Memorial Day Weekend: Mercadito & Panca

We both had half-days to start off the Memorial Day weekend, so we made plans with the Conde Crew to enjoy a leisurely lunch.  DJ suggested Mercadito because Zagat rated it #1 for Mexican food in the NYC area.  Victoria also raved about it, so we gave it a go and are SO GLAD we did!

Had the weather cooperated, we could have enjoyed their garden seating area.  But we've been having quite a chill lately, so we hung out indoors.  The benefit of it being a rainy day was that it wasn't crowded at all so we didn't have to worry about being rushed out.  We settled in and enjoyed a few hours of sampling all their tacos and margaritas. 

 Every morsel was top-notch (the pork tacos were our favorite), and the flavored margaritas were made with delicious fresh fruit (the spiced-pineapple margarita was a huge hit, but all of them were awesome).

If you can believe it, we kept the party going a little longer when Danny told us about a great Peruvian place 2 doors down: Panca.

 We sampled a bit of their cuisine and were quite impressed!  We'll definitely head over there again for a proper date night.

Vic and Danny with chock-full fried rice and sublime flank steak

beef tacos and ceviche

*   *   *   *   *

We enjoyed Mercadito so much on Friday, we decided to return sooner than one might think!  On Memorial Day Monday, the weather was absolute PERFECTION!  So we decided to have a leisurely meandering walking adventure with Mercadito margaritas as our pit stop.  :)  We walked from our place to the bottom of Central Park, went across town and hopped on a 7th Ave. bus to 14th Street.  We hopped out, and enjoyed a bit of a siesta at Mercadito (ah, the beauty of outdoor seating in NYC when it's sunny!).  Then we walked to the West Side highway, made our way all the way back uptown along that promenade, and then strolled through the park to get back to our side of town.  We loved that there was no rushing and nowhere to be on time - just walking and watching.  So much fun!

Mother's Day - Home and Zebu

A lovely time of year to celebrate moms!  

On actual Mother's Day this year, we invited the Bernardins over for lunch.  We kept the meal healthy and low-key:  turkey picatta, roasted butternut squash, and steamed string beans.  

 

And Dave and Elim were kind enough to bring delicious treats for dessert:  pastries and strawberries the size of our heads!

The following weekend we got to see the Connecticut crew.  They decided to come into Manhattan for a change of pace, so we made reservations at our favorite Zebu.  

We had never been there for brunch, so we were excited to have fellow foodies, Hana and Josh, there to help us sample some new stuff!  DJ opted for the burger (good, but average),

Hana tried the eggs benedict (which they were kind enough to fry for her to avoid runny yolk),

and Josh and Mel both got omelets with spinach, Brazilian sausage and Brazilian cheese (tasty!).

Overall, we realized we like their dinner entree options a bit better than the brunch fare.  So when Almaz arrived with Hirut, Manny and Lia, they decided to get a couple of meat dishes.

Afterward, we all enjoyed cake pops made from scratch by Hirut.  So delicious!  We definitely think she has a possible business on her hands.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Katie and Scott's Baby Shower - Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden

Hooray!  It was time to celebrate Katie and Scott's little bundle!  So we headed over to the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria for a lovely afternoon in honor of the parents-to-be and baby.  :)

We had heard about this beer garden a lot because it's one of the few in the area.  The weather was a bit threatening, but thankfully the clouds held back and we could all enjoy sitting outside.  While decorating note cards for Baby Lerner to read (or have read to her) when she arrives, we sampled all the tasty treats:  salad, potato pancakes, pierogies, dumplings, and sausage.  Absolutely delicious!

Cheers to the Katie, Scott and their family as they await their curly-haired cutie!

Strolling and Snacking - El Porron and Maya

It appears that spring has finally sprung in NYC.  We had a quiet Sunday afternoon and decided to explore a little more of our area by foot.  Everyone had been telling us to check out the promenade on the east side, so we wandered about until we found the entrance pathway.  Lo and behold, there's a whole lovely wonderland of playgrounds, dog parks, walkways and gardens sitting right above the FDR Drive.  What a lovely place to hang out when the weather is nice.  Looks like we've found our "backyard" for the summer.  :)

When we reached the end of the promenade, we headed back to the main avenues on a mission to find El Porron - a tapas place DJ heard was pretty good.  We fell in love with this place the moment we walked in.  The decor is quaint, the mood is relaxed, the sangria is tasty, and the tapas are fabulous.  Not to mention the happy hour deal - $5 sangria and any 3 tapas plates for $18.  Can't beat that for a lazy afternoon.

serrano ham

pulpo a la gallega

(octopus)

vieras con tocino en salsa de esparragos

(scallops) 

The sauce was so good on all these dishes, we really did use bread to sop it up.  We'll definitely be back to enjoy El Porron!

