One of the beauties of living in New York City is living in such close proximity to so many of life's necessities. If you are in need of bottled water, flashlights, paper towels, OR tacos and margaritas, you usually are lucky enough to have these necessities within just a few blocks of your apartment!
In my case, I'm lucky enough to be able to look out my window on the 20th floor, and look straight down at one of the best, if not THE best Mexican restaurants that New York City has to offer...
In my case, I'm lucky enough to be able to look out my window on the 20th floor, and look straight down at one of the best, if not THE best Mexican restaurants that New York City has to offer...
Cascabel Taqueria is a casual, counter style Mexican restaurant with an innovative menu, and a colorful and clever luchador themed decor. According to their website, their name has the following origins, "We stole our name from the hot chili peppers that jingle and rattle when shaken and we like to think we are making our own fair share of noise on the Upper East Side." Well judging by the long line outside Cascabel that I can see from my apartment every night of the week, I think it's safe to assume that this relatively new restaurant is causing more than a bit of noise on the UES!
The above images are from the Cascabel website.
Cascabel's menu is broken down into five parts and each item is meant to be shared amongst the table. Here are the categories...“Para Empezar” (starters), “Para Acompañar” (sides), “Tacos,” “Platos Grandes” (entrees) and “Dulce” (desserts).
There are so many fresh and flavorful choices on the Cascabel menu, but today I will focus on what we chose to order last night on our impromptu dinner date to Cascabel...(Enter dark, low grade photos, I apologize for the quality of these pics!)
To start we ordered a classic lime Margarita with spicy salt, and a Kelso, a locally brewed beer from Brooklyn. Our drinks were reasonably priced, and delicious! Unfortunately I didn't get a good look at the beverage menu, but they seemed to have a great selection of craft brews, wines, and cocktails, including a Watermelon Basil margarita that looked delicious! Drinks started at $6...
Next up, Guacamole Tradicional con Tostada, $7. We orderd the guac spicy, and let me tell you it was good!
And for another quick bite, the Gorditas Con Puerco, $6. These tasty tiny bites are made of heritage pork belly, chipotle honey glaze, cucumber, and cilantro, in between two corn cakes. I know no foodie worth his/her salt should admit this, but pork belly isn't quite my thing, so this was all for my husband, and he loved every bite!
Next up for the man's main course were the Carne Asada Tacos $8.5 with
grilled yucatán achiote hanger steak, oyster mushrooms, creme fresca, and crispy onion. Mmmm, OK, I stole a bite or two of these tacos!
grilled yucatán achiote hanger steak, oyster mushrooms, creme fresca, and crispy onion. Mmmm, OK, I stole a bite or two of these tacos!
And I ordered the Tacos Dorados $12 with marinated shrimp, roasted calabaza, fingerling potatoes, queso fresco, and tomato. These were so good! They were perfectly crisp and tasted like shrimp flautas with a light and citrusy mixture of greens and queso fresco on top.
Our dinner at Cascabel was easy, quick, affordable, and delicious. It makes it so easy to go out on the spur of the moment when you know you can just cozy up at the counter and order a satisfying meal and delicious cocktails in such an easy going environment, at such an affordable price.
If you haven't been to Cascabel yet, I highly recommend that you check it out the next time you are in the neighborhood!
They are located at:
1542 2nd Ave. New York, NY 10075
(between 80th and 81st)
Tel: 212-717-7800
Do you have a new neighborhood place that's fun and affordable that you are plan on checking out this weekend?
As always, have a wonderful weekend, and happy eating and drinking!
They are located at:
1542 2nd Ave. New York, NY 10075
(between 80th and 81st)
Tel: 212-717-7800
Do you have a new neighborhood place that's fun and affordable that you are plan on checking out this weekend?
As always, have a wonderful weekend, and happy eating and drinking!
