Spice up your life!

Spice: to add zest or flavor. Mayahuel will add some excitement to your life in more ways than one. A major benefit to living in New York is the wide-variety of restaurants available. While the amount of choices can be overwhelming at times, Mayahuel stands out from the crowd like a man in a cowboy hat walking down 5th avenue. Venture to the East Village and and be careful not to miss Mayahuel which is nestled into what looks to be an old church. After entering the door, you immediately feel as though you walked into a quaint restaurant in a small Mexican village. The restaurant has two floors with the main being dominated by a large bar and the upstairs housing most of the seating. The whole place has an air of mystery to it while making you feel at home with the decor and abundance of religious relics. Do beware: Mary watches you in the restroom, but don't let that scare you or great food will be missed!

 To get the party started, we ordered some Tortillas with Guacamole. Anyone who knows me has either heard me rave about or experienced first-hand my love for the almighty Guac! The Guacamole at Mayahuel was legit although not the best I've ever had. The Tortillas also came with Salsa Verde and Roasted Tomato dipping sauce. The Salsa Verde finished along with the Guac, but the Roasted Tomato not so much.

Moving on to my main drug of choice: Gordita. While I had no clue what a true Gordita consisted of being my prior knowledge extended to Taco Bell, I sat with an anxiousness soon to discover my Gordita was banging! The main star of this dish was the stack of succulent ribs. They were juicy and sweet with the first bite having a hint of pine-apple; however, they quickly end up doing a spicy meringue in your mouth. If you do not like spicy, do not order this dish. Definitely a bit more than I am used too, but they tasted so good that I did not care. The supporting star: Corn Patties. While I assumed these would taste similar to cornbread, I was amazed after biting into one that there was cheese somehow infused inside...awesome! To make things better, the Corn Patties were topped with a bit of white rice and fresh salsa. The rice was cooked perfectly and the assortment of salsa on top was sweet which complemented the spiciness of the ribs well. Definitely a hit in my books! Another honorable mention from a previous visit to old Mayahuel: Quesadilla with melted cojita cheese and mango salsa along with the chorizo and and cheese smoked tomato filled croquetas. 

Keep it spicy and go to Mayahuel to experience the unique decor and friendly atmosphere with a date (hint hint: impress) or go with a group of friends (head to the corner booth). I promise the food will not disappoint and if it does they have a large selection of drink choices for you to wash your sorrows away!

Ay Tamale or Tamal!

Re: Tamal está cerca de mi corazón (Tamal you are close to my heart).You all obviously know the way to this girl's heart is through food!

With Latin food being one of my all-time favorites along with living in the land of A+ Mexican & Dominican food, I had high expectations for Calle Ocho. This restaurant is Nuevo Latino and located on Columbus Ave and 81st. Walking in you are greeted with bright colors, dim lighting and friendly servers. They have ample space for groups to wait or grab food/drink at the bar---looks good for group dining! For this particular trip, my fellow foodie and I opted to try the Tamal appetizer along with the warm bread/black-bean dip (complementary). Let me start with saying that the warm bread & black-bean dip=danger. It can definitely ruin your appetite, so word of advice is to not go too hard on the bread ;)

Now to the main attraction...the Tamal! This dish is a sweet corn tamal filled with goat cheese topped with pumpkin seed pesto and surrounded by a sea of shrimp enchilado. The combination of all of these flavors from the goat cheese (get up on the goat) to the pumpkin pesto mixed with a spicy shrimp enchilado makes for the perfect combo of sweet & spice. For those of you not trying to put the spice in your life, do not fear this dish is not that spicy. Definitely enough for two people along with another appetizer and leaves you wanting more!

Calle Ocho is a great place to go with a group of friends and experience new and exotic combinations of Nuevo Latino cuisine for a decent price. Definitely worthy a repeat visit! 

Hip in Harlem

Have you ever seen a skier in the middle of Times Square? Most of you are probably thinking "Duh blizzard #1 of 2010." Although it has happened, this is a RARE occurrence just as a trendy restaurant is in Harlem. Kids-this doesn't come around all the time!

