Animal

The front of restaurant Animal (via Eater.com)

For weeks leading up to my first trip to Los Angeles I couldn't help but constantly think about Restaurant Animal.  It was first opened in 2008 by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.  You may recognize these punk rockers from Food Network's "Two Dudes Catering".  Soon after opening Animal and losing the catering business, they grew to national culinary fame with their small meat and offal-centric, 45-seat nondescript restaurant, even being awarded some of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs title of 2009.

I first met Jon and Vinny at Meattopia 2011.  By now I knew of their reputation, after watching them on Food Network and skimming through their cookbook from time to time.  Although they don't match any type of contemporary look for chefs, one thing is for sure, these guys know how to cook, and they can cook pretty damn well.  

Lamb Head Skull, the only decor on the walls

Animal was inspired by trips to Martin Picard's Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, and Fergus Henderson's St. John in London.  Their chicken hearts with burnt eggplant puree that I tasted at Meattopia was just a teaser for things to come.    For now I am finally here in Los Angeles.  Looking at the no-name restaurant with black beams, full wall-size windows, and the numbers 435 across the top from across the street, I became a giddy schoolboy.  Come on Chef Floyd Cardoz, it's time to eat.  

The decor of Animal is very minimal, with nothing more on the walls than a lamb head skull.  A small bar in the back of the room provides the only color contrast to a small restaurant with wooden tables and beige walls.  Forget about it, though, you're not here for tablecloth wine service.  Take one look at Animal's menu and be prepared for the rich, fatty, spicy, fresh, well-balanced meal to come.

Tacos el Idolo Food Truck

After my visit to Tacos el Bronco a few weeks ago in Brooklyn, my mouth has been watering for more tasty, authentic tacos in NY.  Located just two blocks from the West Village location of Gray's Papaya, I couldn't help but try out the tacos from the Food Truck of Tacos el Idolo.

Even though I've never been to the West Coast (I'll make it there in November, pick your jaw back up!), and hardly remember my last visit to Texas, people from those areas constantly say that authentic Mexican food in NYC does not measure up.  Honestly, that makes me upset.  NYC is known as a food mecca, and the fact that I can't find something really authentic here pisses me off.  With that being said, I can't wait to try out the Mexican food in California when I make it out there later this year.

That being said, I guess I'll settle for what I think are some great places here.  Tacos El Idolo is based out of Corona, Queens, and has about three to four food trucks parked around NY.  What really drew me to try them out was their meat selection.  Along with the usual carnitas, beef, chicken, spicy pork, and salty beef, they also offer tongue, tripe, ear, and even goat meat.  You know I'm always on the lookout for offal cuts.  Tacos El Idolo did not disappoint.

Gray's Papaya

I've been coming to Gray's Papaya and other Papaya rip-offs in NYC for years.  Gray's Papaya rises above the rest, and the rest of the bunch include Papaya Dog, Chelsea Papaya, Mike's Papaya, Papaya King, Seventh Ave Papaya, and... well you get the idea.

Honestly, wherever you go you're going to get a tasty hot dog.  But in my opinion Gray's, which is the original, does it best.  Over here, it's all about the snappy texture.  Cooked on a plancha (think flattop) it gives every dog a crunchy exterior.  Compare these dogs to the soggy, limp, disgusting dogs swimming in dirty water inside hot dog carts across the city and it just seems like a no-brainer to make a trip out to Gray's.

Gray's serves $1.50 hot dogs, $1 pizza, and several flavors of fruit drinks.  The hot dogs come with warmed buns, and pretty much any topping you desire.  The pizza comes with many toppings, but I've never tried it (I'm not into $1 convenience pizza, call me crazy).  The fruit drinks come in the original namesake Papaya, Orange, Grape, Pina Colada, Coconut Champagne, and Banana Daiquiri.  The fruit drinks are all non-alcoholic, which is too bad for the NYU students living on a budget a few blocks away.

Tacos el Bronco

I would be surprised if anyone tells me that haven't had some sort of Mexican food in their lives.  Mexican food is just a part of American culture nowadays as the hamburger.  Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taquitos, salsa, mole, nachos, tamales, quesadillas, and guacamole.  Is your mouth watering yet?  Mine is too.

But like many cuisines across the United States corporate monkeys looking to make a quick buck destroyed the image of Mexican cuisine.  Chain and fast food restaurants like Taco Bell, On the Border, Chilis, and even Chipotle are using sub-par ingredients, dismal food pairings, and charging customers an arm and leg for it.  What's even more surprising?  People are willing to pay for it.

