Williamsburger Visited 1/12/2018 3 Forks

Williamsburger 373 Graham Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211

I had been tracking the progress of Williamsburger for a while because it was literally right across the street from me and because it took over this crazy old space in the 'hood that had been vacant for years.  The person who lived there was a hoarder who didn't take care of it and one day he had an "open house" and it was interesting to see such valuable real estate go to waste like that.  Fast forward several years later and this homey neighborhood joint opened up, much to my relief.  I'm glad it was something low key and not another hipster barber shop or tattoo parlor.

The bad news is that the day Paige and I went they didn't have their liquor license yet - they said were literally getting it the next day.  It's a bit of a bummer to have burgers with no beer but hopefully by the time you reading this  that has been resolved.  The menu is what you would expect from a place called Williamsburger - burgers, fries, sandwiches and other bar type food.   Although weirdly enough, we started with the potato and cheese pierogies ($7) since the waitress said they were delicious, I got the mushroom and swiss burger ($15) while Paige got the triple grilled cheese ($11).

The pierogies were pan fried and while they were fine, I wouldn't say they were amazing.  They tasted like any other pierogi I've had (gotta have it with sour cream) and I might even say that they were frozen and not homemade - not that it made it less tasty but it just didn't seem super special.   I would say the same for my burger.  I asked for it medium rare and it was close to the medium side but totally edible and not in a condition that I was going to make a stink about it.  They had a nice mix of crimini and shitake mushrooms but again there was nothing special about the mushroom they used or the way they were cooked (they were basically sautéed).   The dish came with a small side of diner-type fries.  Everything about this burger was absolutely just fine - it suited what we wanted (something quick, casual and easy) and it fits in with the neighborhood.  They don't proclaim to be anything fancy and sometimes I just don't need a $25+ burger (I'm looking at you Emily Loves Pizza).  I didn't try Paige's grilled cheese but it looked triple cheesey but then again, how hard is it to mess up grilled cheese?

If I didn't live less than 5 minutes away from this place, I would not make a trek out here but if I'm ever feeling lazy and want a simple beer and burger and want to roll out of my place in sweats, this place will do just fine.  Total bill:  $49 for 2 with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Porta Visited 1/10/2018 3 Forks

Porta  135 Newark Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07302

Even though Jersey City isn't really that far from the city, I don't often find myself there unless it's for work and even then I'm kind of lazy about it and try to get out of any dinners.  But since I rarely get to see my work colleagues, I figured I should show my face and crossed my fingers that it would be a better experience than the last time we all got together.  

The space at Porta is spacious, nice and casual.  It seemed like it's a fun place to catch up with friends over some pizza and beers.  We started with a bunch of appetizers for the table since we were all starving but hadn't yet made up our minds about entrees.  We got the  kale salad ($14), house made mozzarella ($10), salumi e formaggi ($19), house made meatballs ($9), fried artichokes ($9) and calamari ($14).  They were all pretty solid appetizers - the salad was nicely dressed (it was served with tuscan kale which can be a bit tough but I don't mind it at all) and the mozzarella was tasty and paired well with the soft yet crunchy bread.  The housemade meatballs were also super moist and served in a tangy tomato sauce.  The meat and cheese plate was ok - they had a nice blue cheese that I devoured but I wasn't super impressed with the meat selections.  I didn't get to try the fried artichokes and the calamari was fine albeit a bit small and too friend.  If the meal had ended here, I might have given it a 3.5 fork because it was good but nothing mind blowing.  Unfortunately, it went downhill once we ordered our entrees. 

While they also have pastas here, it seemed like you shouldn't come to a place this like and not get their pizza.   They are small Neapolitan pizzas (about 6 small slices) but if you aren't hungry you can get away with 2 people splitting 1 pie.  I was hemming and hawing between getting the Carbonara ($16) or a red sauce pizza.  I normally prefer any of my Italian dishes, pasta or pizzas, with red sauce but I had seen a few pictures of the Carbonara pizza with the egg on top that looked delicious, so I decided to go with that choice.  Then things got a bit weird.  Two of my co-workers wanted to get a margherita pizza but  also wanted to add some greens like arugula to it but the waiter said they couldn't do it.  What the hell?  You can't dump a bunch of greens on top of a pizza?  He said, they could take items off a pizza but they couldn't add to it.  I can understand for certain dishes but this is pizza, it's not that hard to add something to it, especially if it's a topping.  Instead my co-worker was able to order the arugula pizza but without the garlic or truffle oil - essentially making it the exact same thing as a margherita pizza with arugula on it.  Go figure. 

