Midtown Lunch: Lena Latin Grill

Last week’s midtown lunch was a wash. With the heatwave going on all I wanted to do was stay in my cool building. The weather today however... gorgeous. Sunny, just a few clouds and a perfect 75. Just the right day to head out for a midtown lunch expedition with my friend Robin, aka Ms. Silk Purse, who’s been such an inspiration lately in getting me out of the office during lunch.

I did some quick research into what was equidistance between our offices (I’m in Herald Sq and she’s up near Bryant Park) and settled on Lena Latin Grill. Described as the Chipotle of South American cuisine, it was also the perfect quick serve, yet sit down set up for us to chat and catch up in an hour. Still on my pescatarian fix, but having fish tonight, I settled on a nice and light tofu salad. Added in were grilled corn and queso fresco (a last minute splurge made while looking at their overwhelming sides list) and I topped it off with some chimichurri.

The Monterey in SA

I don't do restaurant reviews. Here is why. But I also don't always play by the rules, including my own and The Monterey in San Antonio is the perfect exception. Inventive, unique, and maybe a little bit crazy but this place is serving food that I'm hard-pressed to find even in New York. Maybe this is why I've only reviewed San Antonio places, to keep reminding people that my hometown is not just chips and salsa Tex-Mex and your usual suspect of chains. Heck they even have a CIA down here now. Great food lives here too, executed by creative chefs who know their stuff and could hold their own and then some against some of the guys up in NYC.

So last night we went for the New Years Eve tasting menu, the menu you can find here. I also included a few pictures of the food we had from just a regular Thursday night right after I got in to SA. And a few recommendations. Go hungry- the plates are small but filling. Go on a nice night- they have a great outdoor patio we haven't had the chance to sit out on because it was very chilly the first night (though they do have heat lamps). Order as much as possible. Come on people, this is probably the only place in the radius of the city that you can get a menu full of inventive food. And at SA prices! Ok, I'll let the pictures do the talking now.

BBQ Brisket, pickle and white bread. I thought this would be dry but the brisket was so moist

Last Nights

No matter how long I'm in Texas for a visit it's never long enough. So when time has flown by and all of a sudden it's the last night, we usually do it up and go out in style. This past trip was no exception. As everyone else in my family (including my sister's boyfriend) had been to Andrew Weissman's latest creation but me and all I had ever heard were the most rave reviews (and also still feeling a lingering sadness over the now-shuttered Le Reve) that was my pick: Il Sogno.

Now I try not to give you too many restaurant reviews because it's frustrating if you're not in the area, and maybe just to me but posting pictures has always seemed like the easy way out. Not being a professional reviewer as well, not even a professional writer, photographer, or blogger, I've been hesitant to take on the role of influencer, especially with the chef-driven out cry against amateur reviews that may be the deciding factor of whether a reader even comes to their restaurant or not. I understand and respect when a chef asks diners not to take pictures and just because I'm a pretty happy, laid back, and optimistic person, don't really want my little blog cluttered with bad reviews anyways when I have that occasional bad meal.

But when the meal is exceptional, the town is wonderful and the restaurant is a bit off the beaten path I will break my little rules, but keep it short and sweet. Even with the recent departure of the executive chef Luca Della Casa and Weissman back on the line, even with a large party the open kitchen looked almost relaxed, well practiced in their art. Everything was excellent, the atmosphere superb, and service was top notch. That's all you really need to know outside of a little food porn, right? So if you are in San Antonio in the near future, or live there but just haven't been, this is still along the Riverwalk, but not in the expected places- in fact it's down a mostly new stretch of peace and quiet that would make for a nice pre/post dinner stroll.

Counting Down

And catching up. It's been an amazing past week, that has been all part of an amazing month so I figured I'd brush up on my Flickr skills and share a little slideshow of what I've been up to, mostly food, drink, music and sports oriented.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

So you got my highly coveted LCD Soundsystem ticket (thank you B) with a delicious Johnny Mack's cheeseburger in the background. Once of my nicer shots from TV on the Radio part 1 at Radio City. Having a pretty decent glass of Pinot Noir at the Yankees Game. Very delicious siracha deviled eggs with pickled swiss chard stems I nabbed from Luisa's link love last Friday for the perfect (clearly non-vegan) dinner party appetizer and ending the night with a homemade blueberry crumble pie. Then it was off to Boston and hitting up some blueberry beer before TV on the Radio part 2. Brunch the next day was a Sinatra Sunday at Lucky's Lounge and then catching a last minute Red Sox game. April... I'm exhausted, and that isn't even the 1/2 of it.

Second Best Baked Good

After pie dough that is, but I think because the making of the 2 are so similar... the desired fat and flour crumb consistency, just enough liquid, the necessity for the fat to be as chilled as possible before and after combining. That'd be the cheddar chive biscuit, from BLT Fish. I figured since I just mentioned it, and turned down one straight from the source, the least I could do is give you the recipe, right?

One thing Laurent Tourondel has excelled at (or perhaps more correctly, his pastry chef's) is the unique baked goods served at his restaurants. I was in love at first bite with the cheddar chive biscuits and bought a popover pan after having his gruyere popovers at BLT Prime. He's also so nice to give you a little recipe card, gratis, along with the baked treats. And it was through this that I was able to make and eventually perfect my biscuit making skills.

Awesome Shout Out to Brooklyn!

