We ate Acapulco: Food and Politics

Vacation in Mexico with the van Fleet brothers - what more could a girl ask for? Margaritas, sun, good food and company. Simple. Except the travel books that Ryan and I had doggedly studied all had disclaimers for Acapulco, concluding that, "She's a diva past her prime". In the fifties Acapulco tourism was defined by its small hotels built on the cliffs overlooking the bay, Pacific landscape and the city. Then the new, huge all-inclusive resorts on the beach came in.

The brothers and I spent a timeshare week at the Grand Mayan, one of these mega-complexes and lived like pseudo Mayan royalty, tanning and sipping the daily fruity cocktail by the pool. This was by day. By night, we left resort-land, making a good effort to find our food experiences by asking taxi drivers and the resort staff for recommendations. The travel books could not be trusted, because they generally led us to the turistico and "international" places we were trying to avoid.

First, travel with us outside the resort, beyond the "largest golf course in Mexico" and "biggest pool in the world." Looming ahead is a mammoth Super Wal-Mart and a bit further down the road mixed in with the Acapulcan madness is a McDonald's, KFC, and Starbucks. You have to wonder what places like Acapulco would look like if at least in the food realm they were left to evolve independent of middle-America eating and buying.

But, this is as far as I'll go with the editorializing on tourism and local economies and will let the food and politics speak for itself.


La Lomita and La Tejamil: When we told our cab driver we wanted to go to La Lomita, he told us he'd wait for us in the taxi while we ate. Cabs didn't pass by these restaurants outside the boundary of Acapulco tourism. In fact, we drove several miles down roads in very poor neighborhoods - the sturdiest structure for miles had been the ubiquitous Coca-Cola factory, standing prisonous with armed guards in front. La Lomita was completely deserted at eight in the evening. They weren't serving food. Next door, La Tejamil looked the same, but they were open. The brightly painted pavilion was emtpy but for us, crickets chirping outside, neighborhood dogs barking, and crazy game shows on the TV. What we later learned, after some deliciously strong margaritas, salty queso fundido, fresh guacamole, "little birds" and fish tacos and was that los jueves and los domingos are the days and nights to go to both places for lively music and lots of food and people. We never did make it back for los jueves, so to us it remains a food mystery unsolved, and we are left to imagine how fantastic it must be.

La Tortuga: By far the best place where we ate, and in fact we went twice. It's nicely tucked away into a hillside away from all the hustle and bustle. It's a space in which you don't know exactly where it begins and ends - there are no walls but one, and tables strewn about on the bi-level patio under fauna and outdoor ceiling fans. It's a quiet and happy place. Our server was very kind and attentive and remembered us the second time we came. We shared combination platters with tostadas, enchiladas, chiles rellenos, guacamole, and frijoles. The sopa de tortilla was a meal on it's own, chiles just over the brim of comfortably spicy, cooled off with slices of avocado and melted cheese. Then out came the helado coco (coconut ice cream) with toasted coconute flakes and drizzled with a coffee liqueur. Sigh. We also had this marvelous liqueur in our coffee. This was the closest we came to food heaven the entire week.


La Perla/La Quebrada: On a day of sightseeing around the city, our cab driver took us to La Quebrada, the cliffs where for over fifty years divers have jumped from daring heights into treacherous sea water. And this is good entertainment, so we watched from a hotel restaurant built into the cliffs, drinking cervezas and eating tacos with a bird's eye view of the spectacle. It was food with a view.

It's true that the diva is well past her prime, but she can create an amazing food effect.



La Tortuga Restaurante-Bar
Avenida Lomas Del Mar 5
Acapulco, MX 39690, GRO
Since 1960
Tel. 52-744-4-84-69-85

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The grilled cheese experience has come in many flavors in my life. And it's always paired with tomato soup. I don't have any deductive clue as to how this became the standard, but it inarguably works. We'll start with the absolute worst, but indulgent best of grilled cheese - the school cafeteria-white bread-american "cheese" type of sandwich. Paired with thinned out pseudo-tomato soup. And Oyster crackers. Blech - I cringe to think of it now, but in the days of my public school youth, that was the day to get hot lunch.

