Tacos at Cabrito

I eat tacos or something Mexican influenced at least one a week. If not more! But I have not bothered with trying  Cabrito. Lauded as THE tacos to try by many a foodie, and yet, no, I have not bothered to go. Why? Because of too many costly disappointments and my close proximity to a few real deal places like the Red Hook Soccer fields and areas like Sunset Park. Plus a trip to two old school worthy gems tend to take time away ( I may not ever share the places since it’s slightly off the radar and not crammed with people/tourists. I like it like that). And there is a favorite Mexican brunch spot that I enjoy regularly. My Mexican fix is more or less sorted and my cup runneth over (oddly) with some solid Mexican options in a city so desperate for good Mexican food.

Me and the BF were near Cabrito recently… right around the tail end of happy hour. And this is when the tacos are only $3. So we headed over, quickly pulled up a stool (cheap tacos/eats only at the bar btw) and ordered up a few things to share. Before I start rambling about food, I gotta say, we had fantastic bar service from probably one of the best bartenders around. Great cocktails. He was attentive, but also knew when we did not need/want attention. It’s a delicate balance that a lot of hospitality service people don’t always “get”. We should have snagged a name. Back to the food, ok,  I liked the tortillas a lot (they were made from scratch), sauces and guacamole were eh ok, liked the chips. Now to the tacos…the chorizo was just the way I like it (spicy, chewy, oily), pork belly was mostly pretty good. I liked the char and flavors but thought it was a touch dry and the sweetness from the pineapple salsa was a bit too much.  Al Carbon was standard tasty fare. Overall, I likey. I will be back in for that chorizo no doubt.

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Grits, Green Tomatilla Salsa, And New York Grown Black Beans For Breakfast

This easy dish represents two key child hood influences that shaped my palette. My Dad’s side of the family and my neighbors growing up.  I was born in the south and I definitely have a soft spot for grits. I also grew up across the street from a Mexican family in Michigan. A friend once said I must have been Mexican in a previous life, I eat something that is Mexican influenced at least once a week.

Anson Mills Stone Ground Organic Grits, organic Vermont white cheddar, jalapenos, and topped with black beans from Cayuga (an organic farm located upstate in Ithaca, NY) and Goya brand green tomatilla salsa. In retrospect, I think I am going to start making my own salsa in advance. I was starving so the Goya salsa worked in a pinch.

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Taco at Oaxaca

Stopped in when they first opened…wanted to try it a few more times. I have now tried each taco more than once. And overall, I think they are ok. Sauces are ok. Tamales are good. I don’t crave their tacos nor would I go out of my way for one. Service and vibe is great. All the guys who work there are genuine and super nice. That’s probably a bigger draw than the food.

The tortas look promising and I will be back. My theories on why good Mexican food is lacking in New York and why you have to reeeeealy go out of your way to find a worthy taco continues on. Perhaps I will post about that in greater detail another time. But almost anyone who is from New York, or has lived here for any significant amount of time, already pretty much knows this and why this is. Right? Are we all beating a dead horse (or empty pinata)? Should we all stick to our own kitchens or the Red Hook soccer fields when it comes to Mexican food? My left coast partner in crime put it best, the most average of tacos and Mexican food in L.A. would blow most New Yorkers away.

Oaxaca is ok for a local, quick option or “does what it needs to” as the BF puts it.

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Gotta Hankering For: El Azteco Cheese Dip

I have a major hankering for some El Azteco cheese dip. “El Az” (as us old school Michigan heads or El Azteco employees affectingly call it) is one of those Mexican restaurants that people either hate or love. I love it.  I miss it all the time. Even back in the day I would get overwhelming cravings for it. I would need to get an El Az fix so badly that I would skip high school to get my cheese dip, chips and salsa, topopo salad, enchilada, or burrito on.  Here is a pic of the topopo salad…

Even back then I was a “foodie” and Mexican food fanatic who would go to great lengths to get my cravings sorted. I also made/tried a lot of Mexican food with the Benavides family (they were neighbors and my babysitters) which definitely shaped my palette and probably has a lot to do with my constant craving for authentic Mexican. That’s another post for another time. And I want to give a major caveat here. I do “get ” and appreciate authentic Mexican food but this cheese dip is not an authentic Mexican dish. However, it is the authentic El Az recipe.  People who move away from Michigan spend a life time yearning for it.  The cult like following is deserved. The cheese dip is uber tasty and goes great with refried beans or salsa and chips. So, without further adieu… the coveted secret recipe for El Azteco Cheese Dip.

El Azteco Cheese Dip

1 to 2 small fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced fine

1/2 lb grated (not shredded) Muenster cheese

1 Cup sour cream

1 Cup cottage cheese

1 Bunch scallions, chopped

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

Sift the powder of 1 pkg of Liptons Onion Soup mix, and add 1 tablespoon of this powder

*pinch of cumin

* 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Mix it up in bowl and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Serve cold or room temperature. Odds are the mixture will probably not make it until the next day if you’re a deprived cheese dip addict. You will gobble it up like the addict that you are. Try and wait it out though. It will taste even more like the real thing the next day.

*  These add ins are optional. Supposedly it’s not in the recipe they use in the restaurant. Yet, it seems to taste more like the real thing with the cumin and garlic powder.

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