Nene's Taqueria got a big time shoutout by now retired NBA star JJ Reddick back in 2021 on his podcast. Riddick went out of his way to find Nene's Taqueria which at the time was tucked inside a little market in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn in NYC. Since then, Nene's Taqueria has expanded into three locations including the Barclay Center where the Brooklyn Nets play.
Nene's Taqueria Trompo
I knew none of this when I walked into Nene's Taqueria last fall. To be honest, I was looking for some Cheap Eats in Brooklyn and set the dollar sign on Yelp to "$" which brought me to Nene's.
Having lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and now Austin for 8 years, I tend to stick my nose in the air when it comes to appreciating Mexican food on the East Coast. But I do know that any taqueria with a trompo or vertical spit, is doing it right.
Birría, Steak, Adobada, Lengua tacos
Beef Birría, which is a braised beef dish from Tijuana MX, built up the legend of Nene's Taqueria. It's offered not only in taco form but in quesadillas, ramen, pizza, as a plate and in its traditional form: consommé or soup. I went with a birría taco along with the Pork Adobada which is a Tijuana style Al Pastor, Carne Asada and Lengua which is Spanish for tongue.
I loved them all. Each taco was generously filled with the protein of choice and topped with abundance and care. At around $4 a pop I thought the tacos were fairly priced for there size and quality.
On a future visit I probably should try the Birría consomme, maybe even the Birría pizza because it is New York after all. Still it will be hard not to repeat this taco order. And that's the sign of a good taqueria: a perfect flight of tacos you want to come back for again and again.
And for the record: JJ Reddick has damn good taste in tacos.
The Vitals:
the spot:Hamburger America 51 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
the eats: burgers
the bucks: $-$$
the full nelson: A modern day burger throwback in NYC
2024 has been a big year for burgers in New York City, with the opening of Hamburger America and Gotham Burger Social Club, both of which I visited last month(Gotham post here). Based on the views of my Instagram post alone, Hamburger America looks like a bonafide hit. Oh, and the burger was one of my all time favorites too.
The man behind Hamburger America
The one and only George Motz. I've been a fan of George's work for well over a decade. Starting with his series exploring the burgers of America on Travel Channel, his books and his series on First We Feast with Chef and burger connoisseur Alvin Cailan, George Motz might love burgers even more than me. And that is saying something.
The Classic Smash Burger at Hamburger America
Before I could even order, George made me this double smashed burger. Available as a single or double with beef sourced from Schweid and Son's, the burger can come full dressed with pickles, diced onion and yellow mustard. George served me this without any toppings beyond the cheese. Meat, cheese, bun: that's it.
I was blown away. As someone who grew up on Steak 'n Shake in it's heyday(1980s-1990s) this burger captured the magic that was the burger of my youth. Simple. Perfect. It takes a pair to serve a burger with just meat, cheese and bun. You are relying on great beef and great technique. Check both those boxes at Hamburger America.
The Fried Onion burger at Hamburger America
The edges are softer on the Fried Onion burger at Hamburger America, as the patty is smashed on top of a slice of onion. That is the signature of the Oklahoma Onion burger and the inspiration for the Fried Onion Burger at Hamburger America.
Like the pictures of burger restaurants across the country and even the decor, this is an example of the years and years of research that went into opening the Hamburger America Restaurant.
You could say I had burger burnout but I much preferred the Classic Smash. I'm an advocate for cooked onions on a burger but they are almost as common as smashed burgers themselves these days. You would be remiss not to try both. I just have a favorite.
Milk and Cookies anyone?
Hamburger America serves up legit bang for your burger buck. That is if you stick to the burgers and maybe a beer, which is limited to an affordable $6 Miller High Life. But I saw too many people ordering milk and cookies not to shell out an extra $8.
The cookies are sourced from a local bakery and . . . they hit the spot like milk and cookies should after two burgers. It's not essential but it's a way to end nostalgia filled burger meal. Keep this in your regular NYC burger rotation.
I'm excited for this monthly recap series. If you saw the segment on Studio 512, then you know my Best Bites in Austin of January 2024 went heavy on the barbecue, danced around East Asia and squeezed some in sugar and carbs. Like any good countdown I'll be sharing in these order starting with my number 5 pick:
#5 Best Bite in Austin: Artipasta
The Vitals:
the spot:Artipasta Two locations in Austin TX
the eats: Penne in tomato sauce, Tagliatelle in meat sauce, Cannoli
the bucks: $12-1$15
the full nelson: Affordable and Authentic Italian in Austin TX
Artipasta has long been on my radar, even before the South Austin food truck expanded to a second brick and mortar location up north. During winter break I took my son to lunch there as he is a true pasta freak. He isn't always an easy sell but he gave Artipasta the thumbs up and so did I, especially after I got the bill. This is as affordable as the bolognese is authentic. The only hard part is choosing which pasta to get.
