Taqueria Coatzingo, Elmhurst, Queens, NY

Hello again!

Last night, Chris took me out on a date to a place I've been wanting to go to for a long time. Taqueria Coatzingo in Elmurst, Queens. I was first introduced to taquerias in Orlando, FLA (where I went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter 4 times in 2 days...mm hmm that's right!). At a taqueria, they serve...you guessed it! Taco's! Damn good ones, too. They serve a lot of other things, but this time, we stuck to the tacos only. 

Chris and I drove about 30 minutes to get there, got a spot right in front, and entered into another world. Now, I've never been to Mexico, but after last night, I can imagine what it would be like. Lets put it this way, Chris and I were the only Gringos in sight. 

The restaurant is easy to find with a big sign out front and a window where you can watch the chefs making la comida. When you get to the table, they serve you complimentary warm tortilla chips and above average salsa. The restaurant was so authentic that we ordered en espanol (thank you POBJFKHS). I had 3 tacos - spicy pork, chorizo, and lengua (yes, that means tongue) and Chris got the marinated steak and chicken. I know the automatic reaction to eating a cow tongue is, "EWWWWWW THAT'S GROSS!". But let me tell you something, it was the best one out of all 5! And if you closed your eyes and ate it, you would think it was beef brisket. For RealZ! The pork was my second favorite. It was spicy with a slight hint of tandoori spices and it was a lovely shade of fire red. The chorizo was also very good, smokey and meaty. MMM MMM GOOD. Each taco is served with a heaping helping of Guac, cilantro, and fresh onions. You can eat like a King, or Queen in my case, for $2 A TACO! So cheap! They also had a great selection of Mexican beer. I chose Negro Modello because it reminds me of New Castle which I love.

After dinner, we went outside and walked for a while. We came across a cute Abuelita making fresh street snacks out of her food cart. Even though we were stuffed, we had to try something. I remembered some of my high school spanish lessons and asked for La Mejor Comida (the best food). Abuelita smiled and pulled an arepa off the grill and piled on some fresh queso. The arepa, which I think is Colombian (right Yaz?), is a grilled bread made out of corn.  This arepa had a slightly sweet flavor that made it taste like a dessert rather than a snack. The cheese went well with it, being very mild and creamy. It was almost like a very weird piece of cheesecake, very enjoyable! When we were done stuffing our faces, we went to a small bar, had a beer, and watched the Barce game with the locals. All in all, it was a fantastic evening! Enjoy the pics!

PS - Authentic Mexican tacos will always be wrapped in 2 TORTILLAS! They're guaranteed to be great. Lil tip there, enjoy it, write it down, remember it!

             MenuTacos ($2 each!)            Spicy Pork             

 Arepa for Dessert!

Bonne Saison, Bayside, Queens

Hello again my little french fries! I hope everyone has been eating well. 

    Last Friday some great friends (with great beard to mustache ratios) and I went to Bayside, Queens to go out for the night. We started out at Brew's Brothers for a quick game of beer pong to wake our stomachs up. After, we went to Bonne Saison, a Thai/French restaurant recommended by my lovely friends Ana-Sofia and Zach. 

    I know it sounds weird, Thai AND French food in the same place? But let me tell you, it was mmm mmm GOOOOOD. I've been to the other Thai place that is close by, called Erawan and there is NO comparison. At Bonne Saison, it is family run. You can actually peek into the kitchen and see the Thai family hard at work. George, the head waiter and hell of a nice guy, will be happy to give you some recommendations that suit your tastebuds. The best part about this place is the price. It is extremely reasonable for the quality and quantity of food served. It is a small quaint restaurant but the table settings and atmosphere is elegant. Overall, it kicks Erawan's ass up and down Northern Blvd. Next time, I'm trying an all French menu.

     As always, I took pictures of the food I liked. For appetizers we had homemade pork dumplings with a delicious tangy dipping sauce and sliced steak salad with a citrus vinaigrette. The dumplings were so different and unique than any other dumpling I've had before. They looked like little handmade flowers filled with meat, delightful. They were so tasty and juicy, I might have to get an order to go next time. The steak salad was recommended by one of the women working in the kitchen. She said it was the best, so I ordered it, and she was right. SO good.

