Can you find great Mexican food in New York City? Well, coming from California, I never thought so. That was until I tried Dos Caminos, a Mexican restaurant on the East Side at 53rd St. and 3rd Avenue.
It was late evening and I was craving Mexican food and looking for something light. The first thing that caught my eye as I approached the restaurant that had been recommended by our hotel concierge was the huge outdoor patio that was packed with people and full of energy on a warm summer evening. What a surprise were we in for!
It started with the chips and salsa…freshly made corn chips with three salsas that had three levels of heat. The mild one was a bright green salsa verde that had a sweet citrus flavor. The medium salsa was dark brownish red with some heat and a nice smoky flavor. The hot version was a bright reddish orange salsa that had much more heat and was also surprisingly sweet. I could tell the heat was coming from habaneros but had no idea where the sweetness was coming from. Later, after I discovered that the recipe is in their “Dos Caminos Tacos” cookbook, I learned that the sweetness comes from mangoes. What a great sweet and heat combination. I will definitely be trying this recipe at home.
We ordered the freshly made guacamole and later found out that Dos Caminos restaurants are very well known for their gauc. I would have to say it was the best I have every had.
We also ordered their Bocadito Trio which had chicken taquitos, Baja shrimp tostaditas and plantain empanadas on a plate. All three were delicious, but I really enjoyed the empanadas.
As I was leaving the restaurant, I noticed that they were offering a taco cookbook for sale and, after looking through it, I was sold. So I bought it and read it cover to cover on the flight back to California. What I learned from the book is that you can make a taco out of just about anything for ingredients inside the taco shell. There were a hundred recipes in this cookbook, mostly for variations of tacos, but I also found the recipes for the salsa and guacamole that I had tasted in the restaurant. The title of the book is “Dos Camino’s Tacos” by Ivy Stark with Joanna Pruess. I have already tried their Roasted Tomato Chile de Arbol Salsa recipe and I loved it.
The next time I am in New York I will be sure to return to try some of the main courses on the menu.
Dos Caminos Modern Mexican and Tequila Lounge is part of the BR Guest chain of restaurants and has four locations in New York City, as well as one in Atlantic City, NJ and one in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.