Everyone loves a good happy hour, and I couldn't help take notice and get excited about the recently revamped offering at S. Prime. They've had their oyster happy hour going for quite a while, but now I see they've added a few other things to their bar menu. Take a look and visit them on Tuesdays - Fridays between 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
S. Prime New Bar Bites Menu:
Raw Bar:
Shrimp cocktail
Little Neck Clams
Blue Point Oysters
Sliders:
Short Rib Sliders - with cheddar cheese, cherry tomato, cornichons
Bratwurst Sliders - with mustard and poppy seed sauerkraut
Lobster Sliders - with celery salt and mayo
Other Plates:
Mini Fish Tacos
Grilled Cheese - fontina cheese, green apples, bacon
Crispy Tempura Calamari - pepperdews, roast garlic, aioli
Buffalo Chicken Lollipops - with blue cheese
Deviled Eggs
S Prime Steakhouse - 35-15 36th Street, Astoria NY 11106
718.707.0660
N/Q Train to 36th Avenue or R/M Train to Steinway Street
www.sprimenyc.com
Last week, I spent some time at Mojave with a good group of friends, including Meg, Tom, Michelle, Nuno, Jennifer, and of course Dan. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo in this fun Southwestern setting and even though it was chilly outside, we had a warm Mexican sunset in mind.
It was fun to dine outside in their beautiful outdoor garden, which is an oasis from the busy 31st Street, right underneath the subway tracks. You'd never know it from sitting back there though, as it feels private, relatively quiet and really cheery.
During our visit, we tried a few things I personally have never had here including:
Guacamole - Even though it's super basic, I never actually ordered it here before, and appreciated the lively presentation. The multi colored chips were fun and totally appropriate for the celebration and the guac was delicious too. I mostly loved its slightly chunky yet also creamy texture simply intertwined with some red onion. Further dressed with fresh lime and cilantro, I appreciated its freshness and simplicity.
Fish Tacos - I love me some fish tacos and was curious about how they'd turn out at Mojave. I'd have to say pretty good but not great. The fish, which was a tilapia, I believe, was a bit on the fishy side in not the best way. Even though a fried alternative wouldn't have been as healthy, I often find fried fish tacos a lot moister and appetizing. The red cabbage and mango salsa that came as a topper was really lovely though as well as zesty and refreshing.
Service and Cost:
I can't speak too highly about the service, as I think it was spotty. It could've been because they were swamped or because of Cinco de Mayo, but whenever we actually needed to get our waitress's attention, she was nowhere to be found. It also happened on more than one occasion that our empty glasses weren't cleared or replenished for that matter. So overall, I think the staff could've done a better job.
Costs were very expensive, which was probably due to the large amount of drinks we got, but still, it just felt a bit exorbitant to me at $50-$60 per person. Ouch.
2 MmmmsMojave - 22-36 31st Street Astoria NY 11105
718.545.4100
N/Q Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)
www.mojaveny
As we were vacationing in South Florida this past week, I always take the opportunity to try something new as far as restaurants are concerned. And even though Havana Hideout was on my list of places to try for quite a while, we never actually got there till now, since it’s a little bit of a trip from where we were staying. Well now after going, I’m happy to say that we’ll definitely be back to this fabulous and somehow yet still subdued hideaway.
Atmosphere:
Before I get into Havana’s relaxing atmosphere, I must caveat this review with the fact that this place has been featured on Guy Fieri’s popular, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives program on the Food Network, which Dan and I are big fans of. So we kind of knew that we were in for something good.
Walking up to its building (or more accurately described as a shack), Dan was a bit skeptical, but I had high hopes. We walked in, confronted by a really laid back vibe with some current alternative rock jams, a waitress at the bar and some casual stools to sit on. We ordered from the menu, and of course noticed that it had a special section citing the choices Guy tried when he came to visit.
After placing our orders, we headed outside to the picnic area that made you feel almost as if you were at the beach. There were picnic tables, casual metal chairs, beach umbrellas and even a sandy texture to the ground. The tunes we heard inside carried through and we immediately felt relaxed and happy to be there.
Food:
Since our eyes gravitated to Guy’s choices right away, I went with the spicy fish tacos and Dan chose the Triple D, which sounded fabulous, and I knew I’d have some of it to sample.
Grilled Achiote Rubbed Fish Tacos – I adore fish tacos and was hopeful for something yummy. It was great to see that Havana delivered, and then some, with their large fish tacos, dressed with a sweet fresh pineapple and red pepper salsa. Never seeing something like this on a fish taco, I welcomed their creativity and think it worked really well to balance out the spice used in the fish. I also liked the crunchy cole slaw at the bottom of the taco, which gave it yet another element of uniqueness - overall, a home run and something I’d highly recommend.
Triple D – Dan’s Triple D plate was gargantuan, and besides including one of the fish tacos identical to mine, it also had a half of a Cuban sandwich and a generous piece of pionono (a Puerto Rican layer dish with ground beef, sweet plantains, raisins and olives sealed in a hearty sauce). I had a few generous pieces of the latter two dishes and my favorite by far was the Cuban, which was beautifully toasted on the outside and had the most flavorful contents of tender roast pork, smokey ham, beautifully melted cheese, and a crunchy pickle. They also used a really creamy, spicy mayo, which we adored—serving as the binder for all the ingredients.
The pionono was really amazing as well, the sweet plantains being really soft and almost dessert like. I loved taking a huge forkful of the meat and the plantains together, enjoying this expertly sweet and savory marriage.
Service and Cost:
Although Havana Hideout has only one waitress and another person who cooks the food, they do an absolutely bang-up job. Our waitress couldn’t be friendlier and made sure we were taken care of to the T. She was warm and welcoming but not imposing, as some of our waitstaff at other restaurants that week.
Costs are really wallet friendly and for the above mentioned food we ordered (at huge portions), as well as two 8 oz. craft beers, we paid about $34 total. You did well Guy – thanks for the awesome find!
3 Mmmms
Havana Hideout – 509 Lake Avenue, Lake Worth, FL 33460
561.585.8444
www.havanahideout.com
One of my favorite light foods in the summertime are tacos, especially fish tacos, which are fabulous when fried but even better when grilled or baked. I decided to make them last night for dinner, inserting some really neat ethnic ingredients such as Queso Poroso, a Central American hard cheese as well as El Salvadorian-style thick tortillas. Instead putting a crunchy slaw on top, I chose to make a refreshing mango salad, which I've made before when preparing salmon. The dish came out great and because the tortillas were more substantial that the thin Mexican variety, the portions tasted more filling.
Grilled Fish Tacos a la Fooditka
Ingredients (serves 2)
Large piece of fish (I used cod but you can also use tuna or any light fish of your liking)
1/4 cup of Queso Poroso or Queso Fresco
4 thick tortillas (I used El Salvadorian corn tortillas, but you can also use the traditional Mexican variety)
1 mango, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 lemon
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Directions:
Grill the fish on a lightly oiled grill or grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side or until the fish separates nicely from the grill. Season the fish on the grill or grill pan with salt and pepper. In the meantime, lightly cook the tortillas in a non-stick pan until they get lightly browned.
Mix the mango with the chopped cilantro, a small glug of olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
Arrange the fish in small-medium pieces on top of the lightly warmed tortilla and then top with cheese and mango salad. If you need some extra juice, you can use more lemon or some good ol' hot sauce. Enjoy with rice and beans or just on its own like we did.
