Pinche Taqueria

The search for good Mexican food in New York brought me, unexpectedly on Wednesday night, to Pinche Taqueria, on Mott Street. The night began at the new Zero + Maria Cornejo shop on Bleecker Street, and then we were hungry so we headed south on Mott Street. That's where the old Zero was, close to this terrific little taqueria. Mari had the fish tacos ($3.95 each) loaded with thinly-sliced cabbage and a squirt of lime. I ordered the carnitas ($2.95) -- juicy, braised pork. Both are loaded on a double layer of corn tortillas, topped with guacamole and served on sheets of white wax paper in a metal pie tin. They go great with a can of Tecate. We ordered the elote, too. The grilled corn was good, but was slathered in a little too much mayo for my taste. Next time I'll ask for the corn sans mayo, but plenty of butter, crumbly cotija cheese, red pepper and lime. This place passes the test. Can't wait to go back.

Pinche Taqueria
227 Mott Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 625-0090

333 Lafayette Street
(212) 343-9977

Rest in Peace, Eileen Blake

I learned today that Eileen Blake, of Eileen Blake's Pies and Otherwise, in Martha's Vineyard, passed away over the summer. I never met Mrs. Blake, but I've had her wonderful strawberry rhubarb pie, and met her husband, a retired military man, who sits in a white gazebo in front of the Blake home, where the pie's were prepared, surrounded by stacks of pies for sale. This is a big loss. Her pies are part of the short tradition Mari and I have enjoyed -- getting off the ferry in Vineyard Haven, then stopping to buy pie along the road up island, to Aquinnah. I was looking forward to making that stop on State Road this summer. Will the pies live on without Mrs. Blake? Maybe. Her husband once told me that she had a team of helpers -- had to, given the number of fresh pies she produced each day. But it just won't be the same.

Chipotle Haiku

Whole wheat tortilla
Pinto beans and shredded beef
Red sauce like fire. Yum.

Chipotle Haiku
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A friend said to look.

I like what I read.
The posts make my stomach growl.
Check it out yourself.

chipotlehaiku.com

Photo credit: Greefus Groinks

Hungry?: An Airport Alternative

Plane food used to be fun. At least it was when I was eight. Remember when the meals came sealed in foil and each component was served in little plastic containers that fit together on the tray like a jigsaw puzzle? It was so satisfying. It made the flight go faster too. These days you're lucky to get served a bag of peanuts on a cross-country flight. Two weeks ago, I flew from New York to Salt Lake City for the final days of the Sundance Film Festival. U.S. Airways offers $2 beverages and snack sacks for $5 and $7. A can of Starkist tuna and a tub of apple sauce? Uh, no thanks. So by the time I reached Phoenix, where I had a layover, I was starved. Most of the restaurants at Sky Harbor are pretty bleak. The food is totally bad for you. Cinnabon. TCBY. Burger King. These are the options. But in Terminal 3 I found an alternative: Blue Burrito Grille. I usually resist restaurants that add an e to grill (just as I shun Italian restaurants that call themselves Ristorantes. Never good.) This place, however, held promise. It bills itself as healthy Mexican food. Which translates, for the most part, into canola oil instead of lard. I ordered a chicken machaca burrito. I was pleasantly surprised. It didn't weight five pounds, like some burritos at places that shall remain nameless because I actually do really like their cilantro-lime rice. Instead, I got a sensible, satisfying serving. Then there was the meat. Juicy. Juicy. Juicy. Shredded, not cubed. (Ick.) The rest was simple and fresh: a chewy flour tortilla, iceberg lettuce and a little cheese. But here's what I almost forgot to mention: the hot sauce. I dabbed my pinky in the little container to test it out before applying it to the burrito. It tipped me off that I was about to eat something good. The hot sauce actually had some heat to it. Best airport food I ever had.

Blue Burrito Grille is an Arizona-owned and operated business. Sky Harbor has two locations. In Las Vegas, they're at near the C gates at McCarran Airport. And guess what? There's a Blue Tortilla Grille at the Salt Lake City airport too, near the B gates.

Gazala Place

sagg pita
Originally uploaded by winyang

In Phoenix it was all about the tortilla. Now that I'm back in New York it's the pita that rules. The thin, hand-rolled, whole wheat pita at Gazala Place, on Ninth Avenue, is delicious, and even better dipped in Gazala's babaganush, a smoky blend of charcoal-grilled eggplant, tahini and olive oil. The spinach pie is another yummy gem -- a little purse of spinach, onions and spices baked in a pita shell. It's small in size but long in the oven. When I called to check on the delivery that was taking longer than expected chef Halabi Gazala answered and blamed the spinach pies for the delay. It was definitely worth the wait.

Gazala Place
709 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10036
(212) 245-0709