Then I found out that grilled cheese could actually be quality upon eating the antithesis of the school lunch variety. My Western Maryland hometown had a restaurant called Gandalf's where all the college-hippy and professor types went for delicious-healthy food. This grilled cheese had big, thick multi-grain bread and your choice of two cheeses melting inside, plus caramelized onions, pickles and tomatoes, if you wanted it delux. It was three inches thick. And the accompanying soup, African peanut stew, was a thick and nutty blend of tomatoes and peanut butter. $5 combo. Very unfortunately, Gandalf's caught fire, thus the end of the very high point of grilled cheeses for me.

Now Nathan has brought me to a restaurant in the city that's entirely dedicated to grilled cheese - Say Cheese. We went there last weekend after spending nearly an hour on the phone, hungry, and deciding where to eat for dinner. Don't ask me how we ended up with grilled cheese after deciding on French, but there we were at the edge of the Manhattan earth, the lone diners on Saturday night, in what is probably a hot Hell's Kitchen lunch spot. Kind of like a surreal episode of the last lunchers. It was no Gandalf's. But it was delicious. And they treated us better than the French restaurant would have. The sandwiches are pressed in a grill and oozing the filling. Mine had jack cheese, onions, and roasted red peppers. We shared the very good tomato-cheddar soup.

Long live the grilled cheese!

Say Cheese!
649 9th Ave (Between 45th and 46th Sts)
Hell's Kitchen, New York
212-265-8840

Kitchenette

If you want urban farmhouse food, Kitchenette is the place. Gingham, pink, flowers, cookies and cupcakes - there, you are surrounded by all of those things. That's about as farmhouse as you can get in the middle of the city.

Ryan and I had a recent Sunday brunch there, sitting on bar stools at the counter and staring directly at the frosted layer cakes at eye level display. I had a fantastic omelet with turkey, pepper jack and apples, along with a delicious biscuit smothered in pink strawberry butter. The most adorable brunch you have ever eaten. The brunch menu is overwhelmingly packed with homey-sounding things like mixed-berry pancakes and cottage breakfast (scrambled eggs with bacon and cheddar and dill onion toast). Soups are great, and sandwiches are always overstuffed and flavorful. You will leave with a Belly-ette.

There are two locations, one downtown in TriBeCa and one in Morningside Heights, so whenever I'm feeling indulgent and leisurely, I take my lunch there and bring a cookie back to work.

Kitchenette Uptown
1272 Amsterdam Ave (between 122nd and 123rd Sts)
Morningside Heights, New York
212-531-7600

Kitchenette
156 Chambers St. (and Greenwich St)
TriBeCa, New York
212-267-6740

Double Feature: Bar Toto and Burger Joint

Well, should I get the urge, I know who to call to grab a burger. Carlos and I have had a couple of great burgers lately. But we need to soon eat some salad to thus avoid major growth in the tummy region.

Bar Toto is the place to go on a nice spring or summer night when you can sit on the patio forever drinking white wine and eating panini burgers. It's a relaxed brasserie atmosphere inside, and if the doors are open, and breeze is coming through, life is perfect. Big mirrors and windows, cool little black and white tiles, and the buzzing sound of people enjoying themselves. It definitely feels like a neighborhood spot, and you see the owner saying a lot of hellos throughout the evening.

The panini burgers are fantastic. Toto burger is gorgonzola and red onion between a crispy, grilled flat bread. Big stack of thin crispy fries. I've rarely been beyond the burger, but the rest of the menu is mostly pasta and panini and some great-sounding antipasti and ensalate.

Upon departing, the Toto effect sets in and you must walk very slowly back up the Slope.