As soon as I saw the Carbonara pizza I knew I should have stuck with my gut and gotten a red sauce pizza.  With no sauce or cheese, it just didn't look like a pizza at all to me but I take total responsibility for my decision.  It came with guanciale, parm, extra virgin olive oil, parsley and a roasted egg on top.   I took one bite and it was so salty I couldn't believe it.  When the waiter asked me how it was, I had to be honest and say it was unbelievably salty and his answer was "oh yeah, I probably should have told you that.  The guanciale makes it really salty".  The egg was overly cooked  - I thought it was going to be more of a runnier poached yolk version but this was closer to a dry hard boiled yolk.  I will say that the crust was chewy but good and the only thing I really liked about it.  I ended up only eating 3 slices and left the rest behind.  I felt like I was pretty much eating a salt lick and pounding water like it was my job.  Then they totally forgot one of my co-workers pizzas but luckily there was enough food leftover from everyone else that he didn't bother re-ordering and waiting for his food. 

While I don't want to sound like a total snob, I just don't see Jersey City as a culinary destination yet.  The few experiences that I've had there have been really average despite all the great press the city has been getting.  I really want to be open minded and enjoy places that aren't necessarily Manhattan or Brooklyn, but my experience at Porta hasn't really tipped me over the edge to this area just yet. 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

36 Hours in Montreal Visited 12/30/2017-1/1/2018 4.5 - 2.5 Forks

Au Pied de Cochon  536 Avenue Duluth E, Montreal, QC H2L 1A9, Canada                         4.5 Forks

I have been wanting to go to Au Pied de Cochon for years.  I was in Montreal over 6 years ago but I wasn't able to get a reservation then and I've always had it on my mind since.  It was shockingly easy to get a reservation this time around and I was ready to royally indulge as they are famous for gluttony and excess.  Obviously the big thing here is foie gras and meat so if you're not interested in either, don't bother coming here but if you love both, you will be in for a treat. 

The decor was much more cozy than I expected - it had a very Quebecquois feel to it as it was heavy on the wood and even had flannel shirts hanging from the ceiling.   We ordered a bottle of wine and noodled over the menu - unfortunately, this is where is went downhill service wise.  Our original waiter said someone else would be with us shortly to review the specials since he seemed to be slammed with other table, so we waited and waited.  It took them 30 minutes to get someone to talk to us about the menu and then we waited again to place our order.  I knew service in Europe and the Caribbean was slow but apparently you've got to put Canada on that list too.  Luckily they redeemed themselves in a big way.  The GM (or so I assumed based on his behavior and interaction with everyone in the restaurant) came over and immediately gave us 2 expensive glasses of champagne and then also brought over these amazing freshly sliced pieces of saucisson that were moist yet still had the dry cured texture to it.  He said the pigs had been fed peanuts as their last meal and you could taste it in each bite which was so cool yet sad at the same time.  I was almost annoyed that we got it because it was so good but it was filling up space in my stomach for our actual meal.  As I mentioned the menu is extremely meat focused and the specials were no different.  Several of the specials sounded amazing but too much food for 2 people, so we settled on tartare temaki ($15 CAD), foie gras terrine ($25 CAD), duck in a can ($44 CAD) and mashed potatoes ($8.50 CAD).   The exchange rate was awesome, so everything was essential 20% cheaper when you converted it to USD.

The tartare was of the beef variety which was totally fine by me although it would have been nice to try a different meat since they have different versions sometimes.  It's served in a nori cone and an adorable raw quail egg that you pour into it.   Jesus, talk about melt in your mouth.  The nori was perfectly crisp and the tartare itself was fantastic.  I loved every bite of it and could have had 3 more cones.  This alone was worth the visit for me. 

Next came the foie gras terrine which was basically just a giant square of foie gras, complete with a huge layer of fat and toasted bread. But the best part of this dish was that it came with this out of control maple butter.  So sweet and delicious.  The combination of the sweet maple and foie gras on crunchy bread was truly decadent.  I was super bummed that we were in Montreal before sugar shack season (starts in Feb) and eating this maple butter made me even more sad because if the food in the sugar shack is anything like this butter,  I would die and go to heaven.   But as with any foie gras dish, it's really hard to eat too much of it without feeling a little bit guilty plus I was trying to save room for the duck in a can.  

