El Centro

In the west 50s, where I once worked during my days at the talk show, El Centro had just opened as I was leaving for my next job (or job search, really). So when a former news colleague suggested meeting up with ANOTHER alumnus of our former TV station, he suggested El Centro. Score!
First off--the margaritas are big, they are strong, and they are worth the 10 dollars!

We started with some chips (sprinkled with fresh lime juice, of course) and a duo of guacamole & salsa. The guac was nicely textured and zippily delicious.

I went with the trio of tacos-- pomegranate-glazed skirt steak, grilled mahi-mahi, and short ribs. They were all good, but the short ribs were by far the best. Delicious! They were tender, flavorful, with the perfect touch of sweetness and caramelization in them. The watercress sprinkled on top gave a nice, bitter kick to the rich fillings. I'd go back and double up on the short ribs, get another mahi mahi, and skip the skirt steak. The only thing I didn't like about the steak was how difficult it was too eat-- long strips of steak that weren't super easy to chew. Trust me--stick with the short ribs!

Cerveza chandelier

The Tex-Mex scene has so dramatically improved in the 10+ years since I moved here, and I'm so happy about it! Places like El Centro are less and less surprising, but always still appreciated. Service was fast and friendly, the margaritas were delicious and strong,everything was very reasonably priced, and I'd highly recommend this spot if you're anywhere near it.

El Centro
824 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019
(646) 763-6585

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Thalia (or That Time I Ate 5 Oysters!)

I went with a group of friends to Thalia, a Hell's Kitchen restaurant where they specialize in seafood. I heard we'd be indulging in oysters, which had me a bit apprehensive.

Texture-wise, oysters do not normally appeal to me. Fried? Sure! Raw and jiggling in their shell? Shudder! I would never discourage others from indulging, but I just never really "got" the appeal.

However, I do like to push myself to try and do new things now and then. I did mention my hesitation to my fellow diners, and they couldn't have been more encouraging and supportive!

Thalia offers $1 oysters (Chef's choice) from 7p-close, so we got 2 dozen Blue Points from New Jersey. They came with 2 portions of cocktail sauce (deliciously heavy on the horseradish) and a malt vinegar/shallots sauce.

I tried my first one, a small sample with a dollop of the cocktail sauce. Meaty, not slimy at ALL, and refreshingly tasty! THIS is something I could enjoy eating. In fact, I had 4 more! I hadn't eaten that many raw oysters in all my LIFE before then. Gold star for me!

We moved on to main courses- my entrée was the pappardelle with lamb ragu, ricotta cheese, broccoli rabe and mint - dusted with a nice layer of shredded Manchego cheese. Broccoli rabe is almost always a deal-breaker for me, as I'm not a fan of bitterness, but this was perfectly cooked, mild, soft and tasty!

My friend and former news colleague (I've left the biz-she's still in it and just won an Emmy!) ordered the squid ink capellini, which she loved. 

I sampled it- delightfully delicious with the perfect touch of the sea.

Thalia also has sushi, which looked delicious - I was already too full to try this, but everyone else raved about it.

 
We had excellent service, fun conversation, and the whole meal was a lovely time. I'm glad I finally popped in to the restaurant I've been walking by for so many years!

Thalia
828 8th Ave
New York, NY
(212) 399-4444

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Mi Nidito

We took an off-campus lunch at work today, with tomorrow's Fourth of July making TODAY a half-day--Happy Birthday Eve, America!

Our group went to Mi Nidito (translation: my little nest) on 8th Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. When I worked in my talk show days, I ordered delivery way too often from this spot. So tasty and so reliable! It's also vegetarian-friendly (no lard in their refried beans, etc), which was good news for at least two people in our party.

The first basket of chips & salsa is free, and there are placards on every table letting you know it's $2.50 a basket after that. You've been warned! The salsa is so delicious that you will likely get a few more--I couldn't get enough of the super-garlicky salsa.

Four of us got there early and we were ravenous, so we ordered the nachos with the meat on the side (as one of us is a vegetarian). These were so cheesy, flavorful, and terrific than I didn't even miss the meat. The meat was good and well-seasoned, but honestly, these nachos didn't need the meat. You can't have lunch at Mi Nidito without having a 'rita, and since it was a half-day, we all ordered a variation on their margaritas (there is truly a mind-warping selection, from flavors, tequila combos, and more).

I stuck with the basic and ordered the Ultimate (first photo in this post), which is a regular 'rita on the rocks with fresh lime juice instead of chemical-y sour mix. Outstanding! One of my coworkers opted for a regular frozen with a splash of strawberry--artsy!

For my entrée, I ordered the chile relleno (stuffed poblano chili pepper) filled with shredded chicken. This has a nice coating of broiled cheese, but was pretty light overall. I love poblano peppers--they taste like thick, meaty, intense pieces of spinach to me. Yum. The salad came with beets (I love beets!) and a tasty citrus dressing, and the beans and rice were okay (no lard in the beans, so they're light, but I'm not a rice fan, so I mostly ignored that).

My coworker CJ (that's her sassy manicure you see in the chips photo) ordered the beef enchilada and said it was scrumptious with a nice kick.

We were pretty stuffed, but we managed to make room for a bite or two of the tres leches cake the manager sent us on the house. It was light, chewy with bits of coconut in it, and the sauce that came with it was super-cinnamon-y deliciousness.

The food was SO good. Yes, it's New York City. It's not like the food in San Antonio or Houston or your typical Tex-Mex havens..but you know what? It's pretty damn tasty. Their lunch specials are reasonable (9.95-10.95), their margaritas are STRONG (1 was plenty for all of us!), and the service is good.

Mi Nidito

852 8th Avenue

New York, NY 10019

(212) 265-0022

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Puttanesca

My friend Ali came to town for a whirlwind weekend of sightseeing, theatre, and good food. We saw the matinee of "Jerusalem," for which actor Mark Rylance won the Tony. It was intense, gripping, and we had amazing seats that had us hanging on to every second of every scene. I also needed my friends to translate some of the British slang for me along the way--yay, new vocab!

All that drama can work up quite an appetite, so we walked from the theatre to Puttanesca (site of a birthday dinner from years ago with ABF). We sat at an outdoor table and dug in to our bread and olive oil---we were hungry!

We started with an antipasti platter--salami, provolone,mortadella, and creamy/salty gorgonzola cheese to mellow it all out-- delicious. It was quite stunning to see, too.

We thought about getting some pasta, but we weren't famished. The helpful server offered to bring us half portions instead--win!

I ordered the half portion (yes, that is the HALF portion) of the Paglia E Fieno (Straw & Hay)--prosciutto bits, peas, and an avalanche of mushrooms. This was perfectly al dente (just a little bite to it), nicely balanced. Wow. I'm not normally that impressed by plain old pasta, but this was not plain old pasta. Deeelish.

We had the pleasure of having two lovely gentleman accompany us to the theatre--J, a friend of Ali's who flew in from the UK, and his friend A, an Australian living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. NYC really is a melting pot, and such a fabulous place to meet fun new people. However, I kept my foodie freak flag a litle low, so I didn't reach allllll the way across the table to shoot A's food..thus...only 3 entrées are featured:

J ordered the Chicken Parm, which in typical restaurant fashion covered the entire plate. It smelled outrageously delectable and J seemed to enjoy every bite.

Ali ordered the Chicken Francese, fried chicken cutlets in a bright, lemony sauce. This got the thumbs up, too. (Sorry for the blur--again, freak flag flying lower that day!)

I ordered the cioppino, the seafood stew with a tomato-based broth. This was really, really good. Tender mussels, clams, shrimp, and a generous fillet of fish on top--I can't remember what type of fish, but it was flaky, perfectly cooked, and I ate quite a bit of it. I know saffron is a big deal, but it doesn't do that much for me. I understand it's tough to harvest, etc, etc, but for me, meh. The tomato-y goodness with the briny seafood is what really pulled me into this dish. Mmmm. Briny.

There was absolutely no room for dessert, and I'm not even a little sad about it!

Puttanesca definitely is at the top of my list--if you're looking for romantic date night, business meals, or just a gathering of newly-formed friends, this is a stellar find. Abbondanza!

Mille Grazie to Ali for the theatre experience, and to our gentlemen friends who refused to let us pay for dinner, AND gallantly accompanied us to our taxis/subways at the end of the night. It was a delicious end to an amazing weekend in the city I'm so blessed to call home!

Puttanesca
859 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10019-4453
(212) 581-4177

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Albert Hall Tavern: Hits & Misses

Albert Hall Tavern is quite possibly THE favorite restaurant of my friend and fellow foodie, Sara. She has raved and raved about it, so when I saw a LivingSocial deal for a prix fixe dinner for 2, I snagged it. I took my friend Kwame there before we saw a play.

We arrived on a seasonably warm afternoon and walked right in to the open area. We were seated immediately (we had a reservation) at a booth, nicely appointed with glassware and silverware and small floral.

Someone came and welcomed us—a manager? I’m not sure. I should have just asked for his name. He was nice, took our coupon without making a face (unlike Bocca!) and left to get our wine (included in said coupon).

I knew from Sara’s previous experiences that we had to order the artichoke dip and the mussels. Kwame ordered the dip, I got the mussels, and we sat back and waited. And waited. And waited some more. We even almost got the next party’s entrees..but no apps. About 30 minutes later, that same man came by and asked if we’d had our apps yet. No, we had not. He disappeared and about 10 minutes later we had our apps. Did I mention we were going to a show? Tick tock,people!

The artichoke dip was good, but I wasn’t over the moon for it. I guess I’m just an artichoke liker, not an artichoke lover. The potato chips on top gave it a good crunch. Kwame really liked this.

The mussels, however, shut me up for a good 15 minutes. Not a single bit of grit in there—always a plus for me. The broth was wicked peppery. My word was it peppery. Like, make you cough peppery. And yet, I kept going back for more. I told Kwame to share some, and he agreed—the broth was fantastic. We asked for more bread just to get more of the broth!

Entrees came a short while later—Fish & Chips for Kwame, Bangers & Mash for me. I was leaving in a few days for England to visit ABF, so I figured I’d get in the right frame of mind. Kwame really liked his fish and chips. I was starting to get really full, so I didn’t share any of his, but I was glad he liked it.

My bangers and mash were.. um.. different. I don’t know exactly why I wasn’t crazy about it. Maybe I wasn’t hungry enough. The mashed potatoes were almost whipped—I do prefer mine with a little more heft. Again, pepper OVERLOAD. What is with the pepper? I like some pepper, but they must have gotten it on special at Costco or something..it was all I could taste.

I don't normally bother writing about places that don't warrant a visit--why waste my time and yours? But I want to like this place, I really do. When we actually got people to come to our table, they were always friendly--they were just hard to find. We must have waited another 20 minutes for someone to bring us the check (after asking 2 people), and yet we watched them visiting with other patrons, making small talk, etc. And yes, we told the man at the beginning it was our first trip, and that we were visiting on friends' recommendations. Grrr. Overall, a very bad, flat, disappointing experience. But the mussels (presuming they go easier on the pepper next time) and Sara's insistence on the place's awesomeness might convince me to give Albert Hall a second chance.

Albert Hall Tavern
508 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
(646) 490-4803

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Kashkaval

My friend Patty's birthday falls on Halloween--I mean Halloween falls on her BIRTHDAY--so a group of us rounded up on Friday evening for a birthday dinner. We decided to try a spot off our normal roster and we hit up an old favorite of mine: Kashkaval, on 9th Avenue. I used to work across the street from here when I was at the talk show, and every once in a while I would pop in for an out of this world lunch--or to take a slice or two of baklava home.