     Needless to say, I was excited to go to Red Rooster in Harlem (125th /Lennox). For those of you scared to hit the hundreds, this is close to the train and a short ride from mid-town. Anyways, I was a bit taken-back by the ambiance. Scene: dim lighting, eclectic knick-knacks, large bar, visible kitchen (points for being able to see who is making your food) and the smell of comfort food. Red Rooster is trendy (including the prices) but yet has a homey feeling. I definitely felt like I was downtown and not across the street from Staples. The menu consists of comfort foods like mac n' cheese, grits & shrimp, fried chicken, and Helga's meatballs. Yes, I know the last one is throwing you off, but Chef Marcus Samuelsson grew up in Sweden but has never lost touch of his Ethiopian roots. This brings for a nice combination of foods and spices.

    Now for the important stuff--food! For an appetizer I split the Blue Corn Fish Tacos which were scrumptious but SMALL (Picture two bite-size tacos). So, I was not surprised at the small entree's. I get you are going for the 'trendy' down-town feel, but a girl's got to eat. The mac n' cheese was okay but did not have that typical 'cheesy' taste that one would expect. The greens in the dish were a nice touch though. However, the Sweet Potato Doughnuts with Cinnamon Sugar made up for the rest. Picture Dunkin Donut-sized minis but a light, doughy, warm ball of greatness sprinkled with cinnamon. The dessert came with two dipping choices: lemon sorbet and vanilla cream. The combo of the sweet-potato and cream was a winner!

   Red Rooster is a great spot for anyone living uptown who is looking for a nice, trendy scene with good food and a decent variety. Being the restaurant is extremely new, I feel like it will be better as the hype wears down. Go for the doughnuts and the Sunday brunch with live Gospel music sounds like a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday! If that all fails, go to meet Chef Samuelsson (Top Chef) who personally greets all guests.

A Mexi-midtown experience!

 Is it possible? Good, fairly priced Mexican in mid-town? To say the least, I was extremely skeptical upon entering Mi Nidito. Being a current resident of Harlem and having lived in Washington Heights, I am surrounded by an abundance of excellent, cheap Mexican food.

In my daily lunch stroll down 8th avenue, I am constantly handed a flyer for Mi Nidito so finally I caved and checked it out. Definitely had an authentic feeling that I did not expect for mid-town and was pleasantly surprised. No need for over-priced 'gourmet' Mexican food--give me the real deal. The appetizer that caught my eye and later caught my heart was the King Crab Nachos. Being a sucker for nachos and the fact crab was involved made this a done deal.

While expecting a huge plate of nachos, I was welcomed to a small plate of about six or so nachos (medium size proportion) that were topped with king Alaskan crab, guacamole (my fav) and melted cheese. Immediately after taking a bite I was hooked. It was like a spicy, seafood party in my mouth topped with the crunch of tortilla and guac. They were so good that I did not want to stop eating to take a picture :)

This is definitely a new go-to for lunch where I will be going and getting the King Crab enchilada. The prices are decent being that it is mid-town and the theater district. If you work in the area, it is worth going to for lunch or if you need a quick bite before/after a show this beats out the competition.

Brunch over Lunch!

     While walking around Chelsea with a friend, the hunger pains soon took over and we decided  to eat before continuing our shopping quest. Where to go? Still late enough for breakfast, the right time for lunch, but perfect for brunch! We came across a cute spot where you could smell the waffles outside and watch them being made. I think everyone is aware of my obsession of waffles from my last post, so naturally this was the spot.

     From the moment you walk in Petite Abeille, your filled with a sense of comfort from watching the men create waffles, to the warm and cozy decor. The menu was extremely exciting from the choice of Belgian waffles, omelets, sandwiches, and Belgian fries. Being in my 'brunch' mood, I decided on the Parisienne Omelet and Guafre au Sucre. The omelet not only looked delicious, but lived up to its appearance. From the first bite, I was sold on the fresh tomatoes, egg, and ham. However, the deal breaker was when I tasted a bite of Gruyere cheese--delicious! Everything was seamlessly proportioned in the omelet so you always had a bite full of all of the exciting ingredients.

