Right this way for tacos

As a break from my hours of studying for these horrible teaching exams, Daniel and I drove out to Sunset Park, Brooklyn to grab some real brain food - tacos, baby. We had planned to go to Restaurante Taqueria Guerrero, which was reviewed in the Voice recently. Supposed to be spicy and delicious. But of course it was closed. Luckily, we had a few other options in mind, and so, undeterred, we made a trek through the pouring rain in search of Mexican goodness.

First Stop:


A fairly large, brightly lit family spot. Our waitress didn't speak English, and when she discovered our depressing lack of Spanish, she went and found someone who could help us interpret the menu. The man she sent over clearly found our questions about queso and crema a little strange, but he obliged, and we eagerly ordered. Here's what we ate:

Carne Asado Taco - served in a double tortilla, very simple, with beef, a thick helping of guac, some onions, and a nice green salsa and limes on the side

The verdict: This was Daniel's favorite; I liked it, but found the beef greasier than it needed to be; still though, the tortillas were great as was the guac, and it was hands down the best taco I've had in NY (well at least for the moment...)

Pollo Taco - same thing, but with pulled chicken

The verdict: surprisingly flavorful for chicken, and I found it really refreshing after the greasy beef

Tamale roja - chicken tamale

The verdict: My goodness, do I love tamales; just my style; a big thick helping of carbs with a little bit of moist chicken, then a little green salsa poured on; oh happy day.

Next stop:



Much smaller; a little divier, but filled with local families - all signs that something good was happening inside. And it was.

Preview

Pollo torta - this is what we came for, having read in the Times that they have the best tortas in the neighb. This was poached chicken, a thin layer of refried beans, avocado slices, pickled peppers and carrots, and mayo (which I wiped off) on a toasted Kaiser roll

The verdict: having had no other tortas in the neighb, I can't compare, but if there are better, let them come forward and present themselves. Again, the chicken was surprisingly moist and tasty, the avocado plentiful, the peppers perfectly spicy, and the roll at once perfectly crunchy and soft. Loved it.

Huarache con carne - we asked for an huarache with beans, but this came instead; huarache covered in beef, lettuce, and a little cilantro. We drizzled it in red and green salsas.

The verdict: similar beef to the taco at Matamoros, but less greasy. The huarache on the other hand was grease city. I couldn't eat more than a few bites, but Daniel was happy to dig in. Unfortunately, he found it very difficult to maneuver, and as he tried to cut it, the paper plate it was resting on kept sliding all over the table. Very charming.

Cecina taco - a taco with special dried, salted beef (one of the specialties of the place we were originally intending to try, so we decided to get it here); double tortilla-ed taco, with onions and little bits of tomatoes; I sprinkled some lime and green salsa on my half

The verdict: AMAZING; the beef was like slightly moist jerky; tangy and chewy and salty and fatty and phenomenal; with the delicious tortillas and the onion and the salsa on top, it was the best of the day. Cecina is my new best friend.

In spite of the torrential rain and traffic that we had to brave to get these tacos and friends, it was a great aftertnoon. How exciting to know that such delectable Mexican is a ten minute drive away. And how sad to know that we're leaving in a month and a half. Although I guess moving to California, one can't really worry about lacking good tacos. But there's something about getting them in Brooklyn that makes it all the sweeter (and saltier and spicier and chewier and beefier and altogether delicious.)

The Bread Project - whole wheat "focaccio"

Well I wasn't going to make any bread this weekend because I am studying my tuchus off for these upcoming California state teaching exams. I ask you, is it really necessary to be able to talk in great detail about pragmatics when teaching sixth grade English? And when is the last time a fifth grade teacher made use of organic chemistry? I know, I know, subject mastery is important, and really I'm just angry at myself for not having started studying earlier. But I digress.

I had thought about doing a quick bread over the weekend and had been eying the walnut honey bread in Tassajara, but then I saw this foccacio. It seemed quick and easy, and I had the ingredients, so I decided to keep with tradition and make a good weekend yeast bread.


I was pleased with the results. They are good and soft with a nice crust, and Daniel says they make for a good sandwich roll. The next time I may add a bit more sage and salt than the recipe calls for, and perhaps I'll roll them out a bit thinner. My only real question is what on earth do these lovely dinner rolls have to do with Italian focaccio? I have no idea...

Outer Borough Eating Club -Yemen Cafe

So maybe given the fact that it took almost a year after moving to Carroll Gardens for me to make it to the much anticipated Yemen Cafe, it is appropriate that it's taken over a week to report on my first sublime encounter with this Atlantic Avenue den of deliciousness.

