Hola, Hempstead! Food in Local Review

For auténtico Latin American cuisine, Pollos Mario in Hempstead is truly a local and budding endeavor worthwhile.

With its indoor attempts at earthen food styles sans stylization; Pollos humbly takes on skillet paella, Spanish rotisserie and pages of South American Parilla dishes like an OTC fix for the restaurant biz; slightly unsung and with taste and technique so right that it falls second best only to a backyard paella pit itself.

Pollos has more recently earned the attention of both a nearby and traveling bunch perhaps largely due to its anti-franchise franchise feel.

Its space – No Gaudi but certainly roomy, merits a generous crowd on weekends as a milieu of agreeable yet semi-misplaced island beats liven the already merry ambiance. 

I silently praise the counterbalance of family-friendly and a more mature batch, eyeing the sizable cocktail menu set to jumbo daiquiris and a stylish bar section.

A cheerful waiter approaches and we inquire a round of Leche con Jugo. Non-alcoholic but I have no chagrin.

The drinks arrive in little time and we reprise the range of tropical flavors like lyrics to a Beach Boys song - mango, pineapple, coconut and guava, leche con co-co (“That’s where we want to go-ooo.”)

My swill of choice is passion fruit, a delicious contrast between tart and smooth and an awesome balance for some savories to come.

I peruse the brightly seasoned menu and my mind is dancing la Bamba.

The carte du jour is authentic yet approachable with echoes of Latin street food and helpful photos of each item (for all you Latin newbies like me.)

I toggle between a Parrillada, Milanesa de Res and seafood Asopado but my indecision leads me to Churrasco - a grilled sirloin served with rice, pinto beans and a zesty house-dressing topped salad. Sweetly simple and one of their most popular.

The food arrives again in moderate time toward our hungry and curious soiree. Lapped napkins and cheers of approval; the implicit “Buen Provecho” is heard.

As for others at the table - my father opts the massive Parrillada, a ten-item fix priced delightfully frugal. For < $25: Grilled steak, pork, chicken, sausage, corn cake, cassava, potato, salad, rice & beans is yours arriving not only in contention with rustic Latin American cooking in variety but also in hospitality. This dish could feed a conga line.

My Churrasco lands medium-rare, still sizzling, with yellow rice and beans. I slink a few plantains from a seat over for some extra pep, lending a lovely natural sweetness to the steak. Generously portioned and under $20 the Churrasco gets my vote. Kudos, Chef Mario.

Plates cleared and withdrawals ensued, I swipe remnants of my little brother’s seafood chowder of course solely for the sake of reviewing the dish.

The broth is stewy yet light in character and well executed in texture points (10/10? Si.) Almost Peruvian-influenced (marked by a tangy heat and flavorings like corn cob and shrimp shell stock,) the dish has a sort of lemony freshness. Though this may be slightly biased. My palate leans sour and I praise anything I can call a lemon.

Even still, the Churrasco is dubbed our Pollos table favorite. “The dish of the night,” all comply.

In our stuffed conclusive bites we vow to brave dessert, the colorful confectionary menu practically frowning upon the idea of doing otherwise.

The Tres Leches cake was moist and much to my liking not overly sweet.

The flan was great, perhaps the best I have had. Ever! Notes of cotton candy, toffee, cardamom (and perhaps hints of taro?) flattered its typeface caramel taste. Perfect finish and a nice spin on a signature. 

Overall I would not oblige to frequenting Pollos Mario, the “anti-franchise franchise” placed eloquently in the vastly stigmatized downtown Hempstead.

Like a lovely cloud of culinary hope; Pollos breathes zest into a local cuisine and unpretentiously homogenizes a variety of Spanish-speaking culinary regions into one big happy Melting Pot.

The food was to put it simply, hodgepodge delicious; and the atmosphere, pleasant and vibrantly its own.

A word of advice: arrive really, really starving with friends and family. Leave full, happy and brimming with Latino spirit.

photos via pollosmario.net

Exercise Can be Fun (Sometimes)

Today marks the first week of Spring! And if you’re like me you’ll want to get moving in any way possible.

This whole staying well thing – It’s not just about eating right. A little exercise is often just the zing your body needs to stay on track. But no need to limit your workout to the gym.

This August, New York City’s Great Urban Race is your chance to get moving and have some fun.

For it’s 6th year, The Great Urban Race will turn NYC streets into an outdoor scavenger hunt where teams compete for clues. One Hofstra student says it’s among the strangest things he’s ever done, but he can’t wait to do it again.

Yes, the weather is warm, and it's time to turn on your left brain and get creative with your workouts! Be it the Great Urban Race, or Spring cleaning your boring old routine into something well worth exploring.

As for healthy bites to go along with your Spring fitness plans, choose smart grainy carbs before you get moving - like quinoa, barley or whole wheat waffles. Post-workout try lean proteins like omega-3 packed seafood and legumes.

With bikini season right around the bend - or boardshorts, if you're a dude -- you'll want to look and feel your best. That means keeping well, and feeling great about the way you do so.

Stay tuned for more adventure-filled ways to stay on track.

Happy trails,

JG

Meet Kathryn Lehman.

Favs: Early mornings accompanied by caffeine. Lions and tigers. Heights. Stimulating advertisements.

Inspirations: The Ocean. Steve Jobs. Musical instruments.

Wonderments: (Yes, that’s a word. Awesome, right?) Lightening. Outer Space. The Sixties.

Kathryn Lehman is a beach bum to the core. But not in your everyday sense. She can move with the seasons, too.

A Massachusetts native whose earliest childhood memories include weekends on Cape Cod, Lehman has made a mantra out of branching outside her comfort zones.