The duck in a can is their most famous (and most gimmicky) dish.  I was on the fence if I wanted to order this because it felt like such a touristy thing to do but you know what? I'm a freakin tourist, so whatever.  It's essentially half a duck shoved in a can which they pour out in front of you table side on to a plate what has a smear of mashed potatoes and toast.  In addition to the duck, the can also includes foie gras (of course), cloves of roasted garlic, braised cabbage and some demi-glace.  Talk about gluttonous.  The presentation is eh but you're not really here for presentation.  We had also gotten a separate side of mashed potatoes which was genius and ridiculous at the same time.  The duck was nice and tender although it kind of felt like less than half a duck in there.  There was so much going on the plate that it was hard to really find the lobes of foie gras but after eating half a plate of it earlier, I wasn't too sad about it.  Now as for the mashed potatoes, they were amazing.  They were super buttery but it had this glue like texture which I'm not saying in a bad way just that it was thicker than a traditional mashed potato dish.  When the GM came by again to ask how we were doing, we asked what was in it and he said it's made with 25% cheese curd.   Well shit no wonder it was so good and gooey.  

At this point, I felt like I was going to burst and we had been drinking all day too, so there was no room for dessert which was a bummer.  While the night got off to a rocky start with the slow service, they definitely made up for it with the freebies, apologies and indulgent food.  I would say that if anyone wants to come here, it's worth going with a larger group so that you can try a bunch of different dishes or at least some of the larger format dishes that is really just impossible for 2 people.  This was definitely worth the 6 year wait but probably not much more than that! Total bill:  $94/pp with tax, tip and a nice bottle of wine

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Breizh Cafe  3991 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4, Canada                         4 Forks

Kevin and I were all set to get poutine for lunch on New Year's Eve but lo and behold the 2 places we went to were both sadly closed.  Since it was literally -10 degrees outside, we couldn't walk any further and ducked into this warm creperie as our back up plan.   It was not a bad back up plan at all. 

One of the things I love about Montreal is that it's still got a lot of French influence from the language to the culture to the food.  And what could be more French than crepes?  Despite majorly overeating the night before, I was pretty hungry by the time lunch rolled around.  They had a good lunch special which included soup, 1 savory crepe and 1 dessert crepe for $24 CAD.  How perfect - no need to decided between the savory or sweet.  The soup of the day was a creamy carrot puree which hit the spot on such a cold day.  For my savory crepe, I got the Nordique crepe which came with smoked salmon, swiss cheese, spinach and dill cream, all on a buckwheat crepe.  It was a really hearty dish and everything about the crepe was done right.  The batter wasn't too thick and there was the perfect amount of filling to crepe ratio.  I wanted to get a more breakfast-y one with egg and cheese but after last night's meal, I had to get something green to eat and eating fish felt healthy too.  While this was a pretty filling meal, I was super excited for my sweet crepe.  I went basic and got it with homemade red fruit jam which was basically raspberry jam.  So yummy and a nice compliment to the salty crepe version.

The waitress was super sweet and nice.  This was just a comfy place to warm up after being on the brink of hypothermia for the last hour.  It's definitely nothing extravagant but it had a nice homey feel to it and if I lived in the neighborhood, I could see myself coming here often on the weekends to relax, eat some crepes and read the paper.  Total bill:  $32/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Maison Publique  4720 Rue Marquette, Montreal, QC H2J 3Y6, Canada                                2.5 Forks

This review hurts to write a bit because it was our New Year's Eve dinner and I had scoured the internet looking for a good place to go.  This place was written up in several blogs as a top 10 restaurant in Montreal which is a big compliment.  I didn't want to go to some fancy prix fixe place so going to a local gastropub ordering a la carte sounded great. 

It was slightly off the beaten path which I usually like but it was kind of not near anything else which was fine for us but if you wanted to make a night out of it, I'm not sure there is much else to check out.  I had made a 9pm reservation and when we walked in, I was expecting a bit of a wait since it was NYE, but we still ended up standing around for quite a while.  It wasn't because they were super packed, it was simply because there was no one there to tell that we were here.  We told the bartender that we had a reservation and he completely ignored us.  This was the sign of things to come.

