Who's Thankful for Clubstaurant Nachos???
Here's a review of Limusina by the crew behind Bad Roman. Plus: NYC's newest Michelin stars!
Hey Friends!
I’m working on a bunch of year-end stuff. That means I’m doing quite a bit of eating!
A quick taste: I enjoyed the zucchini tacos at Santo’s new University Place location. And some friends and I returned to Eel Bar for a full-fledged dinner. It was really good! Get the mushroom bomba rice.
Today, we have a review of Limusina, the Mexican party spot that’s been absolutely packed on each of my visits. Thanksgiving turkey hounds will be especially curious about a rich mole there, and I think you’ll dig my short essay about…fancy nachos!!!!
But first…
The New York Michelin Guide’s new stars….
Michelin’s anonymous inspectors unveiled their starred selections for Chicago and the Northeast last week. For the full writeup, check out Meghan McCarron’s report over at The New York Times, but here’s my quick recap:
Masa and Alinea dropped to two stars each. The Masa news shouldn’t surprise anyone, now that we have a plethora of amazing sushi spots that don’t cost $1,000 for dinner (they do, however, cost $500 per person, lol).
Sushi Sho was elevated to three stars. It’s the only sushi spot to hold that honor in the states. Dinner is “only” $450 service-included, but supplemental nigiri at the end of the meal can literally double the price of your omakase. Read my full review here. It’s an extraordinary restaurant.
There were just four new entrants to the one-starred ranks. One of them was the (excellent) Bridges by Estela-alum Sam Lawrence, one of my best new restaurants of 2024. Get the oozy comté tart, though it’s now a steep $38. The other three newcomers were Muku, a sushi bar; Huso, a fine dining restaurant inside Marky’s Caviar; and Yamada, a kaiseki spot.
Michelin doesn’t seem as excited about Modern Mexican fare as local food journalists. Corima (it’s amazing) retained its star from last year, but acclaimed spots like Taqueria Ramirez, Carnitas Ramirez, El Rey, Cariñito, and the stupendously popular Santo Taco were all left off the Bib Gourmands — Michelin’s “affordable eats” category. By contrast, Yellow Rose, Olmo (haven’t been), and El Chato (which is great) received Bibs.
Speaking of Mexican fare…
Mahira Rivers, my fellow contributing critic at The New York Times, published a one-star review of Los Burritos Juárez by Alan Delgado!
My favorite line is about the lard-enriched flour tortillas: “Their charred aroma falls somewhere between freshly griddled roti and a sizzling Neapolitan pizza crust. The texture is nothing less than Squishmallow-level softness,” Rivers wrote.
Please give a warm welcome to…Critical Sandwich!
My former colleague Greg Morabito — who played a key role in shaping and defining the voice of Eater — has launched Critical Sandwich, a food media Substack. Head over to his newsletter for thoughts on Bourdain, Eddie Huang, and “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” a movie that doesn’t get as much credit as it should for its food scenes.
Seriously: I often find myself quoting George Clooney’s bit about hard apple cider for no reason in particular: “It burns in your throat. It boils in your stomach. It tastes almost exactly like pure, melted gold.”
Anyway, you should all follow Critical Sandwich!
More year-end lists, if you please!
Here’s Eater with their annual list of the country’s best restaurants! Among the inclusions: Kafi BBQ in Irving Texas, Kabawa in New York, and Komal in Los Angeles. Shout out to senior editor Kayla Stewart for leading up the effort!
Review: What to order at the maximalist Limusina…
Scroll past the paywall for thoughts on fancy nachos, cheesy machetes, lobster al pastor, and fried turkey mole
One of the defining trends of contemporary New York dining is the city’s Modern Mexican scene.
We’re seeing more great taquerias and cantinas. We’re experiencing a rise in panaderías and tortillerias.
But perhaps you’re wondering what the most crowded member of the bunch is.
Sigh.
The most popular Mexican restaurant at the moment, by my estimation, is Limusina, a tri-level behemoth near Penn Station. It seats 215 people over 5,000 square feet of space. And most of the seats were filled during my two recent visits.
The walls glow in a shade of red. Orb-like light fixtures look like knockoff Ruth Asawa mobiles — I’d totally buy them. And just about everyone’s here for a good time.
You know what I mean. You come here because the waiter sets your queso fundido on fire (why not). You come here, bro, because the filet au poivre is “añejo” au poivre.
You Uber to Limusina with your besties because the first seven pages of the beverage list are dedicated solely to tequilas and mezcales, available by the jicara or bottle. It’s cute, until you realize you have to keep flipping through a little book each time you want to check out the cocktail list!
Here’s a little vibe check: On one visit, Goldfrapp’s “Ooh La La” pumped through the speakers while my neighbor at the bar ate lobster nachos. On another night, a stranger started telling me about how she fled New York for Florida during the pandemic (she asked if I was in sales), while a bro wearing a baseball cap ordered a very particular quesabirria.
Let me explain.
With good quesabirria, cooks griddle tortillas stuffed with chile-braised meat and stretchy cheese. But here at Limusina, quesabirria means something quite different.
A waiter ferries over a log of tender short rib for $75. It comes with a big pot of cheese. Click through for a video of what happens next: