What used to be locals only Tap & Grill Clambar is now the young hipster loving Playland Motel. They totally renovated this place. Looks fun like the name. I did have a good time out there. The backyard and the backroom is nice. I’m sure they’ll do well when people are walking back from the beach towards the subway.
Playland Motel – 97 20 Rockaway Beach Blvd. New York, NY 11694
I’ve used this Taco Seasoning Mix a few times from Trader Joe’s. It’s flavorful, cheap (79 cents), but burns your butthole so bad afterward. But maybe that’s more my fault. I looked at the instructions this time and you’re supposed to use only half of the packet per pound of meat. I was dumping the whole packet in.
So this time I only used half. It wasn’t as awesome tasting or as spicy, but my butt thanks me.
My flight back to NY got delayed, so time to get drunk at the Orlando International Airport. Then I got hungry and ate at On the Border. I’ve never eaten at one. The prices were pretty decent for airport food. I created my own combo pick three for $11.99. I got the beef taco, chicken enchilada and beef enchilada. It came with complimentary chips and salsa. Not bad for chain airport food, but not really good either. It was a decent deal though to kill the time.
We were watching some Gator football at Jody & Christa’s in Greenpoint. I asked about the Yummy Taco (Chinese run Tex-Mex) around the corner. Jody said it was yummy and mentioned that they have a Super Burrito that includes chicken, steak and shrimp ($6.99). That sound weird. So I had to try it.
I went in and it was like any other Chinese run Tex-Mex like Fresco Tortilla Grill or Super Taco Express in the city. They make their own flour tortillas fresh. This place, their machine looked pretty cool. A manual hand cranked squashing machine. I was nervous of taking a photo of it, because they looked nervous of me being in there.
I brought back a big bag of food –the Super Burrito, Nachos, and a Veggie Taco. They included those small red liquidy hot sauce containers like the other places. How did they all coordinate to do that? If I was them, I just put in hot sauce packets like at Chinese takeouts, since it seems easier. Oh! They should also do Chinese homemade hot mustard. That would be sick on that food …sick as in awesome.
The food tasted alright. Just like what you expect from Chinese Tex-Mex. Not amazing, but affordable and good enough. I love the fresh flour tortillas. The Super Burrito had huge ass  fried shrimp in there. Several of them. Pretty good deal with it packed with so much big shrimp.
Yummy Taco - 941 Manhattan Ave (btwn Java & Kent St) Brooklyn, NY 11222
The weather’s been great for us to check out Rockaway Beach. First stop was to get a beer of course. And that first bar we past was The Tap & Grill. It’s Rockaway’s oldest clambar since 1934. Some cool old pics on their site.
I ordered some fish tacos. Glad I did. The Rockaway Taco line around the corner was nuts. I just want to eat, not buggin out waiting. Fish tacos were great. Fish was like the kind you’d get if you ordered fish & chips. Cod I believe. The ceviche-style salsa punched up the flavor.
Rockaway Beach was cool. Not crowded and stinky like Coney Island and closer than Long Beach. Huge recycle bins you can lock your kid in and a prison-style concrete picnic yard.
Grabbed another beer on the way back to the train at the divier Rockaway Beach Inn. The bartender there said Rockaway Tacos are “out of this world.” I started to regret not trying them.
Everyone was really nice in Rockaway …at both bars. Even the lady wearing double denim (jeans and jacket) with the black eye. I can’t wait to come back.
The Tap & Grill Clambar – 97-20 Rockaway Beach Blvd. Rockaway Beach, NY 11693
After walking out of Manhattan Inn, I was like whoa, Calexico is packed. Ben says it’s like that all the time. So he took me down the block to La Norteña. No one in there. We got carnitas pork, steak and spicy beef tacos. Complimentary chips and salsa in a little piggy bowl. The tacos were good and cheap. Why no one in there? Gringos scared to be gringos? You would think the takeout menu with the picture of the cowgirl & horse would be enough bring in the hipsters. They had me at the horse.
La Norte̱a Р668 Manhattan Ave (btwn Bedford & Norman) Brooklyn, NY 11222
Oh yeah, check out Ben’s new seafood series, Hook Line & Dinner. It premieres June 7th on the Cooking Channel. That shit’s gonna blow up.
Went to Brokelyn‘s Spring Gala party last week at Public Assembly. Brooklyn Taco Company set up shop there. I was a little skeptical because it was $4 for one taco and who are these young non-Mexican’s making tacos? …But then I saw that brisket meat stewing in the pot. Dang. It was actually pretty good. I should stop being prejudice against non-Mexican taco makers. It’s racist against hipsters.
Check out brooklyntaco.com to see where they’re serving up.
I walked up behind Ryan when they were giving away the 3-day Greenpoint Coworking office space raffle. I told him I was going to win it. A second later, they called my name. I can’t believe I wasted my visualization on winning more work. Maybe I can food blog it.
Really weird thing happened later. I started talking to this girl who won something right after me. She gave me her card later in the night and I Google image searched her. Oh shit. I came up as the first image and I was wearing a fake stache from a year ago. I don’t know what to do. I’m hesitant to email her about it, because I’d be admitting to Internet stalking. But I guess I just did.
One of the first nice days out in a while, Anthony and I got some tacos and a burrito bowl from Choza Taqueria and sat in Madison Square Park. I want to say Choza is like a smaller Chipotle. Similar prices, but taste is more simple and fresh. I think getting the burrito bowl is the way to go. I think you get a lot more food in that bowl than the three tacos. I was stuffed.
I like how they have Cholula brand hot sauce packets. Every place should have hot sauce packets, but not like Taco Bell packets.
It was a beautiful lunch day in the park. I made eye contact with a really hot girl from afar while eating my burrito bowl. She ended up sitting right behind us on the statue steps. Her legs were pretty much in my Horchata …which was very cinnamon-y. I didn’t know what to do, so I talked loudly to Anthony about Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Bar & Grill in Orlando. I said they should serve a buffet in there. I wish she laughed.
Choza Taqueria – 66 Madison Ave (btwn 27th & 28th St) New York, NY 10016
