Lunch Yums at Taverna Kyclades

taverna kyclades

I’m currently in the middle of a giant project – happily, it’s food-related – so I’ve taken an unexpected baby break from the blog. Once the project is done, I’ll talk a little more about it. Right now, though, I want to tell you about a recent meal I had here in Astoria, at Taverna Kyclades.

Taverna Kyclades is a staple Greek restaurant here in the neighborhood that is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike – in the evenings, you’ll see lines to get in, snaking down the block; we ate there at 1pm and were seated right away. It’s very close to my apartment, and after this meal I just had I’m kicking myself for not eating there sooner. The food was fantastic – so fresh and clean tasting. I had heard rumors that the use of olive oil was excessive, but I thought they used the perfect touch for everything.

The meal was shared among three of us, which means we got to taste a variety of dishes. We ordered two appetizers and two main dishes. The appetizers were a platter of dips – taramasalata, tzatziki, and skordalia – and grilled octopus. We chose grilled calamari and fried sardines for our main dishes, and they came with a side of horta and a side of lemon potatoes. Everything was excellent. My favorite dish of the whole meal, though, was the octopus. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.

grilled octopus at taverna kyclades

The octopus was tender yet meaty, a texture I did not expect. Wonderful! There was a little olive oil, which added nice flavor. The meat itself was very mild but not devoid of flavor. I would eat this again in a heartbeat.

The spreads were also lovely. We all remarked that the taramasalata was light, not heavy and gloppy like it can be. I loved the salty little roe present in the spread. The tzatziki was more cucumber than yogurt, and the skordalia, a garlicky potato spread, was smooth and perfectly garlicky.

taramasalata, tzatziki, skordalia at taverna kyclades

We ate it with some semolina bread, which was no doubt baked nearby.

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Dos Toros – An Initial Review

dos toros.bmp

Back in January, I got wind of a new taqueria in Manhattan, called Dos Toros.  The claim made was that they served good Mission-style burritos.  Having lived in NYC for almost five years (and on Long Island for four), I can tell you that I’ve heard many make this claim, but none have delivered.  And having lived in the Bay Area for 9 years, I think I’m a pretty good judge of what makes for a good Northern CA burrito.

Many of us Bay Area “expats” wish for a source for a proper burrito in NYC, and are constantly on the lookout for something that even comes close.  I’ve been disappointed time after time, but I had great hopes for Dos Toros.  I mean, the owners, Leo and Oliver Kremer, grew up in the Bay Area and ate lots and lots of burritos in SF, so that’s a great start.

I’m happy to say – I think I have found what I’m looking for.

As we were walking home from an awesome evening of beautiful music, we found ourselves on Fourth Ave, a little bit hungry.  All of the sudden I looked to my right and saw the bright orange Dos Toros sign, glowing in the dark.  My eyes and my stomach told me I had to check it out.

Now, since we encountered the establishment at about 10:30pm, I didn’t want to ingest an entire (or even half of a) burrito – I know better than to suck one of these down so close to bedtime (which was around midnight).  So, I chose a taco.  I ate a lot of tacos at Bay Area taquerias, and I know what I like.

This was an excellent decision, as the taco was just enough to satisfy me.  I chose a pollo asado taco, and my guy got a simple bean and rice taco, both served with guacamole, pico de gallo, and green sauce.  And both were absolutely delicious.

This taco is special.  The tortilla itself is made locally by Tortilleria Nixtamal in Corona/Queens, and it was fabulous – such wonderful texture and fresh taste; the chicken is raised without antibiotics or hormones; the rice is cooked with chicken broth, which makes it more nourishing than if it was cooked simply with water.  As for the rice and beans, the beans come from Cayuga Organics, the people that supply dry beans and grains for our CSA.  They grow the best beans I’ve ever eaten.  Plus they are local, just a little ways upstate.

Additionally, their utensils and paper products are biodegradable; they compost and recycle; they clean with non toxic, biodegradable products. And like a lot of places these days in NYC, they use reclaimed wood for their tables, chairs, and wall paneling materials (from a barn upstate), and reclaimed tin for the ceiling. To top it off, their energy comes from renewable energy sources. A+ in sustainability.

I plan to return to try one of the burritos, which will be the true test. I have high hopes – Dos Toros, I expect you’ll have the burritos I’m looking for!  I’ll take pictures next time, too.

Dos Toros Taqueria
137 4th Avenue
New York, NY, 10003
212-677-7300
info@dostorosnyc.com

Tortilleria Nixtamal – Tortillas the Traditional Way

Tortilleria Nixtamal Sign

A couple weekends ago, we decided to venture deeper into Queens to one of our favorite eateries, Tortilleria Nixtamal.  Located in the neighborhood of Corona, Nixtamal is the only place in the city that makes corn tortillas the traditional way – they start with the corn itself, soak it in water and lime (aka calcium hydroxide), grind it up into fresh masa, and make the best, most flavorful tortillas you’ll have outside of Mexico.