Bar Toto
411 11th St. (at 6th Ave)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-768-4698
www.bartoto.com

Burger Joint is another planet. My co-workers and I first "discovered" this place when working one night we experienced a mass burger craving. Googling for burgers in the Columbus Circle neighborhood will leave you almost dry except for here. We had the address but wandered up and down the block looking and asking around until a concierge pointed us to Le fancy pants Parker Meridien Hotel.

If you are suitcaseless, they might look at you funny, but walk confidently past the front desk to the floor to ceiling curtains in the lobby, which conceal a burger joint, circa timeless mid-West. Turn right at neon burger sign. Wood paneling, movie posters, good music, burger flippers with attitude. The menu is hamburger, cheeseburger, french fries, shake. They have 1-2-3 instructions on how to best order: hamburger or cheeseburger, how you want it cooked and what you want on it. Don't mess with the system.

It's all super delicious. They have won many awards. I've known people to become addicted and find themselves going back again and again.

Burger Joint
119 56th St (between 6th and 7th Aves)
(in Le Parker Meridien lobby)
Mid-town West, New York
212-708-7414

photo: Carlos

Where am I eating? Milan's...

Michelle, Christian and I crossed the Park Slope boundary into Sunset Park on 5th Ave and went to one of the only Slovakian/Czech restaurants in the city. Outside, we had one of those great moments where the group pauses and debates (mentally and with each other) about whether to go in.
We went in.

None of us could have dreamed up this place. Actually, we better shake out of the Park Slope brainwash because separately we had all imagined a trendy German place, 5th ave style, dark wood tables and bar with perhaps a log cabin-like interior. Thought I might mingle a little with 20-somethings neighborhood folk at the buzzin' bar.

It was all green inside - green walls, green floors, green checkered tableclothes. Briiight lights. We were the only customers. All the Milan "Guys" were at the congregated at the back table.

I think Milan himself waited on us. He brought out heavy, saucy, dense foods. Luckily it had been raining all day and we were all set for the stick to your ribs type of food. Michelle said that Christian's stuck to him for most of the weekend. We had potato pancakes, goulash, saurkraut, potatoes, meat, and dumplings - which are not what you think but is in fact steamed bread. And we had Czech beer. We all liked the beer.

Buuut, the food is not for everyone. However, if you are a fan, this place has been reviewed favorably for certain dishes. Supposedly, when in town, famous Slavs go there to eat.

Milan's
710 5th Ave (between 22nd and 23rd Sts)
Sunset Park, Brooklyn
New York
718-788-7384
http://www.milanrestaurantny.com/

Brazil and Cupcakes

Now that the weather is getting better, we're moving into hunting and gathering mode in the West Village. I'm not looking for berries, but in that neighborhood you're often looking for the "great restaurant" of which you are "pretty sure" of the location. It's like a fun food challenge.

Emilia was pretty sure she knew where the great Delicia Brazil was, one nice Friday evening. Sebastian and I followed our friend and her intuition through the streets until she found the tiny, basement level bungalow-esque Brazilian restaurant...somewhere around there.

We sat right down at prime time and had a GREAT meal. It was a long wait for the food. But if you are with good people and willing to drink caipirinhas while drawing with crayons on the paper tablecloth, then all is worth it. We were also entertained and paying very close attention to a table full of stunningly attractive Latin American men across the room. We found one for each of us without much trouble.

Our appetizer came by the time the real hunger set in. Pao De Quiejo - if you like bread and cheese married in one fluffy roll, this is perfect. For the main plate, I had Camarao Na Moranga - shrimp, onions, tomatoes, red pepper in coconut cream sauce over baked butternut squash. Oh, it was divine. They have other traditional Brazilian stews, and a prix fix that includes appetizer, main dish, and dessert.

On our way out of the West Village we stopped for midnight cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery, which in cupcake-craze land is famously one of the first places to really showcase the treat in NYC. According to my cupcake research, I find there are several other places in the city that are perhaps an outgrowth of the Magnolia genius. So, I will keep eating them. And I'm happy to forage in the West Village any time.


