Baja Fish Tacos
I have been on a big taco kick lately… probably brought on by my personal excitement for the now past Cinco de Mayo. On the eating end, I’ve really enjoyed the tacos at Kimchi Taco Truck and Dos Toros Taqueria. At home, I’ve been cooking up a storm of tacos (my apologies to Asheley, who has been subject to an absurd amount of taco dinners in the past couple of weeks). One of the tacos I have been most excited about the past couple weeks are these Baja Fish Tacos, because 1) they were really really good!!! and 2) I actually cooked fish for one of the first times ever.
Let me explain… Growing up, I never ate fish (unless you count fish sticks). I have my father to thank for that, a wonderful man that eats pretty much nothing, especially fish (even fish sticks are a no go). Since moving out on my own several years back, I’ve been eating fish more and more while out and about, but I frankly almost never cook it at home… and I don’t know why. I guess we can call it brainwashing from childhood. No fish at home, no fish at home, no fish at home! Anyway, I made a decision to start cooking with these creatures of the sea, and I figured fish tacos would be a perfect place to start.
Garlic-Lime Chicken Fajitas
I love Mexican food. I love to eat it. I love to cook it. It’s the type of food that just makes me completely and utterly happy… comfort food if you will (add in some margaritas for extra comfort). My appetite for Mexican food actually derives from my mother. Growing up, she used to make a super awesome chicken fajita, one that got everyone in the family running for the dinner table (even my picky “I don’t eat anything” father). Her chicken marinade was delicious, simple, and fresh. As much as I’ve tried to replicate it over the years (even with her giving me the recipe), it’s just not the same. Part of the nostalgia of mom’s cooking I guess.
Fajitas still excite me to this day. I love cooking everything up and putting it out on the table family-style for D.I.Y. fajita assembly. It makes eating fun, casual, and enjoyable.
Make Time for Taim
Taim (Tah-eem) is a place that lives up to its name. Meaning ” highly pleasant to the taste, delicious” in Hebrew, Taim is home to some of the best falafel in all of NYC. Falafel, a ball (or patty) of ground chickpeas mixed with various herbs and spices, is nutty, earthy, and deep-fried deliciousness. It is a dish that has become a staple throughout the Middle East. With an all-vegetarian menu, Taim must be doing something right… NY Magazine, Serious Eats, and Village Voice all declared Taim to have the best falafel in Manhattan.
Taim Falafel is located at 222 Waverly Place, just steps off 7th Ave and a couple blocks away from amazingly delicious gastropub The Spotted Pig and the overrated Magnolia Bakery (for your cupcake fix, go to Molly’s Cupcakes on Bleeker Street instead). Owned by husband and wife Chef Einat Admony and Stefan Nafziger, the decision to open up Taim came about as they realized NYC was missing the amazing falafel they were used to eating in their native Tel Aviv. Creating their take on street food fare with a gourmet twist ended up becoming a winning hit for the pair. They found instant success with Taim, and soon gave birth to the eatery’s food truck sidekick, Taim Mobile, which brings the taste of Taim to the streets of NYC.
Molly’s Cupcakes: Greenwich Village
Almost every single place where I choose to eat in NYC has either been recommended to me by a fellow food lover or was heavily researched by yours truly. There is good reason for that… I want to find and eat the best the city has to offer! However, every now and again comes along a chance meeting, fate you may call it, where some unexplainable force in the universe attracts me to someplace new as I’m traveling around NYC. This was one of those times, and I actually have my amazing soon-to-be wife to thank for it.
Asheley and I were cruising around Greenwich Village checking out some awesome eats at Dos Toros Taqueria, Faicco’s Pork Store, and Artichoke Basille’s Pizzeria, when we stumbled upon the bright yellow storefront of Molly’s Cupcakes. Asheley stopped in her tracks laughing at the clever sign hanging in the window:
“Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy”
My eyes immediately focused on the adjacent sign in the window declaring that Molly’s Cupcakes won an episode of the show Cupcake Wars on Food Network. Being a sucker for sweets, we had to step inside, and what a magical place we found…
Dos Toros Taquiera: Greenwich Village
Narrowing down my favorite food(s) is near impossible. However, on any given day if you asked me if I would be in the mood for some tacos, the answer will always be yes. I’ve always loved tacos. And yes I’ll admit it, and judge me as you may and probably should, I’m even a sucker for some of those chains (Chipotle or Taco Bell anyone?). There is no shortage of taco-eating opportunities while in NYC. I have some favorites, including the mini-beef tacos at Suenos and the tacos at one of my favorite food trucks Kimchi Taco. Another favorite? That’s a no-brainer… especially when I’m in the mood for tacos in Greenwich Village: Dos Toros!