But we do have to admit something...  As delicious as all the tapas were, we held back on ordering any more because... well... we were kind of saving a bit of room for one more stop.  On the way to El Porron we passed Maya - a Mexican restaurant boasting a wide selection of tequila, margaritas and guacamole.  We couldn't pass that up!

The margaritas were definitely worth returning for.

We thought the bacon guacamole sounded cool, but forgot that we're not huge fans of chicharrons.  We ate around those.  But we agreed that even if they weren't on the guac, it wasn't necessarily spiced that well.  Mole still holds the title for Our Fav Guac.

They have such a variety of tequila!  And they even offer a "storage service" for your own tequila bottle if you want to become a regular.

Overall, we really enjoyed strolling and snacking.  Definitely plan to make that a habit now that the sun is shining and the breeze is warmer!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Stan! - Cheng Du 23

We had excited tummies and happy hearts as we headed to New Jersey to celebrate Uncle Stan's birthday at his favorite Chinese restaurant: Cheng Du 23. 

It quickly became apparent that Uncle Stan is a regular here, so we all sat back as he ordered us up a feast.  (Though DJ, Luis, and Kenyon did interject a few spicy meat suggestions!) 

ribs

dumplings and shrimp toast

string beans and Heavenly Chicken

spicy beef and mixed veggies

the awesomeness of the overflowing Lazy Susan - ideal for family-style sharing!

With all the food that kept arriving at the table, we never thought we'd finish it.  But if you can believe it, we actually cleaned off every plate!!  Cheng Du 23 is definitely a lot of fun for a large family gathering.  So glad we got to share it with the Birthday Guy!

Local Dinner: Kaia Wine Bar

We have had our eye on Kaia Wine Bar for quite some time because we pass it on our way home and it looks super cute.  Then, as it turns out, Mel's coworker's husband is the owner!  So we had even more reason to show some support and finally scope it out.  And boy are we glad we did, because we think we've found our favorite local hang out!

First off, the decor of Kaia is awesome.  Rustic yet hip with lots of distressed wood, blackboard menus, and an old-school kitchenette in the back for the waiters' station.

They boast their South African cuisine, so we were curious to find out what that flavor profile would be.  They got us off to a great start with warm homemade South African bread which we were instructed to dip in the oil and then dip in the mini bowl of spices.  We tried our best to pick out the individual herbs included in the mixture, and agreed that overall it was very similar to flavors in Ethiopian cuisine.  Pretty cool!

Then for an appetizer we decided to try the short ribs.  The serving size was generous, and the char on the meat was PERFECT.  We agreed that we could easily make the ribs alone a meal.

For the main course, Mel decided to try the 

quail with fresh spring vegetables.

(the quail roasted with a lovely blend of spices; the veggies cooked so delicately, allowing their natural flavor to really shine; the sauce good enough to ask for an entire bowl of it on the side!).

DJ had the  

Pork Two Ways with apple slaw

~honey-rooibos tea ribs & IPA braised mosefund farm mangalista pork belly~

(the pork belly extremely succulent; the ribs sauced perfectly; the sauce good enough to ask for an entire bowl on the side!)

Since we had eaten light all day in preparation for this fun date night, we decided to sample even more of the menu by trying a bit of a meat and cheese plate. 

By then we were most definitely full.  But Mel mentioned in passing the connection to her co-worker's husband, and he came by the table to say hello.  Next thing we knew, a complimentary dessert was sent over for our enjoyment.  Such a nice gesture!  At first we figured we'd just taste it to be polite.  But as soon as we each took one bite, neither of us could stop eating it.  Possibly one of the best desserts we've ever had!  We cleaned the plate!

Malva Poeding 

~sticky cake with apricot crème~

Kaia - we love you!  As we were sitting there, we already started making a list of all the people we want to bring for a fine night out of food, drinks, and pleasant vibes.  We'll be back!

Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

In an effort to incorporate more vegetarian meals to our weekly menus, Mel found a fun recipe for Spicy Black-Eyed Peas.

First you cook up some yummy bacon (we chose a cut from the black pigs from up North that we've seen people rave about on travel shows).

Then, sautee onions in the bacon fat.

Add the black-eyed peas (carefully rinsed), chili powder, and a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes.  Let simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

In the meantime, we roasted up some diced jicama with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary.

Once the beans are fully cooked (soft to the squeeze), crumble up the bacon and mix it in.  We served it with the jicama and some spicy guacamole (we bought from our favorite Mexican restaurant).  The sweet crunchiness of the jicama and the cool smoothness of the guac were the perfect complements to the subtle soft texture of the beans.  Will certainly make this again when we need a little break from meat.