The menu is simply a board on the wall and it's all in French, so Kevin and I had to pull out the google translate a few times.  The waiter came and took our drink order but we weren't ready to order food just yet and asked him to come back.  By the time we got our drinks and he came by to take our order, it was almost 10pm. WTF?!  While we weren't in a super hurry to go anywhere, we had thought about checking out the fireworks by the river, which started at midnight.  When I made the 9pm reservation, I figured 3 hours was plenty of time to eat but apparently not. 

I got the oyster appetizer and Kevin got the Welsh Rarebit to start and then we would share the gnudi with deer ragu and lamb.  The waiter asked how we wanted our meal to come out and we said it didn't really matter - they could bring out the oyster and Rarebit as appetizers and the other two dishes as entrees or whatever came first.

The oyster was one large oyster that was chopped and then baked.  Even though it was only 1 oyster, it was a pretty hearty dish although maybe not for $14 CAD.  I tried a bit of Kevin's Welsh Rarebit and it was ok - it was giant Texas style toast covered in cheese, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.  It was fine but nothing mind blowing at all.  Then this is when things went totally south. Kevin asked for a beer menu, which they didn't have and the waiter wouldn't/couldn't just tell him the beers they had and told him to go up to the bar and look at the fridge instead.  Then when we asked about our entrees because it was past 11pm, the waiter had said if we wanted it sooner, we should have said something to him and he could have tried to expedite it but really, we shouldn't have to do that. 

The food finally came it was shocking that what we saw took over an hour to make.  Gnudi is a gnocchi like pasta that's shaped like a fluffy ball and stuffed with ricotta and semolina.  It's usually denser and chewier than gnocchi which it definitely was here.  It wasn't really mixed in well with the deer ragu and without it, it tasted kind of plain. But with it, it was a nice mixture - there just wasn't enough of the ragu to gnudi.  The lamb was nicely cooked medium rare but there wasn't a lot of garnish to it to really accentuate the dish.  It was a totally fine piece of meat but probably not worth the $30+ CAD.

We had originally really wanted dessert but we were afraid didn't have enough time, so when the lamb dish came out,  I asked them to bring a clementine tart right afterwards.  I wish we had more time to savor it because it was actually quite good.  It had a nice tang to it and it's such a different flavor to the usual tart. 

I felt a little bad because the waiter was trying to appease us but honestly there was nothing he could have really done to make up for it.  They did comp us for the beer and dessert which was nice and I appreciated that but it was an overall let down for a New Year's Eve meal.  The good news is that we still made it in time for the fireworks downtown by 10 minutes!  Total bill:  $63/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Hazel Visited 12/22/2017 3 Forks

Hazel  808 V St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Whenever I meet up with Dan in DC, he tries to find a fun trendy place in the city, which I appreciate.  We both agreed that we didn't really get all the hype around this one and it was a bit of #fail, although he seemed to dislike it more than I did.  The setting of the restaurant was totally fine - it was a bit dark but they had a nice outdoor space that looked like it would have been a lot of fun if it wasn't 20 degrees outside.

The menu here is kind of a mish mosh of a bunch of random small plates as well as a duck special for 2-3 people that I would have totally indulged in if I were with my friends Jen and Kevin.  Instead, Dan and I opted for the zucchini bread ($15), steak tartare ($15), roasted sunchokes ($13) and the gnocchi ($16).  The zucchini bread came out quite quickly (almost too quickly) and was served with a side of foie gras mousse topped with chamomile gelee and bee pollen.  The bread itself was nice, warm and slightly sweet from an overdose of butter on it.  The foie gras was kind of a weird pairing with it - it just felt odd to spread foie gras on a sweet buttered piece of zucchini  bread.  I'm also not a huge fan of gelee either.  Dan and I kept saying that we only liked the bread yet couldn't stop putting foie gras on each piece.   Oh well - who wants to waste foie gras?  Next was the steak tartare and I was on my own for this dish  since Dan wouldn't eat it and it honestly was the best dish of the night.  It was a nice helping of chopped up tartare served with a yolk on the side - the pros of this dish was that it came with a side of tater tots which I thought was a genius way to serve it up, the con was that it also came with a weird topping of onion dip.  I like my steak tartare really clean tasting and a creamy dip on top it didn't work for me.  But I loved the combination of the tater tots with it - yes, it seems a bit childish but I will eat tater tots in any format.  Next came the roasted sunchokes, which we got mostly because the table next to us got it and it looked healthy and green.  It was more like a salad with kale, sunchokes and pieces of fried tofu.  Unfortunately it was majorly overdressed - like to the point where the kale was soaking in dressing.  Total buzzkill.  I liked the idea of the dish but it wasn't executed really well.  Last came the gnocchi which came with a pork kimchi ragu and smoked pecorino.  The gnocchi itself was nice and soft and the pork kimchi ragu was a creative topping.  It was a totally fine dish but it could have used a bit more flavor or heat to it given that it had kimchi.

