Mexican
La Esquina in SoHo
What to do on a warm summer evening in NY? I’m practically allergic to indoor dining on nights like these, so last week after the CoverGirl/Pat McGrath party, I decided to crash Archana and Eaman’s date join my friends for dinner at La Esquina in SoHo. It wasn’t my first time there, but it was my first time eating in their outdoor area. La Esquina pretty much has three parts to it: the taqueria, which is a small, to-go lunch counter; their cafe, which encompasses their sidewalk seating and their indoor space that serves the full menu; and their downstairs brasserie and bar area in the basement, where they have even more extensive menu, a DJ, and a (sometimes pesky) reservations-only list.
La Esquina
It took us about a hour to get seated once we got there, but we dove right into the queso once we did. Layers of baked cheese with roasted pumpkin seeds, served with plaintain chips was pretty much heaven on earth.
Queso
I was crossing my fingers that it would set the standard for the rest of the meal. I can’t even remember the last time I had tacos, so I decided to go for some steak tacos this time (why not?). The anticipation for the main course wasn’t worth the results…the steak was bland at best.
Steak tacos
The Top 15 foods I miss at U of I
The Quad at U of I Photo Credit: UIUC.edu
This post is going to be really fat of me. But remember I mentioned that there were so many dishes I missed from my college days at UIUC? Well, I wasn’t kidding when I said I was going to compile them in a list. I think it’s also where my interest in food heightened since there were so many options (I have my fat pictures to prove it…you’ll probably never see them though). I’m not sure if all of these are even standing still, but regardless:
15. Coffee filet steak from Radio Maria. One of those hidden gems in Champaign that created unusual combinations with common food. Hence, the coffee steak.
Los Dos Molinos in Gramercy
My friend Farah recently introduced me to Los Dos Molinos in Gramercy. Besides guac, I like to judge these Spanish/Mexican restaurants by their chicken. I feel like too often, restaurants try to mask bland chicken under mountains of sauce but it just doesn’t have that kick. This place has it.
Mexican Pizza - small
But I’m getting ahead of myself. As an appetizer, we had their small Mexican pizza, which easily satisfied three hungry girls in this case. I loved my entree — the “Los Dos” Flautas dinner with chicken.
El Taquito in Austin, TX
By Burger Guy
Taco from El Taquito
There’s this taco joint across the street from my apartment called El Taquito. The reviews on Yelp were pretty good so I ran over there just now to get a couple of tacos.
Torchy’s Tacos – Austin, TX
By Burger Guy
FYI: Burger Guy has relocated to Austin, TX. He also now eats tacos and says “ya’ll.”
Torchy's Tacos
Iguana – Tex-Mex in Midtown West
Iguana is one of those restaurants I would always pass by but never thought it was more than a bar. It’s actually way bigger than I had thought (THREE floors to dine and dance) and when my friend had her birthday dinner there recently, I found that the Tex-Mex food they serve there is actually pretty tasty.
They make fresh guacamole and spicy to taste.
I loved the veggie/goat-cheese open-faced quesadilla I had:
I didn’t get to try the other plates, but for your viewing pleasure:
