Archive for 'Latin'

Forsake Chipotle For Tauro’s Cheaper Steam Table Lunch

Working in Hudson Square can be hard if you don’t want to spend and arm and a leg on lunch. Options are mostly limited to chains like Pret a Manger, Dig Inn and Chipotle and I see too many people carting around bags from the latter.

I think a lot of people aren’t willing to walk a few blocks further down Hudson St. to Tauro Restaurant which seems to have at least prettied up its outside if not inside since I was last there. The best part? They have a steam table with several options and you can be in and out with your lunch in 5 minutes.  Read more »

Tribeca Bagels Has Great Beans & Rice, And One Weird Buffet

There’s isn’t much on offer for lunch in the seedy stretch of Canal St. near the Holland Tunnel other than a Roll & Go selling pizza and hot dogs, and West Side Coffee Shop with its Latin fare in heaping portions. As I was walking by Tribeca Bagels between Broadway & Wooster the other day I noticed a sign offering beans and rice with an array of proteins, next to one advertising $1.99 cheese pizza slices. A step inside this bodega/bagel shop/deli mashup showed that that do indeed offer beans and rice, and a by-the-pound buffet with some weird variety.

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Roast Pork At La Nueva Conquista Worth Standing In Line With A Bunch Of Dudes

There’s a place in Soho where the ratio of well-dressed, impeccably-groomed office workers waiting in line is noticeably absent. Instead there’s a decidedly blue collar male crowd of truck drivers and the people who deliver your food from nicer restaurants in the area (I stood behind a delivery guy from Lombardi’s). That place is La Nueva Conquista – a Dominican food institution that Daniel visited waaay back in 2008. Judging by his pictures, this place hasn’t changed a bit except for a price hike to $9 for your meat over rice + beans lunch. He tried the catfish and goat stew but I was here for the roast pork which I’ve read about again and again but never had the chance to try.

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Tilapia With Rice And Beans Special At Sandra’s Cart Worth The Mid-Week Wait

Sometimes when I would walk by Sandra’s Food Spot cart on Nassau (btw. Liberty & Cedar) in the morning there would be a neon pink sign affixed to the front announcing a special of tilapia with rice and beans for $7. It wasn’t until a few failed attempts at snagging this special that I realized they only serve it on Wednesdays (much like the Friday pasteles special), and it’s best to go early if you want some. Read more »

Being Schooled In Ecuadorian Food By Tacos Mexicanos

At first when I spotted the Taco Mexicanos truck on Maiden Lane (at Water) last week, I was excited for their tamales and tacos since I love both of those items. Then I started thinking about the fact that they had something that other places in the Financial District didn’t: Ecuadorian food. That’s right, they have hornado, encebellado, guatita and the favorite of late-night drinkers everywhere, salchipapas, aka hot dogs and french fries. After asking what all they had for the day, and what was recommended from the Equadorian offerings, I was steered in the direction of the hornado ($7) after being asked how hungry I was. Check it out in all its porky glory after the jump. Read more »

Battle Of The FiDi Pernil: Sophie’s Cuban Vs. Lane Cafe

A couple of weeks ago while alerting you all that Sophie’s Cuban was now selling its legendary green sauce I realized something shameful: I have never eaten at Sophie’s. Sure, I’ve had roast pork from other downtown spots like the West Side Coffee Shop on the fringe of Tribeca, and at the Roxy, but Sophie’s eluded me. I’d also been meaning to try the pernil at Lane Cafe that I stumbled upon a while back. And so on two different artery-clogging days I got pernil plates from each place to see which one was better. That’s right, it’s a roast pork battle the likes of which the Financial District has never seen. Read more »

Finally Getting My Hands On A Certain Latin Specialty At Soho’s Tauro

Every once in a while I’ll get an e-mail telling me about a place to eat that I’ve never heard of, but it’s usually something out of ML price range and/or out of bounds. Last week I got a note from lunch’er James that made me actually want to go to the edge of Soho for lunch. Here’s what he had to say:

I just wanted to point out Tauro Restaurant, which is situated on 284 Hudson Street.  This is a great find for someone who yearns for heaping portions of rice and beans, mofungo, and various other Latin specialties.  I usually opt for the roasted pork (pernil), which is succulent and tender.  Rather than spend my money on Sophie’s, Tauro is laid back, but tends to get a little busy during peak lunch hours.  You come out of there satisfied, full, and ready to conquer the rest of the afternoon.  I’m working my way through their menu, but I always go with the Latin specialties rather than the American section of their menu.

What’s that you say? Heaping portions of rice and succulent fatty meats? I don’t know what it is about that dead zone near the Holland Tunnel, but I’ve had good Latin food in the area before and was willing to go out of my way to check out another option. Read more »