafayette street. 

It is like most of the fast casual food places: you order at the counter, they give you a number and then bring the food to your table.

Their menu has the standard Mexican dishes: tacos, quesadillas, burritos, tamale, tortas and for the healthiest of us, salads.

We decided to start with guacamole and chips.

The guacamole was delicious and fresh, worth the $4. 29 we paid for compared to Tacombi a la Fonda Nolita that was quite expensive. The chips were good, but I do not think they make them.

Jodi got a black bean taco:

Mexican brunch at Sabores in Hoboken, NJ

I am not sure how to start this post, the experience at Sabores being so disappointing, food and service wise. And it is not as if we went there right after they opened! 

Before I start with the details, let me give you some information on the restaurant. It is located in the middle of Washington street, and area that has always been tough for restaurants because there is more foot traffic downtown. Several restaurants tried but failed; the last one was Piri Piri, a Portuguese BBQ, unique in Hoboken. Of course, food or service are not the only reason: rent increase is a big factor that led, for instance, to the closure of my favorite Indian restaurant in town: India on the Hudson. 

So, Sabores serves Mexican cuisine. In fact, we were greeted by: "Here we serve real Mexican cuisine", probably a dig to East LA, a popular Mexican restaurant located few steps from it. 

The place is big (high ceilings) and very colorful with dark pink walls.

So, Sabores means "savors" in English: let see how the food measured up! Similar to most of the mexican restaurant we went to, they brought us some tortilla chips and salsa, a little after we ordered.

I guess it is the equivalent of bread and butter, Mexican style! I appreciated to have chips that were not stale as it happened some other times in other restaurants.

Then, we decided to order our favorite appetizer: guacamole!

Nice presentation, however, the avocado was not ripe, making it inedible. Interestingly, the table next to us had the same problem!

Jodi ordered the ensalada verde, made with red onions, tomatoes, avocados, arugula, corn and radish.

My nephew culinary visit: day 5 / part 1: Tacombi at Fonda Nolita in NYC, New York

Interestingly, Valentin told us that the only tacos place they have where he lives is a Middle Eastern version rather than Mexican! So, we decided to bring him to a restaurant serving tacos and ended up at Tacombi at Fonda Nolita on the Lower East Side. 

It is a very interesting place: when you enter, it is as if you were on the side of a road, with a small van in the middle where they make tacos! 

Looking carefully inside the van, you can see the Chef works his magic:

On the right when you enter, they have a small cafe, for take out:

The name Tacombi is in fact the contraction of Tacos and Combi, the latter being the van that is used as a taxi in Mexico. 

Our waiter was nice and efficient, but the food took some time to come. We started off with guacamole and chips. 

It was freshly and perfectly made, but I was surprised by the small quantity for close to $12. 

Then, we all got different tacos. Jodi ordered the veggie one that was mainly made with mushrooms.

Surprising food at Toloache in NYC, New York

I am not sure what I was expecting when I went to Toloache with my colleagues; probably simply Mexican food...Well, let say that it went beyond my expectations as you will discover in this post!

This two floor restaurant is very colorful, with paintings representing the Toloache also called Datura Innoxia, a flower used to make love potions, but also in Mexican witchcraft for darker purposes...

On the first floor is the bar, with its impressive choice of tequila, but where they also make fresh guacamole!

The menu, crafted by Chef Julian Medina is not as standard as you may think. Yes, they have tacos and quesadillas, but he made them his own. And for sure, if there was something I was not expecting to see, it was grasshoppers! Yes, you read it correctly: grasshoppers, or chapulines. Apparently it is a common ingredient in some parts of Mexico. There, they serve it in a taco. 

I have never tried grasshopper or any type of insect, at least willingly I guess. And I did not want to order the tacos just for that, as, if I did not like it, it would have been a waste of money. So, I asked our waitress wether it was possible to try some and she came back with a small ramequin full of them.

They are dried grasshoppers that they pan sear. We ate them like we would eat peanuts, putting everything in our mouth. It was crunchy outside and creamy inside, with a strong taste that had some hint of lime. It was good, but not to the point I would replace peanuts with it...

Then, it was time to eat some more usual things! We started off with guacamole. They make it fresh and propose a sampler of the three different kinds they serve:

Traditional (mild):

Dorado, Tacos and Quesadillas in NYC, New York

I just discovered another cheap restaurant near Union Square: it is called Dorado Tacos & Quesadillas. They make tacos and quesadillas, but you can also get soup, one being with cheese and quesadillas, the other one with tacos. Ok, let just say that they serve tacos and quesadillas in different ways!!!

It is a small place with a communal table in the center, two small tables and some stools. It is so small that If you sit at one of the tables like I did, don't be surprised to bang into the person behind you from time to time! 

The way it works is that you order at the counter, they assign you a number, and will call you once your food is ready. 

We started off with the chips, guacamole and salsa. 

The guacamole was already packaged but pretty good! The salsa, not spicy and refreshing, perfect with the tortilla chips that were thick, well salted and seemed homemade. 

Then, I decided to go with an all fish taco selection. I first picked the Baja taco: beer batter Atlantic whitefish served with cabbage, picked onions, crema and salsa fresca.

Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York

Papatzul is a Mexican restaurant located in Soho. It has this fantastic dining room decorated with colorful posters, but also because of the sunlight coming from the window on the roof. It feels authentic for sure.

We went there for brunch and their menu offers standard Mexican dishes, most of them at a reasonable price. We started of with the dish we always order in a Mexican restaurant: guacamole.

Although it looked homemade, we definitely could see from the oxidation of the avocado that it was done a little earlier and not a la minute. It was good otherwise, served with some crispy corn chips.

Then, I ordred Huevos Rancheros. Unfortunately, the waiter did not understand me and came back with Huevos con chorizo or scrambled eggs with chorizo. As we were in a bit of a hurry, I did not bother and decided to try.

Trece Mexican Restaurant in NYC, New York

Still looking for cheap eateries near Union Square, we ended up at Trece Mexican Cuisine and Tequila Bar. We did not really know what to expect, but were for sure excited to have Mexican food! The place was big and colorful. They sat us at a table next to the bar and the big TVs overlooking the dining room. Well, for sure the staff was more interested in the TV novella than the customers!!! 

We started with a dish we always order in Mexican restaurants: guacamole!

The guacamole is made to order that is always great and better than having a restaurant serve some guacamole that was made few days ago or just bought somewhere!

It was good, with big chunks of avocado, was not too salty (I hate that!), but was missing a bit of acidity.

Then I got the fish tacos:

Hotel Tortuga Mexican Restaurant in NYC, New York

Walking around NYU in search for cheap eats, we found this place called Hotel Tortuga. It is a Mexican restaurant that offers a large selection of vegetarian dishes for reasonable prices. Yes, it is called Hotel Tortuga, but it is not a hotel! In fact, they want you to imagine that you are in a hotel near Acapulco. The decor definitely feels like South America and is very cozy with its red booths and relaxed atmosphere. 

This restaurant serves traditional stuffing for tacos such as beef, chicken or fish, as well as a large selection of vegetarian ones: tempeh (soy protein), vegetable chorizo, grilled vegetables...

This is what we ate for less than $30:

A large side of guacamole with corn chips:

The guacamole was decent, but I do not think it was fresh. We could get as many chips as we wanted, as they offered chips and salsa.

Two vegetarian chorizo tacos:

One grilled chicken taco: