La Nacional: yay paella

Table for 8 early on a Saturday night without a reservation? No problem.

La Nacional is a family favorite for solid Spanish food that won't break the bank. It is associated with La Sociedad Benefica Espanola de Socorros Mutuos, a Spanish Society founded in the 1860's, which occupies the building above. The basement dining area, complete with Christmas lights and paintings, and its obscure entrance have just the right amount of diviness to enhance the charm.



Head down the stairs and though the hall to get to the dining room.


Immediately order a pitcher of sangria. And enjoy the olives and breads brought to your table.

Appetizers are split into two sections, hot and cold. The chorizo appetizer($8) is an easy choice, cannot go wrong there. Look at that spicy oil deliciousness and do not be afraid to dip your bread in it.

Other hot appetizer options that also delivered the flavor along with being properly tender: pulpo (octopus,$9) and calamares a la plancha (grilled squid, $9). You will probably also want to dip your bread into the squid's sauce.

And for the main attraction- paella. The staff is good about calculating serving size based on the number of people in your party. Though we all agreed the quality was slightly better a few years ago, this is still a great dish. The seafood tasted fresh and the rice was full of real flavor that comes from being cooked with so many yummy things.

There are shrimp, mussels, cockles, chicken, and peas in the version we selected (paella de la casa).
Here are some close up shots if you are into seafood.
And a shot of that essential rice crusting.

Past visits while the owner was around resulted in free glasses in sherry and some great tips on traveling in Spain.
The food plus the relaxed,unexpected environment is the perfect place for a group to have great conversation over pitchers of sangria and sufficiently authentic Spanish dishes. And if you don't have great conversation, get new friends.

239 W 14th St

Free Haagen-daz Success

Has it been a year already since the last time I cashed in on haagen daz bee friendly free ice cream deal? Had no problem and no real wait  getting my ice cream after work today at the Penn Station location. The honey bee flavor is a nice alternative to vanilla. The best part might have been the package of wildflower seeds they handed out to us. How adorable! Looking forward to planting them tomorrow, save the bees!

Work ya ham hocks!

Just received some lovely feedback from a commenter "porkchop" and the name instantly reminded me of the best youtube video evah. Please watch if you haven't yet experienced the joy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KadvVzQIRu0

Ponty Bistro: early bird sick deal

I know its almost an impossible task, but if you get to the french-african influenced Ponty Bistro before 7:00 a 3 course meal is $20. Appetizer, entree, and dessert for twenty dollars! Any day of the week, this is for real people. Powerful martinis run $5. I made sure to take advantage of that.

I found out about this place through my mom, who is always right about everything. She recommended the mussels as the appetizer. They came in a rich broth with tomato and lemongrass.

The hanger steak entree was cooked to my liking, not at all bloody and with a great charred crust. The crispy side of potatoes also did not disappoint. I ordered the creme brulee and was pretty certain it would be forgettable.

Could a $20 prix fix really go 3 for 3 with spot on dishes? And yet they did.

The brulee had the right amount of sweetness and they even took the time to sprinkle on some powdered sugar and a strawberry. The space is filled with color and art and the big windows were kept open when the weather is nice. Our waitress was sweet; she there when we needed her and left us be when we didn't. This is an almost too good to believe deal up in here. So if you can bare the idea of dinner while the sun is still up, listen to my mom and get over there.

218 3rd Ave

Breakfast Torta

The food cart on the corner of 33th and 9th has always been a quick, cheap source for breakfast. The staff inside this little cart are so sweet. Recently they added a very exciting new item to the standard eggcheesesausageonaroll type of offering- breakfast tortas! For $3.50 chorizo is scrambled with egg and put on a roll. The cart people get this legit sausage from a Mexican guy in Brooklyn. The chorizo is not very spicy, which I suppose is appropriate for breakfast and they do offer jalepeno sauce if you like a.m. heartburn. Its a delicious alternative to stringy bacon or gristly breakfast sausage. The cart people have seen a huge response to this sandwich, so hopefully it will stick around for a while. The cart also offers deli meat sandwiches but closes up shop at noon each day.

Why I love Flushing: A photo diary of a Sunday

Mentally preparing for a day of eating under blue skies.

Breakfast: $1 peking duck and $1.50 freshly made roast pork rice noodle from Corner 28

Must have my iced milk tea. $1.25 at the stand under the underpass

turnip cake is a delicious snack

Talent to put me to shame. Flushing Mall held an exhibit of Mother's Day drawings by children. This was done by a 6 year old.

Waiting for leek/aquatic dumplings (10 for $3.25) at Northern Dumplings at the back of some herbal store

Ooo color accent feature

Pretty good

Hey dad, follow me

Pho from Pho Bang for lunch tomorrow, it smells delicious

Grocery shopping is a must! Fresh, dirt cheap produce.

Cherries and ??? something that tastes like apples and pears combined

Seaweed and Salt chips are yummy

Grocery list: cherries, shrimp, garlic, brown mushrooms, cilantro (50 cents for a bunch), some leafy greens, and scapes
from Chang Jian Supermarket 41-41 Kissena Blvd

= miso soup made from miso paste, shrimp stock from the shells, scapes, and rice noodles

Cacio e Pepe: lots of cacio, too much pepe

It was another night where outdoor dining was essential and luckily we didn't have to wait long to score an outdoor table for 2 here on a Saturday night. The waiter swayed me in my decision to order the signature dish- cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper). It is served to you from a giant Parmesan bowl, hello photo op. The pasta mostly tastes of the warm cheesiness that blankets it. The other main element of the sauce was large pieces of cracked pepper, this was a bit different for me. Biting into a piece of peppercorn is usually something one tries to avoid, but here it used to add a spiciness to cut the cheese (teehee). I see what they were trying to do here and I knew what I was getting myself into when I ordered it, but it was just not something I could get myself to completely enjoy. But I really did like the texture and taste of the homemade pasta and cheese sauce, how could I not. I wondered about that huge cheese bowl, what do they clean it out at night? You can't exactly throw that in the dishwasher. We were informed that each order of cacio e pepe is served from one cheese bowl that they replace every 3-4 days. The sausage and pork over polenta was quite good. I do love polenta and theirs took on the porky flavor and made it extra tasty. I plan on coming back here to enjoy more flavorful Italian pasta in a relaxed setting and next time I need to try out some appetizers.

182 Second Ave.