#4 Best Bite in Austin: La Santa Barbacha
The Vitals:
the spot:La Santa Barbacha 2806 Manor Road Austin TX 78722
the eats: Breakfast Barbacoa tacos, barbacoa, quesobarbacoa, you can't go wrong, bring a group and try everything
the bucks: $5 each, two is a meal, three is a feast.
the full nelson: Hidalgo style beef barbacoa made into fashionable Austin tacos. Also my fav breakfast taco in town.Last July I said that La Santa Barbacha was my favorite breakfast taco in Austin. Well if I look back at my receipts in January, not much has changed. On my food tours, La Santa Barbacha is a favorite, it just hits every time. The consistency the Landaverde family puts into their tender barbacoa and perfect, PERFECT scrambled eggs, is a straight up treasure.
#3 Best Bite in Austin: Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue
The Vitals:
the spot:Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue 15608 Spring Hill Lane #105 Pflugerville TX 78660
the eats: Brisket by the pound, Brisket Bahn Mi, Boudin
the bucks: $13-$20 a person depending on whether you go sandwich or plate
the full nelson: Central Texas Craft BBQ in the northern environs of greater Austin
Sadly, we lost John Brotherton last month. And it was far too soon. After a medical event left him in a coma, the barbecue community rallied to support the restaurant. It had been a few years since I had been to Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue so I gladly jumped at the chance to dine and support the family. The brisket is up there with some of the very best in town and the sandwiches like the Brisket Bahn Mi are wholly unique. The family can still use the support so throw your business to this just north of Austin/Pflugerville staple. Oh and the boudin alone made this a Best Bite in Austin, for life.
#2 Best Bite in Austin: Julie's Noodles
The Vitals:
the spot:Julie's Noodles 8557 Research Blvd #110 Austin TX 75758
the eats: Xiao Long Bao(crab and soup dumpling), Pork Chopped Noodle Soup
the bucks: $15 a person will set you up nicely
the full nelson: a divey Chinese joint that satisfies the itch for affordable & authentic dough driven cravings
I first wrote about Julie's Noodles back in 2019. Like most things food related, prices have risen dramatically but not Julie's. This authentic hole in the wall offers up some of the best value in Austin. Chinese food like this is meant to be served family style so be prepared to share or be prepared to bring home leftovers. My son loves this place and I'm almost always down to oblige his request for a the chopped pork noodle soup. Who new spareribs taste arguably better in broth?
#1 Best Bite in Austin: La Barbecue
The Vitals:
the spot:La Barbecue 2401 E. Cesar Chavez Austin TX 78702
the eats: brisket, Chipotle sausage, Potato Salad, turkey
the bucks: plan for about $30 a head
the full nelson: the brisket that convince me to move to Austin is as good as ever
La Barbecue is forever cemented as a GOAT in my world. It was the FIRST taste of Texas barbecue I ever had(in the state at least). It was featured in my episode of Best Thing I Ever Atetitled "Worth The Wait" and I have been there countless times. So when I found last year that Leann Mueller, co-owner of La Barbecue passed, it hit hard. The silver lining is that the barbecue, especially the brisket, is still as good as ever thanks to Leann's wife and pitmaster: Ali Clem. Like the theme of the episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate, it is worth the wait but here is a pro tip: go on a Wednesday or do a pre order.
The Vitals:
the spot:Gotham Burger Social Club two locations in NYC(Manhattan and Brooklyn)
the eats: Double Smashed Burger, Frickles(fried pickles), Chopped Cheese Tater Tots, Egg Cream
the bucks: $8-$14 for the burgers, $4-8 for sides, Chopped Cheese Tots are $14
the full nelson: Smashed Burger Pop Phenomenon delivers a dream come true Smashed Burger brick and mortar experience
Mike Puma is the man. For years I have admired his burger pop up on Instagram. I've watched the phenomenon grow and he certainly knows burgers based on his burger posts. Turns out the man can cook, actually not cook, but SMASH.
