NYC Tastes

Even though it's a gross rainy day there's still reason to celebrate the fabulous Mexican culture with my favorite food in the world- TACOS! I'm planning to head to Casa Neta tonight for their absolutely incredible Short Rib tacos loaded with manchego cheese, guacamole and poblano rajas.  Plus they have a great happy hour from 5:00-7:00 which means delicious $10 margaritas. I honestly think it should be taco and tequila time every day- happy Cinco de Mayo! Casa Neta 40 East 20th Street New York, NY 10003

I'm absolutely  obsessed with Mexican food lately.  Mr. T thinks I'm crazy but I seriously just want to eat some form of taco for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  So when taqueria and tequila bar Casa Neta moved into the old Flute Gramercy it was like a chorus of angels came down from heaven just for me. The redesigned space is long and sleek with a marble topped bar and a cozy alcove for more intimate dinners.  Drinks include all sorts of wine, margaritas and beer cocktails along with some Casa Neta originals like the creamy Oxacan Sunscreen with house horchata and coconut and a fruity Frida's Lover with cinnamon tequila and strawberry. A variety of tacos, ceviche and queso dot the menu including hefty Short Rib tacos loaded with layers of tender beef, poblano rajas, manchego cheese and an avocado- crema.  These were amazing and I loved how they put both the pico de gallo and guacamole on the side when I asked for no cilantro.   I was t...

I love a good happy hour and when it comes with nice salty margarita it's even better. Dos Camino's happy hour has a little something for every taste; $4 beers, $5 glasses of wine and $8 margaritas in both traditional and their signature Prickly Pear.  Not to mention a fantastic selection of bar bites that really serve more as dinner than just snack. My favorite is the Chicken Enchilada- a massive corn shell taco covered in mole poblano sauce and queso fresco.  It's saucy, cheesy and loaded with lots of tender chicken. The famous Dos Caminos guacamole is also available during happy hour in a single size portion along with a rich Chorizo Fundido and Pumpkin Seed Fritters.  Happy Hour at Dos Caminos runs from 3:00-6:00 every day so arrive early to take advantage of this great deal. Dos Caminos 373 Park Avenue South at 27th Street New York, NY 10016

Tex- Mex cuisine is the latest craze sweeping the city and right at the forefront of this trend is Gramercy newcomer Javelina.  I've made a few visits since it opened...the first time to check out the queso. I know from my Texas friends that a good queso is a thing of glory and I gotta say the queso here is pretty amazing.  I ordered the sampler with traditional yellow cheese, white cheese and the Bob Armstrong; a big bowl of queso with guacamole, ground beef, pico de gallo and sour cream. All three were wonderful but I definitely preferred the yellow queso over the white.  It looked like a big bowl of Velveeta cheese but had a much creamier texture that was so damn addictive I found myself going back to this bowl of chips more times than I could count.   My next visit to Javeleina was for brunch.  A big Mexican breakfast is my absolute favorite thing in the world so I couldn't wait to taste their spin on Huevos Rancheros. ...