Favorites of 2010: Restaurants (Part II)

Some people think that it has to cost a fortune to eat out in NYC. WRONG! There are a million fantastic options out there that won't break the bank. Here is my favorite discovery of 2010:

Favorite Cheap Eats: Ihawan 2
How many of you have ever tried Filipino food? Despite having a huge cadre of Filipino friends, I had never eaten at a Filipino restaurant until 2010!

Ihawan 2 is "2" because the owner's mother owns the original Ihawan. Ihawan "1" is located in Woodside, Queens. Even for a borough-friendly girl like me, this is a bit of a trek from my home in Manhattan just for dinner. Ihawan 2, however, is conveniently located in Long Island City. Where is Long Island City? you ask. Why, it's only one stop from Grand Central on the 7 train, my friends.

(Photo from here.)

While you can get a few more familiar foods like crispy spring rolls and homemade pork rinds there, Ihawan2 really shines with its traditional Filipino dishes. My favorites are the Kare-Kare and the Crispy Pata.

Kare-Kare is a dish of ox tail and green beans stewed in a peanut butter sauce. You eat it over rice with a super salty shrimp paste. Seriously. It sounds intense, but don't knock it 'til you try it. I loved it so much that I begged my friend to buy me the ingredients for the sauce on her last trip to the Filipino market. I haven't tried cooking it yet (I need to figure out where one buys an ox tail), but I will let you know when I do.

(Photo from here.)

If Kare-Kare scared you, then Crispy Pata might push you over the edge. Crispy Pata is a succulent fried pig's knuckle the size of your head. Most of the time, they cut it up into little pieces for you, but if you are lucky, they leave it in one big hunk and you can carve off your own pieces. It is AMAZING! Crunchy and chewy and really bad for you. But proportionally delicious!

Each of those dishes will run you around $10 a piece, but the way to go at Ihawan2 is definitely family style. If you split a few of their generously portioned plates with some carnivorous friends, you can each have a couple beers and still make it out the door without spending $20.

Next up - Favorite Food Trucks!