BEST BAKED GOODS and MEXICAN food in new york city?

[moondog]

So im going to nyc for a few days and im intrested in some good restraunts to hit up.

i got a huge sweet tooth, so let me know where i can get really good baked gooods and what not.

also im always looking for really good mexican food as there isnt a ton of great places here in toronto. if there is anyaround times square or soho please let me know as thats where im spending most my time.

thanks so much

marc

[wEstSidE]

if you don't mind chains, then burritoville is pretty good.

near burritoville in the village is caliente's which i've heard is alright.

cosmic cantina is a nice spot if you just finished seeing a show at webster hall or something. not "authentic" mexican but it's quite good with a nice atmosphere.

i'm not a new yawker btw.

[AlanT]

I've been to Mama Mexico the last few times i've been to NY http://www.mamamexico.com/

Looks like the NJ one is worth avoiding though.

I can't really compare it to any other 'authentic' places but the food was excellent when I was there.

[doctorgnar]

Best tacos and burritos are at my man's taco stand, Calexico, down on Wooster in Soho - on the same block as Stussy. Try the grilled corn and be sure to get extra crack sauce.

[Selegna]

some of those Italian bakeries down mulberry have some really good stuff, i don't know what they're called though i just point.

Cafe Habana is good.

[englandmj7]

If you are only in NYC for a couple of days, I don't think there is a 100% must-see mexican place. I was only there for a couple of days a few months ago and didn't even hit 1/10 of the must-see restaurants I wanted to (all non-mexican).

Then again, I am biased. One of the reasons I love California is that there are amazing mexican food joints on every block, so I don't need to eat Mexican on vacations.

[swisloc]

^^

our mexican is nowhere near as plentiful as in California, and unfortunately, unless you are willing to venture out to the boroughs, it's not that great. there is a servicable places on Houston btwn. Clinton and Ridge, but other than that, head to queens or sunset park in brooklyn for authentic mexican. i've been told by those who've lived in both LA and NYC that mexican population in NYC originates from a different region of Mexico than that of LA, so the cuisine is different. i have no idea if this is true, can anyone speak to this? there is also a really new authentic Oaxacan restaurant in Park Slope opened by Oaxacan imigrants that i've heard is the real deal (i've yet to eat there), but again, this is outside of Manhattan.

as far as bakeries, i love Sullivan St. Bakery. Not as much towards the "sweet tooth" side, but wonderful breads.

[corporategrunt]

Baked Goods:

Most out-of-towners that visit me wont shut up until I take em to Juniors - luckily for you there is one in Time Sq.

Beard Papa: several locations throughout the city, Japanese style cream puffs, not necessarily native to NYC, but it's pretty popular and it's cheap.

If you are staying in the Time Sq area, perhaps you want to trek few blocks east to

the Cafe Zaiya location where you can also pick up other Japanese food for cheap, on a sunny day, you can take the stuff out to nearby Bryant Park and enjoy a relaxed lunch.

If you are willing to trek up to Upper East, I'd recommend Lady M (famous for their Mille Crepes) - the signature cake is actually available at spots like Saks and restaurants like Megu as well

Payard is another spot in UES that may be a bit snobby but relatively reliable.

I think this place sucks, but some braods will stab me for saying shit like that.

[onemancult]

^^

i've been told by those who've lived in both LA and NYC that mexican population in NYC originates from a different region of Mexico than that of LA, so the cuisine is different. i have no idea if this is true, can anyone speak to this? there is also a really new authentic Oaxacan restaurant in Park Slope opened by Oaxacan imigrants that i've heard is the real deal (i've yet to eat there), but again, this is outside of Manhattan.

that is true- different waves of immigration from different areas in mexico does, in reality, account for a huge difference in cuisine betwixt LA and NYC.

if you want good mexican, the outer boroughs is where it is at.

most mexican places in manhattan are poor attempts to clone california mexican, which is in and of itself a bastardization of real mexican food. i love how west coasters claim their stuff is somehow authentic. most cali mex is altered to please american palates in some way, shape, or form.

