Oyamel is one of Jose Andres’ restaurants. Its first location is located in Washington DC, so they decided to open a second here in New York City in Hudson Yards. Jose Andres is one of those chefs and restaurateurs that has a good track record every time they open a restaurant. For his restaurants in NYC, we have been to Zaytinya, Nubeluz, and Spanish Diner. Coincidentally, Spanish Diner has closed and was replaced with Oyamel in the same location.

We were out and about in Central Park taking pictures, and we were looking for a place to check out midday. This no-frills Mexican-like restaurant was near where we walked out of Central Park. We were a bit skeptical of this restaurant since the menu was on the smaller side, but we decided to give it a try. We were seated without reservations pretty easily around 1 PM on a Sunday afternoon.

We were in the Flatiron area running errands, and unfortunately the nearby S&P sandwich shop was closed for dinner. As we scoured for food, we did ultimately end up at this Tacos Güey place. I vaguely had remembered that this was a relatively new restaurant, so we opted to try it out. We were able to walk in on a Friday evening at 6:30 PM and find a pair of seats in the bar.

As usual, we were again running some errands in this Midtown East area close to Central Park. We are running a bit dry on Italian options, so fortunately my partner finally said “yes” to a Mexican restaurant that I have wanted to go to for a long time. I vaguely recall Empellón having a Michelin Star a while back, but I cannot find any information on it at this time.

My partner saw this restaurant on their Instagram feed, and since it’s a new Mexican restaurant, we thought it’d be interesting to check out. I know absolutely nothing about the Chef Richard Sandoval and Chef Jonatán Gomez Luna Torres, but the menu looked pretty interesting and looks like it can bring an upscale experience and taste of Mexican cuisine. We were able to get 5 PM reservation easily on a Thursday evening, and they still have not gotten their liquor license by our visit tonight.

Carla is a local neighborhood restaurant close to Long Island City and Queensboro Plaza. At first glance, the restaurant’s menu seems very basic, but sometimes I think this could be misleading. I had been periodically glancing at the menu, and I noticed it changing every so slightly on a monthly basis. Since we had a lazy Saturday, we decided to try this place out. The restaurant’s motto is all about good vibes.

When I first saw the word “sobremesa”, I instantly thought of dessert since that is what it means in Brazilian Portuguese. This restaurant is more of a taco place and is relatively new in the Long Island City neighborhood, and it’s located in a barren neighborhood with a bunch of empty warehouses. Surprisingly, there was a beer place opened next door, and there was an outside picnic area where people can enjoy their tacos in a social environment.

Following our Disney World trip and since I started going back to the office, we are starting to do our Friday date nights again. This restaurant appeared in the local news as a brand new restaurant, so we thought we’d give it a try before the crowds started discovering this and also because we missed NYC food after being in Disney World for a week. The restaurant is a partnership between restauranteur John McDonald of Mercer Street Hospitality with partnership with Chef Justin Bazdarich (Oxomoco).

We got some new Mexican restaurant coupons for a margarita/beer. This location is quite convenient near Times Square, just a few steps from the heart of it. We made a reservation for a 4:15 PM on a Saturday late afternoon, and the crowd traffic was fairly light outside and inside. The reservation was probably not needed, but you never know. When we arrived at the restaurant, they did ask for proof of vaccination.

Long Island City is starting to turn into another North Williamsburg but with less hipsters. There is a flurry of restaurants and stores that appear to be opening up soon. Along with Vernon Blvd, Jackson Ave is starting to show some liveliness especially around the Dutch Kills bar area. This Tacombi outpost just opened very recently within walking distance from our residence. Tacombi is a NYC chain taqueria with several establishments across the city.