Posts Tagged With: Tehuitzingo

Best Tacos in Hell

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Ziggy

Tacuba Tacos Taco Wednesday (or is it Tuesday), taco month, national taco day. I lose track sometimes, and I never discriminate. I once even had an Al Pastor on a Thursday, a designated personal soup day. I did not enjoy it. But is there a governing body that registers all these national days? Are all 365 days already taken, or can things overlap. For example, can we add a National Shakshuka day on a day that just happens to be a National Chihuahua day. Personally I dont see why Shakshukas and Chihuahuas cant be combined, but I can see the need for a limit of some sort as eventually the list will become too tedious to maintain its usefulness. Do Chihuahua even eat Shakshuka? I bet Sabra Chihuahuas do.

Even though this list includes some of my usual suspects, I had to work a little hard to find the 5th for the latest W42st compilation. After revisiting some old faves, and trying some new popular places, I suddenly found myself in my longest streak of taco mediocrity. In a neighborhood with a largish Pueblan community like Hell’s Kitchen with tacos in every corner, you start to lose hope in humanity at some point. But with some determination, we prevailed at the end. Its “Never Lose Hope Friday” after all.

You can pick up your free copy of W42st anywhere in Hell’s Kitchen. The inserts are now gone, and the KTCHLST is now embedded inside the magazine

Click here for prior lists

Shrimp at Otto’s Tacos – Small but with a lot of Chutzpah. Smartly seasoned with Serrano cream and onions. The shrimp tacos to beat in the entire city me claims

Carnitas at Taqueria Diana – As many things in life, it gets juicier as it gets older. Slowly cooked porkiness, almost like they do in Mission, SF

Lengua at Tehuitzingo, – I brought many visitors for these tender delicacies that are sort of life changing. Some turned into big fans, some religious, and some in therapy

Garbanzo Y Hongos at Choza – As for veggie tacos this little guy is tough to beat. Mushroom and Chickpeas with “Chana Masala” like Salsa Negra.

Carnitas at Tacuba – This is the entree (below), not the “tacos”. You make your own tacos with wonderfully greasy suckling pig and Chicharron. CHICHARRON!

Tacuba Carnitas

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Best tacos in hell's kitchen, Choza, food, Otto's tacos, Tacos, Tacuba, Taqueria Diana, Tehuitzingo, Travel | Leave a comment

Five Hellish Quickies

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Ziggy

Ivan This month on Hell’s Kitchen’s unofficial official magazine W42st, the theme is… ok, I dont really remember. I’m pretty sure the theme is not quickies, but sounds like it should be one of these days. I try, but sometimes I just cant match the Eatlists with the theme. If for example the theme is The Kardashians (it could happen), I would have a hard time coming up with related recommendations, other than maybe Casellula, home of the pig’s ass sandwich.

The list this time is snacks. And the good news this month is that I dont have to copy and paste the Eatlist anymore. You can just read them here. Or pick up a copy at your favorite Hell’s Kitchen barber, restaurant, and tarot card dealer.

And you can see the rest of the Eatlists here. Just ignore the pussy…

https://www.w42st.com/search?q=ziggy&term=ziggy

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Arepa Factory, best snacks in Hell's Kitchen, food, Hell's Kitchen NYC, Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop, Sacco, Tehuitzingo, Travel, Yonekichi | 2 Comments

Hell’s Kitchen Taco Crawl

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Ziggy

Tehuitzingo

I have to make this one short and sweet. My oldest who is now obsessed with everything zombies, finally convinced me to catch up with the Walking Dead. That’s pretty much my evenings this week, between throwing out the garbage and taking out the dishes (I havent proved yet that I can put them IN the dish washer yet, but I’m getting there). I dont even have the time to produce some nice pictures for you on this one, but I may do it later. Besides, tacos I find, are the least photogenic food items out there. Many look sort of messy or the same, and as soon as I get them I want to eat them quickly before they get cold.

In Hell’s Kitchen these days you cant sneeze outside anymore without a Mexican resaturant owner going “gazuntai, come on in, we have something for that”. It seems like every week something new opens up, and we are suddenly spoiled for choice. This walk will give you a nice taste of the Hell’s Kitchen Mexican scene, and at the very least some ideas on where you can get some nice meals.

