RESTAURANT 101

Stop by Mercadito this month and try Chef David Blonsky's smoked pork cheek taco as part of Chef Patricio Sandoval's Tacos for Strength campaign.

“It’s the taco lovechild of the best of Mexican and barbeque flavors," says Chef Blonsky, of Bull & Bear and Public House. More complex than many of the other tacos on Mercadito's menu, tender pork cheek is nestled in a housemade corn tortilla and topped with salsa verde and crispy shallots, queso fresco and espelette pepper. An order of four tacos is $16.50 at dinner and a lunch order of three is $12.50. Five percent of the proceeds from these tacos will go to Share Our Strength, dedicated to ending childhood hunger.

CULINARY OCCASIONS

We understand that for some of you foodies out there with a love for football, Super Bowl Sunday poses a dilemma on where to watch the game. Well, you have come to the right place for the solution. Here are some places that you can dine-in or take-out food during the game while satisfying your taste buds.

134 Reade Street 10013 212 941 9401

Iron Chef, Marc Forgione, will be turning his two-star restaurant into a casual bar by bringing in flat screens to watch the game on this Sunday. The menu will include a burger, spicy chicken wings, suckling pig sliders with $5 Miller High Life beers to wash them down. A DJ will also be part of this scene to get the party started.

DAILY BITES

New coffee blends and trends are already roasting in the new year as Starbucks switches from dark roasts to blondes and multiple celebrities, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, filmmaker David Lynch, Dave Mustaine from Megadeth and Lcd Soundsystem star James Murphy, enter the profitable industry.

After years of everyone being told by the coffee connoisseur that dark roasts are superior, coffee companies decided to attract a new market of coffee drinkers during this economic slump. This trend has already become a norm in many European countries, where they brew the blondes strong.

RESTAURANT 101

209 East 49th st. between 2nd and 3rd avenue 212 751 4545

Executive Chef Richard Sandoval opened a new tapas lounge located under another one of his venues, Pampano. This newly designed Mexican tapas bar offers 30 small plates, that are perfect for sharing, to go with their Latin-inspired wine list, tequila menu and eight different flavored sangrias.

474 Columbus Ave. 646-596-7434

DAILY BITES

My new favorite part of waking up is a breakfast of crunchy granola from Nature's Hand. Their flavors include Maple Pecan, Wild Blueberry, Cranberry Delight, Raisin Hazelnut, and Cinnamon Apple, my favorite of all. Nature's Hand is made in Minnesotra and they use quality ingredients, like real sugar, molasses and honey to sweeten the whole grain wheat and oats. I especailly love the plentiful sunflower seeds in the mix that add a sublte nutty flavor. None of their granola includes unpronounceable ingredients that look like they belong in science experiments.

RESTAURANT 101

Eater recently did a poll of the most underrated restaurants in NYC, according to their readers. After they mapped out a list of the Top 20 Most Underrated Restaurants in NYC, readers got a chance to give their opinion on the subject. 85 restaurants later, foodies got a view of what they're missing. The list definitely strikes a chord with us, especialy when it comes to Barrio Chino (some of the best Mexican food in NYC) and Rucola. We also love how the poll introduced us to dozens of restaurants that we haven't tried. What do you think of the list? Are some of your favorites on here?