Super Easy No-Knead Bread
I tried to make bread from scratch a couple months ago… with little success. The whole experience was plain frustrating. I was initially super excited to make bread: I did some research, bought quality bread flour and active-dry yeast, and attached my sparkly never-been-used dough hook onto my beloved KitchenAid Stand Mixer. The initial charm of it all quickly faded and things went downhill fast. The mixing bowl got severely stuck to the base of the stand mixer from the kneading motion of the thick bread dough. It took copious amounts of mineral oil, a hammer (wrapped in a kitchen towel), and 20 minutes of my brute Superman strength (go ahead, laugh at that one) to get it free. After all that and the numerous steps it took to make the bread, it came out just eh… just eh?! For all that work. I can go buy “just eh” bread from the chain grocery store down the street. I was completely discouraged. There must be an easier way!
Enter my friend Tyler, who clued me into this revolutionary no-knead bread recipe. It sounded ridiculously easy to make, almost too easy. My mother always warned me “if it sounds too good to be true…” Well, this is the exception. It really is ridiculously easy to make. Even better, it’s absolutely delicious, and puts many bakery-bought breads to shame.
How to Make Perfect Home-Cooked Cowboy Beans (Frijoles Charros)
Growing up, I was not a big fan of beans. At summer bbq get-togethers, I would pass right over the baked beans… and at Mexican restaurants I would barely touch the stewed or refried beans that came with whatever I ordered. At many places (informal bbqs and restaurants alike), the beans just seem bland and unimportant… almost like they were a mere afterthought of the main dish. However, when beans are done right… when there is thought and care put into a pot of beans, magical things can happen!
When I saw that Rick Bayless, who’s accolades include multiple James Beard awards, champion of Top Chef Masters, chew/owner of numerous Mexican restaurants, and one of the authoritative voices of authentic Mexican cuisine here in the United States, had a recipe for home-cooked beans in his amazing cookbook Mexican Everyday, I knew I had to try them!
Del Posto
We recently celebrated Asheley’s 30th Birthday, which turned into a weekend festival of dinners with family and friends. It also featured a trip into the city to cross off one of the restaurants that has been on our list to try for a long time now, but one that needed a special occasion reason to rationalize spending the money on the lavish menu: Del Posto.
Just steps from Chelsea Market and two other high-class restaurants (Morimoto and Colicchio & Sons), Del Posto is located at 85 Tenth Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets. Owned by famed-trio Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Bastianich (whom co-own a slew of other restaurants, including one of my favorites, Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria), Del Posto is an explosion of Italian grandeur and opulence. It has received 1 Michelin Star (they did have 2 at one point) and under the expert direction of Executive Chef Mark Ladner, has earned 4 stars from the New York Times.
Here is a rather detailed account (there’s so much to share!) of my experience there:
Take Better Food Photos: Build A Light Tent
I’m a terrible photographer. I have a Nikon d40 Digital SLR camera that has potential to take great photos, but the man pushing the button doesn’t even take it off the “automatic” function. So lately I’ve been doing some research on how to take better photos of all the food I cook. There is nothing more frustrating to me than cooking or eating an amazingly delicious meal that is plated beautifully , only to then take a lackluster photograph that fails to capture the dishes true magnificence.
From what I’ve been learning so far, good photos start with good lighting. Since I do most of my cooking at night, I cannot rely on the preferred natural light. I really didn’t want to go out and spend a fortune on fancy lighting equipment, especially because I’m an amateur when it comes to photography. I stumbled upon this really great article about How To Make An Inexpensive Light Tent, so I decided to give it a whirl. Wow, what an immediate difference, even with just staying on the “automatic” function on the camera!!! If you want to quickly improve your photographs without spending a lot of money, this is a great (and cheap!) idea:
The Most Amazing Winter Caprese Salad Recipe
This past summer, I had a vegetable garden for the first time in my life. It was so awesome: the garden pumped out tomatoes and basil like a champ. Asheley and I definitely had our fair share of Caprese Salad during those few short months. Now that we are in the winter months, tomatoes are totally out-of-season and devoid of flavor. However, this Winter Caprese Salad features tomatoes that have been slowly oven-roasted to bring out its natural sugars and concentrate its delicious flavor. The tomatoes are paired with agrodolce, the Italian “sour-sweet” glaze, used to balance many dishes in Southern Italy and Sicily. Finishing the salad with creamy mozzarella cheese and a flavor power-punch of super delicious and easy pesto, this is a dish that will wow any dinner guest.
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