Homework Never Tasted So Good

I went to Grand Central Terminal today to do some research for my interior design class.  Part of our objective was to observe people and how they use the spaces, but we pretty much had to find out everything about the grand old terminal.  As my reverence for the building grew with every turn of the corner, so did my hunger.  If I were to find out everything about the place, I figured I needed to know what the food there tasted like.  I was craving a margarita too so I decided I would continue my "research" at Zocalo on the Dining Concourse level of the terminal.

I was planning to order just chips and salsa to go with my margarita, but what do you know?  I didn't even have to order it.  It was the first thing the waiter brought to the table as he greeted us.  Freshly fried tortilla chips... the only way to go when you're at a Mexican restaurant.  Well, since chips and salsa were gratis, I decided to get the quesadilla de bistec (steak quesadillas with roasted corn, mushrooms, and mexican cheeses) and a blood orange margarita.  The mushrooms didn't sound very appetizing in a quesadilla, but thank goodness I forgot to ask the waiter to leave it out.  They must have used portobello mushrooms, which added a whole other layer of flavor to the dish.  Besides the taste, I could barely tell the difference between the mushrooms and the steak; first of all, they were the same color and cut, and secondly, the beef was so tender.  Add a little green habanero sauce and it was perfect.

Now, a little hot must always be balanced by something that's a little cold... or a lot cold after having some of that habanero sauce.  I usually order my margaritas on the rocks in a salt rimmed glass, but Zocalo's frozen version was pretty yummy (even though they didn't rim the glass with salt).  It was blended to a super smoothness without leaving any gritty pieces of ice and the blood orange added a nice citrus twist to the traditional drink.  It was an absolutely perfect and necessary way to cool down my palate, and my research wouldn't be complete without it.