Nate Silver Likes Burritos

By now, most of you know who Nate Silver is. For those of you who don't know (get out of your cave), he's the famed writer/statistician who correctly predicted this year's presidential election in ALL 50 states AND our nation's capital.What's more, in 2008, he correctly predicted the winner of the presidential election in 49 of the 50 states and the winners of all 35 U.S. Senate races. Oh, and he just so happens to run a little old blog, FiveThirtyEight, for the NY Times. Needless to say, he's a baller. Period. I like the guy.

Like yours truly, Mr. Silver is a proud product of Michigan. Indeed, he grew up in East Lansing (home of Sparty and Earvin Magic Johnson) and is a die hard Detroit Tigers fan. This makes me like the guy even more.

What some probably don't know about Mr. Silver is his affinity for the burrito. In fact, he was so taken by the wheat flour tortilla concoction that he launched and operated a burrito blog for a few years while residing in Chicago. Mr. Silver's blog, the Burrito Bracket, pitted burritos, tacos and other tasty Mexicano treats from his Chicago neighborhood of Wicker Park against each other in a competition much like the NCAA tournament. That's some serious commitment! This makes me really dig the guy!

As a fish taco enthusiast and a fellow proud Michigander, I just cannot overlook the uncanny similarities Mr. Silver and I share. I'm not saying that I'm a baller like he is, but it does give me hope. What hope, you may ask? Well, the hope that, in time, my career will really take off like his, and I'll be able to even more proudly flaunt my Michigan-ness. Even if my career doesn't reach the same heights, I'm just proud to see Mr. Silver to do his thing, do it pretty damn well, and do it with humor and humility. Keep on, keeping on, Nate!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Papa Tickle

Four More Years

Hey There

Incredible how time passes without us even noticing. From the looks of it, I haven't posted in over a year. Here's a little something to energize the masses (me). 

It's Fish Taco Time

Apparently, Taco Time, the slightly less disgusting option to Taco Bell, has joined the ranks of bandwagon-jumping fast food chains by adding their very own fish taco to their menu. Here are the gory details:

"Lightly breaded white fish with zesty fish taco sauce...on soft corn tortillas, with diced onions and fresh cilantro for that authentic Mexican flavor."

Along with their other promotional "Street Taco" offerings, these "authentically-flavored" fish taco timers are available for a limited time only. So, for you select few folks that live by one of Taco Time's 350 locations, hurry and get your hands on one of these babies...or not. Remember, Taco Time locations are mostly out West with a few outposts sprinkled throughout the Midwest and Canada, as well as, err, Kuwait and Curacao!? Indeed, Taco Time has crossed the pond to set up shop in Kuwait and Curacao...what a business strategy! Is it taco time yet?

Wahoo's to the Big Apple?

Holy Long John Silver, Batman! The country's second most famous fish taqueria chain is coming to NYC...so say the folks at Midtown Lunch. The rumor has Wahoo's Fish Tacos setting up shops throughout Midtown with the first storefront set to open on 56th between 5th and 6th Avenues. Nothing has been confirmed yet. If and when Tickle verifies this rumor, a joyous celebration will ensue. To be honest though, for a chain, Wahoo's is pretty good, but it doesn't compare to our very own pseudo fast casuals Pinche and La Esquina. Either way, fish tacos in Midtown is a victory for all!

Friday Night Take-Out

It was a long week. Tickle was hungry and quite thirsty. The couch sounded much nicer than heading out for dinner let alone an evening out and about. What does Tickle do? This:

Nothing beats El Paso fish tacos and an ice-cold Modelo (or two). Tickle's Friday was splendid.

Spring has Sprung

It's 74 and sunny! Not a bad way to enjoy yet another Easter and to kick off a brand new post on...deviled eggs. I bet you were thinking this post would be about fish tacos, well, not today. The Easter bunny will not allow. On tap today, I've got a deviled egg history lesson for you, as well as some tickleriffic photos of homemade deviled eggs (no recipe, sorry, as it is top secret...I'm CIA like that).

What the hell are deviled eggs, anyhow? And where do they come from? Deviled eggs have a long storied history that dates back to the Ancient Roman times when they were better known as "stuffed eggs"; the "deviled" in deviled eggs came about in 18th century England. Why? Because it was the first time it appeared in print. According to The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, "deviled" referred to "any variety of dished prepared with hot seasonings, such as cayenne or mustard...from the association with the demon who dwells in hell." Interesting. Demon from hell. How lovely. Deviled eggs typically consist of the hard-boiled egg shell cut in half filed with a devilish mixture of cooked egg yolk, mayonnaise, mustard, salt & pepper, fresh parsley, paprika, and lemon juice (at least that's what partner in crime used).

I'm Still Here...and I Hope You Are, Too!

So, 2011 started off great for Tickle - a burgeoning NYC taco scene, a continued appetite for fish tacos, and an unrelenting determination to take Tickle Me Fish Taco to the next level. Unfortunately, Tickle got caught up with other life stuff, and the blog took a backseat. Fear not, my dear Fish Taco fanatics, as I'm here to notify the world that Tickle is still here and committed to providing you with all the fish taco news and information that you can't live without. For now, I leave you with this...

The Fish Taco Craze Continues

According to an article in US Today, fish tacos are increasingly landing on more menus across the country. Common in San Diego eateries, of course, but fish tacos on the menus of California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheescake Factory, and (gulp) Taco Bell?! See, folks, I'm not just a weird fish taco-obsessed blogger. This stuff is for real! It will take over the nation, and I will retire a (not so) rich man.

Not Just One Fish Taco

Thanks to JP IV, here's a nifty little slide show of various fish taco recipes from the fine folks at Food & Wine.

Taco Thursdays

Serious Eats has apparently realized that tacos are a blessing from the heavens (with the fish taco being the most sacred of blessing, of course). Indeed, Serious East has started a new segment called Taco Thursdays where they explore New York's radical taco scene on, well, Thursdays. On August 12th, they hit up Rockaway Taco, an oasis of goodness in the Rockaways. Check it!

Where the Wild [Fish] Are

A few weeks back, Sam Sifton, the NY Times restaurant critic and Sunday Book Review contributor, wrote quite an interesting review about a new book titled "Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food" by author Paul Greenberg. As reference, Sam Sifton inherited the throne previously held by Frank Bruni, as the King of all things food in New York City. Though he holds the official position of restaurant critic, Mr. Sifton essentially has free reign on doing just about anything and everything that has to do with food. Laugh if you must, but Tickle falls for this sorta stuff, no joke. I even laugh at myself sometimes. That said, his review spawned my interest in this book. After all, it's about fish, and the main ingredient in fish tacos is, err, fish. So, I bought it. 


You probably think I'm going to tell you that the book was great, right? Well, truth is, I haven't started reading it, but I plan to do so and I encourage you to do the same. Whether or not it captivates you (or me) is beside the point, as it addresses some serious issues and concerns regarding the overfishing of seafood. Again, I'm not one to throw out politics on this blog, but it's definitely a disconcerting issue. Without knowing what the book actually has to say, I'm going to end this post...now. 

Body Slammin' the UES!

Tickle isn't alone in digging on Cascabel. That's right, folks, check out what the Village Voice had to say. Also, see what NY Mag had to say back in November of 2009. Indeed, folks, Tickle would never lead you astray. If you haven't hit up Cascabel yet, what the tickle are you waiting for?!?!

The Brooklyn Taco Battle

Where the hell was I?!?! Shameful, Tickle, shameful!