[doctorgnar]

that is true- different waves of immigration from different areas in mexico does, in reality, account for a huge difference in cuisine betwixt LA and NYC.

if you want good mexican, the outer boroughs is where it is at.

most mexican places in manhattan are poor attempts to clone california mexican, which is in and of itself a bastardization of real mexican food. i love how west coasters claim their stuff is somehow authentic. most cali mex is altered to please american palates in some way, shape, or form.

Authentic does not always equal good. The Cali-Mex stuff is certainly not authentic Mexican, but it is often fucking tasty.

[onemancult]

oh, i really can't dispute that at all- love california mexican. give me an ass-fat burrito covered in cheese and red sauce any day.

[doctorgnar]

oh, i really can't dispute that at all- love california mexican. give me an ass-fat burrito covered in cheese and red sauce any day.

Glad we agree - you'd have some more green in your peen for the red sauce, but I can't rep for shit right now.

[Landy]

if you're absolutely dying for mexican, the closest you can get to authentic to me is in brooklyn. i used to live at 23rd and 5th ave in the area that's pretty much in the area of park slope/gowanus/sunset park. its the 25th street stop off the R. anyways, my area was full of mexican immigrants. i used to shop at this mexican bodega at the corner and there were a couple mexican places on the block. but its kind of a trek. if you go down further to sunset park proper, there's actually some mexican/chinese fusion places. really hood joints that would serve mexican bifstec with fried rice. the chinese people there spoke spanish. it was really weird.

[onemancult]

there's also tons of cuban/mexican places around- chinese immigrants have settled all over latin america in the past, and during the 50s a lot of second and third generation sino-latinos opened these restaurants in nyc.

they serve really fucking good food to this day.

[swisloc]

that is true- different waves of immigration from different areas in mexico does, in reality, account for a huge difference in cuisine betwixt LA and NYC.

if you want good mexican, the outer boroughs is where it is at.

most mexican places in manhattan are poor attempts to clone california mexican, which is in and of itself a bastardization of real mexican food. i love how west coasters claim their stuff is somehow authentic. most cali mex is altered to please american palates in some way, shape, or form.

OMC, thanks for confirming this, i guess this accounts for the high number of Pueblano places in queens and sunset park, and the lack, until the recent interest, of other regional mexican cuisine...

are there good authentic places up by you (i'm not much on the cali-mex stuff)?

[swisloc]

if you're absolutely dying for mexican, the closest you can get to authentic to me is in brooklyn. i used to live at 23rd and 5th ave in the area that's pretty much in the area of park slope/gowanus/sunset park. its the 25th street stop off the R. anyways, my area was full of mexican immigrants. i used to shop at this mexican bodega at the corner and there were a couple mexican places on the block. but its kind of a trek. if you go down further to sunset park proper, there's actually some mexican/chinese fusion places. really hood joints that would serve mexican bifstec with fried rice. the chinese people there spoke spanish. it was really weird.

yeah, there are tons of those mexican chinese fusion places throughout new york...

the best in sunset park is on 46th and 5th ave, a place called La Guerra, where a lady serves amazing Oaxacan (banana leaf) mole coloradito tamales out of cooler. they are wet, messy, and so fucking good.

also Tacos Nuevo Mexico III (Tacos Nuevo Mexico I is in park slope, and i've yet to find Tacos Nuevo Mexico II) a few more blocks down 5th ave is a great sit down place with an excellent torta al pastor.

[englandmj7]

most mexican places in manhattan are poor attempts to clone california mexican, which is in and of itself a bastardization of real mexican food. i love how west coasters claim their stuff is somehow authentic. most cali mex is altered to please american palates in some way, shape, or form.

We need to meet each other in NYC so we can punch each other in the mouth, get it over with, and then have some beers together

How many mexican places have you been to in California? As someone who knows authentic mexican food very well, and has lived all over California, you are making a HUGE generalization in thinking that most mexican places in California are cali-mex. It is actually quite to the contrary. Sure, there are thousands of mexican places altered to cater to american palates, but there are FAR, FAR more authentic mexican places where 99% of clientele are straight from Mexico looking to eat the food they grew up on. Several million mexican immigrants in CA sure as hell aren't getting their fix from Baja Fresh & Chipotle. There is seriously an authentic, hole-in-the-wall, servers don't speak a lick of english, mexican place on every block in LA.