But two Fridays ago, 7 of us made the trek through the rainy Brooklyn streets to sample some of what is hailed to be the best lamb in the borough. Luckily, I had called earlier in the restaurant earlier in the day to check on its BYOB status, quickly realizing that this place was the real deal and that alcohol was not allowed. Although dissapointing, the alcohol probably would have served as a distraction from the feast that was about to unfold.

Right after we placed our order, they brought us two complimentary treats

Lamb soup and a house salad

The verdict: the salad was surprisingly fresh, with a really nice dressing; the soup was sublime; salty and rich, a thin broth into which we squeezed lemon juice that as my friend Nina pointed out would be the perfect remedy when sick. We were off to a good start.

We moved on to some appetizers, which were served with this bread:


The verdict: amazing; it was warm and soft and chewy; with little crunchy brown bits; as soon as we came close to finishing one, another piping hot pieces would emerge; I easily could have eaten a full loaf (for lack of a better word) of this all on my own, and through the course of the meal, I probably did...

Hommus w/ tahini - need I say more?



The verdict: Daniel, the hummus expert, deemed it not as good as the kind we get at Damascus, just across the street from Yemen Cafe on Atlantic, but he wasn't turning his nose up at it either; creamy, smooth, and besides, it served as a vehicle for eating more of that bread, so really what's not to like?

Foul madmas - mashed fava beans cooked with olive oil; they came bubbling in this iron pot


The verdict: surprisingly rich for fava beans; thick, warm, savory; and again, I got to dip pieces of that bread in it, so I was very, very happy.

White kidney beans - cooked with tomato and onions



The verdict: this was a favorite of the table; wonderful texture, the beans just on the brink of mush, mixing with the tomatoes to create a kind of hash; really subtle nice flavor, sensational.

Eggs served with tomatoes and onion - Yemen style

The verdict: we'd expected something closer to Israeli style shakshouka, but this was actually closer to Chinese style eggs; scrambled, with big pieces of tomato; it was really nice though, with the lovely hot sauce they kept bringing us, and of course, the BREAD

On to the entrees. Daniel and I split two.

Yemeni House Salta - mixed vegetables and soup houlbeh served with lamb and bread

The verdict: this was another dish in an iron pot; a kind of vegetable puree with fenugreek and on the side a big old piece of lamb; this was very good, very comforting, again pretty subtle flavor; the roasted lamb was a delicious, fall off the bone, melt in your mouth, this is why i love lamb situation

Special Yemini Fateh with Lamb - homeade bread bits cooked in gravy topped with minced lamb

The verdict: for the second time in recent weeks (the first being Sri Lanken) I have learned that flat bread saturated with some sort of meat gravy and spices to the point that it becomes chewy and a little mushy is one of the great wonders of the world; this one was without eggs like the dish I had at Nirvana a couple of weeks ago, but the lack of egg was no problem; the little pieces of lamb were just the right level of chewiness, the gravy itself was rich without being overpowering, and my Lord, there is something that happens to bread in this sort of dish that is just divine. Daniel and I slapped some hot sauce on this bad boy and ate the entire bowl, even though we were stuffed from appetizers.

Yemeni Fateh - homemade bread bits cooked with honey & butter

The verdict: maybe bread for appetizer, bread for main course, and bread for dessert is excessive (but probably not); this had a strange flavor though, which no one at the table could place. It reminded me of French toast. Not sure I'd get it again.

A great evening all together. It's so close to our house, I hope to be back several times before we move. The waiter was lovely and on request gave lots of tips about the proper way to eat the dishes (don't dip the lamb in the salta).

The Bread Project - English muffins

Well after a couple of weeks on hiatus, the bread project is back. Last Sunday, I made English muffins from the Tassajara Bread Book. They were a little picky to make, involving several risings. But they came out very well. I couldn't stop staring at them. They really look like English muffins, and they taste good too!

A Bay Area Sampler - Day Three

DAY THREE

This was the one day without any appointments, so we were very leisurely. We had planned to bike to get some brunch, but then I cut my finger and the bike I was going to borrow was too big, so we just drove. Lazy, lazy Sunday.

