You need a piñata?

You want to make tacos at home and you don’t know where to go or your mocoso is turning five and you need to get him a piñata? Go to Little Mexico Meat Grocery two doors over from Las Delicias Mexicanas on 3rd Ave between 115th and 116th. They have a meat counter and you can get fresh slabs of carne asada, the tortillas seem to be rotating often, and best of all they sell piñatas!!! One of the things I look for when I walk into a Mexican grocery store is the juice drink JUMEX, they have it and yes they have mango flavor. Herbs, Pancho Pantera Chocolate mix and candles with la Virgen are the norm at this store (yes Moctezuma is making a comeback).

I am starting to see this part of Spanish Harlem like a little Puebla. I don’t want to go too far and say little Mexico because well… you know I don’t see many people from Jalisco, Guerrero, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, or Michoacan in the neighborhood but definitely worth the trip uptown if you want a down and dirty experience.

Little Mexico Meat Grocery will most likely become my default grocery store since Matamoro Grocery on Bedford Ave. shut down some time ago. When you go make sure you ask if they have Gansitos.
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Tacolandia 2119 3rd Ave. (between 116th and 117th)

One block up the street from Las Delicias Mexicanas is taquería Tacolandia (Tacoland), a whole-in-the-wall spot with a jukebox in the back that plays music from Alejandro Fernandez and Los Tigres Del Norte. Now if you’re going to name your taquería Tacoland you better be prepared to back it up!!!! The women behind the counter were nice and we chatted for a bit, they’re from Puebla and well obviously I am representin’ Jalisco and I think there was a bit of a culture clash.

I started off with a carnitas taco because they were out of steak tacos, the carnitas was nice and greasy, and overall I like the taste and texture so it was a good start. I saw tacos de lengua on their menu and I couldn’t resist. They serve the taco in a red sauce that didn’t do much for the taco in fact it was distracting.

I am on the fence with this place and will probably go back to have a steak taco before I make a final decision but it’s still better than that Benny’s place in the West Village.

Delicias Mexicanas (2109 3rd Ave between 115th and 116th)

Food served Mexico City style (D.F. Guey) !!!!! I sat down in this very clean establishment (don't worry it's still a hole-in-the-wall) and when I opened the menu I was pleasantly surprised. You have hauraches, tacos, mole, enchiladas and they serve pozole on the weekends. I started off with a carne asada taco ($1.50) and finished it in less than sixty seconds... yes it was that good.

Next I ordered the Pozole (cos' it was Sunday and that's what you do), now pozole is a traditional Mexican soup which has been around since pre-Columbian times and derives from the Nahuatl word potzolli. There are different variations of the soup depending on the region. The base for all pozole is hominy (dried corn) and pork (although some use chicken instead). The pozole at Delicias Mexicanas is made in a clear broth, I grew up on a red broth so I prefer it red, but beggers can't but choosers.

For dessert I ordered the flan, I am not a big flan fan and I couldn't understand why I ordered it but as soon as I put a spoonful in my mouth, for a brief second I thought I saw La Virgen but soon I realized I was looking at a miniature statue. This place gets my approval!!!!!

Endless Summer taco truck (Williamsburg Bedford Ave. and N. 6th Street sometimes on N. 7th St.)

So I heard about a taco truck in Williamsburg and when I got there I find two pinche gringos running the operation... I know I’m shocked too! But I have to say they serve a good braised beef taco. The meat is tender and shredded, and they don’t over do it with the toppings. Their green salsa was not too spicy and not to soft it was perfect.

Spanglish word of the day: "Cheese" - I was at a bar and some vato try to dance with my vieja and I told him that cheese with me.