Withal, the 22-year old Marketing major has swum with sharks in the Great Barrier Reef, skydived and studied anything from ethics to Avant-garde.

Still, she won’t forget her roots.

“I think one of the biggest things about me is that I really keep Cape Cod close to my heart,” says Lehman, who recalls running through clotheslines of sandy towels at her grandparent’s Megansett Beach house as a child.

“If you were to tell me over a year ago that I’d be hitchhiking to a music festival in New Zealand and camping for three days - I wouldn’t believe you,” she says.

As intricate as her favorite breakfast routine – a strategically placed circle of banana slices sometimes around a cereal bowl, sometimes on toast or yogurt or alone; she is prepared to circumnavigate with spontaneity.

While studying in Queensland Australia put many of Lehman’s big adventures on the map, she promises there’s more to come.

“When I think about college, the first thing that comes to mind is that I really found my independence,” says Lehman.

An ad buff, Lehman has worked summers at a pharmaceutical
agency in Boston’s North End where she has learned the ins and outs and unexpected-s of the business.

Years later, she most admires the commercial world for its power to positively change minds and behavior.

“Influencing the things that people buy, use and eat; I hope to help people,” says Lehman, who describes her dream job as knowing that she’s having a positive impact on someone’s life.

“One of the greatest things about a good ad is its ability to categorize those with an open mind and those with a closed one,” she adds.

With vim for the creative eye, Lehman values marketing strategies that tell a story and defy the status quo (Like this recent Cartier campaign!)

From childhood memories on the Cape to today, Lehman’s own journey is an open book whose pages welcome turning tides.

“There’s so much more to learn,” she says - whether that’s swimming with sharks or mulling marketing techniques, “It’s going to be fun.”

I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees!

"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be
contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful." - Alice Walker

A fresh, sunny March day is just right for a stroll around Hofstra. We have lots of trees, you know (incase they hadn’t sold you on that arboretum bit since freshman year.) 

But seriously, keeping in good health and getting more fresh air are more connected than you think. We know that eating mindfully is not all it takes to stay on track; wellness is a lifestyle path. 

So throw on something warm, lace up your kicks, and take a walk around mamma Earth. 

Studies suggest that daily outdoor activity can put us in a better mood, boost Vitamin D levels and enhance our quality of life - particularly as we grow older.

What better atmosphere to interact with nature than Hofstra’s own backyard?

Araucaria araucana, a.k.a. the "Monkey-puzzle Tree" is an evergreen native to western Argentina and central/southern Chile. The tree is characterized by rigid, winding conifers that twist and tangle like a monkey's tail.

Practice the unhurried life in nature's company.

In the wise words of The Lorax, "They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past,
but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!" Hey Lorax, I agree tenfold. :) 



A Japanese Katsura tree sits behind willowy greens near Hofstra's Heger Hall.



(cont'd) When its heart-shaped leaves drop in the Fall, the Katsura or
Cercidiphyllum japonicum, is said to release scents of caramel and cotton candy.

3 Wacky Food Trends Gain East Coast Momentum

'New Wave' Facilities

What’s the difference between a toilet and a table? At Modern Toilet in Taiwan, not much.

This bathroom-themed restaurant launched in 2004 and has since made its name serving meals in novelty plastic toilets with a peculiar seating plan.

At Modern Toilet, guests forego chairs as they eat and instead sit atop the loo.

The dive began as a dessert shop and expanded its menu in early 2006 - attracting flocks of college students, families and tourists alike while lending talks of a New York City location.

Owner Chen Min-kwang says Modern Toilet’s goal is to shock and confuse the senses; he and his team hope to one day flush out the competition and become the world’s number one theme for chain restaurants.

Entomophagy

Writer Doug Larson once said that “Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”

But would you eat a bug that smelled that good?

At the Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg, they think so.

This East Coast test kitchen paved its way into foodie culture after serving insects on its menu in early 2011.

From smoked corn custard with moth larvae to mealworms atop fried yucca – squeamish diners bravely tried the latest low-cal food craze that’s eco-friendly, too.

You can call the movement by its fancy name entomophagy, or just plain “eating bugs,” but if you’re looking to trim your waistline and help the environment – these healthy critters are certainly food for thought.

The Brooklyn Kitchen’s humble Williamsburg space is among the Greater NYC’s pioneers in bringing the art of entomophagy to the Western world, and has since offered cooking classes on Sake brewing, pickles and fresh pasta making.

Ice Cream Alchemy

The latest food trend is a mad scientist’s paradise - Liquid nitrogen ice cream. And it freezes in a matter of minutes.

Liquid nitrogen or LN2 is poured over an ice cream base, locking in a strong flavor and smooth texture.

It’s a perfect treat for the impatient or experimental with a sweet tooth.

LuLu and Mooky’s was Manhattan’s first attempt at bringing LN2 ice cream to the mainstream though its doors closed soon after opening.

There wasn’t much chemistry with this dessert and New Yorkers - Skeptics say it sounded more like a science fair project than an ice cream dish.

Joining the Lulu and Mooky's mindset is Long Island franchise Nitro, set to open a NYC location this Spring.

With new shops brewing anywhere from LA to London - New York is bound to get more and more sprinklings of this futuristic treat. A chef favorite, the concoction is slowly but surely becoming a restaurant staple.

story images: 

1. img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2009/0902/toilet_rest_0219.jpg

2. media.photobucket.com/image/brooklyn%20kitchen%20bugs/john_dxx/22bugs500.jpg

3. www.cynical-c.com/archives2/bloggraphics/how0703nitrogen_485x400.jpg