The Times Likes Tacos Too

Photo from NYCnosh Flickr set

Mark Bittman has a nice piece on making tacos at home, and it doesn't involve Old El Paso or seasoned ground beef.

He aptly captures what I've been looking for in my recent taco craze: "It’s about the ingredients, as high quality and as fresh as possible."

I think he's a bit too disparaging about the state of east coast tacos, though even among my favorites, there is a huge chasm between the top and middle tiers. My advice for taco hunters, besides just going to the Slope's Tacos Nuevos Mexico or Tehuitzingo in Hell's Kitchen, is that taco quality is an inverse function of decor sophistication, a primary trait being the abundance of green neon lighting. But good tacos exist in New York as surely as the Mexican workforce.

Now That's Lip Smacking

New York magazine just released it's list of 101 Best Cheap Eats. It's a topic I'm particularly fond of. I've gone through many phases over the years (currently bahn mi and tacos) and built up my favorites joints. I used to guide visitors through the city based on what kind of food they craved and cheap eats were the staple. It 's fun to see this list of things to discover and gems still hidden (so I'm not really sweating the snubs).

Noted that I recommend too: Frankies in Carroll Gardens, Danny Meyer's Shake Shack, Schnack in Columbia Heights, Oms/B near the office, and Le Parker Meridien's Burger Joint.

The omissions: Rice in Nolita and Dumbo, Tacos Nuevos Mexico on 5th Avenue Brooklyn, Ba Xuyen in Sunset Park (better Bahn Mi than Saigon Bakery), Flor's Kitchen's arepas in the LES, Ruben's empanadas on Broome Street, Baraket's stuffed grape leaves on Houston, and Golden Krust west indian pockets scattered around the boroughs.

Thus several of my food cravings are outlined: shakes, dogs, tacos, bahn mi, West Indian pockets, grape leaves, arepas, empanadas, and this doesn't even include street vendors. Any one care to grab a bite?