The New Year is here, Manhattanites and NYC Lovers! What better way to kick off your New Year than with some incredibly delicious Mexican food, paired off with some incredible live music. Well look no further, because we have the place for you to go on Thursday nights. This is Tocolo Cantina, located about 15 minutes outside of Manhattan in the heart of Garden City, Long Island.
As a Long Island native, I am consistently looking for Manhattanites to travel a tad bit outside of their comfort zone and see that the suburbs located right next to them actually have a lot more than chain restaurants and annoyingly accented people. Tocolo Cantina, which just opened up last year, serves refined, and modern Mexican food in a casual atmosphere. Think of it as an elevated and much more unique tasting Taco Bell or my mecca (although the E-Coli thing is a bit much) Chipotle. This place was given high regards from The New York Times and Newsday for its cuisine and ambiance, so naturally they have something good going for themselves. Here is a bit more about Tocolo Cantina-
Per Rick Eberle- The restaurant space for Tocolo Cantina was designed to merge the modern elements of a California eatery with those of a Mexican cantina to create a warm and inviting feel. It is fit with encaustic tile, copper walls, a lively bar in the center of the room, and a hydraulic garage door that forms an outdoor canopy when opened.
All great Mexican food begins with the tortillas and masa, and the Chefs take great pride in preparing these items fresh every day resulting in flavors that perfectly accent the different tastes of each dish. Tocolo’s menu incorporates both traditional Mexican fare and their own modern interpretations of customary dishes. The menu’s mix of small and large plates, as well as its two large communal dining tables, hopes to inspire long celebrations over food.
Since no great cantina is complete without a lively bar and lofty cocktail program, Tocolo Cantina promises to deliver the best margaritas and sangrias around. The bar offers delicious specialty drinks, as well as a large selection of premium tequilas and mezcals.
Now, every Thursday night, Tocolo Cantina will be adding live music Thursday nights with their “Thursday Night Music Club at Tocolo”, between 7-10 PM. Get your grub and jam on with these upcoming performers, starting this coming Thursday night-
Thursday, Jan 7th- Gail Storm
Thursday, Jan 14th– Phil Smith of The 90’s Band
Thursday, Jan 21st– Jesse Andrews
Thursday, Jan 28th– Ryan Dobby
Thursday, Feb 4th– Tom San Filippo
Thursday, Feb 11th– Handful of Chords
Thursday, Feb 18th– Paul Mahos of New Life Crisis
Thursday, Feb 25th– Danielle Brogna of The Breakfast Club Band
More information is available on Tocolo Cantina’s website. Happy New Year everyone and take some time out of your busy return to work this week for some food and fun!