Overall, the meal was totally fine and enjoyable enough.  But neither Dan nor I felt like it would be a place that we would run back to and we didn't really get what all the buzz was about.  I would definitely come back for the steak tartare and ask them to hold the onion dip and pile on extra tater tots.  Maybe the duck dinner is the way to go but I guess I'll never know.  Total bill:  $57/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit: Yelp

Mission BBQ Visited 12/22/2017 3 Forks

Mission BBQ  885 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852

I was intrigued to hear that a decent BBQ joint had opened up near my mom's house as I'm always a sucker for good BBQ.  I wasn't expecting much since it is the 'burbs but the Yelp reviews would make you feel like it was the 2nd coming.  I feel a bit snobby for saying this but I guess this is the difference between eating in the 'burbs and eating in an urban environment.  Similar to my beloved Fette Sau and Hometown BBQ, you order meat by the pound or in sandwich form.  But unlike my favorite BBQ places, they serve more basic cuts of meat (brisket, pulled pork, turkey, chicken and ribs) and it's got more of a fast food feel vs. a true BBQ joint.  But I was still excited to try it. 

I got the 2 meat sampler ($8.99) of brisket and pulled pork and a side of mac and cheese ($2.09).  The prices were quite shocking - even for the 'burbs.  They asked if I wanted the brisket moist or lean and I opted for moist. They call your name and you pick it up and bring it to your table - it was a pretty standard BBQ look and feel with sliced meat on brown paper on a tray.  They also give you a side of corn bread with your order.  What I liked best about this place is that each table has a 6-pack of different kinds of BBQ sauce that give you a feel of what it's like to eat BBQ in other important BBQ parts of the country like Memphis, Kansas City, Texas, the Carolinas, etc.  I love that idea.  I tried the brisket first and even though I had ordered it moist, it was more on the dry side.  In fact, it wasn't very moist at all.  It wasn't terrible but I had to slather Kansas City sauce on it to make it more wet.  I would have liked a bit more fat to it as well (that would have made it moist).  The pulled pork was better and it was a good heaping of it.  It still required sauce to make it more moist but less so.  The mac and cheese was the yummy ooey gooey Veleeta kind, which I truly love but I can't say it was a culinary wonder.  The corn bread was eh  - they didn't give you any butter or jam for it so it came off as kind of dry.  I would have preferred a nice parker roll to sop up any grease and make my own meat sandwich with any leftovers.  I didn't try Mike's ribs but they did look like they fell right off the bone. 

I will say that the service, while generally self-serve, was great.  The cashiers were all really friendly and manager walked around, asked how everyone was doing and if he could help clear tables.  It was a nice gesture and I appreciated it.  I don't mean to shit all over a place simply because it's in the 'burbs, but the difference in quality between a place like this and Hometown BBQ is pretty evident.  But for the 'burbs, it's not bad and I would come back to try a sandwich or two, just maybe not the brisket version.  I came home and felt super thirsty so I think they probably added a lot of salt to the meat.  I'll give huge props for the price point.  I can easily spend $40/pp at Fette Sau or Hometown BBQ but here the price was a very affordable $37 for 3 people!

Ugly Baby Visited 12/18/2017 3.5 Forks

Ugly Baby  407 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY 11231

I am torn about this review because the flavor profile at Ugly Baby is really outstanding.  Even though I don't love Northern Thai food, it's definitely got a lot more heat and flavor than Southern Thai food and if you're a spicy food nut, I can see why you go crazy for this kind of food.  Your mouth will definitely feel the burn so be prepared.  I'm just not one of those people. 

I met up with Vinita on a random Monday and it was packed to the gills.  This place has been the darling of the food blog world lately, so I wasn't surprised at all.   It's not very big and they don't take reservations, so your wait will likely be in the 45 mins to 1 hour range and there is no place to really wait around.  We ended up getting 2 seats at the bar which was perfect.  The waitress/host was super sweet and helped us with the menu.  Again, the food here is from the Northern region, so it's more khao soi and no pad thai and if you are vegetarian there is absolutely nothing you can eat on this menu - don't even bother trying.   The waitress suggested 3 dishes for 2 people.  We said we were ok with spice but not to the point where our faces were going to hurt.  We went with the Pad Tua Ngok Rau Kao  ($14), Kang Hoh ($17), and the Kao Tod Nam Klook ($16).   If these were "medium spicy" I can't even imagine some of the brutally spicy dishes that were listed.  My face didn't quite fall off but my nostrils were seriously cleaned out after this meal. 

