72 Hours in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - Part 3 Visited 4/10/-4/12/2018 3.5 - 4 Forks

Ignacio Ramirez Mercado Colegio s/n, 37700 San Miguel de Allende                                      3.5 Forks

One of my favorite things to do when I'm traveling in another city is going to their local markets - super markets, flea markets or farmers markets, really any market.  You get a great view into more authentic local life and usually there are lots of fun unique local food stalls there.  Ignacio Ramirez Mercado in San Miguel de Allende is no different.  It's a pretty huge local market with your usual tchotchkes but they also have a decent food scene in the middle of the market.  Mind you, it's Mexico so it's not a nice fancy food court but more laid back stalls.  We didn't really know what was what so we randomly picked a place that looked good and had a few locals eating there.  I don't really know what it was called except there was a sign that said Birrieria 71 next to it (which I read is a spicy Mexican stew - which makes sense because there were a lot of locals eating some kind of soup dish).   

We got there early enough for breakfast but I went with a chicken enchilada and Kevin and Jen had chilaquiles.  It's a small stall with one communal bench outside but you can see them making the food so you know it's fresh and homemade.  It was a solid enchilada with verde sauce, although the shredded lettuce and tomato slice was kind of meh  - the dish tastes similar to some of the other Mexican food I've had in the States.  While I was totally happy with my meal, I felt like compared to the other food we had while in Mexico, I wasn't overly in love with it but I did love that it was a very local and authentic place.  Total bill: $10 USD for 3 people 

Aperi Quebrada 101, Zona Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende                                              4 Forks

Another day, another fancy tasting menu.   This one was in another beautiful boutique hotel, Dos Casas Hotel where dinner was in their gorgeous open air courtyard.  Of course we came here for the tasting menu but in hind sight, we all wished we had ordered a la carte because the 8 courses ended up being waaaay too much food.

We started with a lovely beet salad, moved on to an artichoke and fennel dish, an entire hunk of duck foie gras (note that if you plan on tasting all of your dishes, don't finish all of them like we did.  Eating all of the foie gras was a big mistake for stomach space), an octopus tacos with black bean pure, corn fungus with smoked trout, an enormous piece of pork belly with sweet potato puree and roasted zucchini, and THEN another giant piece of pork with scalloped potatoes and carrot puree - this is where we all pretty much felt like we were going to keel over and explode.  We were so full, it was actually painful.  Being this full prevented us from really enjoying most of the dishes that came after the smoked trout dish.  Of course, they ended with dessert which was a piece of chocolate cake but at this point, they could have served anything and I would have wanted to throw up. 

In the end, we all felt like we had pushed our stomachs to the limit.  That being said, I really enjoyed the octopus taco and the pork belly.  Similar to the other tasting menu, they really need to reduce the portion sizes so that people can fully enjoy all the dishes.  I think 5 dishes is the right amount for a tasting menu otherwise it's just too much.  We all thought that the tasting menu at Moxi was a bit better but it might have also been because it was a few courses shorter.  That being said, Aperi is still worth a visit.  One note, since Kevin doesn't eat seafood, he got a brown butter sage pasta dish that was out of this world - so if you come, definitely check out the pasta dishes here.  Total bill: $396 USD for 3 people including tax, tip and cocktails

72 Hours in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - Part 2 Visited 4/10-4/12/2018 4-4.5 Forks

Carnitas Bautista  Salida a Celaya #55, 37700 San Miguel de Allende                                    4.5 Forks

After our successful street meat adventure the night before, Jen, Kevin and I were all about finding more delicious street meat options.  Jen had read about this place on another travel blog (While Yelp and TripAdvisor are still great research options, I love reading other people's travel blogs for ideas) and since carnitas wasn't an option at the last place, we were jazzed to try this place out.  A word of warning, it's quite the hike out of town - we may have taken the long way there and it was hot AF the day we decided to go, but it felt like we had walked to another town to get there.  It's located in the 'burbs of San Miguel - it's an interesting walk because you get to see real life and lots of school kids running around but just be sure to have your walking shoes on. 

