Zagat's List of NYC's 8 Best Mexican Restaurants

Click here to see Zagat's "8 Best Mexican Restaurants in NYC." 

Do you agree?  If you don't, then which of your favorite spots are missing from this list?  I want to know!

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Until we eat again,

The Lunch Belle

Meetup & Mexican Supper Club

Dear readers,

Many of you are aware of my undying passion for all-things-Mexican food, as seen in so many of my restaurant choices and personal recipes.  Also, I've dabbled in a Mexican-centric website, catering, and NYC walking tours and, most recently, started a Meetup group aptly named "The New York Mexican Food Lovers Group."  To say that I'm obsessed with this cuisine would be to put it very mildly.

So, what's the point of this post?  Well, I'd like it to serve as both an introduction and an invitation.  One of the cool things that we're doing with The New York Mexican Food Lovers Group is a Mexican Supper Club.  My vision is that, once/month, members will get together for brunch or dinner, whichever is deemed most convenient for everyone, at a Mexican restaurant in one of the five boroughs (most likely Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens).  So if you have any interest in joining the Group solely for conversational or discussion/recipe purposes, or to be included on the Supper Club roster, we'd love to have you.  It's free, it's fun, and we all have one thing in common: we LOVE Mexican food.  Click here to join!

P.S. Our first Mexican Supper Club Brunch is next Saturday!  A couple of spaces are still available...

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Feliz viernes y fin de semana a todos!

The Lunch Belle     

Mexican Supper Club: constantly searching for the NYC's Mexican food "holy grail"

The Texican's second bite of "The Big Manzana"

The Texican took to the street for the second time this past Saturday afternoon.  And on this particular TexMex Tasting Tour, we began at Food Network Chef and fellow El Pasoan, Aaron Sanchez's second NYC restaurant/partnership, Tacombi at Fonda Nolita.  Here, 6 complete strangers became fast friends over aguas frescas and freshly-made tacos.  From there, the group trekked up the street to Cafe el Portal, where they enjoyed a cocktail/beer of choice - tortilla chips + a trio of salsas and guacamole - and, finally, an entree of their choosing.  And to end the tour on a sweet note, each participant received a handmade "party favor" from yours truly: a paper bag filled with my homemade tortilla chips. 

We covered a lot of ground - and even more good eatin' and drinkin' - in a two-hour time frame!  Check out some of my favorite snapshots from Saturday's excursion, below: 

Tacombi @ Fonda Nolita: hand-making Oaxacan-style tamalesTacombi @ Fonda Nolita: the groupCafe el Portal: guacamoleCafe el Portal: tamarind margaritaCafe el Portal: steak, mole enchiladas, rice, beans, and guacamole - served with corn tortillasThank you for joining me! ~~~

Interested in learning more about my TexMex Tasting Tours?  Would you like to sign up for the next one?  Click here

Read it & eat,

The Lunch Belle / The Texican

NYCs best TexMex-style tacos

Believe it or not - I wouldn't have believed it until I was dragged there for a birthday dinner, recently - Arriba Arriba's Hell's Kitchen location has the city's best TexMex-style tacos.  Why?

• Their taco shells are *FRIED ON PREMISES*
• They use moist, shredded meat (beef was my protein of choice)
• ...which sits atop a mound of melted, shredded, cheese
• and is finally crowned by crisp, fresh lettuce and tomatoes
• Arriba Arriba also has really good salsa for dipping and dunking
• With every bite you take, a hearty blend of juices grease drips out from the opposite end

Now, for all of you fellow Texans out there, I want you to give this taco a try and report back to me.  I'm willing to bet that you, too, will fall in love.  For NYC, this is pretty damn good.

See for yourself!  GET. HERE. NOW.

~

Read it & eat,

The Lunch Belle

Two spots left! First come, first served

HURRY UP!  Because ...

... The Texican only has two spots remaining for this Saturday's NYC TexMex Tasting Tour! 

Interested?  Here are the vital details:

Date: Saturday, February 26th

Time: noon - 2pm

Cost: $60/person

What does the price include? Food, drinks, taxes, and gratuities for meals at two restaurants.

How many people will be on the tour? 10

Meet-up location: will be disclosed upon ticket purchase

*Note: registration for this tour will close tomorrow, February 25th, at 10am EST.  To proceed with purchase, or for any questions, please email me at: Lindsay@TheTexicanNYC.com.

~

Leer y comer, ya'll!

The Lunch Belle / The Texican

Walk. Eat. Repeat.

After months of planning with Explorecation, a community marketplace for unique experiences, I'm thrilled to announce that tonight marks The Texican's inaugural Mexican food-centric tasting tour! 

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Tonight's tour will begin at Dos Caminos Soho, where I will meet my guests for a cold Mexican beer or margarita and, what I consider to be, some of the best chips 'n guacamole in town. 

From there, we will make the 10-minute trek north to La Palapa Rockola, where we will enjoy a tasting to include:

• Tacos de Rajitas Poblanos (soft corn tortillas stuffed with roasted chile poblano and sweet onion)
• Enchiladas de Pollo Verdes (chicken enchiladas in tomatillo salsa with homemade queso fresco, Mexican crema, and sweet onion)
• Chile Rellenos (roasted poblano chile stuffed with housemade queso fresco and queso añejo, lightly battered and baked in a spiced tomato sauce)
• Pastel de Tres Leches (fluffy butter cake moistened with three milks, enveloped in meringue).    

Sounds pretty delicious, doesn't it?  Sign up for my next tour, HERE!

~

Read it & eat, ya'll!

The Lunch Belle / The Texican