Delicia Brazil
311 W 11th St (between Greenwich and Washington Sts)
West Village, NY
212-242-2002

Magnolia Bakery
401 Bleeker St (and W 11th St)
West Village, NY
212-462-2572

From the archives: Malatesta Trattoria

I eat much faster than I write, therefore sometimes food experiences get backed up. This is good for a night like tonight, when it would be very boring for everyone to read about my leftovers. I can recall one of my last great meals and give you all a new restaurant to try.

So if you're not tired of hearing about Italian food, I will tell you about Malatesta. Nathan and I went there on a recent Sunday night.

Malatesta can be kind of fun to find, like a game of wandering 'round the tilted perpendiculars of the West Village. I mean, fun if you're not starving like Nathan was, but thankfully he has a good sense of humor and believes I will eventually lead him to good food. Enter the cozy, glowing oasis on the corner of Washington and Christopher Streets and have a seat. It's a buzzing atmosphere (how else do you describe people having a good time?) with at least one incredibly handsome waiter. He will give you extensive eye contact if you do the same.

We started with verdure alla griglia and a crostini misti with four different toppings - a funghi, gorgonzola, bruschetta and a proscuitto with fresh mozzarella. The gorgonzola had eye rolling qualities, meaning look slowly toward ceiling and wish you never had to swallow. We sipped on a carafe of Pinot Grigio and had our usual great conversation. Out came the pasta - I had a spinach gnocchi soaking in a sauce of that amazing gorgonzola. For dessert a perfectly light and creamy panna cotta with strawberry sauce. Nothing fancy, any of it, just really satisfyingly delicious. Afterward we somehow found our way back through the West Village again and spent several more hours at the favorite V Bar with the good wine, Lambic Framboise and perfect atmosphere. Here's to Sunday evening - may it never be spent in front of a television.

Malatesta Trattoria
649 Washington St and Christopher St.
West-West Village, New York
212-741-1207

Chiles y Chocolate

I am very into food combinations, especially unlikely ones. To most, the idea of putting together chilies and chocolate in a suace is a strange one. But at a very fundamental level, you have the hot and the sweet coming together. And not just sitting in the same dish, but melding together in a most sensually complex way. And thus you have: mole.

Carlos and I had been wanting to try this new Oaxacan restaurant in Park Slope for some time now. Well, for a few weeks. But those weeks are interminable when mole is on the other end. Chiles y Chocolate is a tiny, narrow place that is painted entirely in the rich brown, almost mahogany, shade of mole. Tables are small and round, and we were lucky enough to sit on a pedestal in the window, overlooking the entire mole scene.


We started with the quesadillas antiguas with a vegetable filling of huitlacoche ragout (smoky little mushrooms) and nice, melty cheese. We ordered two entrees to share, the mole negro and a mahi mahi with chipotle, chocolate and mango salsa. My mahi mahi came from the platos modernos side of the menu and Carlos's mole from the platos tradicionales side. I have to say, tradition is far superior to modernity in this case. The fish and its sauce sounded potentially amazing, and had beautiful presentation, but ultimately tasted like not much of anything.

But the mole.

It defies description.



Just go there and consume it.

For dessert we had tamales dulces with oaxacan chocolate and raisin filling. Oh, wow. And wash that down with the namesake chiles y chocolate drink with chipotle essence spread lightly on the inside of the cup. The sweet and spicy goes on forever at this place.

Chiles y Chocolate
54 7th Ave and Lincoln Place
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-230-7700

Photo credits: Carlos

Thursday is the new Friday

Thursday was one of those great nights of food, drink and perfect company. And I had all my fun within a 5 block radius. After work Ann took me to Al di La for a glass of wine - I can't wait to go back there to eat. It's one of those neighborhood places - everyone knew Ann and the staff is super friendly. Of course, she is the poster child for Al di La after appearing in the picture accompanying the NY Times review last year. They don't take reservations and are very small, but their new wine bar helps prevent the people back up during dinner. While sipping our marvelous whites Ann pointed out some of her favorites on the dinner menu - more to come on this fine place of Northern Italian food. Then we walked over to her house so I could get the low-down on house and poodle sitting, and the pots, pans and utensils I'll be needing for my upcoming Italian Spring Dinner Party! I have to say, the setting will be perfect for feasting and friends.

