Pinche Taqueria

Pinche is where it's at. I would say I've been eating there an average of once a week, now that my internship puts me at less than five blocks away from the Nolita location and I am always hungry when I leave. From work, I walk right past La Esquina and snicker at all the people eating inside who think they are having the best tacos, not from taste, but from hype. I was once one of those people. Now I know that, yes the tortas are pretty great there, and I enjoy myself a good ol' cup of black beans topped with salsa and queso fresca for $2 once in a while, but if I'm jonesing for some authentic tacos of the Mexican-by-way-of-SoCal variety (which is practically comfort food for me as you know), I will go to Pinche.

Pinche's tacos are the perfect size and composition--a small tortilla topped with meat, onions, cilantro and a little guacamole. Guacamole isn't typical but Pinche's doesn't offend me--it is light and airy and has the acidity of a fresh squeezed lime slice. Don't worry, if you want more, there is a whole bowl of limes at the counter. Pinche also has a never-ending supply of red and green salsa for the taking. The price isn't bad either. The best tacos I've had in LA (see my post on Yuca's here) are $2.00--I'll pay an extra 50 cents each to have a taste of home transplanted into New York.

Carnitas on the left, fish on the right

My go-to is the carnitas taco--shredded braised pork that is moist and mostly soft save for the few bits of crunchy skin that add a welcome texture. Lately I've also been a big fan of the fish taco, which is perfectly cooked--the breading holds the filet together but isn't tough to bite into--and garnished with the house guac, cabbage and the obligatory white sauce.

I also love how kitschy the place is, yet it still somehow feels welcoming. Another plus: I don't feel weird eating there alone. Actually, its quite relaxing. Especially since they serve five different varieties of  Mexican beer...

What can I say, I love this place. I also find it telling that an old friend whom I hadn't seen too long of a time walked into Pinche while I was there just the other day. It was perhaps the most appropriate place to run into someone who shares my strong affinity for SoCal tacos.

Pinche is the real deal.

Pinche Taqueria
227 Mott St. & 333 Lafayette St.
NYC

Lot's more posts to catch up on...keep checking in
Nosher

Welcome Back to California

I'm back in America.....well, I have been for a little bit, but I've had a hard time convincing myself to do anything other than lie and swim and catch up on tv shows, relishing my last few days of summer. That and technology has become a bitch lately, as iPhoto decided it would not cooperate with the hundreds of photos I needed to upload.

Anyways, I spent a few days lounging around my house recovering from jetlag, but my real homecoming came when I went to visit my friend Lara in Newport Beach. She took me to this great new fish joint, Bear Flag Fish Company. Lara just returned from a semester stint in Berlin, so her need for some good SoCal coastal seafare was just as strong as my need for tacos (what else). The result? Fish Tacos, of course. Mmmm these tacos were good. A mild white fish crisp on the outside but moist and flaky on the inside, topped with purple cabbage slaw, salsa fresca, pink sauce, and gotta have that avocado. Nothing makes a fish taco like avocado. One of the best things about the taco was the tortilla--while it technically a soft taco, the tortillas were more than warm. They were cooked a little bit overtime, probably in the slightest amount of oil, so they were slightly crisp. This added a nice texture to the taco as well as providing more support for the overflowing contents inside of it. It was a great touch.

We also split a seared ahi tuna sandwich. Oh man this was good too. The baguette was really nice and fresh--the perfect combination of crispy softness that a baguette should have--and garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, and this nice green and red onion mayo spread that went really well with the ahi. I salted it a little bit, but all in all it was great, fresh flavor (...and who am I kidding, I salt almost everything).

If you're in Newport for a beach day, definitely stop at Bear Flag for lunch. Their fish is top quality, and they have a great variety, from tacos to sandwiches to crab cakes to lobster. Yum.

Bear Flag Fish Co.
407 31st Street
Newport Beach, CA 92663


Nosher


Sorry for the delay...but in the next few days I'll be posting a full account of my Southeast Asian gastronomic adventures. Keep a lookout!

Perfect Food Day

Every time I come home from college, I have to have my perfect food day. It has become comfort food to me--not comfort food in a "grandma's beef stew" kind of way, but as comforting as having two of your favorite meals in one day can be when you have looked forward to them for a long time (answer: very).

Lunch at Yuca's, Dinner at Katsu-Ya

Yuca's is "my" taco stand. Every southern Californian has one, whose honor they fervently defend against claims of other better or "more authentic" stands/trucks. I have become THAT girl...but I don't really care, because Yuca's really is the best. All of my friends in New York know about it without having visited; I am physically incapable of eating any mexican food without mentioning it. I'm sure it gets pretty annoying. (But seriously, tacos in New York just don't compare. Sorry, Taqueria on the UWS). And anyone who has ever visited me in LA has tried it--it's a signature part of the Nosher experience.

