Di Fara's Pizza

Possibly the best pizza in NYC. If you love pizza and are in NYC you must go as the owner and chef is in his 80s and will not be with us forever.

Tacos in Brooklyn

There's a place on the corner of 23rd and Fifth Avenue that I have been going to for a few years. At first it was a Mexican grocery store which opened up a small taco grill. A few months ago they added changed the place around. The grocery store section became a lot smaller and the taco section expanded.

These are not your California burritos but the traditional: 2 corn tortillas wrapping a grilled meat, salsa, guacamole and jalepenos. Excellent and mouth watering. I love the carnitas.

Funny thing on the day I ask the owner if he minds if I tell the gringo world about his place I get mediocre carnitas. Now it could be a bad day, the regular cook wasn't there, but it is a bad omen.

Insider's Note: This area of Fifth Avenue has had a large Mexican population (and restaurants and grocery stores) for quite a while -- 10, 15 years or more.

Across the street, on the corner of 22nd Street there is another Mexican taco place. They originally had a small taco stand in the middle of the block. They were excellent. I haven't been to the new fancier sit-down restaurant.