Venus - I had wanted to go to the Thai Temple in Berkeley for brunch on Sunday, but Daniel, the traitor, had gone the week before with his brother, so we settled on more traditional brunch fare. We put our names down at both Venus and La Note, which are a block away from each other, and then we wandered back and forth waiting to be called. After about an hour, my name was called at Venus, but then a party who had given their names before us pointed out the oversight, and we were back to waiting. The hostess, feeling bad about the mistake, cleared a table that hadn't been being used right at the front of the restaurant and sat us a few minutes later. I had the Casper omelet (an egg white omlet with sauteed veggies) with a side of chicken sausage and whole wheat toast and Daniel had the 2x2x2, which was two pieces of challah French toast, two poached eggs, and two links of chicken sausage.

People waiting outside Venus

The verdict: It's hard to be a fair judge of this meal because we were so ravenous by the time we ate, but we were both very satisfied. The chicken sausage was nice and sweet with a tiny bit of a bite. My egg white omelet was pretty standard, although the veggies in it were nicely seasoned, perhaps with a bit of curry. Daniel's French toast was really, really good, even with all the syrup he drenched it in. Not sure it was worth an hour wait, however. Next time hopefully we can try La Note. I'm dying to try their lemon gingerbread pancakes...

Edible Schoolyard - this is not a restaurant, and I didn't eat anything, but it is food related, so I'll mention it. The flagship of Alice Waters' program. Since one of my goals on returning to teaching is to incorporate my love of world food and my interest in sustainable agriculture into the classroom, this program is incredibly exciting to me. I'm hoping that Daniel's and my upcoming stay at an organic farm in Ireland will give me some skills so that I can volunteer or something with the program. The garden was really great. They grow such an array of different fruits and veggies. Even in February, stuff was happening. In the very back, they have a pen of chickens, which Daniel says get moved around to help fertilize the soil. It was such a lovely place and open to the public. There were several people just sitting in the garden reading.

Signs for different crops

Berkeley Bowl - We decided to stock up on some snacks and to take a hike up Mt. Tam in Marin County, so we went to the Berkeley Bowl, this huge Fairwayesque grocery, famous for its bread and produce. I was stunned by the sheer magnitude of the citrus aisles. Row upon row of different kinds of oranges, grapefruits, lemons, etc. We bought a bunch of different kinds of citrus (including something called a golden nugget), a couple of pears, some Canadian sharp cheddar, two rolls made in a local bakery, and a loaf of cinnamon bread from San Jose. Then we hit the mountain.

Just some of the citrus at Berkeley Bowl

The verdict: We didn't eat it all then because we weren't starving after our latish brunch, but it was a lovely picnic looking out at the clouds that were actually below us. The cheddar was good and sharp. The rolls very fresh. Daniel was especially pleased with a whole grain number, which he said reminded him of bread he'd had in Israel. We shared a pear called an "apple pear." It wasn't the most flavorful thing I've eaten, but really, really juicy - similar in texture to an Asian pear. The big winner though was the cinnamon bread. Ewey, gooey, almost babkalike. It would make absolutely decadent French toast. My only complaint is that it was pre-sliced, which made it slightly less moist than if we'd been able to cut it ourselves. This was easily remedied though by taking pieces from the middle. I'd have felt slightly guilty about our feast, except that the "easy grade" hike we went on wasn't as easy as we'd anticipated. So we earned every bite of cinnamon goodness.

The apple pear

The view from our picnic

Spices II - We met some friends in the Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco for dinner. We'd intended to go to Burma Superstar so that I could finally taste a little tea leaf salad after Burmese Cafe's untimely closing here in New York. We waited for an hour and a half and then were told it would be another hour and a half before we could be seated. After waiting so long for brunch, I couldn't do it again, so we headed to Spices on the pretty favorable recommendation of our friend who has spent a lot of time in China. We shared pork kidney, Mongolian beef, dry braised string beans, tofu with hot pepper, squash soup, and cold poached in hot oil.

The verdict: I wasn't really in the mood for Sichuan, so I was a bit more critical than I might have been otherwise. But it compared pretty favorably to Spicy and Tasty in Flushing. The spice level was good. The food was appropriately oily the way Sichuan should be. I really liked the string beans (as I always do), and the Mongolian beef was good and tender and not too fatty. I also really liked the squash soup, which I got to have a nibble of from our friend Scott who had ordered it because he was ill. The squash in question was sort of fine and spongy, and the soup was a perfect salty broth. I wish I'd had more. The pork kidney was served cold as our Chinese specialist Adam (who ordered for us in Mandarin) had told us it would be. But it wasn't as flavorful or rich as I'd expected. All in all though it was a good time. I enjoyed practicing the lazy Susan manners that I learned in China.

