THE GUACO LOCO

The Guaco Loco is a fine NYC eating memory. Perfect hangover food from the San Loco US'd Mexican joint which serves up the infamous Guaco Loco (a hard shell catfish taco and salad wrapped in a soft corn tortilla smeared with guacamole) and the Taco Loco (the same goes but with a luscious spoff of refried beans as the buffer instead of the guacamole... with a stewed pork filling).




That sorted, off to the MOMA which has a pretty impressive permanent collection of classics from the likes of Basquiat, Raymond Pettibon, Warhol, Sarah Lucas, Dan Flavin, Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Jasper Johns, Picasso, Francis Bacon, Jackson Pollock...

MOMOFUKU & DEITCH PROJECTS

Today was a good day...
1. It stopped raining.
2. Enter the cult of the Momofuku restaurant empire, founded by one of NYC's bad boy chefs David Chang. Asian Sensations. There's a lot of debate about this guy being over-rated but I'm a fan. We hit the Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village and it was great. His melting, braised belly pork rolls cut with sleek pickled cucumber to start.


3. House specialty of the Momofuku Ramen with shredded pork and more sublime, butter like belly pork, Japanese fishcakes, nori, spring onions and a perfect poached egg bobbing in the ramen.


4. Momofuku homie Dave Hall, LDN - NYC transplant!



5. Deitch Projects in Soho. Checked the Tauba Auerbach, HERE AND NOW/AND NOWHERE show and her epic crumpled pictures.






6. Asia Dog! Tuesday night pop up grill at Brooklyn's Trophy Bar with the crew in tow. Met the Asia Dog founders Mel and Steve and grabbed a Kimchee Hot Dog and the Mel & Steve Special with Asian Sesame Coleslaw...



7. Dam Funk at the Fader party at Brooklyn Bowl. My NYC crew were out in force... Dante and DJ Jaclyn included. Amazing night. To the good peoples!

HARLEM DAYS

DFC is Harlem set, my second NYC base. The world famous Apollo Theatre. Billie Holiday, James Brown, Micheal Jackson, Bill Cosby, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy... Vivian Girls?


World famous White Castle! 79c burger sliders! Steamed mini meat! Kinda gross, kinda amazing.


World famous soul food mecca, Sylvia's in Harlem.


Chicken, corn bread, collard greens and mac & cheese. Classic.


Oh yes I did.

BROOKLYN URBAN ROOFTOP FARMS

Mad hemp Sunday activities... in a good way of course. Spending the morning in Greenpoint, my gracious Brooklyn friend and host Kat Popiel took me to an urban rooftop farm with amazing views of the East River and Manhattan. Next stop, Pho stop in Williamsburg.








A walk over the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan and it was a trek through the East Village and up to the Flatiron district and Madison Square Park. There was a small food fair featuring a couple of very well reviewed NYC restaurants, the Malaysian dipped Fatty Crab and the Texan BBQ of Country Hill. Tourist trail food moments.

NYC CMJ DAY 4

The London elusive Vietnamese sandwich (bahn mi) is everywhere in NYC. A staple of snack attacks. The slightly lacklustre bahn mi effort in LA was set right with a visit to NYC's famed Baoguette founded by Vietnamese chef and restaurateur Michael "Bao" Hyunh. Set off with a little more Sriracha, the sweet and spicy homemade BBQ pork nestled in with the pate, terrine, pickled daikon, carrots and coriander. Still looking for that inch thick pate... but it was a good pick me up on the wettest of windy days and fodder for the Fader and Levis party at the boujie mid town party spot, the Ace Hotel.



Midnight Juggernauts were meh, missed the debut of Chauffeur (Mark Ronson, Theophilus London and Sam Sparro's new group) but Florence did it again with an acoustic set. The night ended as it should with late night steak and oysters.




CMJ crew of Nadja and Seb Diamond.