One of my favorite things about this place--their cold dishes. Their spreads are outrageously delicious, especially their tzatziki (crazy powerfully garlicky), their ajvar (red pepper spread), and their olive tapenade. Oh man..soooo good. For $18, we got a plate with up to 6 items (we got the hummus, ajvar, tapenade, baked beets, and TWO servings of the tzatziki). Everything was insanely scrumptious. I could easily make a meal of all these spreads.

Up next, we got the Basic Fondue, which has Swiss & Emmenthaler ($10 per person). It comes with bread cubes, or you can pay extra for veggies or meats. Emily & I loved this, especially when it got to the bottom of the dish and all those yummy bits of garlic came to the surface. Patty thought this was just meh--"just cheese and bread," she said, to which I say JUST cheese and bread!? Just DELICIOUS cheese and bread!! :)

We ordered the chicken kabobs ($11), which come with 2 skewers and a bed of orzo, as well as a delicious mix of veggies and feta on the side. Two people could easily split this as a meal--we each took a piece of chicken and onions/peppers as a snack.

For dessert we got the chocolate fondue (also $10 per person), and this came with bananas, pears, strawberries, and marshmallows. The chocolate was super yummy--the only drawback was the way they sliced the fruit--usually you get big chunks, all the better to dip securely. These were sometimes paper-thin slices and tougher to manage. Still, any fruit and chocolate is a good thing.

We also got an order of baklava--which I love. Theirs is super-soaked in the syrup, so you can eat a bite and not have it fall apart in your hands. The nuts are finely ground, which I like, and the overall texture is just scrumptious to me. I LOVE this baklava. Love, love love it. It's actually cheaper if you get it to go than if you order it at the table, but I resisted the urge to bring more home with me...a move I'm now regretting!

Kashkaval also has a great, affordable wine list, and you can eat and drink quite well for not too much per person. I've eaten there for anywhere to 15-35 dollars a person (depending on if we ordered wine, etc.) and I ALWAYS feel it's worth the money and the trip.

Kashkaval
856 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10019-4451
(212) 581-8282

Too Xai Xai (hush hush...)

THIS place has been on my radar for YEARS! It opened up when I was still working at the Montel show, and it wasn't far from our office, but darn if I just never made it there. We were so much more likely to hit the after-work bar one block from us. It was dark and crowded and all-too-often smelled ungodly, but the wings were amazing and the bartenders knew us..so Xai Xai got pushed to the back of the line..until this week!

We were bidding adieu to someone in the office and it just happened to be on my birthday! : ) Isn't multi-tasking fun??

The place is much smaller than I expected inside. I was imagining a louder, more boisterous scene, but it's very low-key and understated. I highly recommend it for small groups.

The food was good, but not amazing. We ordered the small cheese platter, which had a farmer's cheese, blue cheese, goat cheese (very mild), and an Italian cheese, the name of which wasn't exactly clear to me. It came with mixed nuts and an apricot chutney, which tasted very strongly of rosemary to me (what is it with all the rosemary lately??) We also ordered the 'melted cheese bowl,' which had a pungent cheese melted inside the bowl, and buttery, ridged pita triangles for dipping. The cheese tasted MUCH better than it smelled! It was just enough food to keep up with the wine, but not so much that you walked away feeling stuffed (which is good, because I was saving room for my birthday dinner!)

But truly, you go to Xai Xai for the wine, and it was well worth the schlep across Times Square! We started out with a gorgeous-looking rosé (its name escapes me but it was the first offering under rosés, for about 28 dollars). It was very fruity, with a heavy raspberry flavor, at least to my tastes buds. The gal who was leaving our office is more of a white drinker, so for the next bottle (don't worry, there were several of us there) I asked the server about the pinot-chardonnay blend. He let me try a sample, and I found it quite unique and delicious, so we ordered a bottle. THAT time I remembered to take a photo of the bottle (see the Haute Cabriere label below). I thought this was a fantastic glass of wine--and I'm definitely more of a red drinker than white. I'll have to keep an eye out for this blend--a fabulous find!

Xai Xai Wine Bar
369 W 51st St
New York, NY 10018
(212) 541-9241