Sunday, November 29, 2009

Funchos

1166 West Main St.

Riverhead, NY 11901

(631) 369-7277

As soon as we pulled into the Funchos parking lot, I knew I would enjoy my meal. The tiny place (sits about 15 people inside and there are outside tables) was full in the middle of the afternoon and just the decor- orange, neon greens, and purples cover the walls- invited you to gorge on some messy, scrumptious food. Me and some girlfriends came here, famished after apple picking, at the request of my good friend Lianne; if she raves about a place, it must be worth it!! The menu is big, but trusty Lianne and sis, Fiona suggested 2 fantastic tacos for my meal...

I ordered the highly recommended Chili taco, Funchos style, and West Coast Fish taco with yellow rice and black beans. The first thing I noted before even tasting the food was the abundance of fresh vegetables on the tacos. No soupy salsa from a jar, but good old homemade chunky salsa. I ordered the Chili taco on a hard shell, Funchos style; in addition to lettuce, tomato, salsa, there is also sour cream, corn, olives, and jalapenos. That alone could make you feel good on a cold day. Eat 2 or 3 of them and you'd be satisfied. Eating it, a lovely mix of heat, spice, and coolness combined together for a nice lingering sensation on my taste buds.


I was also eagerly anticipating the West Coast fish taco, as my sister ate here once before and said it was the best one she's had outside of southern California. Those are some bold words and some big shoes to fill, so I ordered it with high expectations. If you've never had a fish taco, you are probably thinking, "Bite-Sized, you are one nutty person." But, fish tacos are actually an overwhelmingly popular fare in southern California and so amazingly tasty! They often come either fried or grilled. Looking at mine, it seemed like a standard white fish taco on a soft corn tortilla with the usual accouterments. However, the taste was far from ordinary or standard. The fish was not 'fishy' at all and was nicely fried, not oily, and stayed crunchy despite the jalapeno cream sauce on it. I think the corn tortilla brought it over the top. The flavors worked so well together and felt light at the same time, not too heavy where you are too stuffed from eating.


The last picture is one of my friend's burritos and she said it was delish! Overall, the meal was very satisfying and cheap! Now if I want a good fish taco, I know where to get it. There is also a relatively generous offering of drinks to quell the spice (Dos Equis, Coronitas) that came as a surprise, being such a small place. And there's a bonus! There just happens to be a great little ice cream place right next door, all homemade, and very creamy, with various unique and standard flavors. Many thanks to go to my friends who often suggest the places for my foodie adventures :O)


Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish everyone a blessed and happy Thanksgiving! Even when it's not the day, I am thankful always to be surrounded by loving family, friends, and given wonderful opportunities in life. Have a safe and fun day and I promise to put up a new post... I've been busy lately, but thanks to all who've been reading!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

L&B Spumoni Gardens

2725 86th St.

Brooklyn, NY 11223

(718) 449-1230


Today I decided was the perfect time for me to post this blog because yesterday on "Man vs. Food" (Travel Channel), he was in Brooklyn and featured this wonderful eatery. It's fate-- who am I to mess with fate?

L&B is always full whether it's dinner time on Tuesday evening or you're hungry after a Saturday night out. There is outdoor seating for the pizzeria and indoor seating for the restaurant, which I intend on sampling from soon. I have been here many times, thanks to a certain someone, just for some pizza. When I first went to L&B a long long time ago, not even knowing the popularity of it all, I think I was actually just going, begrudgingly. I thought, 'what's so great about Sicilian pizza?' I never cared for it. I've always been a pepperoni and mushroom slice kinda girl. That is, until L&B!

The way they make their Sicilian, you'd want to hit yourself on the head-- it's so simple! It looks funny too, since the sauce is on top, but it's perfect: dough, layers of mozzarella, sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes, and a healthy dusting of Parmesan. To be honest though, if I attempted cooking it, I would still swear that L&B is better. I absolutely adore it and just thinking about it, even if I just polished off a whole pie to myself, would make me hungry for more. It is not overly doughy or chewy and has a nice amount of saltiness and tart from the tomato sauce, with yummy gooeyness from the cheese.

If you're ever in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, make L&B a priority stop!