Posts Tagged ‘downtown’

Taiwan Little Eats

Sunday, February 4th, 2018

20180125_121224Don’t confuse Taiwan Little Eats‘ name as meaning appetizers. Here, you’ll find a full menu–which was updated in late January–of “night market fare” and teas.

For example, items in the “Little Eats” and “Big Bites” are large enough for a full meal. The Tainan braised pork ($8) is super tender and flavorful, and it’s served over rice alongside veggies and half a tea egg. The dish would have been worth its price with 25 percent more pork.

The black pepper beef ($12) also is tender with a little bit of char, and it’s coated in a thick sauce. The beef is indeed peppery, but not in a bad way. I don’t think the entree needed the lightly cooked onions, which were very pungent.

The unifying theme of the pork and beef, along with other entrees, is that they rely on the julienned carrots and broccoli to fill in for the lack of the main item. On my first visit, I noticed how many people didn’t finish the filler veggies or the overabundance of rice.

I highly recommend the coffin toast ($7), which is a chicken potpie served in toast that’s shaped like a rectangular box. The pot pie is creamy and tastes like corn chowder, with the only imperfection being the giant pieces of potatoes. The toast tastes just like fried dough sticks, commonly found in dim sum menus.

20180129_115920The vegetarian cold noodles also hit the spot ($9), though I’m not sure why this dish costs more than the heartier coffin toast. Anyways, the sesame paste was strong but not overpowering, and the fresh carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts and cilantro added to the enjoyment of this dish.

“Nibbles” include BBQ pork sausages ($5.50) and popcorn chicken ($5.50). Other than the $1 tea egg, which was too dry, nothing on the menu is less than $5.50. That includes the fried squid balls ($5.50), which are golden-fried, meaty and slightly salty. However, they’re smaller than average, and you only get six of them.

For drinks, you have hot tea, milk tea, smoothies and fruit tea. You can choose from a variety of fruit choices, including mango and passion fruit. The lychee fruit tea ($4.15 for 16 oz., $5.15 for 24 oz.) was refreshing and had a strong lychee flavor. It had diced coconut jellies instead of pearls.

Taiwan Little Eats is open every day for lunch and dinner.

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See more photos in our Taiwan Little Eats Flickr album.

Taiwan Little Eats Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Taqueria 3 Amigos

Sunday, January 21st, 2018

20171215_125530Taqueria 3 Amigos is tucked away on Henry Street, so far surviving for more than a year in a spot where restaurants like Mad Dog’s and Get Some Burritos failed. Despite its name, tacos are not the specialty here.

In fact, you’ll find a surprising number of breakfast items, such as heuvos con jamon ($7.99) and brunch burritos ($7.50). In the huevos con chorizo ($8.43), you get a sizeable amount of egg and sausage, all mixed together. I really liked that the grease of the chorizo seeped into the adjacent Mexican rice to give it more flavor. The refried beans were very bland but helped by the watery but tasty hot sauce.

The rest of the hand-written menu includes staples such as quesadillas ($7), nachos ($7.25) and chimichangas ($11.25), as well as a few specialty items. For example, I ordered the chori pollo ($11), which is not seen on many Mexican menus in town. The chicken was dry, but it was saved the same aforementioned greasiness of the chorizo. It’s a pretty filling dish, especially with the sides.

20180103_131336Another specialty was the fajita del-mar ($16.25). All the components are freshly cooked and as a result, have a strong grilled flavor. The shrimp and small bits of scallops needed some seasoning, though. This is an ample portion that could feed two people.

You also can get the fajitas with steak, chicken or just vegetables, and you have your choice of flour or corn tortillas. All entrees include refried beans and Mexican rice.

Taqueria 3 Amigos is mostly a carryout spot, but there are a few chairs if you want to dine-in. It’s open every day for lunch and dinner, and it stays open past bar time on Fridays and Saturdays.

Taqueria 3 Amigos Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Mad Seafood Boiler

Sunday, January 14th, 2018

20171215_115557If you’re heading to Mad Seafood Boiler, which features delicious seafood soaking in a pan of seasonings and sauces, then heed my recommendations: wear the bib and the gloves that come with your table! You’ll need them as you’re cracking, peeling and slurping. Also, don’t come here on a first date.

To get started, you can either choose a combo platter of seafood, or you can mix-and-match items such as blue crab ($12.99/lb.) and clams ($12.99/lb.). From there, you choose either lemon pepper, cajun or garlic butter flavor, followed by heat level and then a side.

All the seafood was fresh and served in a big metal pan (previously, it was in a big plastic bag). Their taste was enhanced by the sauce; in my platter, it was the cajun, which was buttery, oily and so delicious that I wanted to dip bread into it.

I got Combo A ($20.99), which includes a half-pound of shrimp (with or without the heads), a half-pound of snow crab legs and either a half-pound of mussels or crawfish (I picked the latter). I chose to keep the heads on the shrimp for the extra flavor, and I smeared that perfectly cooked shrimp into that aforementioned sauce–yum! The crawfish did pick up the cajun flavor, and the snow crab legs were meaty and tender.

There are five combo platters, and all come with corn, red potatoes (which was perfectly soft) and sausage (which was mild and tender).

20180103_120838For those not looking for a messy meal, Mad Seafood Boiler has an extensive selection of sushi rolls (regular and special), sushi appetizers, sushi entrees and even poke bowls that weren’t part of its initial menu.

The Forbidden roll ($12.95) is unique for its use of black rice. The cream cheese is a bit overwhelming, but the other components, from the creamy avocado to the crispy softshell crab, make it worth ordering.

Other rolls include the Tiger roll ($10.95 with spicy shrimp), the Madison roll ($11.95 with snow crab) and the Fancy lobster roll ($14.95 with lobster salad).

Gyoza ($5.95) and shumai ($4.95) are among the appetizers. I loved the tuna pizza ($8.95), which is like an open face sushi roll. The finely diced tuna, roe and slightly sweet sauce sit atop a crunchy scallion pancake, which had enough thickness to it not to fall apart.

Mad Seafood Boiler is open every day for lunch, dinner, carryout and delivery.

Mad Boiling Crab Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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