But the reward is some of the most succulent pig you've had in a while.  The place is pretty much a shack and zero English is spoken.  Your choices are pretty much tacos, tortas and gorditas - all stuffed with carnitas.  The entire pig is sitting under a heat lamp and it's already been butchered and shredded but you can see the crispy skin and elements of certain body parts.  There are 3 women who sit there hand making the masa and tortillas in front of you so you know it's fresh.   We opted for the torta and gordita as our first round.  She asked us if we wanted white meat and I reluctantly agreed but that ended up being a BIG MISTAKE.  While I know that dark meat isn't as good for you health-wise, it's by far the tastiest part of any animal.  But we were trying to be healthy and had good intentions.  The torta was basically a huge sandwich with nothing but white meat stuffed inside.  Honestly, if the meal were just this dish, I would have given the place 3 forks.  The bread was dry as was the white meat - it needed more moisture and flavor to it.  Luckily the gordita turned things around for us.  I had actually thought gorditas were things that Taco Bell made up, but I guess it's a real thing. The masa for the gordita was super tasty, crunchy and held the meat in well.  Based on this delicious bite, I felt like I had to round out the experience and get a taco.  Since I don't speak Spanish very well, I had to do a lot of pointing and said "no blanco" which I'm not even sure if the right terminology.  The woman pointed to her stomach which I interpreted as tripe which is really the one part of an animal I'm not down with.  I ended up pointing to a bunch of dark looking meat and she threw it on a taco for me.  After my bite, I confirmed that dark meat is the way to go.  It's juicy, tender and holds much more flavor to it than white meat.

I noticed that other locals were just buying platefuls of carnitas and then making their own meals from it - something I wish we had done but lesson learned.  Despite the long hot walk, this was a wonderful experience.  You can probably just as easily take an Uber there too.   Total bill:  185 pesos or $10 USD for 3 people.

Moxi  Aldama 53, Centro, Zona Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende                                     4 Forks

Despite all the great street meat options in San Miguel, there are quite a few high end places you can go for dinner.  Moxi was our first foray into fancy pants dining in San Miguel.  It's located inside the gorgeous Matilda Hotel - I will say that San Miguel may have the highest number of beautiful boutique hotels per capita I've ever seen in any city.   Except for the Rosewood, there aren't a ton of large chains and every hotel seems to have a either a cute courtyard or rooftop bar.  

Unfortunately the night we had dinner here it was pouring rain, but we had an awning to cover us for most of the night.  Most of the luxury restaurants in town have a tasting menu and that's what we decided to do here.  Compared to the tasting menu prices in NYC, these meals are a total steal.  It was a 6 course meal for $53 USD.  Yes, you read that correctly.  You can also get a wine pairing but we decided to stick with cocktails instead.  The courses were as follows:  beef taco amuse bouche, then the actual dishes (1) mushroom tamale (2) French onion soup with zucchini blossoms (3) corn risotto (4) striped sea bass (5) mandarin orange sorbet (6) chocolate mousse. 

There wasn't a huge Mexican flare to the meal but it was all executed perfectly and had great presentation.  The one thing we all noticed was that despite this being a tasting menu, all the portions were real entree sizes.  Usually when I get tasting menus, the portions are smaller because you know you're eating many more dishes than normal.  Needless to say, by the time we got to dessert, we were all stuffed to the gills.  The mushroom tamale was the winner of the night although there weren't any complaints about the other dishes. 

Overall for the ambience, quality and amount of food, it's most definitely worth the price even if it's on the pricier side of town.

72 Hours in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - Part 1, Visited 4/10-4/12/2018 4-4.5 Forks

Luna Rooftop Bar   Nemesio Diez 11, Colonia Centro, San Miguel de Allende                       4 Forks

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico has been on my bucket list for a long time, so I was thrilled when Kevin, Jen and I finally made it happen this year.  It's a 1.5 hr drive from the Leon airport (or 3 hrs from Mexico City) and the entire town is the definition of adorable.  Cobble stone streets everywhere, gorgeous rooftop bars and restaurants and picture perfect weather.   The most famous place in town is the Rosewood Hotel - it's super swanky/gentrified compared to everything else in town but it's definitely worth a visit just to see the views from the rooftop bar.  It is simply breathtaking and even though the cocktails and food are triple what you would pay at a local joint, if you're from NYC or any major US city, the prices are totally manageable.  We got a few delicious margaritas, guacamole and fries because we were staving but planned to get real food elsewhere.   I wouldn't stay here for dinner as you can get much cheaper and more authentic food elsewhere but you must come during sunset and get a few cocktails and nibbles.  Total bill:  $78 for 3 people

Andy's Pastor Taco Cart -  Insurgentes 85, Centro, Zona Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende 
4.5 Forks

Now this is why you come to Mexico.  If I haven't already mentioned it before in my other entries, I think the food scene in Mexico is seriously some of the best in the world - especially the street food.  I know some people are squeamish about eating street meat but you are seriously missing out if you don't eat it in Mexico.  Andy's is exactly the type of place I love.  We had a hard time finding it at first - they don't set up until past 7pm and it's not like they have a sign or anything.  We just patiently waited next to a bar where we thought it was and soon enough we smelled the sweet smell of meat being cooked.  If you're looking for it, it's on the major street right off the Square next to a garage. 

