WANDERLUST AND GASTRONOMICA is a great tag. Yours?

in Williamsburg is pretty good -- but then, I have weak Northeastern tastebuds.

...Cafe Frida has the best guac I've ever had

yum!

I'm not exactly the most discriminating of eaters (I'll eat pretty much anything that doesn't put up a fight), but even I know that Tahl is right. There are a lot of things wrong with L.A., but Mexican food isn't one of them. Even Mexico can't hang with the quality of L.A. Mexican food. So what hope could New York have?

בשר זה רצח,

Joey

What, that doesn't count for anything?

Sorry Sara, Tahl's not often right but this time he is. Mexican just isn't happening in the rotten apple. You'd be more likely to find good Thai food in Idaho.

The best mexican is found at a tacqueria and what New York really excels at is gourmet. A few places (two that I've been to) have attempted this conversion (mexican->gourmet) but it just doesn't work (Gourmet mexican is like gourmet bagel). Except for the Guacamole. Rosa Mexicana and Dos Caminos Soho both have excellent guacamole served with home made tortilla chips and brought to your table for around $15 (dinner for two at a west coast tacqueria). Rosa Mexicano actually brings the ingredients to your table and mixes them in front of you (I would rather have had a good pupusa).

As far as the non-gourmet places, you might as well go to Chilis.

Score Tahl: 1 Sara: 0

ps don't ever take Joey's advice on food. I've seen what he eats. He should be banned from any food related topic.

The guacamole is fine in New York. my mom can make good guacamole. The recepe is simple, avocado, lime, garlic, jalapeno, onion, cilantro and mash it up. Try it. Just like the restaurant. The problem with Guacamole in New York is it costs almost $20 for a fucking bowl of the shit. It's the same ass throbbing feeling I got when I had Taco bell in Tokyo because I love Taco bell and it cost me $25 for a taco bell grande meal. Fuck that. New York doesn't know guac.

Come to our place -- we whip up a mean guac!!!

i defy you to talk shit about the guac at either fine establishment. the margaritas are also delightful beyond measure. you can drive back and forth across the dipshit urban sprawl of l.a. 'til you're old enough for botox and you won't find the kind of atmosphere/view alma boasts.
the only time l.a. has anything over greater nyc is in the middle of february, for like two days.

I have to disagree with you Sara, and you KNOW that's a rarity. After living in NYC for five years, I never found anything resembling good Mexican food. Maybe I'm just spoiled from growing up in LA, but the Mexican place around the corner from my apartment on 23rd & 2nd Ave. would be the perfect example of unacceptable Mexican food. Owned by a Chinese couple, they tried their best to make it the best they could, but the best they could do was their version of Mexican rice, which was really just steamed rice with a pinkish hue. You're better off buying a few avocados and making it yourself at home. Avocados, lime, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, you're good to go!

I like this "Taco Bell" place. I think it's some mom and pop thing that sprung up overnight.

i'd hate to run into too many gringos out in red hook, but the cute mexican grannies might as well reap the benefits of rich "hipsters". if you haven't already read about on chowhounds or in the new york times, the red hook ball fields, near the pool, are amazing. women straight from mexico are cooking giant quesadillas, tacos with a giant slab of carne asada. don't think they have guacamole, but everything else is authentic and delicious. there are also venezuelans arepas and ceviche among so many other tasty things

If you want some really really great mexican, head to Lupe's East LA Kitchen. The guy that owns it and his wife started it in LA and decided to bring the yumminess to NYC. It is soooooo good, the Enchilada's Suiza's are to die for and so isn't the guacamole.

I just got back from Cabo San Lucas and my girlfriend and I are on our way to Rosa Mexicana right now. We are going because we had great guac in Mexico and can't wait to test it against NYC's best. Lets face it, it's not a difficult thing to make. Pricey though.

lol, That place is pathetic.

If you want delicious tasty AUTHENTIC Mexican, then head on down to Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. Their you will find any number of Mexican restaurants run by real Mexicans and whose chefs are of course Mexican. I suggest Garibaldi's for a start.

The ingredients in guacamole are standard and do not vary as best as I can see. I mean seriously, can you actually tell the difference between East Coast and West Coast guacamole?

We're not talking about Arab vs. Jewish Hummus (mayonaisse, are you f*cking kidding!) in which there is no doubt.

This is sort of like those who believe there's a difference between Coke and Pepsi.

Joey:

Obviously you have not been to Mexico. LA has good Mexican-Cal-Mex food (burrito-nacho-enchilada, etc) but go to Mexico if you want to broaden your standard Cal Mex staple and sample a stepped-up real sophisticated, elegant Mexican dining.

LA ain't bad, but it's still on this side of the border.

JM