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How’s the food at Tres Carnes?

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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There’s a new joint in town that’s right up my alley. I went in to try the food at Tres Carnes, and loved it.

If you’ve seen any of my food writing, you may have noticed that as The Improvising Chef, my goal – yes, my tagline – is “Making Healthy Food Tasty.”

Trés Carnes, a new place on the southeast corner of 22nd st and 6th Ave in NYC, does exactly that.

The food at Tres Carnes - sign out front

The First Impression

Although Trés Carnes appears similar to the Chipotle Restaurant chain in concept – both are customer-driven steam-table operations –  the difference is that Trés Carnes’ smoked meat is totally amazing. Crazy tasty!

Like Chipotle, the options include burritos, wraps and bowls as delivery modes. The principal sides are also rice and beans, uniquely and distinctively seasoned with a Trés Carnes identity. The decor is Nuevo Southwest hip, with windows that open to counter height bringing an al fresco ambience to the decor, with southwestern wrought-iron and Western lettering. There are some items of Mexican street vendor variety available as fillings:

  • Street-cart Esquites
  • Smoky lime mayo,
  • cilantro, cotija, crema
  • Roasted chipotle Squash (v)
  • Roasted with red onions, honey & garlic
  • SMASHED & SMOKY GUAC
Tres Carnes Menu

Tres Carnes Menu

As a chronically veggie-maximizing foodhist wacko, my preference is always to see more vegetables of greater variety on any menu. If there were smoked eggplant, or some kind of habanero mango coleslaw, or stuffed jalapenos, I’d add em in a heartbeat. It would be nice to see piles of shredded lettuce, jicama with lime, or  shredded raw cabbage available to increase the micronutrient composition, fiber and water content of the wrap, burrito or bowl… maybe co-owner Sasha Shor (who I had the pleasure to meet when I was there) will hear my plea and add some more veggies to the offerings…:)

To those who want to eat healthy, but don’t want to abandon great taste, Trés Carnes is a fantastic option. There’s something primal and satisfying about the taste of slow smoke cooking… and their smoker is on premises, right in view as you order. Satisfying the craving for genuine barbecue (which is smoke cooking -  not  backyard grilling) in New York usually means a trip to Daisy May’s, Virgil’s, Brother Jimmy’s, Hill Country, Smoke, Sylvia’s, Dinosaur or some other favorite location and a commitment to fifteen hundred calories of hog fat, brown sugar and molasses. At Trés Carnes, the aficionado can have that experience in the context of a healthy, relatively light meal.

Off the Wall at Tres Carnes

Off the Wall at Tres Carnes

More veggies please! But gimme that hog! The brisket is killing too.

Go!

And leave a comment! Love to hear from you!

the food at Tres Carnes

Tres Carnes Staff in Action

Filed Under: high fiber, High Fiber Cooking, Recipes, Reviews, The Improvising Chef

Collards with Neck Bones

February 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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Collards with neck bones is a classic southern Soul Food dish, and maybe healthier than you think. The collards are highly nutritious, high in iron, vitamin K, folate, Omega 3′s, and other great stuff. The pork neckbones are tasty, loaded with nutrients, and pretty lean – although, the saturated fat they contain has been widely and wrongly vilified.

The most important criteria with healthy food is enjoyment. If it’s enjoyable, it’s sustainable. Here’s a great-tasting dish that’s crazy great for you!

Simmering down the collards and neck bones

Collards and pork neckbones in the pot

 

Browning the neck bones, onions, garlic and spices

Browning the neckbones, onions, garlic and spices

 

This is simple to make. Brown the neckbones in a pot, adding onions, garlic, bay leaves, mustard seed, cumin seed, salt and pepper. Wash, cut up, and add the collards. Cook over low heat – preferably over a diffuser – for several hours. Add some chili powder, cayenne, molasses and vinegar to taste. Serve with rice or cornbread. Enjoy!

Filed Under: high fiber, High Fiber Cooking, Recipes, The Improvising Chef

Road Food

October 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Koko Sugiyama, Paul Lieberman, Tom Becker, Jimm Hickey liked this post
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What do you do on the road (as a “healthy eater”)? is the question.

Tob o' Vegs

Raw cabbage, carrots, dried blueberries, and caraway seeds

Breakfast in a Pinch

Answer? Bring it!

The tub of veggies can serve as a container for reloads whenever you can find good fresh produce.

Or else, you’ll find yourself eating what you can find… which isn’t necessarily bad. To the left: 4 sides at Denny’s – poached eggs, grits, tomato and onion, and bacon.

Nuts can be found a lot of places, and are a life-saver, delivering tasty good nutrition in compact form.

Compact health food!

Always carry these!

 

 

 

Filed Under: High Fiber Cooking, Recipes, The Improvising Chef Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Reply to a plea

July 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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A person sent me a private message on Facebook, frustrated by all of the conflicting information about diet and health, looking for suggestions to help sort it all out. Here’s my reply -

“OK – Well, there’s a lot of great information out there. I’ve written a book about healthy eating. I’m not a “licensed nutritionist,” so I can only tell you what I know to be true for myself…. I’ve put a lot of recipes and stuff about food on my blog, and I have a site http://improvisingchef.com/ with a lot of information.

Short version: Maximize micronutrients (especially raw vegetables, berries, beans, nuts and seeds). Eat “pro-biotics” to help re-populate your gut to accommodate all the fresh food; you might have some discomfort and “side effects” as your gut cleans out. Probiotics include yogurt, kimchi, kombucha. There are other probiotic drinks out now, like probiotic coconut milk.

Cut out grains completely at first. Add them back in after your weight comes down and inflammation leaves your body. No sugar, no diet ANYTHING. No manufactured food in boxes or cans. No smoking! NO SODA!!! Drink LOTS of water, 24/7.

Fat is OK! Bacon is OK, just don’t go nuts (find it without nitrites if you can). Eggs are wonderful, and eat the yolks (Omega-3′s in them are really good). Try other savory foods like dried bonito flakes, tamari sauce, Ume plum paste, anchovies, Thai fish sauce. Steak is ok, but the best (grass-fed) is prohibitively expensive. I don’t eat it, usually. I’ll have chicken thighs, and love duck… but salmon, mackerel, and sardines are the best, as well as nuts and tofu for protein. Get enough protein, and don’t worry about fat. Fat actually boosts resting metabolic rate and helps you to lose weight!

Goals: Increase the water composition of diet (via vegetables and fruits) and eat diluted food (soups, stews). Increase micronutrients, and eliminate flour and sugar. Eat rice instead of wheat when you do add grains. Eat fruit and raw honey for sweet. Raw honey is GREAT… it promotes resistance to pollen allergies. Eat chocolate – raw if you can find it. Eat fresh and from the rainbow… and have FUN! Fresh foods taste great! And read my blog!

Also follow Dr Mark Hyman and Dr David Katz.

It’s going to be a great adventure into whole new worlds of taste!

Also – carry food with you, like an emergency plastic container of mixed nuts/dried fruits. When traveling, carry a plastic tub of cut-up raw vegetables and snack on them! Make good new habits and live in them.

Stay in touch!

Best
Jon

Veggie Tub

Filed Under: high fiber, High Fiber Cooking, Recipes, The Improvising Chef, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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