It's a small cart with 4 plastic chairs max, so get there early.  They basically have tacos al pastor, beef tacos and quesadillas.  We were pigs and we each ate 3 of almost everything.  Most locals come and grab 1-2 tacos, but we ordered everything we could get our chubby American hands on.  If you don't know what al pastor is, it's pork on a spit covered in adobe spices and served with onion and pineapple.  It's got a delicious sweet and salty combination.  The corn tortillas were clearly home made and held up well with all the meat stuffed in it.  While the tacos were good, we all commented that we loved the beef quesadillas the best because of the amazing oaxaca cheese they used - the key being that they slightly burn it on the grill before putting it in the tortilla.  We could have eaten here every single day and been incredibly happy.  I didn't try all the salsas but obviously they have a line up of mild to hot AF salsa for you to choose from.  The only complaint was the limes were super dry (they were all dry in San Miguel for some reason) and we had a feeling that we were maybe being overcharged because we were tourists but in the end it was still worth it.  Total bill:  400 pesos or $22 USD for 3 people 

Modern Love Brooklyn Visited 4/9/2018 3.5 Forks

Modern Love Brooklyn  317 Union Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211

While I'll always be a meat lover, I can appreciate a good vegetarian or vegan meal when done right.  It's just unfortunate that most vegan meals aren't very appetizing or exciting.  Luckily, Modern Love does vegan food justice and is worth a visit.  Of course it's in the hipster capital of the world, so it makes sense that the area would have good vegan food. 

Despite it being a random Sunday, the place was packed and they even asked if I had a reservation.  Instead, Aarti and I got two seats at the "bar" - I use quotation marks because it's very tiny and no one was sitting there but they said we could order food there instead of waiting for a table.  Unfortunately, while we were waiting at the bar the bartender spliced his hand open (not his fault) but no one replaced him at the bar and I had to flag down the hostess to order our food.  One fork deduction for slow service and no one noticing his absence. 

As I mentioned, the food here is all vegan.  They try to make non-vegan food vegan like a cheeseburger or chorizo nachos which I usually am not a fan of, but they also just do regular dishes that don't have meat in them.  Aarti and I split the tempeh stuffed avocado ($10), the arancini ($15) and the burrito bowl ($16).  The stuffed avocados had spicy mayo, hot sauce and sesame in it - what could be better than spicy mayo and avocado?  It was a tasty dish, although it felt like a slight cop out given how simple it was.  The arancini was delicious and tasted exactly like a regular one - they used almond cheese instead of mozzarella cheese.  Again, it's hard to go wrong with fried rice, cheese and sauce.  The burrito bowl was a simple one like you could kind of find at Chipotle if they made vegan burrito bowls - it had refried beans, coconut rice, kale,  guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and cilantro.  Honestly, with the exception of the sour cream, I'm not sure what else in there would have been non-vegan to start.  In any case, it was a tasty and large size bowl that we were both able to share and it felt healthier than a Chipotle burrito bowl. 

Overall, it was a good meal hampered by unintended slow service.  We both commented that we should have been more adventurous in our selection (I mean a burrito bowl is as safe as it gets).  While the rating doesn't seem super high, I would actually definitely come back here again and even make a reservation so that we don't have to sit at the bar again.  Total bill:  $35/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Miznon Visited 4/6/2018 4 Forks

Miznon  435 W 15th St., New York, NY 10011

Even though I know Chelsea Market is such a tourist trap, I still love going there and trying all the stalls as they've got some really great ones there.  So when I heard that another amazing Mediterranean places that wasn't Dizengoff opened up in Chelsea Market, Allison and I made a bee line for it.

It's tucked away toward the back of the market and when we got there, there was already a huge line.  Like most of the other places in Chelsea Market, this is much more of a fast casual chain vs. a sit down restaurant.  Apparently this place is a super famous chain in Tel Aviv and it's chef is a celebrity in his home country of Israel.  Now I can see why.  When I heard that it was a pita place, I assumed it was all about the hummus but I couldn't be more wrong.  There is zero hummus to be found on the menu - which was actually kind of a bummer.  The menu consists of pitas filled with delicious and amazing stuffing - both veggie friendly and meat friendly options.    I really wanted to get the ribeye roast beef but alas they were out of it.  Why, it was only 6:30pm???  The cashier was very apologetic about it and suggested I get the cow stew ($12) instead.  I went with his suggestion but I could have very easily ordered anything off the menu and I probably would have still been excited for it.  They are also famous for their whole cauliflower ($9) which Allison and I split. 