And from Country Living too! So many of these amazing places- including restaurants- are in or near Park Slope. For one who would prefer to leave off Williamsburg/Greenpoint (me! and FIPS), here's that list. Otherwise here's the original. What an amazing little shout out! And I'm always saying that Park Slope is like a quaint town- now it's official.

Perfect timing too, as I will be heading to Williamsburg tonight and have already been a bit grumbly about the plethora of skinny jeans and flannel that will abound, not to mention trying to come up with the proper outfit that is the right amount of hipster without compromising my utter dislike of their fashion sense (can we call it that?). Of course me saying that out loud makes me entirely uncool but whatevers. *Sigh.*

And I know I haven't been posting this week either, but it's been crazy since I've gotten back. Come on, it's 10 till 6 on a Friday and I'm still at work. But there are a lot of 1/2 started posts and recipes that I've been working on and will put up...eventually. This weekend I promise. Until then, Happy Friday!

My Tex-Mex Standards...

I'd say they are pretty high. There's actually a Tex-Mex trifecta in my head that judges whether a Tex-Mex place is worth coming back to or just a cheap imitation of the real deal. New York, for all it's diversity, just cannot master Tex-Mex. It's true. Just like that old Pace picante commercial... "It's says here it's made in New York City." "New York City?!?" In short, not known for Tex-Mex.

The Trifecta of Tex-Mex:

• Chip- must be crunchy and light. Not even remotely stale. Salty, but not overly so
• Salsa- just enough spice plus depth. This can be attained through smokey chipotles, tomatillos, etc
• Tortillas- puffy, light, flour-y. They don't weigh you down with lard, but you can taste that you're being bad by eating one

Houston however, is right smack in the Tex-Mex middle of everything. And my first real night here, I dragged very dear friend + hubby + child to the nearest place with the best reviews. Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe... just right down the way from where they lived, satisfied all cravings and met the trifecta standards.

The margarita, while not a part of the trifecta, still important. This was fabulous

Sardineys!

Yuck, right? Smelly, fishy, boney... a fish to avoid. Those were my exact thoughts, right up until I ate one. My first time was at the Harrison bar, where I was enjoying a drink and chatting it up with the bartender and naturally the conversation turned to food. He suggested the sardines and I'm sure I twisted my face in disgust. He persisted and I gave in. Simply prepared, they were coated in breadcrumbs, some spices and herbs and then broiled until crisp and brown. The flesh of the fish just flaking off until there was nothing but a perfect skeleton left. He then suggested I try the head and that's where I drew the line, but ever since it's been love.

They were on the menu at The Majestic, where a year ago ago I celebrated my re-entrance into the working world and where just a few days ago we returned to celebrate my anniversary, and both times I ordered the sardines. I prefer the way chef Shannon Overmiller does them better than Amanda Freitag's (see, now I'm a sardine snob!). Again simply roasted but also with some capers and cherry tomato's, topped with breadcrumbs, olive oil and lemon drizzled over. And it put an idea in my head. To make you'd simply need an oven, some breadcrumbs, some herbs, optional accompaniments and of course sardines, right?

Travel Food

A fun little tidbit about me you may or may not know is that I love to travel. There's something very exciting about being somewhere that's not the same old and visiting people you can't see on a daily basis. Something about planes and trains that can lull me into a much needed sleep, or at the very least, much needed relaxation. And yes, something about getting out of claustrophobic NYC just immediately brightens my perspective on life.

And this month I'll be traveling quite a bit. Houston to catch up with one of my closest friends and to get some much needed Tex-Mex. Washington D.C. for a visit with my sister in her new digs and to celebrate some job related ventures for me (and be the 3rd wheel for her Valentines) at one of my favorite Old Town restaurants. And this weekend a quick little trip to Philadelphia. Yes, again. Draw your own conclusions on that one. But hopefully this trip won't involve the 2am Pat's cheesesteak that somehow ended up mostly all over my coat.

For fellow readers who also travel, I'm sure we can all agree one of the most frustrating things about it can be the food. Yes, security lines and delays and unnecessarily long layovers are worse, but on an empty stomach that only serves to exacerbate the problem. Especially coming back from a trip, the post vacation depression setting in, possibly a little hungover. It doesn't help the mood. And I've definitely been there, sitting at the airport gate munching disenchantedly on some greasy pizza or half melted quesadilla. No thanks.

Not interested in that stale pastry or bagel?

As Long As I Live In New York...

I will probably never make this dish from scratch. Yes I own the cookbook, and yes I have the culinary knowledge, the accessibility to all ingredients, and the required cookware, but why... when I can just go to the restaurant?

Lazy? Perhaps, but let me just say, the broth alone takes 8+ hours to make. The pork belly takes over 24. The whole dish requires things like nori, fish cake, konbu, as well as about 40 other slightly more recognizable items. So would you make this when you could just grab a friend, settle down to the counter and have a bowl in front of you in less than 15 minutes? That's right, I thought not.



Seriously. This is page 1 of more than 20.

Did I also mention that it's my go to when I'm sick? During the height of the holiday shopping, naturally I came down with the worst cold. But presents won't buy themselves, so I dragged myself out. When it came time to re-energize, my first thought was ramen and I came here. Today with a friend, also suffering from a bad cold, here we came again. It's the broth, it's the egg-y protein, it's the chewy noodles, the salty fish cake, the melting pork belly. It's that combination of so many delicious things all in one hot bowl of ramen. Chicken soup has nothing on this.