My first Egg Cream
Mike treated me to a legendary beverage of the Lower East Side: an egg cream. This iconic New York City Drink(at least according to Food & Wine) is a staple of Jewish-American food culture, and a nod to the historic Jewish neighborhood Gotham Burger Social Club resides in: The Lower East Side.
Imagine a chocolate milk soda, heavy on the fizz. It was a nice change of pace from scoring one of the beers on draft. Besides I was on Dry January anyways.
Meet the frickles
If you guessed that 'frickles" are fried pickles, you clearly must have been an English major in college. Even if you weren't you probably can figure out that fried pickles are a good idea. In the foreground of this shot was a dynamic dill heavy house made ranch sauce. Good ranch is a great thing and this was a great ranch which makes it . . . you know, like really good. I'd love to try this on some chicken strips.
I can't believe this only costs $11
Take in this $11 smashed burger. Consider the two 3oz 70/30 blend smashed burger patties on that familiar Martin's Potato bun. Relish in the spicy sweet pickles that are specially made for Gotham Burger Social club. There's also pickled jalapeños, a house burger sauce, and a drizzle of ketchup and mustard to take into account. Did I mention this is just $11 bucks?
The burger was sauced carefully. The heart of it was the house burger sauce but the drizzle of ketchup and mustard was a smart touch. The patties are smashed with mix of shaved onions a la Oklahoma style but this burger is an NYC thoroughbred. Buns are buttered and toasted on both sides.
Curse you, portrait mode
It's hanging in the background but the chopped cheese tater tots were literally a meal on it's own. Bring friends to share that one but keep your focus on that burger. It's easily among my top 10 smashed burgers, maybe a top five.
Last time I was in NYC I tried 7th street burger and while people seem to go buck wild for that(it's also cheap), I think Gotham Burger Social Club is on a whole other level for not a whole lot more money. Yeah, I'm pretty down for Gotham Burger Social Club.
The Vitals:
the spot:Ippudo San Francisco 18 Yerba Buena Ln, San Francisco 94103
the eats: Akamaru (Tonkotsu) Ramen, Assorted Buns
the bucks: $20 for ramen, $17 for assorted buns(3)
the full nelson: ramen redemption more than three years in the making
I was in the city for work: shooting my first project featuring food tech(burger food tech no less -watch it here and here) when I stumbled upon yet another location of this global ramen chain.
Ippudo San Francisco isn't too different from the NY location I tried back in 2019. The difference was really me. I went in with high hopes to the NYC location and wasn't impressed. When it came to visiting Ippudo San Francisco in 2024, I walked in not only wanting to give the place a second shot but with a wiser ordering approach.
Ippudo San Francisco Buns
My visit to Ippudo San Francisco started with what I remember worked well last time: the buns. In 2019 I raved about the Pork Belly Bun. In 2024, I doubled down and did a flight of the buns.
There are chicken, shrimp, pork and veggie buns to choose from. I did two pork and shrimp and they were still as good as I remember. Worth every penny of the $17 I shelled out for them.
Ippudo ain't cheap. But what is these days?
Ippudo San Francisco's Tonkotsu(Akamaru Modern Ramen)
I've learned a lot about myself and ramen since I came to Ippudo NY in 2019. The main thing I learned is that I love Tonkotsu broth and that's what I crave when I hear the word "ramen". So that has become my benchmark and my wiser ordering approach: try the Tonkotsu.
Back in 2019 at Ippudo NYC, I let my adventurous side let the waiter steer me to something else. That was a mistake. And I have learned from it. Like Dave Portnoy who judges pizza in his famous "one bite reviews" by only sampling a cheese pizza, I judge ramen by Tonkotsu.
And the verdict? The broth was just rich enough(I like it creamy) and more importantly the broth had a lingering complex finish. On top of that, the pork chashu was the best I have ever had, including my experiences in Japan.
Ramen Redemption and the best Chashu ever
Yes, Ippudo San Francisco delivered ramen redemption and I feel confident that had I ordered that ramen at the NYC location I would have been equally satisfied. At least I think. Both instances I tried the chashu and while chashu is always delicious, the quality of the pork belly in chashu at Ippudo San Francisco was without equal.
I might do some more digging but it might be worth noting that California passed a law in 2018 that just now went into effect banning breeding pigs to be raised in confined spaces. The best pork I have had involves the best farming practices and I wonder if the law helped usher the sourcing of better farms?
I can't say for sure. But I can say Ippudo San Francisco achieved ramen redemption. And serving the best pork chashu I've ever had didn't hurt either.