Like all the other places in Chelsea Market, seating is limited and you gotta push your way to get a table but I highly recommend sitting down to eat this because it's one messy but delicious meal.  First off, the pita itself is freaking out of this world.  It was soft and pillowy but strong enough to hold all the ingredients without falling apart on you.  I could have just eaten the pita plain and been a happy person.  Allison and I commented how the perfect combination might be the hummus from Dizengoff and the pita from here.  The actual stew stuffed pita was also excellent - it tasted exactly like a beef stew stuffed in a pita.  I don't know how they do it but it's got juicy thick cubes of beef, root vegetables, tahini, onion, pickles and chili.  It was incredibly filling and super messy - definitely don't order this if you're on a date.  The whole roasted cauliflower was pretty damn good too.  It was a whole head cooked just right where it was soft but not too mushy with a bit of char on the outside to it.   

The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating was because there wasn't hummus or any side dishes (besides the cauliflower or potato).  The pita is fabulous and maybe it's just my hungry hippo way, but I feel like it there needs to be some side offerings like all the yummy options at Taim to really round out the total meal experience.  However, that would never stop me from not coming back here.  In fact, I'm already plotting when I can go back and get that damn roast beef pita.  Total bill:  $13 with tax 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Hometown Hotpot and BBQ Visited 4/4/2018 3.5 Forks

Hometown Hotpot & BBQ  194 Grand St., New York, NY 10013

There's nothing I love more than a good hotpot.  I've tried the All You Can Eat and the more fancy a la carte places and I've found that generally they are pretty much the same experience.  Yes the fancy places do generally have better quality products but it's not really by much.  

I had passed Hometown Hotpot a few times and it always seemed crowded so I figured it had to be worth a try.  It's one of the AYCE places and they don't take reservations for small parties - so I would recommend that you get there early.  Even though I got there at 6:30, I was told a bit snootily that we had to share a table, which honestly was fine.  The only thing that wasn't fine was that the burner that was assigned to me was broken so I had to sit at a diagonal to Janet, which was annoying.  As with any other hotpot places, you pick a broth and then you go to town and pick all your ingredients.  I got the Chinese herbal broth and then we picked our usual line up of beef, fish balls, fish tofu, bok choy, clear noodles, enoki mushrooms, corn and fish fillet.   Like every other place, they have a sauce station with all the appropriate sauces and toppings.   

The overall quality was fine, although Janet was not a fan of the beef and felt that it was too frozen for her taste.  I could see her point, although I generally feel like at most of these AYCE places the meat is always frozen and then defrosted.  But I've definitely had fresh beef before at other places. The veggies and noodles were good, plentiful and pretty par for the course. 

While the waiters were nice enough, we did have to chase them down a few times for more water for the broth.  It was an totally fine experience overall, but the combination of a slightly rude hostess, having to share a table (when you don't have to do that at many other hotpot places) and having a broken burner, put this place a notch below the other hotpot places I've been to.  I would say if you do come here, you're better off coming with a large group so that you can have a table to yourself.  The plus side of this place is that it was very affordable, so for that I would definitely come again.  Total bill:  $36/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Sushi D Visited 4/3/2018 3 Forks

Sushi D  207 Dekalb Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11205

I'll keep this review pretty short and sweet since Sushi D is your classic neighborhood mom and pop sushi joint.  There's no flash, no fuss and definitely nothing special about it but it's a nice quiet place to catch up with friends and have basic sushi.  It's not a destination place and there weren't a lot of people when Vinita and I were there but if I lived in the 'hood, I could see myself ordering take out here or stopping by for a lunch special.  

The one thing that was kind of odd that Vinita and I noticed was that there were very few rolls that had salmon in it.  They had your basic salmon avocado or salmon cucumber roll but most of the fancy rolls had lot of tempura action in it which I am not a huge fan of.  They also are the type of place that has rolls with mango or asparagus in it, which I'm also not a fan of.  We stuck to a few basic rolls as well as a soft shell crab appetizer and eggplant appetizer. One of the rolls came with this honey wasabi sauce which we asked for on the side since we were both very weary of it. 

As expected, everything was totally fine but not mind blowing.  The honey wasabi sauce was actually not bad tasting but I'm just not sure I would want it on my sushi as it tastes exactly how it sounds - sweet with a bit of kick to it.   It would have been nice if they had more rolls that had fresh fish in it instead of it being deep fried, which kind of leads me to wonder if there is general quality issue but I felt fine afterwards!  If you live in Clinton Hill and want to order in sushi on a rainy day, this is a totally your place or if you're looking for any traditional, fancy or heavy salmon focused, there are probably a ton of other sushi joints in BK to choose from.  Total bill:  $58/pp with tax, tip and sake

Photo Credit:  Yelp