Case in point: here is my friend Isla trying her first Yuca's: Yummmmm

#1 rule of eating at Yuca's: order the cochinita pibil, which is slow roasted pork. If you don't order this, you are not my friend. The tacos are superb but sometimes I get the pibil burrito with cheese, because the pinto beans and the melted cheese go so well with the ridiculously juicy pork. Also, the burritos don't have rice, so it isn't inedibly large.

A cochinita pibil taco at Yuca's, served with onions and cilantro: No sauce, just juice! The meat speaks for itself.

On to Katsu-Ya.

To clarify, I am not talking about the Philippe Starck designed, paparazzi mecca and megaclub of a sushi restaurant version of Katsu-Ya. More power to them for turning their little gem in between pet stores in a strip mall into an empire, but I will stick to the original Sushi Row location on Ventura. (Okay, I lied--I also go to Izaka-ya, same menu location on 3rd St., but only because it has a the same casual atmosphere as the original. Minus smell of pet store.) My mom found Katsu-Ya years ago when it was first starting; she would go before picking me up from elementary school nearby. Like Yuca's, I have an allegiance to Katsu-Ya, a place where my younger palette developed over time. I could say that familiarity makes the food taste better, but really it just tastes great to begin with.

I have by now memorized the entire menu at Katsu-Ya and of course have some favorites. I die and go to heaven every time I have the creamy rock shrimp tempura: The perfect combination of hot, crispy, and creamy.

Their trademark, crispy rice with spicy tuna, which they did before everyone else: The jalapeno adds the perfect bite.

The baked crab roll in soy paper: Heavenly. There are appropriate times for seaweed, but I love soy paper for these kinds of rolls. Because it is served warm, seaweed would get soggy and be messy to bite. The softness of the soy paper goes better with warm rolls, and manages to keep everything intact.

Another one of my favorites is their Red Snapper sushi. Red Snapper is my favorite sushi fish, and it is best (in my opinion) when prepared with sea salt and lemon juice, with a sprig of mint in between the fish and rice. It is a traditional way to eat Red Snapper, and it is SO GOOD.

Almost everything I have tried at Katsu-Ya has been top notch, but some other things to look out for are:
Bonito Sushi (dont dip it in soy sauce!)
Albacore with Crispy Onion
Grilled Shishito Peppers
Uni Tempura
4 1/2 Roll
And of course, the basics are always fresh--Yellowtail, Salmon, etc. Just look at the specials on the menu--get Sockeye Salmon or Toro if they have it.

There is a reason why Katsu Ya is so popular. It is good. Really good. The fish is fresh, and the dishes are inventive. The quality stretches from traditional sashimi to strange concoctions that surprise your taste buds. There is something for everyone, though for some reason when I eat there I think they are catering only to me.


Yuca's
2056 Hillhurst Ave, LA 90027
Side note: on Saturdays they have tamales
(323) 662-1214

Katsu-Ya
11680 Ventura Blvd., LA 91604
(818) 985-6976

Tilapia Tacos

I have to admit, I am not really a cooked fish person. Raw fish is one of my favorite foods...I could eat sushi all day every day...but for some reason, I am very picky about the cooked version. I will eat certain kinds of mild white fish if it is put in front of me, but it is never something I will actively choose off of a menu. In an effort to be more health-conscious and also expand my palette, I am trying to experiment with fish.

At the moment, that means that the fish I do eat is most likely covered with sauce. But it's a start, right? And the perfect recipe that combines very mild white fish + flavorful sauce = tacos! My one great memory with fish is of fish tacos. I was on the big island of Hawaii with my family a few years back and we heard about this taco truck that parks on this one secluded road. If I remember the name I will post it...anyways it was amaaazing. They used mahi mahi and it was perfect.

Here is my attempt at fish tacos. The market didn't have mahi mahi so I bought tilapia instead. First I made the salsa with tomatoes, white onion, lots of cilantro, a jalepeno, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper:Then I made the "pink sauce," more specifically in this case a chipotle crema. I bought a cup-sized container of creme fraiche (sour cream also works) and mixed in two tablespoons of pureed chipotle pepper in adobe paste. It tasted a little too smokey so I added some lime juice and mayonnaise to dilute it and then thicken it back up with a different taste.

As an alternative to breading and frying the fish, I coated the filets in a flour mixture. This way the fish doesn't fall apart as easily and has a somewhat crispy outer crust. Mix flour with lots of salt and pepper and whichever other spices go with the meal--we added some lemon pepper a touch of chipotle pepper powder.Let the fish sit for a few minutes so that the flour can soak in. Over medium heat, melt enough butter to coat the pan and pour olive oil on top of that. Before the oil and butter get too hot and start browning, put the fish in. Cook through until brown on both sides, about 3-5 minutes each. They should look like this:Almost done...serve with sliced cabbage dressed in lime juice (for the crunch factor), lime wedges, heated corn tortillas, and avocados if you're like me and obsessed with avocados.

The final product: A perfectly assembled taco! (use two tortillas to avoid total mayhem)

Stay tuned for more taco tales from the self-proclaimed taco afficionado of so-cal...

Nosher