WINGS

We just got back from Wing Wings; a small spot for, well.. wings in the Haight. What was particularly exciting about this place were the flavors. We got Wing Wing, Orange Miso (yes you read that right), Buffalo, and Angry Korean. Wing Wing tasted like teriyaki sauce with old bay (surprisingly delicious), orange miso surprisingly tasted strongly of both flavors, Buffalo was pretty spicy, and Angry Korean was sweet, earthy, and spicy with a hint of radish. The fries were seasoned with Old Bay (I prefer Tony Sachery's). Lots of meat reminded me of Plucker's from back in TX; we will definitely be back. I recommend the Wing Wing & Orange Miso flavors.

Tasty Treats in Texas

Ah, a cuisine I know well. Thankfully, I have very understanding parents when it comes to my obsession with food. As soon as they picked me up from the airport a few weeks ago, we went straight to Pappasitos (yes, it's a chain but a darned-good one!) for a plato fiesta - a must-have for the homesick Texan. Their best fajitas with their famous ribs and jalapeno-stuffed grilled shrimp with all the fixings (served family-style)! Charro beans, guacamole, arroz, tortillas, híjole!

But my favorite place to visit in all of Texas?? La Fogata - though it's the favorite Mexican restaurant of many celebrities (including Gov Rick Perry), I gotta say this restaurant has been a favorite de mi familia por as long as I can remember.  Queso fundido (I often crave this) & guacamole con tequila are a must, but the entrees and margaritas are also where it's at: the best margaritas, anywhere- I will bet you on this! Our favorite entrees are pechuga poblano (grilled chicken with a creamy poblano sauce- my favorite), chicken mole (spicy and perfect), y el chile relleno (!).

Favorite dish of all-time!

Also, I have to mention Malaga in Austin. Everything served is tapas style (small plates). They have an aged serrano ham served with manchego cheese (cold-cuts) that is always a favorite. Also their fried goat cheese is covered with honey and served with reduced sweet onions, classy and yummy. Just about everything here is great; especially anything that goes on the grille. Order the Sangria or Mexican Margarita for a good time. Came here a few weeks ago with bestie Victoria.

So if it looks like I ate nothing but Mexican food on my recent trip to Texas, that's because it's true :-) I did have some barbecue, but I'll save that for another entry.

Tasty treats in NYC

Hey folks, life's gotten in the way of me keeping up with this blog (not an excuse, well... maybe it is) so let's give this another go. In the past three months, I have been to New York twice, Texas once and participated in my favorite pastime, eating. I'll pull out some of my favorites for you folks:

New York:
Joe's Shanghai, recommended by a coworker for their soup dumplings, and man were they amazing! Enjoyed by the fantastic company of my parents and wonderful little Grace; we tried some dishes outside of what they serve in Texas Chinese restaurants, and everyone's pallate was happy! Kudos to the fam for being adventurous. We had soup dumplings (two orders bc that's how fantastic they are), Shanghai-style ribs, and a spicy chicken dish I no longer remember. Though properly warned, we went to the Mid-Town location as it was right next to the hotel! We enjoyed it but for better prices and even better food, you're supposed to go to the Chinatown location.

Oh, and what are soup dumplings? Steamed dumplings with.... well, soup inside of them! YUM!

Eataly - the fam and I met up with bestie Christie and after a great meal, we HAD to grab some dessert on our way out! For those of you who don't know, Mario Batali has created his own super-symposium of Italian eatery. It's compromised of store goods, groceries, pasta restaurant, meat restaurant, fish restaurant, ciacutterie restaurant, vegetable restaurant, oh and about 6 different counters of delicious pastel e gelati to choose from. We grabbed some quick carry-aways on our way out, and my mother and I shared one of the best desserts of all time... salted caramel panna cotta! (I couldn't find a direct picture but it's the dessert on the right cut-off)

Last but certainly not least was Beacon Bar & Grille. Christie, Mama and I came here for a late-night snack and girlie chats. We LOVED their orange-marinated olives, and especially their Bourbon-Pecan Souffle. Pictured here, it was pillowy buttery melt-in-your-mouth amazing goodness.

Just look at how high it rose!!!