Restaurants
Living it up in Hermosa Beach, California07.16.13
On a spur of the moment trip last week, we flew west. We spent a couple of days in Hermosa Beach, an endless stretch of beach in the South Bay of Los Angeles flanked by swanky Manhattan Beach on one side and chilled out Redondo Beach on the other. By 7 a.m., this beach town paradise would greet me wide-eyed and bushy-tailed with friendly beach volleyball games already underway. A continuous parade of runners, bikers, and skaters rocked the sandy trail known as The Strand, with miles of pristine sand and a dark blue ocean to urge them on.
Eating my way through Fajardo, Puerto Rico06.16.13
What started out as a girls’ trip to the Caribbean ended up being an excellent opportunity to check out the food scene in the eastern coastal town of Fajardo, Puerto Rico. We sailed a catamaran and snorkeled in clear blue water, spotted a baby lemon shark swimming on the shore, and fell asleep to the lullaby of the native coqui frog. However, we also tasted Puerto Rican mofongo and alcapurrias, and talked to Brooklyn transplants Chef Kevin Roth and his wife Idalia about their five-year-old Nuyorican restaurant La Estacion. Stay tuned for my upcoming story in The Latin Kitchen about how this couple is turning Puerto Rican food on its head. In the meantime, these are some outtakes from the trip.
Yardbird Southern Table: A Reason to Skip the Beach05.25.13
The Miami food scene is changing fast, and I witnessed it this past weekend with an unforgettable meal at Yardbird, chef Jeff McInnis’ ode to Southern cooking.
Since supper reservations were pretty impossible to get, we ended up going for a late Friday lunch. The restaurant was friendly and warm – picture a BBQ joint in a Brooklyn loft – with a high exposed ceiling and industrial light fixtures. Chalk art lined the wall above the open-style kitchen, the place where all the magic happened.
We settled into a great table by the window and ordered cocktails. With their extensive Bourbon list, I decided to try one of their signature drinks, the Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade. Made with bourbon, lemon juice, blackberries, cardamom, and sparkling wine, it was slightly sweet and refreshing, and transported me to summer in South Carolina. It turned out to be an ideal compliment to all of the dishes we ordered. The restaurant recommended that we order family-style, and that’s exactly what we did. more »
A Nuyorican at Better Being05.16.13
Whenever you fantasize about comida casera, now you can get the flavors of Puerto Rico in a killer sandwich at Better Being 940, the newest midtown outpost from the creative force behind downtown’s Better Being Underground.
The sunny spot, which opened November 2012, is energizing the area’s food scene with its colorful market-driven menu, funky art, and downtown vibe. But the real headliner, to this Latinfoodie at least, is The Nuyorican, inspired by the Puerto Rican flavors of the Lower East Side and one of the restaurant’s most addictive sandwiches. more »
Latin flavors dominate the scene
The Culinary Institute of America held a seminar about Latin American food called “Latin Flavors, American Kitchens” in its San Antonio campus, with guest chefs including Rick Bayless and Maricel Presilla, two established chefs and ambassadors to Latin American cuisine in the U.S. More and more, Latin American food appears to be influencing restaurant menus throughout the country. Check out the latest newcomer to the Nuevo-Latino food scene in NYC, Nuela. Also, eaters are moving away from fine dining to more casual establishments, which has given opportunities for more Latin American restaurants to break through the market. That is some excellent news, can’t wait to see what the next knock out will be!
Read more about what happened at CIA here.
an ode to color09.14.10
I promised many things this summer: paletas, cookbook reviews, culinary finds in the city, and even though I haven’t written about them, it doesn’t mean they haven’t been on my mind. The past three months proved to be exhilarating and exhausting. I worked on my thesis for graduate school, which, by the way, ended up being a story about a Dominican restaurant in my neighborhood. It’s called Lali and they serve a mean rice and beans and chicken stew, just like back home. They also have awesome empanadas, tropical juices like chinola and morir soñando, and funny characters (like a sword-swallowing belly-dancer, a Hawaiian performing artist, “Grandpa”). The owners, Lali and Les, were very gracious with letting me hang out in the restaurant all the time, talking to their customers, eating there, taking photos. They made me feel at home.
Now that my project is finished, I miss those hectic days that wouldn’t end until midnight. I would get home full of stories to share, inspired by the strong people that inhabit this city. More than ever, I feel humbled and proud to make NYC home. It’s a generous city that continues to amaze me every single day.
So friends, in honor of home and to kick start the new season (hopefully it will be an especially fruitful one), here are some images capturing the last days of summer.
Food For Thought