Taco Talk: Mijos Tacos Food Truck

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

mijos2

I’m always looking for an excuse to be outside. Whether it’s to ball out on the court or pretending to be super productive on my laptop while sipping on an iced Red Eye, any reason to enjoy the warmer weather is a no brainer for me. But when I’m really in the mood to get my pedestrian on, I tend to head for the ever-growing list of food trucks in the city. Recently, I visited Chef Peter Gobin’s LA style Taco Truck, Mijos Tacos, for a smorgasbord-like selection of authentically prepared tacos.

When I stepped up to the window, I really didn’t have a feel for what to order. After staring at the menu in a hungry daze, Chef Gobin chimed in and whipped up some of his favorite creations. (Mind you this was my first time meeting him yet I had all the faith in the taco world that he would not disappoint.)

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Need Directions? Here’s 5 Reasons Why You Need to Visit North.

Posted on May 14, 2013 by

north5

Ever since North opened on Luongo Square in the West End of Providence, I’ve heard countless people rave about the place. Discreetly hidden on a side street between Westminster and Broadway (look for the blue door), you probably wouldn’t even know North existed if it wasn’t for word of mouth. It feels exclusive. A place where hipsters and foodies unite. Just think about it…if a six table restaurant off the beaten path is creating this kind of buzz…you know it’s gotta be good, right?

At North, their menu changes daily and is posted on their social media pages. With a selection of about 10-15 dishes (appetizers and entrees), this is not your ordinary menu…or ordinary minds creating them for that matter. It feels like a kitchen full of renegades and non-conformists cooking food the way they think food should taste. Sure, their menu may consist of unconventional pairings, but these unyielding culinary minds are cooking with relentless passion…in an unpretentious, laid-back kind of way. Just so you understand what I mean…one of the owners, James Mark, is formerly of David Chang’s Michelin-starred Momofuku Ko in New York. Now he is holding it down in the kitchen at North, cooking the type of food he would want to eat, just in a more casual setting.

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Come Taste Our Lamb Taco Recipe at Lamb Pro-Am in Boston!

Posted on May 6, 2013 by

ALB_ProAm_logoFirst and foremost, thanks to everyone for voting for our recipe for Braised Leg of Lamb Tacos in Dr. Pepper Adobo Sauce with Medjool Dates. Your votes landed us in the next round of the competition! Join us on Sunday, May 19th at the Royal Sonesta Hotel and taste our dish for yourselves. We have been paired with recent James Beard Nominee, Chef Champe Speidel from Persimmon Restaurant, who will help make our tacos even more lamb-tastic! Come root for the Front Row Eats/Persimmon team as we compete against 5 other blogger/chef duos. Be sure to cast your votes for us in the finals to ensure we take the Lamb Pro-Am trophy back home to Rhode Island this year!

For additional information or to purchase tickets  - CLICK HERE.

Don’t miss it. This event should be a blast!

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This is How I Roll at Haruki East

Posted on April 27, 2013 by

haruki2

When I need my sushi fix (which seems to be weekly as of late), I go to one place…Haruki East. With locations in Wayland Square in Providence and Oaklawn Ave in Cranston, I can never seem to wrong with their selection of maki rolls. When it comes to raw seafood, freshness is the most important ingredient. At Haruki, everything is super fresh and delicious which keeps me coming back time and time again.

Whether you like simple, clean sashimi or bite-size rolls smothered in sauce, Haruki’s extensive menu offers whatever you are in the mood for…all at very reasonable prices. A personal favorite is the “Tuna Crisp” (pictured above) which is made with tuna, avocado, cream cheese and then doused in spicy mayo and drizzled with a sweet sauce. The entire roll is lightly fried which creates quite the textural contrast. Plus, everything is better fried, right?

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Braised Leg of Lamb Tacos in Dr. Pepper Adobo Sauce with Medjool Dates

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

lambtacos8

Hey everyone! We have some exciting news and we need your help. We were recently asked to participate in the 2nd Annual Lamb Pro-Am competition put together by BostonChefs.com. Here’s how it goes- 14 bloggers from New England (3 from RI / 6 from MA / 3 from ME) are sent a monstrous, caveman size Leg of Lamb to create a recipe, post an article, and then YOU need to cast your vote on your favorite. Since you are visiting our website, of course we are going to ask you to be bias and vote for us. :)

Please CLICK HERE and vote for our Lamb Tacos! We are hoping to get enough votes to represent Rhode Island in the final round when we prepare our dish at an event for over 200 people. Only one blogger will be victorious…so let’s make it the Front Row Eats team!

We thought long and hard about what direction to go with our recipe. We wanted to be imaginative, but most importantly, we wanted to have fun with it. We were torn between Mediterranean and Mexican…so what did we do? We combined them both for a fusion style taco. Problem solved! It’s something we’ve never seen done before, so we were immediately inspired. And so it became…Braised Leg of Lamb Tacos in Dr. Pepper Adobo Sauce with Medjool Dates!

We braised the Leg of Lamb in a spicy Adobo Sauce with Chipotles. To stick with our Mediterranean fusion theme, we added Medjool Dates for some sweetness. We thought it would be cool to add Dr. Pepper as well. Why? Because it’s the best Cola around…and because it has 23 different flavors which help to create a complex braising liquid. There was a long time rumor that Dr. Pepper contained Prune Juice. Whether this is true or not…doesn’t really matter. We thought it would pair nicely with the dates – and we were right!!!

For our “Med-Mex” creation, we also roasted some chickpeas as a substitute for traditional black beans or pinto beans. For our cooling element, we replaced sour cream with a Greek Yogurt Sauce. We topped everything off with a red cabbage slaw. And we even made our tortillas from scratch!

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Fine Dining on Four Wheels at Plouf Plouf Gastronomie

Posted on April 12, 2013 by

plouf3

You know you’re a hipster when you’re paying $12 – $16 for plates of Organic French cuisine from a food truck on the corner of Thayer & George Street. I have to be honest, I’m not sure this concept would work anywhere else in Rhode Island except the East Side of Providence. But lately, unconventional is what I have been drawn to. It’s a different type of food experience, still serving superior quality ingredients, just in a different setting. Sure, I can understand why most people, at this price point, would prefer to sit down in a comfy restaurant and be served by an attentive wait staff. But since it was the first day this year to break 70 degrees, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to eat outside…amongst all the other hipsters.

Food trucks have really come a long way in recent years. Check out Plouf Plouf for example. They are like a mobile version of an upscale restaurant. Who would have thought that you could order Hanger Steak & Frites ($16) , Duck Burgers ($13), or Truffled Mac & Cheese ($10) from something on four wheels? Unfortunately I visited on a busy day (probably due to the beautiful weather) and they were sold out of most of their top items. As a result, I opted for another popular choice on their menu.

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Chef Eric Ripert talks Le Bernardin, Bourdain and a little bit of Good vs. Evil

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

eric ripert

Let the official countdown begin. In less than one month, two close friends with contrasting personalities, Chef Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain will be on the center stage at PPAC on May 2, 2013 for a must-attend event. For one special night, these celebrity personalities are taking off their chef coats and stepping away from the TV cameras to share an evening of storytelling, providing eye-opening insight into what really happens behind kitchen doors.

In case you live under a rock :) , Eric Ripert is a world-renowned chef and co-owner of New York’s famed and Michelin-Rated, Le Bernardin. You may have even seen him on TV as a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. We are huge fans of Eric Ripert and were honored to have the opportunity to conduct an interview and pick his brain for a bit.

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