     After partaking in in the Parisienne omelet, it was time for the good stuff! Although my instincts lead me toward the Guafre Dame Blanche (Waffle with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream), I decided on the Guafre au Sucre (Waffle with sugar and strawberry sauce). It was time to get over my stigma of mixing fruit into my dessert and obsession with chocolate and ice cream being necessary ingredients in my waffle escapades. The Guafre au Sucre waffle was perfectly toasted and had a 'fluffy' taste to it. It was sprinkled with just the right amount of powder sugar and surrounded by the strawberry sauce. To my delight, the strawberry sauce was real and tasted delicious.   

  Petite Abielle was the perfect choice and eased both of our hunger pains leading us to a great day of shopping. I definitely plan on visiting again and get in on some of those Belgian fries!

Spekuloo..I heart you!

New obsession: Wafel's & Dinges. I finally tried this AMAZING dessert Friday  and can not stop re-living the moment. I'm totally going to order spekuloo off of the website (yes, I will be that girl). After hearing about this truck for awhile, I stopped mid-conversation to make my way to the truck. It was love at first site. Even though I was full from lunch, I was not letting this opportunity pass. Naturally, I had to par-take in the Belgian greatness. I decided to 'go big or go home' with the classic Belgian Waffle opposed to my first instinct to try a small Wafelini. I was definitely torn on toppings...dulce de leche, nutella, fudge...what is a girl to do! I chose Belgian chocolate fudge being the chocolate fiend that I am and opted to try this funny sounding word--spekuloo. The sign said it's better than Nutella and a 'Belgian favorite' so expectations were high.Needless to say, I was not disappointed. 

Each waffle is made fresh and served warm for your liking. It was a pretty good size, but did not intimidate my sweet tooth. I literally ran back to the office so I could try it. The waffle was cooked perfectly, not too hard or soft, warm and loaded with the perfect amount of chocolate and spekuloo, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The combination of Belgian chocolate fudge and spekuloo was a winner, and don't know if this combination can be topped. Spekuloo is a Belgian treat that looks like peanut butter and tastes like traditional Belgian ginger bread..it's pretty 'orgasmic' as the website boasts. It was a nice touch to the chocolate and had my heart from the beginning. Minus the powdered sugar that spilled all over my desk--I had a truly amazing experience. I will be there faithfully every Friday (well at least this Friday) to get a waffle and end my week right. I highly recommend everyone takes part in this Belgian greatness and get on the waffle band wagon. I'm currently on a mission to become 'Wafeltte of the Week.' Wafel & Dinges has something for everyone, plenty of tasty & creative toppings and good customer service. Spekuloo!

Oo La La...La Sirene!

I decided to get my French on and try La Sirene on Broome Street. Although the French restaurant is tucked away in its own desolate corner of Soho, it is a nice surprise upon arrival. As I met my friend outside of the restaurant, the smell of tasty food filled my nose which is always a good sign. La Sirene is really tiny, but warm and welcoming from the server's greeting upon entering, dim lighting and nautical decor. Great place to catch up with friends or impress a date. 

Now let's get down to business and talk food. For appetizers, we decided on the 'Calamards Sautes Provencale' (calamari) and mussels in red wine sauce. The calamari was tasty and had slight hints of garlic but nothing to write home to mom about. Being a novice to mussels but an adventurous foodie, I decided to taste. The mussel had a good seasoning to it, but mussels are just not my style..not a huge fan. Moving on to the main act: the pan seared skate fish with mango. The fish was well seasoned with warm butter and I loved the taste of sweet with the addition of mango..definitely a winner. I was also amazed that mashed carrots could taste so good..who knew.
 Naturally, we ordered dessert for the whole group to enjoy.. my personal highlight. 'Big Profiteroles' took home the trophy for me. It was chocolate on top of chocolate with ice cream mixed in there for the party. The chocolate had a hard texture and looked like small cakes with ice cream inside and chocolate drizzled everywhere. Let's just say this dessert was so good that I would have licked the plate! La Sirene is worth the trip just for the 'Big Profiteroles', ambiance, service and the TLC put into every dish.