So that was our trip to Northern California. We go back again in March for more interviews and to begin to check out possible neighborhoods to live in. Even though the job and friend and earthquake issues are still very much in question, one concern that was answered was food. Although we haven't yet checked out the high end cuisine (and probably won't for a while, given our recent Daniel extravagance) the combination of various ethnic options and the phenomenal produce options make me think eating in the Bay Area will be just fine.

A Bay Area Sampler - Day Two

DAY TWO

Ferry Building - I had an interview down near Fisherman's Warf, and as happened for everything during our trip, we overestimated the time it would take to get there and arrived early. Luckily on the way we passed the famed Ferry Building and its Saturday farmers' market. I insisted that we hop out and take a look. It was incredible. The farmer stalls went on forever and there were lots of stands preparing hot food. We grabbed some apples and dried fruit and I headed off for my appointment. But when the interview ended early, we headed back. We sampled cheese and citrus and jams. I bought some Meyer lemon marmalade and pluot butter and we shared some salmon jerky and a hamburger.

salmon jerky

The verdict: I loved the market. The prospect of buying groceries there is thrilling. I've since tried the Meyer lemon marmalade and it's great - tart with lots of chunky lemon pieces. The salmon jerky was very surprising. It really had the texture of a Slim Jim, but it tasted like salmon. The burger was free-range organic from Prather Ranch on an Acme bun. It was really simple, but there's nothing like good quality beef cooked outside. Yummy.

burgers at the Ferry Building

La Taqueria - we then headed over to the Mission to explore. We went to this Slow Food establishment and debated whether to get tacos or share a burrito. We ultimately went for a veggie burrito, and while I understand the place is famous for its tacos, we were very satisfied.


The verdict: A not too enormous burrito on a flour tortilla. Beans, avocado, not much else. But it was great. There was a fantastic hot sauce on the table that we poured all over it and achieved the perfet level of spiciness. Daniel's horchata cut the sting and we were very happy. Next time I'll get some sort of meaty taco, but the burrito was a delicious comfort. Chewy and satisfying.

Mission Pie - across the street from La Taqueria. This place uses fresh organic ingredients from the Pie Ranch and teaches local high school students about agriculture. The students then work at the pie shop. Pretty cool. The kid who was manning the joint when we went recommended the Meyer Lemon pie.

The verdict: I have to say the pie was too sweet for my taste. I liked the texture of the filling a lot though, big pieces of lemon, rind and all. The crust was also really good and flaky. I will go back though. The atmosphere was nice. It would be a great place to get a piece of pie and a cup of coffee and to sit and read for a while. The "mission" of the place is awesome and our friend Scott knows the owner maybe I can get involved some how...

Cafe du Soleil - we walked from the Mission up some big hills through the Castro to the Lower Haight. Daniel had heard this place was nice, so we stopped in for an iced tea and a lemonade.

The verdict: Daniel was very excited about sitting here in the future and working. Then we saw a couple in which the woman was grading papers and the man was doing something on a computer. We're pretty sure that'll be us pretty soon. The lemonade was also great.

Eva’s Café – We drove out to the beach and then sat in the car for a while and watched the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge. Amazing. I love ocean and Daniel loves mountains, so you can imagine our delight. On the way back to the East Bay, I had to go to the bathroom very badly, so as we drove through Richmond, I kept my eyes peeled for an appropriate establishment. When I spotted this brightly lit Hawaiian restaurant, I shouted at Daniel to stop and ran in. Overwhelmed by the menu, I asked the girl at the counter to recommend something small. She suggested the spam musibi or the barbeque chicken musibi. Not knowing what either was, but knowing I didn't want spam, I chose the latter and ran to the bathroom.

The verdict: a musibi it turns out is some meat and warm rice wrapped in nori. So yummy and comforting. It really is the perfect snack when you kind of crave sushi but it's cold out so you also want something warm. It's also much bigger than a sushi roll, so it would be a really satisfying snack for one person. A new first fave. The rest of the menu here looked good too.

Café Colucci – once again, by the end of the day I was exhausted. We were supposed to go to Chez Panisse Cafe at 9:45, but there was no way I was going to make it. We tried Pizzaiola, but the wait was an hour and a half, so we headed to Cafe Colucci for Ethiopian. We shared the vegetable combo and mushroom tibs with spicy sauce. I had an Ethiopian dry honey wine and Daniel had an Ethiopian beer.

