Pampano New York
Some may disagree, but I feel Pampano has seen better days. First impression, a musty smell. We were promptly seated upstairs. Though the booth we were seated in was away from the other tables in a private corner, the upholstery had several stains and needed changing. When I looked up to the once impressive vaulted cielings, the curtains had water damage. It feels like a refresh is needed.
The Paella Mariscada had shrimp, calamari, scallops, octopus, cilantro rice, achiote-coconut sauce ( $27.00). Presentation was a little flat… just rice and seafood on a plate. Though not listed on the menu, the chorizo included in the rice overpowered the rice in flavor and greasiness. As a result of the chorizo, I didn’t taste the cilantro rice, achiote-coconut sauce. Every bite of my meal tasted exactly the same.
I enjoy paella more when it is served in the pan or pot that it is prepared in. This dish was missing the crispiness of the rice that can be achieved from pan presentation. And, by the way, since when is Paella Mariscada Mexican? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paella.
I wouldn’t be as critical of the food and decor if prices were knocked down about $5 per entree. The 5 shrimp included in the Chor Camarones Al Ajillo shrimp, tomato, almond pipian, though cooked well, were not substantial enough to warrant the $28 cost. The corn, rajas tamal was not as sweet as tamals I have tried at other restaurants (such as Mesa Grill) and was a little dry for my taste.
Four $14 margaritas (2 each) added significantly to our tab. They were made well (with a heavy hand).
The drinks combined with overpriced entrees resulted in a $120 tab. We had Blackboard eats 30% discount. Even with the discount, I’d rather go somewhere newer and cooler for the price. I’d say go to Mercadito instead of Pampano for Mexican food.
Rating:
Food – 6/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 6/10
Category:
Food Type – Mexican
Style – Casual
Price – Expensive
Wanna go?
Address/phone –
209 East 49th Street, Between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, 212-751-4545
website- richardsandoval.com/pampano/
OpenTable – opentable.com/pampano
menu – menupages.com/restaurants/pampano
La NewYorkina Modern Mexican Ice Pops
It was a hot day, I was thirsty and in the mood for something sweet. I had enough Mister softee and fancy frozen yogurt for the week. I walked into the Hester Street Fair, and the answer was looking at me. La NewYorkina “modern mexican ice pops.” Such a simple and refreshing idea.
I asked what the most popular flavor was, and Fanny, one of the propieters, served me Mango con Chile (Spicy Mango). The $4 pop was filled with large mango chunks. The chili made for an occasional bursts of spice. If the pop isn’t spicy enough for your taste, Fany offers seasoning to sprinkle (like you would pepper flakes on a pizza).
Other flavors include:
- Fresa-Strawberry
- Tamarindo Fresco- Fresh Tamarind
- Horchata- Cinnamon Rice Milk
- Jamaica- Hibiscus
- Pina con Menta- Pineapple Mint
- Nuez- Pecan
Fanny explained that she makes the pops after hours in a local wholesale bakery after 7pm during the week. It is a simple process from the cutting of the fruit, to the freezing. literally what you see is what you get. Check out these Facebook pics of the process.
At this point, they are getting ready for the Hester Street Fair each week. I see no reason why this concept can’t go bigger with a food truck or even a well positioned storefront.
Find La Newyorkina at the Hester Street Fair, every Saturday and Sunday,
10am to 6pm.
New York City Street Fair Food Guide
It’s that time of the year. Last weekend as I walked my way through NYC, I stumbled across three New York City street fairs.
This guide will go through NYC street fair food options. I will divide street fair food into three categories.
- Food I look forward to eating at each fair
- Food I never consider eating because I am scared of unintended consequences (i.e indigestion, a lost tooth)
- Pleasant surprises
Hopefully this guide will help locals and tourists alike to navigate NYC street fair food options.
Food I look forward to eating at each fair
I will pick up some pickles if, for some reason, I have no pickles in my fridge.
Kettle corn: I most likely won’t buy this, I have plenty of equally enjoyable Orville Redenbacher at home, but I will try a free sample.
Sticking with corn, how can you go wrong with fresh corn? I like how most use the grill to char the corn.
Another corn product is the sweet corn arepa. How can you go wrong with melted mozzarella and sweet corn?
Food I never consider eating because I am scared of unintended consequences
This may be controversial but I never want a candy apple during the summer. Candy Apples are a Fall food for me. I am also afraid that I will lose a tooth when I bite into the hard shell.
Dirty hands making falafel balls and frying in oil on a dirty street, no thanks. The same applies to Zeppoles. I will sometimes try a spinach pie though.
Fear of indigestion, continued…
No desire to have one of those smoothies. How could they possibly wash all that fruit with no running water? They also use the same dirty blenders all day! If you do happen to be by a fair when it’s closing they may sell bananas and other unused fruit for next to nothing. That I will go for!
I may have a crepe or two in Paris, but not on a NYC street…
Pleasant surprises
I would try a lobster roll at lunch time!
As the summer goes by, I will add some pictures of some of the pleasant surprise food options that I come across.
Street Fair Calendars:
Sinigual New York
I recall walking by Sinigual as they were building it and thinking the entrance is not very inviting. I am not a follower of Feng Shui but something about this place on 42 street didn’t seem very inviting. Several months later, my wife and I were in the neighborhood around lunch time and decided to give it a try. They obviously put a lot of money into Sinigual. Unfortunately, is very little that differentiates Sinigual from every other overpriced Mexican place in NYC, except for the fact that they started the meal with fresh tortillas instead of chips. I liked the tortillas but wasn’t sure what to do with the salsa and butter on the table. My wife had chicken fajitas, which were good enough. A highlight was the little scoop corn mash that i used to love to get at Chevy’s as a kid (it was no better than Chevy’s). I had the fish tacos. The piece of fish inside was very small and all I remember from the meal was the mayo that overpowered. I asked for hot sauce to overpower the mayo. All in all, stick with Mercadito for Mexican in NYC.
