Dang. Good taco cart in the East Village across from Bar 2A. Went to two birthday parties there this week. A good opportunity to get a taco.
The cook told me the Barbacoa goat taco was the one to get. I liked it. $2.50. Tender shredded meat. Juices dripping all over my fingers.
Also tried a Tlacoyas. Never heard of this before. Looks like a vegetarian Huarache with beans, sour cream, onions and red & green spicy sauce $2.50. Not bad. I think some of that Barbacoa on it would make it even better. But maybe that makes it a Huarache?
Tacos Morelos cart – Northwest corner of E 2nd St and Ave A. New York City
Had my first taste of this taco cart last week. One Pork (carnitas) Taco $2.50. One Pork Gordita ($3). Tiny cook standing on a block. Nothing else much to say, except really solid.
East Side of 6th Ave (between W 29th & 28th St) NYC 10001
We went out to see Ramen & Friends Yoshie & Rob’s new baby Cormac. He’s a little one. He sure likes to watch TV. Apparently he likes True Blood and White Chicks. I can’t wait until we food blog with him.
Sam, Laura and I stopped for tacos on the way out at California Taqueria. The sign says it’s been open for 20 years (since 1990). I keep thinking we’re still in the 90’s. Shit, I’m old. I got what I expected in the combination platter …a pile of slop. Sam noticed it weighed about half of baby Cormac. The food needs a lot of hot sauce to make it taste good. Luckily they have several kinds. Also Sam got to try his first TAB soda. TAB? We sure it still ain’t the 90’s?
I then ran over to Brooklyn Bowl to catch my friends Brendan and Jackson of the Playboys of the Western World, covering a bunch of yacht rock songs (Michael McDonald, Toto, Christopher Cross). I blown away. They’re twins, but one is playing leftie and the other rightie guitar. Then they’d rip the same identical Steely Dan lick. It was like there was a trippy mirror between them. Interestingly, I came back to Brooklyn Bowl the next night to see my friends in Class Actress. Sexy. And Chairlift played later, who have that iPod commercial. They were good, but outside of that one iPod song, they reminded me of Avatar.
I met up with Jessica in East Harlem for some food. My first time in the area. There’s so many sidewalk vendors selling out of shopping carts, granny carts and trash bags. It was rad. It was so hot outside, I cooled myself off with a brown drink from one of the large jars many of the vendors had. I don’t know why I thought brown would be refreshing, but it was. It was tamarind.
We got $2 tacos at Taco Mix, which Google Maps incorrectly labeled as “closed”. Good thing I just got my new Virgin Mobile touch phone that told me where things are. I got unlost twice that day. Before, I would just get lost and go home. BTW, only $25/month for unlimited texting, internet, google maps and 300mins. FTW! Anyway, I’ve never seen Al Pastor on a spit and so orange. Next to it was a pile of boiled pigs ear. Had to get one each. The pig ear taco was crunchy.
Then on the same block, we had a pupusa from a sidewalk vendor who had their own griddle. The lady stuffed it with lettuce, cheese, crema and paste made of chicharrón (fried pork skin). The chicharrón really got stuck in our teeth.
From another sidewalk vendor, a lady making cups of slushee/shaved ice, shaving it by hand from a large block of ice. We asked what the flavors were. She said “blue.” We got a blue and a mango. Very sweet. Blue really did taste like what you think blue tastes like.
I noticed a bunch of hot models coming out of the apartment building next to Taco Mix. I don’t understand how they can stay so skinny with what’s right outside their front door. I wonder if they like blue flavor.
Taco Mix – 234 E 116th St (East Harlem) New York, NY 10029
Out with friends in Coney Island for yesterday’s Siren Fest. The singer from Screaming Females was like the girl version of me. She had my hair. I always wondered what I looked like on stage. But this girl shredded hard on guitar, unlike me. They were badass.
For food, I’ve waited a year to come back to try that huge torta sandwich in the midway that I saw last year after I had already stuffed my face. Plaza Mexico Dona Zita, I’m glad you’re still around. I’ve seen two other Mexican spots there turn into a t-shirt store. Pork Torta –the lady took the big bread buns, spread it with mayonnaise and put them mayo side down on the griddle, spread refried beans and back on the griddle, then topped with lotsa chopped pork, pickled jalapeño peppers, half an avocado, tons of Oaxaca cheese, lettuce, tomato. It was as awesome tasting as it was awesome looking. Sam and I had to split this. $8. Worth every cent.
Watched some more bands and went back out with Shonali and Jasper for more food. We stopped over at the newish Kaplash Cuchifritos stand (I think that’s how they spell it. I can’t read the sign.) Got the mofongo and chicharrón (which I never had just as the pork rind and no meat). A nice lady next to us shared her fried plantains and meaty chunks version of chicharrón. She was really into the food there. Then Shonali and Jasper grabbed a chorizo & chicken taco and watermelon juice. I was about to say that Todd got diarrhea sick from the chorizo there last year, but didn’t because I didn’t want to put that in their heads. They did leave Siren early, so I do wonder.
Out on the beach, I think I was the hottest girl there. The lifeguard was so ghetto. He had a do-rag and smoked a cigarette. He yelled at some kid “No dunking!” I don’t think the kid was in the water. I’m not sure if he was a real lifeguard, but at least he was making sure everyone was safe.
We saw former WWF wrestler Virgil on the boardwalk, signing autographs. He said he was going to dinner with Michael Bloomberg and talked about how rich him and Vince McMahon are. I wonder if he was confused with the Million Dollar Man.
The rest of the night had a lot to do with cups of straight vodka …some from Dan Aykroyd and some from a man hiding behind a tent with a granny cart.
Great time at Siren! Thanks Neil, Diane, Shonali and the Village Voice.
We hit the 7 train and only a short walk from the Mets-Willets Pt stop to the golf center. Concession stand for $10 pitchers of beer and a game of mini golf. There aren’t any windmills or tubes to hit the ball through, but it was still cool. There’s a 2-for-1 coupon special here if you sign up. It was super cool walking around Corona Park late at night. It looked like a Boris Vallejo painting.
Matt’s been raving about Baja Fresh since he found out they have them in NY. Being from San Diego, he always thought the West Coast chain was the closest to West Coast Mexican food you could get for being fast food. I expected it to be like a Qdoba. So not until I saw Rain Wilson mention Baja Fresh in this video on The Edge, I was willing to go.
Matt got a shrimp taco, fish taco and a water. That was all $10. Insane. I went with the fish burrito, another $10. The fish was a fried stick. The mango salsa tasted like a can of fruit cocktail with cilantro. Matt felt so bad he took me there. I thought it was like a Qdoba.
At least I got to play the free piano in Herald Square. I think I scared all the tourists.
Baja Fresh – 1441 Broadway (btwn 40 & 41st ST) New York, NY 10018
We celebrated Rusty’s birthday with a Carvel Fudgie the Whale Cake, Boca Nuggets and Coors Lights. This is my first Fudgie. It sorta tasted like a Hot Fudge Sunday from McDonalds. It was really good. We cooked up some Boca Nuggets and real Chicken Nibblers. It’s crazy that real chicken costs a lot cheaper than fake chicken and the fake chicken tasted much more like real chicken. Baby Ike really liked the fancy sauce (mayo and ketchup).
Then headed out to check out Neil and Diane’s new club in Park Slope, The Rock Shop. They have an awesome upstairs and rooftop and the stage looks like it has a pretty rad sound system. I can’t wait to try it out. Â Their Grand Opening party was catered from Oaxaca across the street. Some nice tacos there and green hot sauce.
Rusty’s mother sent him this old school assignment he did when he was a kid.