      

    For the main course we tried Pad Seiw. It was some beef with flat noodles in a brown sauce. So meaty, beefy and good. I would have to say that was my favorite main course because I'm not really a fan of sweet coconut Thai dishes. But if you do enjoy those, the green curry with chicken was very tasty. I think each meal was about $15 each. 

    Please go there and experience it for yourself. Say Hi to George for me! Enjoy the pics....

Pork Dumpling      Steak Salad Chicken&Noodles Green Curry                  Pad Siew

New Golden Szechuan, Flushing, NY (Yes.)

Last night, I went to New Golden Szechuan in Flushing, Queens. I'll sum it up in three words... TASTY, SAUCY, AND SPICY! 


We started things off with some hot and sour soup and dumplings. The soup was very very flavorful. It was spicy, but not too spicy, you could still taste the savory flavors of the mushrooms and broth. The fried dumplings were much better than your average app. Light fluffy and crunchy dough with a juicy porky center (cue mouthwatering now). 


For the main dishes, we moved on to lamb casserole, fish in spicy soup, three pepper chicken and garlic shrimp. The lamb was so tender, it fell off the bone as soon as you picked it up. It was served with cellophane noodles in a hot and spicy broth. Very tasty with hints of ginger and scallion, yumyum! The fish was a whole 'nother level of spice. WOOOOOOOOOIEEEEEEEEEE! My mouth was on fire and Chris nearly had to change his shirt he was sweating so much. Although it was very tasty, every once in a while, a szechuan peppercorn would make it into your mouth and CRUNCH! A cool numbing feeling spread across your tongue and lips that lasted for about 5 full minutes. A little unnerving but, interesting nontheless! My two favorites were the garlic shrimp and the pepper chicken. The garlic shrimp sauce was absolutely sublime! Garlicky, spicy goodness...perfect atop my white rice. The shrimp were some of the most tender I've ever had. Everyone at the table really enjoyed just about everything we ordered. The chicken was diced and fried until crispy, surrounded by red chillies. Absolutely amazing.


The service there was very good as well. Sometimes, you can encounter some restaurant workers that don't want to deal with American folk in their restaurants, asking questions and whatnot. But here, they were very accommodating, going out of their way to explain dishes and make recommendations. 


One of the cutest things about the restaurant was the 'make your own sauce' station. You could mix chives, green chillies, red chillies in oil, soy sauce, some red stuff, some green mush, and some black ground up bits to make your own delish dip to dunk. Also, the restaurant serves up these $40 hot pots where you can cook your own crab, thin sliced meat, corn and other goodies. It's on the menu, towards the back, all in chinese. We didn't get one, but they looked good and fun to play around with. Here are some photos of the meal...

hot and sour soup, dumpling in backfish in spicy soup (notice the chillies!) the garlic shrimp

 lamb casserole

                       my portion of pepper chicken (I forgot to take the pic of the serving dish! darn!)

An Introduction...

HELU!

     My name is Ashlee, I'm a 23 year old New Yorker, and I am head over heels in love...with food that is. I've been to lots and lots of places with one thing on my mind: what's good here and where do I have to go to get it? I plan all of my vacations, road trips, and days off based on FOOOOOOOD. No meal is too far from good ol' ACE (ACE, you'll come to know as my cool-cat alter ego. Only coming around when things are going extra awesome). My partner in crime/love of my life, Chris (who I love just a smidge more than delicious yumminess) is always by my side, down for a food adventure. I'll try anything new, even if it sounds absolutely DISGUSTING. If someone makes it, someone must like it somewhere, right? 

So, to sum up, there are only a few things you need to know...

-I LOVE FOOD.

-I LOVE TO TRAVEL TO GET FOOD.

-I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND CHRIS

-I LOVE THE NEW YORK RANGERS

-I'M WEIRD (and love it)

-I AM OPEN TO ALL KINDS OF SUGGESTIONS FOR PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO TRY SO PLEASE COMMENT! 


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