“Nixtamal” comes from the term “nixtamalization”, which is the process described above of soaking the grain in a slightly acidic medium.  Just like with any other whole grain, utilizing this soaking process makes the grain more digestible and the nutrients in the grain more accessible to the body.  On a practical level, it makes it easier to grind up, too.  This process was used by early peoples in the Americas.  According to Nixtamal’s website, “There is no precise date for when the technology was developed, but the earliest evidence of nixtamalization is found in Guatemala’s southern coast, with equipment dating from 1200-1500BCE.” Talk about a traditional technique!

The corn that Tortilleria Nixtamal uses white dent corn from Illinois. It’s a non-GMO corn, as well as non-transgenic.  It’s also certified kosher.  The resulting masa is used for their tortillas and their tamales, which are cooked with lard that is rendered locally in the neighborhood.  They also use the whole corn for posole (aka hominy, a sort of soup/stew made with corn).

They make the tortillas there with a giant tortilla machine that came here straight from Mexico:

La Machine

It is really a neat sight, and la machine is the only way they can make as many tortillas in a day that they need.  Often they sell out of tortillas by the end of day.

Shauna, one of the owners, usually takes our order and always has great suggestions and recommendations.  She is obviously proud of her work and business, and will even give you a tour of the downstairs cooking space if you ask!

I’ve tried a number of dishes on the menu, and my favorites are the guacamole and chips made from their tortillas; the chicken tacos and rajas tacos; and the unorthodox Italian tamale (filled with sausage and peppers as an homage to this traditionally Italian neighborhood).  However, everything I’ve had there is extremely tasty.

Nixtamal Guac

Sausage and Peppers Tamale

I do love their tortillas and always take home a pound when I leave.  Love how the tortillas are prepared, from the quality corn, to the traditional way of preparing the grain, to the final result – a soft, toothsome delight of a tortilla.  I know I will always get a wonderful meal when I’m there.  If you live in NYC, definitely make a run to Tortilleria Nixtamal!

Tortilleria Nixtamal
104-05 47th Avenue
Corona, NY 11368
http://www.tortillerianixtamal.com/

Fish and Pasta – Penne in Guazzetto

finished dish

The other day the daily edition of TastingTable arrived in my inbox, which promised an article about Roman food. I love food from Italy – from all regions – so I opened it right away.

Then I saw Danny Meyer’s name, and felt the need to read on. Turns out the email was about his new trattoria, Maialino, in the Grammercy Park neighborhood, and included a recipe. I’m a big fan of Danny Meyer’s ventures, so I took a closer look at the recipe and it seemed very doable for a weekday, post-work meal.

bread and garlic

It also looked delicious.  Simple, real ingredients – basically fish, olive oil, pasta, tomatoes, and herbs – and simple preparation.  It looked like the clean flavors of the dish would really come through.

I did find that cooking the fish in the oil was not as neat as I anticipated it to be.  The fish sort of stuck to my pan, but it was easy enough to release it once I added the tomatoes (their juice essentially deglazed it, lifting up any caramelized bits).  It all cooked very fast, too.

Additionally, I am not big fan of long pastas – spaghetti, linguini, fettuccine.  I much prefer smaller pasta shapes, like penne, rigatoni, and oricchete.  I am a big fan of rustichella d’abruzzo pasta, so I used their penne for this dish.  They prepare their pasta with  more traditional techniques, from their special bronze molds, to long and low drying times, which preserves more of the nutrition in the pasta. Since I did use this pasta, I’ve changed the name of the recipe to reflect that.

The dish was extremely well-received in my household.  Our resident picky eater loved it and asked that it be made again.  I am sure we will make it semi-regularly for the foreseeable future.  It also made a lot of food – we got two dinners each out of it, and figured we spent about $12 total for the ingredients, so it’s an economical dish as well.

fish in three stages

Penne in Guazzetto
Adapted from Nick Anderer, Maialino, New York

6 ounces skinless cod fillet, cut into 3-inch-wide strips (preferably line-caught Pacific cod)
sea salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (I used Aleppo pepper)
One 28-ounce can peeled whole tomatoes, preferably organic, crushed by hand

1/2 pound penne pasta
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped (about ½ cup)
12 basil leaves, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs, toasted in olive oil until golden brown

Generously cover each piece of fish with salt and let stand for 12 minutes to firm the flesh. Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry.

In a deep saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to ripple, add the fish and cook until the cod turns opaque and starts to lightly brown, about 3 minutes; turn the fish over and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the cod begins to flake easily when pierced with the tip of a knife, 5 to 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and add to the tomato sauce, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir the pasta water into the sauce until emulsified, then add the parsley and basil and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper and divide among plates. Sprinkle each plate with bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil.

Serve immediately.  Serves 4 to 6.

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.