Tabélog event at Skál on the Lower East Side

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Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

Skál, what a strange word, except if you speak old norse where it means "cheers". It also means little bowl, representing the concept of small dishes to share that compose the menu and are even present in the decor.

Skál is where Tabélog organized a meet and greet event for the bloggers who are actively participating in the content of the site. I think it is great as it brings food lovers together. It was also the occasion for their CEO, Kenta, to announce the expansion of the site to other states like California (congrats!!!). There, I had a nice evening talking with Lord of the Fork, Cutie Patroller, The Restaurant Fairy, Lea_K and Johnny Prime. There, food was more photographed than people and they conveniently set all the dishes in an area so we could take our time to take a pic. 

So, Skál is a Scandinavian restaurant located in the limit of Chinatown, where Chef Ben Spiegel (who worked at Noma in Copenhagen) crafted an original menu using products locally sourced. 

I also spoke with one of the owners, Christophe, a fellow Frenchman, who talked to me, with passion, about the restaurant and their future projects to expand it. I got a tour of the facility and could not miss the large selection of wines in the basement. They propose 27 wines from 12 different countries that they source at small producers all around the world, as well as beers from Iceland that are not that easy to find in the city. 

It is a small place with an interesting decor considering the raven (not to mistake for a crow) that sits on top of the bar. It is not that they are fans of Game Of Thrones, but because the raven is the emblem of Iceland. 

Food wise, we got a nice sampling of their menu. Here is what they served us:

Well fleet oysters served with a versus and chamomile:

Pickles (seasonal vegetables in their own brine):

Long Island duck wings with mussels and red seaweed:

Heirloom carrots prepared with burnt honey, buttermilk and dill:

Beef tartare served with fermented ramps, little neck clams and Sorrel:

Salt cod croquettes with a horseradish remoulade:

Smoked mackerel served in an onion with whey and foie gras:

Scandinavian donut with vanilla cream:

This was a very exquisite sampling, some of the dishes being truly original. I wonder if the duck / seaweed and mackerel / foie gras dishes were not a take on surf and turf! If it was: chapeau. If it wasn't: chapeau. 

After this event, I am looking forward to go back to Skál. 

Thanks to Tabélog and Skál for this wonderful evening!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Skál
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	Chinatown / Scandinavian
	* Street Address
	37 Canal St., New York, NY 10002
	* Phone
	(212) 777-7518

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Authentic Mexican dinner at El Maguey Y La Tuna on the Lower East Side, NYC, New York

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I was recently invited to El Maguey Y La Tuna, a restaurant located on the Lower East Side that serves authentic Mexican cuisine. As a blogger, I love these press dinners, not only because you get to meet other people who love food, but also because you often meet with the owner or Chef who will give you some information or back stories that you would not have as a regular diner.

I admit that I had no idea what the name of the restaurant was referring to and thought that Tuna was...tuna! In fact, it means "The Tequila/Mezcal and Prickly Pear Plants". It is a family owned and operated business: in the kitchen, Executive Chef Leonides Cortez and his wife, Sous Chef Manuela Cortez. At the front of the house is their daughter Maria who gave us plenty of hints that evening.

It is a medium size place, with a 45 seats capacity that, as Maria mentioned, was designed to make people feel like they are in the family kitchen, a feel perfectly rendered by the terra-cotta floors, the wood and tile tables and the white tile walls, decorated with photos (one of them is Maria's grandmother, overlooking the dining room and emphasizing the importance of family), as well as ceramic from Mexico.

We started off with drinks. I could have gone for a Mexican beer but decided to go for their margaritas that they flavor with fresh fruit puree. 

I ordered the mango margarita that is my favorite flavor. 

It might not have been the best margarita I ever tried, but I liked it, although a bit dangerous because you couldn't taste the alcohol too much making it taste like an innocent drink...

I also tried, out of curiosity the jalapeño margarita (don't think I drank two margaritas: that will never happen!).

I never heard of such a drink and if there would not be jalapeños floating around, I would have never guessed what it was. It was refreshing, not spicy as I would have expected.

We started the dinner with chicken tamales that they made especially for the Holidays as Maria told us.

We had to unwrap it to discover the filling made with chicken and masa (a corn dough), that we ate with green salsa.

I have never been a big fan of tamales and Jodi loves it. It might have been because I never had a good one before. Yes, I liked it at El Maguey Y La Tuna: it had a nice amount of chicken and was tasty with the right amount of green sauce.

The next dish was chicken flautas, also called taquitos.

These little cigars were served with pico de gallo and guacamole. I like that dish with or without guacamole. 