Shrimp Taco at Otto’s Tacos (9th 48/49). One of the newer kids on the block, and a nice intro to the taco scene. Get your Horchata here too (as opposed to the other places). The rest of the tacos are fine as well, but this is my favorite

Fish Taco at Ponche Taqueria & Cantina (49th 9/10). I would ask for grilled instead of tempura’d. Al Pastor here on the sweet side but nice flavor as well

Al Pastor at Tehuitzingo (10th 47/48). And/or the Lengua. And/or the Goat. Oh fuck it, get all three and share. This place is getting very popular for good reason

Carnitas at Parada 47 (47th 10/11). Former bodega recently reopened with the same cook David (say hi from Ziggy). I like it here because its not discovered yet (and I’m doing such a great job keeping it that way). Its like my little Mexican oasis. Go to the front, order, sit, repeat

That should fill you up. For dessert head across the street for a Canotto Dolce at Sullivan Street Bakery, or better yet head to Gotham West Market for the sick Ample Hills Creamery salted crack caramel. If you still want more tacos, you can have more at Choza at Gotham West, or better yet try the fish tacos at Genuine Roadside. While not a taco, a spicy chicken empanada from Empanada Mama can also be included in the walk (after Otto)

Enjoy! let me know how it goes

Otto’s Tacos

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Best tacos in hell's kitchen, food, Hell's Kitchen Taco Crawl, Otto's tacos, Parada 47, Ponche Taqueria & Cantina, Tacos, Tehuitzingo, Travel | Leave a comment

Best Tacos in Manhattan

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Ziggy

A common misconception in NYC: “There’s no good Mexican food here”. “Skip tacos, concentrate on Pizza, bagels and hala”. “For Mexican you got to go south then west”. “Even the Mexican Soap Operas here suck”. Somehow 350,000 tortilla challenged Mexicans opted for the Northeast, while the rest went to Texas or California. Well, there’s no mistaken where the best Mexican food in the US is located, but that doesnt mean there are no decent options in NYC. As with any cuisine you just need to a little bit of homework, thats all. And in the past few years there appears to be a Mexican renaissance of sorts in NYC. And if you think the soap operas are bad, think again. Just like some of the taco joints I will highlight below, they are intense, colorful and will bring you to tears. Here’s one example that will no doubt change your mind. Now, lets get down to some of the best tacos the city has to offer…

Tehuitzingo – I’ve already written plenty about this gem in Hell’s Kitchen. For a while it was like one of those terrible soap operas (the other ones). Did they close? Oh no. Oh wait, they not only reopened, but they multiplied. Welcome baby Tehuitzingo on 9th and 41st. 6 pounds, 5 ounces. Thats how much Lengua they sell every hour. The original on 10th isnt the same bodega (deli) as it used to be, but the tacos are still the same no frills, no nonsense old tacos. Its all about the great tasting meats with just the right amount of condiments. Try the Al Pastor, beef tongue (Lengua), just beef, carnitas, or anything else you fancy. I havent had a bad one yet

Otto’s Tacos – One of the new kids on the block, this LA expat is gathering a lot of attention lately. Their Horchata makes every other Horchata I’ve had taste like 1% milk. I tried all the tacos here except the chicken, and shrimp (top) is my clear favorite. Coated with serrano cream sauce, with onions and cilantro, the Shrimp is perfectly seasoned and cooked just right. The rest of the lineup is not too shabby either and that includes a mushroom tacos that ~~both~~ my vegetarian readers can appreciate

Empellon Taqueria and Empellon Al Pastor – The natural progression from the labs of Alinea and WD50 is obviously tacos. Alex Stupak is perhaps the biggest player in this tacos revolution we are experiencing at the moment, with Emplellon Cucina, Empellon Taqueria, and now Empellon Al Pastor. The latter is the cheap simpler tacos with the namesake Al Pastor, shaved off the spit Shawarma style, leading the pack. Taqueria on the other hand is the fancy, polished taco option. And if I would be drafting Tacos as part of a Fantasy Taco League, the beer braised pork tongue would most be my #1 pick

Mission Cantina – The Mission District in San Francisco has some of the best Mexican food in the country. Some in fact claim that this is where the Burrito was born. So not surprisingly, James Beard winner Danny Bowien of the famed Mission Chinese Food in Mission can make a nasty Burrito, although its take-out only these days. The wings here are great as well, and all these goodies will make you wonder about the low Yelp score. Crafty shmancy tacos rule the right side of the menu, with Veggie tacos firmly in charge. But one has to try the popular masa fish taco and the lamb belly while its still around.

Los Tacos #1 – Where I come from, when you see a line, you stand on it, then you ask questions. Same rule applies to Chelsea Market where three friends from Mexico and California are trying to introduce New Yorkers and tourists to Mexican street food. Many claim that these are the best tacos in NYC, and who am I to argue. Try any of them, doesnt matter. As long as you try the Adobada. Say it with me, A-D-O-B-A-D-A three times. Good, you ready. Now get out there and stand on line for those abodabas

Tacos Morelos – Another fairly new mom/pop/cousin joint in the suddenly taco heavy East Village. The store and restaurant is on 9th and Avenue A where the slow roasted porky Cochinita Pibil reigns supreme. But its the cart on 2nd and A, where the EV rockers get their fix after gigs at 2 am, and where my friend swears by the Al Pastor. Almost 24 hours (they take a break around 4 am) is 24 hours to me.