The verdict: This really was the best Ethiopian I've had other than Cafe Adulis in New Haven (and that's Eritrean anyway.) Each of the dishes in the veggie combo was delicious. I especially loved the collards and the split peas. The mushroom tibs were fantastic. Sauteed mushrooms with onions and garlic and spicy sauce. Scooped up with pieces on injera, it was a very satisfying meal. The Ethopian "dry" wine on the other hand was undrinkably sweet.

A Bay Area Sampler- Day One

So in contemplating moving West later this spring, there are many factors to consider - jobs, friends, housing, earthquakes, but high up on the list for me (perhaps higher than I'd like to admit) is food. One of the things that makes New York home to me is the abundance of eating options. We have everything from the high end like Daniel and Yasuda to the Outer Borough wonders like Sri and Spicy Mina, plus everything in between. I love eating here and planning where to go next. I know who to turn to for advice on new restaurants or recent discoveries, and I have developed a good system of shopping to mix my desire for high quality,organic (sometimes local) ingredients with the most diverse of imported ethnic goods, to my addiction to preservative laden Skinny Cows and Thomas High Fiber English muffins.

So in heading out to the Bay Area, I did copious amounts of research to ensure that I would get a good taste of what northern California has to offer. I posted a query on Chowhound, and the hounds did not disappoint. I received around 130 responses. Luckily, we're heading back in a month to try some more recs. So here's what we ate. Day-by-day.

But first a prelude:

THE TRIP THERE
Because of an unused ticket to Venice from my previous job, I got to fly first class on the way to San Francisco. This meant that unlike my friends in coach, I was served an actual meal. I've been hearing a lot about top chefs creating menus for airlines, and so I was excited to see what I'd be receiving. I chose the chicken, which came with green beans and some kind of apple stuffing. A side salad and a roll accompanied the main course, and then some kind of citrus meringue pie was served for dessert. The chicken was dry, the beans were greasy. The salad was glorified iceberg, and the pie was nothing special. On the upside, I did like the roll, which was a multi-grain affair. Luckily I had a brown rice krispy treat stashed in my carry-on.

moving on...

DAY ONE
El Huarache Azteca - while I had a meeting in Oakland, the lovely Daniel drove out to this highly recommended Mexican to pick up a little take out before we headed off to my next appointment in Los Gatos. He chose the huarache with chicken tinga and the chicken mole. The huarache is basically a lightly fried, kind of thick tortilla, covered in refried beans, a little cheese, and shredded chicken - with hot sauce. The chicken mole was on the bone chicken in a thick mole with a side of rice and beans and warm, freshly made corn tortillas.

The verdict: we both loved the huarache (made bites for Daniel that were dairy free). The huarache itself was a great blend of chewiness and crispiness and the chicken was really flavorful and moist, and I love refried beans. The mole was a little less flavorful, although we both loved the rice and beans. And those corn tortillas were the best I've had. I can't wait to take my mother who loves fresh tortillas to try them out. Overall, it's hard to give Huarache Azteca a fair review since Mexican isn't the most take out friendly food, especially when eaten in a moving car. But I will definitely go back there next time.

University Cafe - On the way back from Los Gatos, we stopped in Palo Alto to check out Stanford. After getting lost in and confused by the actual campus, we decided we deserved a snack, and wandered up and down the main street until we found this place. We shared a citrus salad with goat cheese, grapefruit, oranges, and candied walnuts and an open faced turkey sandwich with avocado.

The verdict: just simple bistro food, but made 150% better by the incredible freshness of the citrus. I love grapefruit, but I couldn't get over how much better this grapefruit tasted than the kind I usually eat in New York. The turkey sandwich was overwhelmed by the enormous pile of turkey, but the bread it was served on was nice, and who doesn't like avocado?

Uzen - by the end of the day, I was basically a zombie, so we drove back to the East Bay, and went to Uzen for sushi. We each had several pieces of sushi - including the special baby yellowtail, sockeye salmon, and I had some sea eel. I had an ume shiso roll and Daniel had an avocado. Each of us received a free green salad and miso soup.

The verdict: Uzen had been recommended to us because of the freshness of the fish and the simplicity of the presentation, and that's exactly what it was. High quality, straight forward fish. I especially liked the yellowtail, and Daniel loved the salmon. I have to admit the eel was a little much for me. The pieces were huge and just a little too much for me. In general the fish to rice ratio was a little skewed to the fish for my taste. I like the delicacy of a smaller piece. But the rice was really good, and the ume shiso was delicious. And for such good fish, the price was excellent. Also, much to Daniel's delight, the miso soup was served without spoons. He really enjoyed drinking out of the bowl.

Then we went home and ate Skinny Cows. The have them in California too!