Rating:
Food – 7/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 7/10
Category:
Food Type – Mexican
Style – Casual
Price – Moderate
Wanna go?
Address/phone – 150 E 42nd St (At 41st & 3rd Ave), 212- 286-0250
website- sinigualrestaurants.com
menus – menupages.com/restaurants/sinigual
OpenTable – opentable.com/sinigual-new-york
Mercadito New York
I have tried practically all the Mexican places in Manhattan and always end up back at Mercadito. The food is fresh and though both locations are a little cramped, after a few margs you start to believe it is part of the charm of the “little market.” More on margs– I love the tres citrus. It is spicy and strong. My wife loves the strawberry with lots of real strawberries mashed in. We always upgrade the tequila to Don Julio but there are plenty of choices if you are feeling adventurous.
For appetizer, I recommend trying at least one of the cevices. My personal favorite is mixto -shrimp, octopus, calamari, tomato, roasted garlic-jalapeño broth. If you are with a group, for $24.5, it may be worth get an assortment of three of their five varieties of cevice to try. The quac is also good.
For dinner, it is best to share. We love the tacos- they are soft shell, about four come with each order. We usually have the steak, the chicken and the shrimp.
We also always end up ordering the pollo a las brasas (grilled whole adobo marinated chicken, three corn pico de gallo, chile de arbol salsa). The three corn picos amazing. I am not sure where the humongous corn kernels come from but don’t care because they are so tasty. The chicken is cooked to perfection and it is a really generous portion.
Rating:
Food – 9/10
Ambiance – 7/10
Service – 7/10
Category:
Food Type – Mexican
Style – Casual
Price – Reasonable
Wanna go?
Address/phone –
Mercadito Avenue B
179 Ave B between 11th & 12th streets
212-529-6490
Mercadito Grove
100 7th Ave South at grove street
212-647-0830
website- mercaditorestaurants.com
menus – menupages.com/restaurants/mercadito
Zaragoza
Zaragoza may appear to be just another bodega, but it is so much more — who knows if they are even licensed to sell food !
You come in (most likely late night after a few drinks), and the guy behind the counter shows you the meat you can pick (chicken, pork, beef and others). Head to the back, pick out a beer, sit down, listen to Mexican tunes and talk to the friendly “regulars.” In addition to getting the best tacos in NYC, on the way out you can buy toilet paper and a wide array of canned goods.
Eventually a waitress who was recently hired to manage their bustling crowd will come with your hard or soft tacos and/or burritos, really spicy/fresh salsa and hot sauce.
You may go back for seconds. At the end of your meal, they will figure out what you had to eat and drink and you will pay 3x less than those fancy Mexican places around the city. The food is much better and you are in for a much more entertaining experience. Only in NYC!
Rating:
Food – 9/10
Ambiance – 9/10 (for authenticity)
Service – 8/10
Category:
Food Type – Mexican
Style – Words can’t define
Price – Reasonable
Wanna go?
Address – 215 Ave A, (212) 780-9204
Zengo
Zengo loosely means “give and take.” The idea is to come with a big group of people, order several plates, pass the dishes around and enjoy. I plan to give and take a lot because it is so close to home and on their fourth day in business they impressed me as really “buttoned up” with excellent service, high quality, tasty food, and a really creative and well planned space to explore.
Before even entering the space, I was impressed by the thoughtful decor including wrought iron screens and wood beams to make the large and previously imposing space a little less imposing.
Sensing my curiosity, the bartender, Allison, arranged for the manager to take me and another interested diner a tour after our meal. I am looking forward to experiencing La Biblioteca downstairs with wall to wall shelves of over 400 types of tequila. It will open when they receive their liquor license. They say it is will have the largest selection of Tequila in North America. I was also impressed that they are sending the “tequila sommelier” to and from Mexico to learn about the product first hand (I need to get a job like that). It also is cool that you can buy tequila, get a “library card” and then go back and enjoy the bottle for up to 6 months from your locker. In contrast to the “chill” downstairs, the upstairs Sake and Sochu Longue was more of a VIP vibe. I plan to go back to try both.
I should probably get into the food… I sat at the bar and enjoyed three entrees. Of the three, the “give” would be the Wakame-Hijiki Seaweed Salad cucumber, carrot, daikon, apple, ginger vinaigrette. Though fresh, in my opinion it needed a kick of flavor. The “takes,” more than compensated for the lackluster salad. The Halibut Ceviche aji amarillo, red onion, cucumber, apple, tomato, cilantro was as fresh and flavorful as can be. It was sweet, light and tangy. I enjoyed the plantain chips that accompanied. Even better were the Charred Tuna Wonton Tacos with sushi rice, mango salsa, guacamole. This is a prime example of how to effectively mix Asian and Latin fare. The sushi grade tuna was impeccable, the wanton taco shell was crispy and the sushi rice was the hidden treasure.
The bill crept up there, but this is midtown, and I was more than happy to pay for the impressive and thoughtful surroundings, quality ingredients, and attentive service. This place will be lots of fun for those benefiting from the expense accounts from the many neighborhood businesses when the economy picks up!
Rating:
Food – 8/10
Ambiance – 10/10
Service – 9/10
Category:
Food Type – Latin/Asian
Style – Nightclub
Price – Expensive
Wanna go?
Address/phone –622 Third Ave at 40th St, New York, NY 10017, 212-808-8110
website- http://www.modernmexican.com/zengony/index.htm
menus – http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/zengo
reservations – http://www.opentable.com/zengo