The Pad Tua Ngok Rau Kao was the least spicy dish and I used it as a vehicle to cool off my tongue.  It's stir fried bean sprouts, with minced pork and tofu and was a very nice compliment to the other 2 dishes.  The Kang Hoh was pork shoulder, spare ribs, mung bean noodle, string beans and topped with chicharrones.  It comes with a side of sticky rice and you will need all of it.  Did I forget that this dish is made with red curry paste?  I had no issues with the pork but Vinita was getting pieces that had a lot of bone/cartilage that made it a bit challenging to eat.  The combination of the pork and noodles were great but I definitely hit pockets of insane spice and was downing beer like it was my job.  I was actually pretty full at this point and barely touched the  Kao Tod Nam Klook which made me sad because I think I would have liked it more than the Kang Hog.  It's curried rice with pork skin, peanut and ginger.  The few bites I had were tasty but again, I had to cool my mouth off with the sliced cucumber and string beans that came with it. 

On one hand, I shouldn't have been surprised by any of the food here.  I've been to several Northern Thai places and I always have issues with the spice level.  I really want to enjoy it but I don't think I'm programmed this way.  The rest of the menu sounded great and I would give it another go and try the khao soi or the chicken skewers or red snapper.   I've gotten much better with my tolerance for spice and I'm determined to get even better.  This place is not for the faint of heart - in either wait time or spice level so buckle up.  Total bill:  $55/pp with tax, tip and beer

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Los Mariscos Visited 12/18/2017 4.5 Forks

Los Mariscos 409 W 15th St/. New York, NY 10011

While my experience Casa Neta was a bit less than, my experience at Los Mariscos was much better.  Probably because it was more my speed and I was feeling a lot better .  When you walk in, it pretty much felt like you were walking into a small fish shack only it's inside the Chelsea Market.  It's by the same people who own Los Tacos No. 1 which is amazing, so I was expecting great things from it.  The menu is equally as simple - 3 kinds of tacos (Fish, shrimp and spicy shrimp), 3 kinds of ceviche (fish, shrimp and especial), 2 kinds of cocteles (shrimp or mixed seafood), and 2 kinds of aquachiles (shrimp or scallop).  They also have raw oysters and clams and a pretty serious line up of mezcal and other Mexican beverages.  

Allison and I were there for lunch on a slow Monday afternoon but since it was the holiday season, it was fairly packed.  You order at the counter and then get your food and sit at one of the few picnic tables they have.  Since we both love ceviche, we ordered all 3 of them ($4-6) and I got 2 fish tacos ($3 each - the fish and shrimp tacos are the fried kind while the spicy shrimp is grilled) and we also started with chips and guacamole ($4.50).  As you can see from the prices, they really took the feeling of being in a small fishing village seriously.  Amazing.  The ceviche was a bit different from what I was expecting.  I was expecting more of a Peruvian kind where you had big chunks of fish marinating in lime but this was really chopped up pieces of fish on a hard shell tortilla.  It was tasty and very fresh tasting but when it's cut up like that, it's hard to tell the difference between the shrimp, fish or especial.  But the star of the show was the fish taco.  It was fantastic - it had much more flavor and authenticity than the one at Casa Neta.  Plus the handmade tortillas were pretty spot on too.  I usually get all nervous about small tacos but these were pretty filling and with everything it had going on in it.  The guacamole was pretty damn good too - it was a small plastic container and at $4.50 is really shows you that smooth delicious guacamole shouldn't cost very much and they're still making a huge mark up on it. 

I would have loved to have stayed longer, tried the cocteles and knocked back a few shots of mezcal but I was technically "working" that day....so next time.  I loved the vibe and the quality of the ingredients here but I expected nothing less than excellence since their meat based tacos in the markets are also outstanding.  A quick tip, the entrance is separate from the Chelsea Market on 15th street.   Total bill:  $44/for 2 people with tax, tip and Mexican cokes

Photo Credit:  Yelp