Categories: Chelsea, East Village, Lower East Side, Midtown West, New York City, West Village | Tags: Best tacos in NYC, Empellon Taqueria, food, Los Tacos #1, Mission Cantina, Otto's tacos, restaurants, Tacos, Tacos Morelos, Tehuitzingo, Travel | 6 Comments

Best Dishes in Hell’s Kitchen – Round 3

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Ziggy

Pad Ped Moo Krob at Larb Ubol (above) – Everything I love about Thai food is bundled oh so nicely in this dish. Crunchy, well cooked fatty pork, sweet pleasant chili heat, green peppercorn galore, that wonderful curry paste, and plenty of veggie action including Thai eggplant which I cant get enough. Perfection on a plate, but not for the heat sensitive. Dont confuse this unassuming Thai on 9th/37th with the rest of the mostly mainstream Thai on 9th and 10th. This is Isan (North) cooking at its finest. However, if you still hesitant to trek to Hell’s Kitchen out of fear of being kidnapped by the Westies, Zabb Elee in East Village may do the trick

Rotisserie Chicken at Poulette – Little French Chickens invading Hell’s Kitchen. Young French dude, quits his job in finance to follow his dream.. manufacture French style Rotisserie Chicken. Only a few weeks old, and not in the Guide quite yet, but will be be very soon. I tried the half with 2 sides which turned out to be a bit of a struggle to finish for a big eater like me, so a quarter chicken next time. This thing was love at first bite — Moist, delicious, coated with plenty of herbs which was the difference. Some of the best Rotisserie I’ve had. This is more of a fast food place. If you require more of a restaurant for your chicken needs, try Inti on 10th for Peruvian style Rotisserie chicken, and Ceviche. Mrs Z wont allow me to quit my job and do what I do best… hard boiled eggs Al Pastor Tacos at Tehuitzingo – Midlife crisis is pushing me into a taco craze as of late. When I don’t eat out with my lunch buddies, I construct a little taco tasting in a neighborhood abundant with Taquerias and Bodegas. Tehuitzingo, a bodega turned Taqueria is always the last stop, and their porky goodness Al Pastor is second to none. When they closed, food tour leaders went on a collective hunger strike (only two meals a day), but not only they reopened, they multiplied (second branch on 9th/41st). Ceviche Mixto at Inti – Talking of Inti, why not feature one of their specialties. The Peruvians, I bet you didn’t know, invented quite a lot of things that keeps society ticking. Transportation systems, roped bridges, Pisco Sour, and yes they invented the ceviche. At Inti you get fresh chunks of fish, shrimp, octopus and calamari marinated in lime juice and mixed with red onions, cilantro and rocoto hot pepper, and served with sweet potatoes and baby corn. Good luck finding this in a Pio Pio near you. Ice Cream & Popsicles at the Brooklyn Kitchen – “Winter Is Coming” says Game of Thrones. Get the summer goodies while you can. Enter Gotham West Market, go straight, look down, deliciousness awaits. Amazing artisenal ice cream sandwiches, and popsicles from popular area vendors like La Newyorkina. No mass production stuff here. Small batches and high quality ingredients is key. You will not taste anything better than this

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Best food in Hell's kitchen, Brooklyn Kitchen, food, Gotham West Market, Hells kitchen, Inti nyc, Larb Ubol NYC, Poulette, restaurants, Tehuitzingo, Travel | Leave a comment

As The World (of Hell’s Kitchen Bodegas) Turns

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Ziggy

Some changes to the Hell’s Kitchen Bodega scene prompts me to make quick changes to the guide.

A bodega, for those who dont know, is a Mexican deli or mini market that often serves food (tacos, burritos, etc) as well. Its sort of a NYC thing, and a good way to experience authentic Mexican in a city not exactly known for it

Hell’s Kitchen theses days is suddenly packed with all sorts of exiting Mexican in different price points. That includes some of the best bodegas in town. Unfortunately, one of my favorites Guelaguetza now appears to be closed, and I wish David and his family all the best. I already miss munching on their terrific burritos while watching Dora the Explorer with their kids. And it was the good stuff, with Diego around.

But thats no reason to cancel your holiday if you ask me. Lately I’ve been on the hunt for some good tacos (midlife crisis Stage IV) all over the area and the undisputed winner is Tehuitzingo. Their tacos are so good they are now multiplying, opening yet another Taqueria on 9th and 41st while at the same time renovating the original to look more like a Mexican disco than a bodega. Try the Al Pastor taco, roasted marinated pork.