It was not greasy, crunchy and very flavorful. In fact, I preferred them over the next dish that was taquitos al guacamole: corn patties filled with ground beef, also served with guacamole and pico de gallo.

I appreciated the crispiness of the homemade corn patties, but found it less flavorful than the chicken ones.

I should add that the guacamole was quite good, tasting fresh and perfectly seasoned.

Then came the entrees. We started off with Chile Relleno.

it was made of a roasted poblano pepper that was stuffed with cheese and simmered in a roasted tomatoe sauce. They served it with rice and beans.

As well as homemade tortillas.

I like the chile relleno: very flavorful, it had a slight kick that was perfect and for sure a lot of cheese. 

Then came the mole poblano, one of their specialties that is composed with close to 20 spices and takes 2 to 3 days using the original method (much quicker with a blender, but Maria mentioned that it would not have the same taste).

Because it is a complicated dish, it is also made for special occasions. This was served with chicken and, interestingly, smelled of chocolate but did not taste of it! I guess that for a lot of people, including me, a mole is associated with chocolate: we got this all wrong and I am glad I had the chance to try an authentic one.

This was delicious: it had a complex flavor but yet well balanced, perfect with chicken, rice or just eaten with a spoon.

The second mole we tried was a chipotle chile mole sauce:

It was served with pieces of pork. The pork was quite tender, smothered in a thick sauce where I could definitely taste cumin. Maria explained that this is a basic mole and that any woman has to know how to make it to be ready to get married. 

The last entree was the tacos de pescado:

It is on their menu simply because they have lots of patrons from California who asked them for it!

It was also eaten with green sauce. The fish (they use either tilapia or flounder) was fried, giving a good crunch, and had a nice flakiness. It was a delicious dish for sure.

Of course, we had to try some desserts after that. There were two:

The flan:

And the Mexican chocolate cake:

The chocolate cake was good, but my favorite was the flan. I truly appreciated that none of these desserts were too sweet.

But the meal would not have been complete without a Mexican coffee (con leche above and black below).

They were served in authentic Mexican cups.

El Maguey Y La Tuna is a bit off the beaten path but I truly recommend that place: I had a good time and good food. It definitely opened my eyes to the diversity of Mexican food and from now on, I will consider other dishes than the usual tacos, burritos or fajita. If I had to recommend a full meal, it would be: chicken flautas, mole poblano and flan. 

Interestingly, they serve a cheap brunch menu Tuesday to Sunday where, for less than $12 you get a drink and a dish. I'll probably be back soon!

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!  

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My nephew culinary visit: day 7 / part 1: Indian food at The Masala Wala in NYC, New York

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Talking with Valentin, I was not sure he ever had some good Indian food before. So I picked The Masala Wala: good food and reasonable prices, especially with their lunch special. I discovered this restaurant back in August and promised Jodi that we would go there to try some street food, as they serve some amazing dishes there.

We sat in the bright dining room dominated by the gold coin representing one of the owners, Satyen Mazumdar, and decorated with paintings representing street scenes in India.

We decided to share the different dishes we ordered and started off with the Dahi Puri, these little semolina puffs filled with spiced potatoes, chickpeas, tamarind, mint and yogurt. 

These one bite puffs are very good and extremely refreshing, thanks to the mint and yogurt.

Then we shared a vegetarian samosa and some veggie pakora that are sort of fritters.

The samosa was delicious, filled with spiced potatoes and peas that added a nice texture, on top of the crispiness of the shell. The pakora were good, slightly greasy, but crispy and kind of comforting.

Then we had one of my favorite Indian dishes: chicken tikka masala that Valentin ordered.

I love the color of the sauce and its creaminess. At that point, I did not really care about the chicken and could have eaten the sauce without it. It had a slight kick that was perfect.

Jodi ordered the Shahi paneer (pressed Indian cottage cheese cooked in a rich cashew-almond cream sauce). In fact, it is not on the menu, but as I mentioned that I tried it last time and could not find it on the menu, they proposed to make it especially for us: that was very nice!

And the three of us were so happy! They should definitely have this on the menu: although a bit spicy, the sauce was heavenly creamy with a smooth taste.

We ate these dishes with some white rice:

And some Naan bread (we picked the Naan basket, my favorite being the butter one):

On my side, I ordered the chicken tikka, cooked in the tandoor oven:

It was good, but I found the chicken a bit dry and did not like the rice that was served with it.

Valentin and I ordered a mango lassi, that is a meal in itself and was perfect to counteract the spiciness of the dishes. 

This was a delicious meal and The Masala Wala is a great place for some good Indian food!

Enjoy (I did)!


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