Dos Caminos {NYC}

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For Valentine's Day, my wife and I decided to do Mexican. We used to opt for something other than Mexican (both of us having some not-so-great encounters in the past), but recently, we’ve had some positive experiences. What changed our opinion was easy: fresh. Dos Caminos was recommended by a few people, so we decided to give it a try. We knew we had to order the guacamole which is made fresh to order and served with a trio of fresh salsas. The guacamole was excellent; large chunks of avocado, hints of cilantro and lime, and a few diced tomatoes. The tomatoes were a nice touch, adding color and a little acid to cut through the creaminess. I ordered the Carnitas Tacos, and Marta ordered the Pollo Tacos. My order consisted of slow-roasted pork, green chili salsa, lettuce, and aged cotija cheese. The pork had great flavor and the lettuce on top had a citrus vinaigrette which gave me no reason to grab a lime. The cheese wasn’t overpowering and completed the taco with a nice finish.

Better Being Underground {NYC}

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I wanted to hit up a few good lunch spots while I was in New York. I did a good amount of research, but honestly, you could research for days and days, but at the end of the day, you’ve just got to go with something. The first lunch spot was a place called Better Being Underground, and it was exactly that. After getting rerouted from the sidewalk, I walked down a flight of stairs and opened the door to find about a 250 square foot room. I’ll put it to you this way: there were about six people in the room and I had a hard time getting out. There were no tables and no chairs; it was only take-out. The menu changes a bit from day-to-day, but some items stay the same. Everything sounded great, but I decided to go with “The Fu Man Chew.” This sandwich had Korean BBQ free-range chicken, Kimchi slaw, and Sriracha mayo all on a whole wheat square Ciabatta. My sandwich also came with two (what tasted like) homemade pickles and a bag of chips. There was quite a bit of spiciness to the sandwich, but it was a flavorful kind of spiciness. I love Sriracha, so I had no complaints on that. The Kimchi slaw offered a little contrast from the spicy Sriracha, but it still had some heat. The chicken tasted fine; I mean, how could it be the biggest flavor with the Kimchi and Sriracha battling for first? The whole wheat Ciabatta tasted subtle yet fresh, allowing the rest of the ingredients to come forward. If you are in the Greenwich Village area looking for a tasty sandwich made with organic ingredients, I would definitely give this place a shot.

NOBU {NYC}

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On Sunday night, we decided to try the restaurant Nobu. I'd heard very good things, and sushi usually goes over well with us. We both ordered the Spicy Bigeye Tuna Roll, and I also tried the Yellowtail Scallion Roll. Marta tried the Japanese Eel Cucumber Roll as well, but, we both agreed that the Spicy Tuna tasted fresh and delicious. The sushi was all delectable, light, and perfect for a late Sunday night. So, after brushing shoulders with Brooke Shields (you know, "The Muppets Take Manhattan"), we got back to the streets of Tribeca.

(Wife, not Brooke Shields)

K Chocolatier {NYC}

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Before getting to the places on my list, I made a quick stop at K Chocolatier by Diane Krön.  I first tried some "K" chocolate when visiting a friend in LA, and the chocolate truffles were out of this world.  I checked out her website and saw that she had a store in New York.  Even though the store was on the opposite side of town from where I was, I knew the truffles would make a good Valentine gift for the wife.

Vincent, A Restaurant

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Since my wife and I reside in frigid Minneapolis, I decided to make a list of some local spots to try. I constructed the list based on both recommendations and research. Not all of the restaurants are completely burger-focused, but a fair number will be.

We started with a place called, “Vincent, A Restaurant,” located in downtown Minneapolis. The place wasn’t hopping, but I didn’t expect it to be for a weekday lunch with the weather in the negatives. Knowing what we wanted, I immediately ordered the Vincent Burger and my wife ordered the Housemade Mini Pekin Duck Breast Burgers. During our short wait, we received a fresh baguette with butter. The butter was hit with a little salt which was a nice touch. The burger came out in a nice presentation. It was served open-faced with lettuce, tomatoes, and raw onions.

There was a house-made aioli that was spread on both sides of the char-marked buns. When I took my first bite, the meat took me a bit by surprise. The smoked gouda and braised short ribs listed on the menu had passed my mind until it came pouring out the inside of the meat. Minneapolis loves their Juicy Lucy’s. No complaints here, though. The meat was still cooked to about a medium, and the Gouda didn’t overpower, but created a very rich taste. The short rib added some extra fat, which certainly made it juicier that your typical 80/20 beef burger.  The aioli wasn’t anything extraordinarily special, but the waiter said paprika is added to give it a little kick (to me it just added color to an average aioli). The shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and onions were the only thing that kept this burger in the generic category. Along with the french fries which were similar to those that can be found in the freezer section at your local grocery store.