[swisloc]

^^

england, what regional cuisine is most of the authentic mexican in LA? i'm really interested in tasting the different regions and will be in california in two months...

[onemancult]

We need to meet each other in NYC so we can punch each other in the mouth, get it over with, and then have some beers together

How many mexican places have you been to in California? As someone who knows authentic mexican food very well, and has lived all over California, you are making a HUGE generalization in thinking that most mexican places in California are cali-mex. It is actually quite to the contrary. Sure, there are thousands of mexican places altered to cater to american palates, but there are FAR, FAR more authentic mexican places where 99% of clientele are straight from Mexico looking to eat the food they grew up on. Several million mexican immigrants in CA sure as hell aren't getting their fix from Baja Fresh & Chipotle. There is seriously an authentic, hole-in-the-wall, servers don't speak a lick of english, mexican place on every block in LA.

maybe we can punch each other after the beers, you know, get really loosened up first and then wail on each other?

i thought i was careful enough to refer only to cali-mex as a bastardization of authentic mexican cuisine- but rest assured, all i meant is that often enough people tout things like mission burritos as "authentic mexican food" when, despite being very fucking tasty, it isn't anywhere near being representative of real mexican cooking. neither do i think that most places in cali are cali-mex- especially not with all the taco trucks.

so, can we get some lengua tacos with those beers, too?

-----as far as good mexican up in the bronx, there's a place not too far from my apt. that i swear by, called La Estrellita Poblana III. It opened up a little under a year ago

at the very edge of the Bronx's Little Italy, which is slowly seeing an influx of more and more Mexican immigrants (Makes sense- all the busboys and kitchen staff in the Italian restaurants are Mexican). The place has stellar food and excellent prices, and is frequented mostly by the local Mexican families, along with a good mix of nearby Fordham University students.

Also, since the original post asked for things to satisfy the sweet tooth, after stuffing your fat face at La Estrellita, there are several unbeatable and well-known Italian bakeries and pastry shops mere minutes away- Egidio's being the most popular.

[polishmike]

I was just going to ask if it's possible to watch this punch out while eating tacos and drinking (non-mexican) beer?

[englandmj7]

maybe we can punch each other after the beers, you know, get really loosened up first and then wail on each other?

i thought i was careful enough to refer only to cali-mex as a bastardization of authentic mexican cuisine- but rest assured, all i meant is that often enough people tout things like mission burritos as "authentic mexican food" when, despite being very fucking tasty, it isn't anywhere near being representative of real mexican cooking. neither do i think that most places in cali are cali-mex- especially not with all the taco trucks.

so, can we get some lengua tacos with those beers, too?

Lengua? That's for babies. It's all about cabeza and oreja.

Mmmmm......taco trucks. No worries, I get what you mean now.

^^

england, what regional cuisine is most of the authentic mexican in LA? i'm really interested in tasting the different regions and will be in california in two months...

As far as regional goes, I haven't traveled around Mexico enough to know the distinction to a tee, but from my experience, the restaurants in LA run the gamut. For lighter foods, go with regional dishes from Yucatan and Veracruz. Foods from Oaxaca are generally more complex, and involve lots of spices and sauces.

If you love tacos, as I do, this is an awesome blog by a guy trying to find the "perfect taco" in LA (don't look if you're hungry):

http://tacohunt.blogspot.com/

My personal favorite, although it is 50% for atmosphere & location is Holy Guacamole in Venice (it isn't Mexican-owned and part of their menu is bastardized mexican) but goddamn their tacos & burritos are awesome. For burritos, Yucca in Silver Lake, which is a burrito stand barely the size of a small car. Either way, my strategy if I get hungry driving around is to look for the most beat down restaurant with alot of mexican patrons; I am rarely disappointed doing this and have eaten at hundreds of the dodgiest looking spots from Long Beach to Burbank. Don't forget to have a cup of horchata or champurrado with the food too...........

I was just going to ask if it's possible to watch this punch out while eating tacos and drinking (non-mexican) beer?

