Los Feliz 109 Ludlow Street (Lower East Side) New York, NY

Los Feliz is a taqueria and tequileria. They have over 150 kinds of tequila so you can definitely enjoy a drink with their variety of savory tacos.

I stumbled across this place one night when I was hanging out on Rivington Street. I thought it was a restaurant but later I discovered that there are two basements and the lounge is used for private parties. The taco serving is two small tacos, with an appetizer I was ok, but you may definitely want to order yourself 2 rounds of tacos if you're hungry.

I had the Chille Relleno tacos (Spice crusted chile chilaca, beef-pork piccadillo, black beans, and crema), I really enjoyed them and I got to steal a taste of the steak taco, the meat was seasoned and cooked well. To drink I was outgoing and tried the margarita spiced with cilantro and jalapeños, it was different but surprisingly tasty.

I will definitely come to this place again. Stay tuned for updates.

Mancora Restaurant 99 1st Ave. (Lower East Side) New York, NY

Mancora Restaurant is a Peruvian restuarant located in the lower east side. The decor is a bit dark and homey,  but I love the hand painted ocean theme (the octopus on the ceiling is my favorite). This is a great place to have a group gathering or just an intimate dinner w/ a friend or significant other.

I love that they have such a variety of ceviche (ceviche is popular in Central and South America, it is typically made from fresh raw fish or seafood marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chili peppers) I recently tried the Ceviche de Coco, the Ceviche de Mariscos, and the Ceviche de Camarones. If you like seafood salad you will definitely enjoy this part of the menu.

I took my mom here and she loved it. We ordered a bottle of wine (the wine list is great) and a carafe of sangria, the food was excellent. I had the Pescado A Lo Macho (which is a red snapper fillet steamed in a red pepper sauce and topped w/ seafood in a creamy sauce) and for dessert I ordered the Flan ( a custard like pastry). At my most recent visit I had the Entrana Marinera (which is a skirt steak that was beautifully cooked topped with a seafood mixture in a creamy sauce) served with rice.

Everytime that I have been here the service was excellent and I will continue to recommend people to go here. Check it out.

SEA The Thai Experience 114 N6th Street (Williamsburg) Brooklyn,NY

SEA is a Thai restaurant but not like any other. The decor is very artsy, east meets west. The pool seen below is one of its main attractions and has become a backdrop in almost everyone who visits pictures. The food here is awesome. Whether its the appetizers or the entrees, I enjoy this  restaurant for the most part, other than how crowded it can be on the weekends. I once waited an hour to be seated, anyone who knows me knows that I am impatient, their food must be good.

Lets start with appetizers. I have had the Martini Shrimp, Crispy Basil Spring Rolls, Duck Lettuce Wrap (which was my least favorite), Golden Fritters and Temple Steamed Dumplings. They have so many options when it comes to entrées that I will not list everything I've had but I will say that all of their fried rice is great. Unfortunately I am not a Pad Thai fan but I love their Curry, whether green or red and I love the spicy basil anything.

If you like Thai try this place out the bar gets packed and the food is great.
You will definitely enjoy yourself.
The DJ is live on weekends, they play house and techno.
The bar is crazy packed on these days so if you want to get a drink squeeze in where you fit in and be aggressive ;)

Luz Restuarant 177 Vanderbuilt Ave. (Clinton Hill) Brooklyn,NY

Luz is a pleasant place to be. Their food style are mixtures of Peruvian, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Latin American. Its upscale decor is very clean and inviting. Whether you're going for brunch or dinner I recommend it for both, although I feel like the dinner menu has more to offer flavor wise. Service is slow on Sundays, but I have never had bad service.

I had their Entrana 'n' Eggs which is their version of steak and eggs with a Mimosa. It wasn't as great as I expected but I suppose it did the job. I wish the drink came with my brunch selection, like @ the Yuca Bar (will blog about that another time). My choice for brunch was $14 plus my drink which was an additional $6. As I was eating I noticed a lady sitting at the bar who ordered the Pan de Maiz Benedicts(poached eggs, chorizo, spinach, corn bread, topped with a rocoto pepper Hollandaise sauce) which is what I originally wanted to order. Should have went with my gut because it looked awesome, always next time.

As I said before their dinner is a lot better. The first time I experienced this restaurant I had  a pan seared fish topped w/ a mango salsa and their coconut rice which is made with olives and veggies. I recently had their Salmon al Pimienton, which is a pan seared salmon in red peppers served with cilantro mashed potatoes that I substituted the coconut rice for. Also, their pitcher of white sangria is unlike any sangria I've ever had. I don't know if it was because it was kind of strong(lol) or because of the passion fruit flavor, either way I highly recommend it.

I almost forgot! Their dessert menu is also worth making room for. I had the Mexican Sorpresa (a chocolate molten cake with chili spice, served with caramelized bananas and coconut pineapple ice cream), it was incredible, but they make it when you order it so be advised it may take 15 minutes or so. You should order it as you are almost done eating your entrée, unless you don't mind the wait. I also stole a taste of the Guava Tarta (a guava tart served with cheese ice cream and a guave sauce glaze) their presentation was beautiful and the taste was excellent. I'll have to take pictures next time I go ;)

So I may not have enjoyed my brunch here as much as dinner but it will not stop me from frequenting the place. Besides I spotted Brandy here so if the stars like it, it must be a winner. Check it out. Its definitely worth traveling to Brooklyn for.

Popbar 5 Carmine Street @ 6th Ave. New York, NY

If you love popsicles, Popbar is the place for you. It is made of all natural products, no preservatives, made daily. I have had the Pop Gelato in hazelnut, pistachio, cream and banana (banana is the best in my opinion), the Pop Sorbetto in mixed berry and strawberry, and they're toppings are incredibly awesome. Once you try this place you will be hooked. You can look right into their prep kitchen, the place is very clean, a little pricey (about $4.00) but well worth it.

BaoHaus (all natural meat and organic tofu) 137 Rivington Street (Lower East Side) New York, NY

For my first entry I would like to make it known that this place is totally not worth going to.
Not only are they incredibly expensive but the portions are so diminutive and the taste could be a lot better.

I had the Bird-Haus Bao which was a chicken finger in a steamed bun. I also had the Chairman Bao, which is made with  pork belly, and I should have known better because pork belly is mostly fat only I did not expect to eat a slab of fat in my White Castle sized steamed bun.

Eating here made me regret coming, I should have walked to Avenue B and had a Vietnamese sandwich (which I did later for dinner on St. Marks). The pork bun was $4.00 the chicken was also $4.00. They suggest that a serving is 2-3 of these mini sandwiches which 4x3=$12 and I'd rather pocket my $12 and go somewhere else.

As for cleanliness, its a small place and kept tidy. The service was confusing because when you walk in you face the kitchen, only you have to turn around like you're going to walk out ( and you should) so that you can place an order. The woman who took my order was friendly and pleasant but I suppose she is getting paid great because they post that they are not "fast food" only I beg to differ. If I have to pay this much for lousy all natural and organic Asian sandwiches I'd rather go home and make it myself. And that's that.