Mexican food is about love.  Mexican food is about simplicity.  It's not about deep-frying a burrito and covering it in three types of cheese, with a side of "Spanish" rice and beans.  It's about taking quality meats, slow-braising them until tender, and serving them inside soft, warm tortillas with onions, cilantro, and lime.  It's about taking homemade masa (corn-based dough), stuffing it with braised meats, and steaming it inside a banana leaf until tender.   In Mexico they fill their burritos only with meat and refried beans.  Whoever came up with the idea of stuffing rice, meat, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, avocado, beans, and cheese into a burrito is just looking to scam you by making you pay $12 for it.  Mexican food doesn't need all that.  As long as you have a passionate cook that knows how to handle the ingredients, you realize you don't need all the extras.  You taste the love that they put in with their own hands.

L'Express

Imagine this.  You go out for a night on the town.  You're partying, you're drinking, you're having a good time.  Then between 2am and 4am, it's all over.  You're buzzed, you're drunk, you're hungry.  Visit to the open halal cart with the usual chicken over rice and gyros?  Visit the diner with the usual burgers, eggs, and sandwiches?  What could be better at that exact moment than knowing there's a 24 hour Lyonnaise bistro open right around the corner? 

This is what draws me into L'Express.  Not only is the restaurant 24 hours, but the food here is very, very good. 

The decor is minimalistic.  During the overnight hours the restaurant is actually very dimly lit.  White tabletops covering dark wood tables, with matching dark wooden chairs.  Wall-sized windows looking straight out to Park Avenue, and a bar which never stops serving through the night (ok, maybe from 4am-12pm).  It's not the decor which should invite you in here, though, it's the food. 

Even at 2am their menu is full of options, including breakfast if that's what you're in the mood for.  I've been here a few times, and there hasn't been anything I haven't enjoyed.  Granted, I have yet to visit this 24-hour bistro while completely sober, so my opinion here really doesn't matter.  (Side note, I apologize for this fact due to the pics in this post being very blurry and dark.)  On this visit I started with the House-made pate, and finished with the Moroccan-spiced lamb burger. 

The Grease Trucks

It's no surprise to anyone that there is a food truck craze going on in America.  From NY to LA, Chicago to Austin, food trucks are popping up everywhere.  You can now find gourmet meals offered to you right on the sidewalk, offered at a fraction of the price of a restaurant, with the same amount of quality and friendly service.

Chefs and other professionals that want to get into the food industry are realizing it is easier than ever to start your own mobile food truck business.  And with the impact of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, food trucks are getting as much media attention and followers as the latest restaurant establishments.  Call it the newest trend.  Call it a fad.  Yet, The Grease Trucks of Rutgers University are some of the originals.  Started in 1979, the R U Hungry? food truck was the first, and the original Fat Cat was born. 

If you've never heard of the Fat Sandwiches, here's a rundown.  Imagine taking fried, greasy food, mixing it with lettuce, tomato, and onions, topping it with French fries, and stuffing it into a roll.  The orginal Fat Cat took every college kid's favorite meal, the double cheeseburger and French fries, and stuffed it into a roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup.  Sound delicious?  It is.

In 1997, a student by the name of Darrell Butler went up to R U Hungry?, and asked if he could take chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and french fries, mix it with marinara sauce, and eat it as a sandwich.  Call it sheer genius or a drunken mistake, but alas, the Fat Darrell was created.  Thirteen years later, Maxim magazine named it the number one sandwich in the country. 

White N' Hot Halal Truck

Halal carts.  They’re all over NYC.  Five dollars can get you a great meal of chicken n’ rice, lamb n’ rice, falafels, gyros, shish kebabs, and even burgers and fries at some of them. 

There are as many of them lingering the sidewalks of NY as there are hot dog carts.  Most people grab a meal at the closest one out of convenience.   Others are worth going out of the way for.  Asking a true New Yorker what the best halal cart/truck is in NY can spark a debate that would never end.  By the way, if you mention “Platters” in midtown you’re clearly labeled as a tourist, or from New Jersey.

Don’t get me wrong, Platters is good, but it’s not worth all the hype and attention it receives.  Also, I don’t see why I should wait upwards of 20 minutes for street food there, as the line is usually down the block.  My favorite halal truck in NY is called White N’ Hot, and it’s parked at the corner of 28^th Street and Madison Ave. 

Platters is the one all the tourists flock to, but White N’ Hot is the one that all the cab drivers come to.  That’s a true sign that you know it’s going to be good.  The truck is parked there all day, from noon to 4am.  If you go late, like I do around midnight or so, you’ll always get friendly service.  The two guys running the truck love what they do, and love feeding the people of the neighborhood.  Even when the bar crowd at Pranna empties out, you’re never waiting more than five minutes for your food.