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Seen & Heard: Burro Borracho
••• There’s a pop-up gallery at 172 Duane: “The Experimental Art of Russian Children’s Books.”
••• I finally made it to Burro Borracho, the Mexican restaurant on Church—where Shorties Deli Cafe used to be—and if I had realized it was a reinvention of the space and not just adding Mexican items to the menu, I would’ve written a New Kid on the Block post a long time ago. (¡Lo siento!) The atmosphere was nicer than I expected, especially if you politely ignore the left-over fluorescent sign, and the menu is far more authentic than, say, Chipotle. One of the reasons it took me a while to get there was because my mostly-vegetarianism doesn’t mesh well with inexpensive Mexican food, which is really all about meat. There are a few veggie options, but carnivores will be happiest. (I ordered the chimichanga—I don’t know what came over me—and it was a tortilla, fried till it was puffy, layered with toppings like in a tostada. The restaurant is trying—they’re making their own guacamole, if the pile of avocados I saw is any indication.) Delivery is available at Seamless, where you can also see the menu. P.S. I’ve heard some raving on Twitter about the tamales, which must be an occasional special. UPDATE: See comments re: tamales.
••• If you live or park near Worth and Broadway, you should click on this photo. (Fans of creative English may want to as well.) The street will be closed for crane work this weekend, next weekend, and then every other weekend through July. (93 Worth, at the northwest corner of Broadway, is getting a four-story topper as part of its condoversion.)
••• I don’t normally include New York–wide stuff, but my friend Charlie at Manhattan User’s Guide is pushing hard—and rightly—for a plastic bag ban in the city. You can (and should) sign the quick-and-easy petition here. Other cities do it and survive just fine. I’m all about refusing a bag unless I need one, but the default is still to bag without asking. And don’t get me started on Whole Foods’s insistence on double-bagging everything. I know they’re paper bags, but still.
••• Spotted a couple more Russell King street artworks yesterday….
11 Comments
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Totally agree on the bag thing! Maybe we can start a local business ban on plastic bags.
@Carol: The trick (as you no doubt know) is to put a reusable bag near your apartment door, so you remember it when you go out. I bought a great one at Church Street School — with a wonderful fish print on it — for like $5. But of course they’re everywhere….
There should also be a ban on the little blue plastic doggie poo-poo pick-up bags. Owners should either have to use paper or, if no one is looking, just kick it into the street. CB1 should push the city to install corporately-sponsored doggie sidewalk bidets, like the one at the Gehry Plaza, on every other corner.
https://tribecacitizen.wpengine.com/2012/06/04/seen-heard-american-gold-answer/
As far as I know the tamales are always available and I think you can get vegetarian. Look under “Mexican Breakfast” on Seamless (not just at breakfast time). They are just $1.50 each and really are amazing!
Honestly Enough with the ‘Bans”. Don’t you people have anything else to contribute to the world besides getting all head up about bags?
Yes, honestly, let’s follow Anna’s example and contribute like she does on a daily basis. Anna, so that we can strive for your level of enlightenment, what is it exactly that you contribute that is greater than just being the judge & jury of ban initiatives? BTW, I would like to ban cash registers #2, #4, #7 at Food Emporium. They are hardly ever used and everyone would appreciate the extra space if they were removed. That entire store is so claustrophobic. Does every inch have to be filled with some product or another? No, it doesn’t.
I order from burro borracho all of the time and am also a vegetarian. I love the vegetarian tacos and the rajas, which are a breakfast item but you can have them leave off the eggs and add beans and rice instead…
Also, seriously. What is up with the double bagging at whole foods? It even says on the bag that they don’t need to be doubled.
@Anna. I am really hope your post is ironic–really ironic.
in Australia you are asked at Target if you want a bag (plastic) and if you say yes, they charge you 10 cents. It’s a win/win, you only have to do that twice before remembering to bring your own bag…
I think charging is easier than banning and a quick reminder about environmental costs. Australia (well Sydney, can’t really speak for the other cities!) which has much stronger recycling tendancies than here, has almost eliminated shopping bags, as everyone brings them from home and feels embarrassed if they forgot.
We walked past Burro Borracho last night and they have a B from the Board of Health.
It’s similar in Canada to Australia (and much of Europe I understand). The default is to ask if you want a bag and many of the grocery stores charge for it. It been this way for many years but I still remember refusing a bag and being regarded as though I had three eyes by the clerk.
It takes a real shift in thinking, robust public education and often monetary incentive to make re-using and recycling second nature.
Incidentally, Toronto city council has just voted to ban plastic bags for retail purchases. It will definitely still be debated further but the will is strong. Plastic bags are a far worse enemy to the planet than most people realize!