The King (Part 2: Orgasm quesadilla)

Following a late meeting that closed with some optimism in the air, I made my way down to 5^th Avenue in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn (again) and stopped for Happy Hour, this time, at The King of Meat, a block down from The King of Fish, between 44^th and 45^th Streets. The place was fairly empty (it was still early in the evening) and took a seat at the bar.

The bartender informed me of the Happy Hour specials—$5 cans—and got an Estrella Jalisco, a Mexican beer originating from Guadalajara, which he poured into a glass.

Going through the menu, they have a wide variety of dishes and, as the name suggests, a lot of meat!

I also noticed the restaurant gives fun and interesting names to a number of their entrees.

Just looking over the taco choices, there are ones called The Dude, The Whiz, The Corny, and The Jerk. On this visit, I went with The Benjamins.

Piled high with oven-cooked steak, radish slices and a lime wedge on the side, this was a beautiful taco! The anticipation was building as I was taking photos—I was so excited to try it!

However, with so much steak, the fold was a bit difficult; but really, too much meat is never a problem.

This was a delicious taco! I definitely need to try their other ones as well!

Then, came the quesadilla, which also featured a number of intriguing choices: The Jacked, The Simp, The Weirdo… I got The Orgasm.

Of course, it was another steak dish—this time, it was ribeye—and it was stuffed with so much meat and topped with a colorful array of condiments, which made for a very appetizing visual.

The first bite was fantastic! This has to be one of the best quesadillas!

Next time, given that it’s The King of Meat, maybe it will be a formal steak dinner.

The King (Part 1: Baby shark)

It was a long day. I had an appointment around noon, followed by an impromptu engagement later that afternoon. In between, grabbed lunch and ran a few errands. Getting out of the second meeting, it was already dark, a chill in the air, and I made my way towards Fifth Avenue in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn. While walking up the street, I spotted a sign for Happy Hour—why not? I found myself at El Rey del Pescado (The King of Fish), situated between 45^th and 46^th Streets.

After enjoying a pretty sizable lunch, the plan was just to have a couple drinks and then head home.

Browsing the Happy Hour offerings, I went for a margarita. The last time having a margarita wasn’t that long before, during “Taco Tuesday” at Blue Agave in Bay Ridge. There, I had it plain but, here, I had the glass rimmed with tajin.

Looking over the Happy Hour menu again, there were two words that jumped out at me: Baby Shark.

King of Fish has a selection of empanadas with your choice of shrimp (camarón), crab (cangrejo), or baby shark (cazón); and the latter sparked my curiosity immediately!

The restaurant notes: “We are committed to offering our customers the freshest seafood and superb cocktails.” The cocktail was, indeed, superb, and might as well try the baby shark.

I ordered one of each.

As they were served, it became a guessing game. I went from right to left trying out each one to see if I could identify the fillings.

The first one was definitely shrimp.

It had a really great flavor—a nice amount of shrimp—and was easily one of the best empanadas. However, I was still seeking out the baby shark.

Broke open the one in the middle.

Crab—I, inadvertently, kept myself in suspense.

Meanwhile, this was also delicious. At first bite, however, I did question if this might have the been the shark but I was assured once I got into the third one.

With a similar texture to the crab, it has a very distinctive taste—not sure I’ve had anything like it before. It’s pleasant, especially with the sauce and the pico de gallo, but definitely unique. Needless to say, I was singing “Baby Shark” the rest of the night.

At some point, I’ll come back and have a proper meal here.

A blessed lunch

Before heading off to an early afternoon meeting, I stopped by a place situated between my current residence and the subway station. Maria’s Bistro Mexicano, located near the corner of 5^th Avenue and 39^th Street in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn, caught my attention with their colorful menu and wide selection of Mexican fare.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, there’s a small porch area which, on warmer days, is used for outdoor seating. Once inside, there’s a bar and, behind that, is the host station. It wasn’t too busy that day and was instructed to sit anywhere. I found a spot towards the rear, where there is a door leading to a patio area (again, for warmer days).

Looking around, the walls are covered with lots of art and cultural pieces.

Then, directly above my seat, I believe my little corner may have been the blessed table.

Getting settled in, I had a nice collection of menus, including lunch specials, and it was that time to make a decision on what exactly did I feel like eating that day?

The lunch specials, which run from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm, include a solo appetizer and entrée for $13.95. Great deal!

With ordering out of the way, and the menus cleared, I took a good look at the table decorations: a very adorable molcajete.

A bull? A pig?

While I continued to absorb the surroundings, my nacho appetizer arrived.

The lunch special is definitely perfect for a solo diner. Melted cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, and a jalapeño spear. The server asked if I wanted hot sauce and she brought over a smaller molcajete filled with cups of hot sauce.

Lots of delicious flavors and, as I dug down, underneath it all, there was a layer of beans. An excellent start!

Then, my main course arrived.

Marinated roast pork (carnitas) with rice and beans. The shredded pork was topped with brightly-colored sliced radishes and pickled onions with a tasty jus coating the underside of everything on the place.

I was so excited to take that first bite.

After gathering a little bit of everything on my fork, it was marvelous! The pork was so flavorful, while the rice and beans were warm and rich.

I cleaned my plate and the server asked if I was interested in dessert. As usual, I said I would LOOK at the dessert menu… then I saw flan.

The custard arrived on a large plate, sitting in caramel, drizzled with chocolate syrup, and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. It was beautiful.

I spooned off a piece, ran it through the caramel, and made sure to get everything.

This was a great way to end the meal! I love flan and this was fantastic!

Given its location, I definitely see myself coming back to try other items on the menu.

Taco Tuesday

After an appointment in Bay Ridge, it wasn’t exactly dinner time but, while in this part of town, may as well get to know more about it. Now, it wouldn’t be the first time visiting this place (I’ve previously stopped in for a Happy Hour) but it was Tuesday and, when I saw their “Taco Tuesday” promotion, there was no doubt where I would be spending the evening.

Blue Agave, located on 3^rd Avenue between 72^nd and 73^rd Street, is serving what they call “authentic Mexican and Pan-Latin” cuisine. “Indulge in our delectable menu featuring both traditional favorites and modern twists on classic dishes,” their website notes.

I got there right before the dinner rush came in and took a seat at the bar. The bartender brought out menus, pointed out the Happy Hour specials (which, on Tuesdays, go all night), and the “Taco Tuesday” promotion—$3 tacos.

The drinks on Happy Hour includes margaritas (classic, frozen, and with flavors), sangria (along with a discount on pitchers), mojitos, bulldogs, various beers, and even tequila shots.

I got a classic margarita.

While they provide the choice of salt, sugar, or tajin for the rim of the glass, I declined and went in plain. The “margarita de la casa” includes silver tequila, triple sec, and house sour mix—very nice!

Now, before getting into the tacos, there was an item on the appetizer menu that was calling to me: flautas.

The platter of crispy rolls filled with chicken and topped with a multitude of ingredients was quite the eye-opener. After digging out a roll, took a bite with a little bit of everything and it was fantastic.

I’ve always loved flautas and this just kept that affection going.

While happily cleaning up that plate, I put in my taco order.

I ordered two tacos and they both looked amazing—good-sized tortillas and packed with ingredients. To start, picked up the grilled steak.

Grilled steak (and there was a lot), cilantro, onion, and tomatillo sauce made for an amazing taco. Plus, it didn’t completely fall apart after that first bite! Solid structure and great flavor, the taco portion of the evening was off to a good start.

On to the el acuatico.

In appearance alone, this seemed like the complete opposite of the grilled steak. Filled with deep-fried tilapia, cabbage, chipotle mayo, and tomatillo sauce, this was another home run!

I ended the evening with a mojito.

A refreshing close to the night. Blue Agave is definitely a must visit—especially for “Taco Tuesday.”

A neighborhood Mexican restaurant

Almost every Sunday morning, after mass, I often make my way to the nearby Dunkin’ for a cold brew. Along that short walk on 5^th Avenue, after crossing 94^th Street and across from Staples, there is a place called Casa Flowers. It looked to be a small Mexican restaurant that opened recently but, at that time on a Sunday morning, it was definitely before business hours.

The place piqued my curiosity and, during the week, I was thinking about a place to grab lunch and Casa Flowers came to mind.

Walking into the restaurant, there is a large counter and a small seating area. A bell sits on the counter with a note suggesting to ring if in need of assistance. I rang the bell and a worker came around from the back. I put in my order and they got to cooking right away.

While waiting, I noticed a table by the door selling an array of food items from unique ingredients for various Mexican dishes to different snacks.

Once my order was ready, I immediately returned home to try it out.

Unpacking everything, the first thing I noticed were all the condiments.

Red salsa, green salsa, sour cream, and grated cheese—they thought of everything! This got me so excited because, with all the sides, this was going to be a flavorful lunch!

The first item I was looking forward to try was their torta. One of my favorite sandwiches, Casa Flowers offers a variety of proteins, I went with carne asada.

Piled high with mayonnaise, beans, avocado, jalapeños, onions, lettuce, and queso oaxaca—this was delicious! So many flavors that blended together well and I definitely want to try it with the other options.

Note: while it can be a messy sandwich, it is well worth it!

They also have a number of quesadillas.

Given all that came in the torta, I needed something simple with the quesadilla and ordered one with just queso oaxaca.

A thick piece of cheese, with a texture very reminiscent of mozzarella, between two handmade corn tortillas, it was light but the cheese was rich and velvety.

Utilizing the different sauces with each bite also made it a tasty experience.

My first visit to Casa Flowers was great and there are still burritos and tacos on the menu to try!

Breakfast at Garcia’s Kitchen

The act of grabbing breakfast on a Sunday morning in Albuquerque is very similar to other cities across the countries. Most places have lengthy waits with folks either finishing up Sunday services or just having a family outing. On this day, it did take a couple stops before arriving at that morning’s final destination.

Garcia’s Kitchen, beginning as a single restaurant in 1975, has since grown to several locations across Albuquerque offering both in-house service and catering.

The menu features an array of New Mexican cuisine, including a number of burritos, a long list of à la carte options, and “breakfast anytime.”

The server came over for drink orders and, since arriving in New Mexico, whenever it’s on the menu (especially during breakfast), I always gravitate towards the horchata—I may be addicted.

I love the smooth and rich texture of the drink, and the kick of cinnamon tops it off perfectly.

Meanwhile, the “Breakfast Anytime” menu is a difficult one to tackle because there are just so many choices. It was truly a battle in figuring out what exactly I was in the mood for that morning.

In the end, I went with their huevos locos.

Comprised of scrambled eggs with jalapeños, tomatoes, onions, and a choice of meat, it was definitely a good selection. All of the flavors mixed well together and it was a great way to start the day. Along with that, it’s served with either tortillas, sopaipillas, or toast.

While I went with tortillas—an excellent accompaniment to the meal—another order at the table came with sopaipillas and also got to enjoy some as well.

That eventful Sunday morning, hopping to different restaurants to see who had the shortest wait time, ended on a very delicious note.

As noted, there are still a lot of options to taste on that lengthy menu and if the huevos locos are any indication of what’s to come, there will be many more tasty breakfasts in the future.