If you don't mind the rough Supergay man-groping that will accompany it, you are more than welcome

[polishmike]

Lengua? That's for babies. It's all about cabeza and oreja.

Damn, that some next level tacos. I only had that stuff in Central America, never here. Barbacoa is my favorite now.

If you don't mind the rough Supergay man-groping that will accompany it, you are more than welcome

I mind but I guess you have to pay to play.

[swisloc]

As far as regional goes, I haven't traveled around Mexico enough to know the distinction to a tee, but from my experience, the restaurants in LA run the gamut. For lighter foods, go with regional dishes from Yucatan and Veracruz. Foods from Oaxaca are generally more complex, and involve lots of spices and sauces.

If you love tacos, as I do, this is an awesome blog by a guy trying to find the "perfect taco" in LA (don't look if you're hungry):

http://tacohunt.blogspot.com/

My personal favorite, although it is 50% for atmosphere & location is Holy Guacamole in Venice (it isn't Mexican-owned and part of their menu is bastardized mexican) but goddamn their tacos & burritos are awesome. For burritos, Yucca in Silver Lake, which is a burrito stand barely the size of a small car. Either way, my strategy if I get hungry driving around is to look for the most beat down restaurant with alot of mexican patrons; I am rarely disappointed doing this and have eaten at hundreds of the dodgiest looking spots from Long Beach to Burbank. Don't forget to have a cup of horchata or champurrado with the food too...........

i've read that blog.

i know oaxacan and peublo cuisines pretty well as we have some of that here, but i don't really think we have the traditional veracruz places in NYC... thanks for the tips...!

oaxacan is my favorite, especially tamales oaxaquenos.

[englandmj7]

Damn, that some next level tacos. I only had that stuff in Central America, never here. Barbacoa is my favorite now.

Barbacoa is great. Suprisingly, the majority of hole-in-the-wall mexican places in California have beef tongue, head, stomach, etc. etc. as well as anything else you can take out of an animal to make a taco with. I usually stick to carne asada or adobada though.......

i've read that blog.

i know oaxacan and peublo cuisines pretty well as we have some of that here, but i don't really think we have the traditional veracruz places in NYC... thanks for the tips...!

oaxacan is my favorite, especially tamales oaxaquenos.

He heh, yeah; I can't look at that blog before lunch.

All this talk is making my stomach growl. There is an amazing place near my work that is a mexican convenience store with a tiny taco counter in the back. It looks like hell, but is actually nationally renowned. Definitely going there for lunch today!

[onemancult]

personally, carnitas is my favorite meat. oh, succulent pig meat...

[Servo2000]

http://tacohunt.blogspot.com/

This website is amazing. Definitely going to check some of these out when I'm in LA.

There's some great mexican food in San Diego, although admittedly a lot of it is fairly tour-isty ("Oh, we gotta try this here Mexican food we've been hearing so much about back in wherever"). There are some great Mexican-owned restaurants that serve really simple but great dishes despite that.

Then again, you guys might know differently, I'm no expert on this shit. I just love mexican food.

[Ahlvahroe]

i always assumed that there were very few mexicans that made their way to new york. oh well, being mexican and born in california i must say that unless its 3 in the morning and im drunk off my ass, americanized mexican food just doesnt cut it. oh yeah co sign on the cabeza, but oreja? you sure you dont mean ojo. ear is gross, eye is good.

[partytaco]

baked goods...i'll ditto Lady M....love this place and i've yet to find a thing there i haven't liked. and i don't know if we have any doughnut fans but Doughnut Plant is the absolute best. this place is a weekly visit of mine. fresh, seasonal ingredients used for the most part. get there early to get them at their freshest.

[polishmike]

So where the fuck do you eat your tacos in nyc? Now I got all hungry just from reading about all the meats.

I go to Mercadito in east village. Great tacos and it's right next to the bar where watch soccer games. I don't think I ever ate sober there. I have few places in jersey but who cares.

[bklynbenz]

yo if you are going to be in the soho area then the best mexican spot is gonzalez y gonzalez, its on Broadway between Houston & Bleecker St. they also have the longest bar in nyc

http://www.arkrestaurants.com/section_home.cfm?section_id=1&location_id=1&restaurant_id=9