I then ran over a couple blocks to Rose Water on Union St, to meet Alix and Livy for another Brooklyn restaurant week pick. It was not easy to get a normal reservation time for dinner, but Alix had managed to do so. Rose Water focuses on American Nouveau - seasonal, local, organic and satiating taste buds. We started with a WONDERFUL white German wine, of which I've forgotten the name (anyone want to sponsor my wine education?) and absolutely superior bread, a little saltiness on the crust and dipped in olive oil and a fantastic white bean spread - the most nuanced of flavors.

For the prix fixe, there was an impressive array to choose from - I started with a chick pea stew, which included a giant, flavorful cheese-stuffed falafel. Golden roasted chicken for my entree, with sweetly sauteed mushrooms - I was already getting too full to finish, but we then ordered dessert, sharing all three: a chocolate peanut butter cake, apple fritter, and a vanilla cheesecake...ohhhh, myyyy.


Then hopped down the block to Union Hall to meet Erin and Nick for a drink. Union Hall is enormous. Despite it's size, it's always packed. Of course, there are many diversions, including a music venue on the lower level and bocce court on the upper level. That's right - the twenty-somethings of Brooklyn evidently know their Bocce. It's a great place to hang out with your pals, with several areas of comfy seating and even a pseudo library and fireplace. A patio is on the side for those much anticipated summer days.

Ah, Thursday night. I think that explains why on Friday night I fell asleep to a movie rental...

Al di La
284 5th Ave (and Union St.)
Park Slope, Brooklyn

http://www.aldilatrattoria.com/

Rose Water
787 Union St (between 5th and 6th Aves)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-783-3800

Union Hall
702 Union St (and 5th Ave)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-638-4300
http://unionhallny.com/

Yuca Bar

I had eaten tons of food all weekend, but I'm glad Justin pressed for the Yuca Bar Sunday brunch. It's prix fixe for $12: brunch cocktail, coffee and a humongous plate of "pan-Latino" food. But that's not all. Yuca Bar is very good at atmosphere - it strikes what I think is a 1970's Cuban appeal. Everything inside has hues of golden yellow and orange - the walls, the pictures, the fresh orange juice, and the mimosas. Music is always good and usually Cuban. Justin's bloody mary was a work pop art - tall glass, deep red-orange juice with a vibrant green celery stalk and bright yellow lemon wedge suspended artfully.

I had a giant scrambled eggs burrito with jack cheese and bits of chorizo, fresh pico de gallo and guacamole on top, and yuca hash browns on the side. One cannot go wrong. We were very full at the end, so we started a nice long slow walk through the city, striving for the calmer parts so as not to disturb the digestive tract. Luckily, it was a warm and sunny day.

As soon as it turns Spring in New York the performance artists come out of the subways and into the parks. On our meander from the east to the west side, we had free entertainment everywhere. The real prize winner was probably the (ahem) talented young lady at Chelsea Pier who was singing her heart out about...it wasn't clear exactly. But it was passionate, without pause and improv Broadway-style, if there is such a thing. We, um, then decided it was time to head back to the train.

Yuca Bar: Cucina Latina
111 Avenue A (and 7th St)
East Village, New York
212-982-9553
http://www.yucabarnyc.com/

Assenzio - Tanti auguri a te!

I have an unfair affinity for Italian food. It cannot be helped. On Saturday we went to Assenzio, a Sardinian charmer in the East Village. I'm sorry that I forgot my camera for the whole of this food weekend, so I will test my descriptive writing skills.

I would camp out at Assenzio for a long time. Pitch a tent and eat the antipasti all day. Tables are all crammed together in a cozily lit room with light sea foam green walls and (probably) creaky wooden floors. Italian phrases scripted on the walls, with little candles lighting your way. You must go here. We were a good-sized party celebrating two birthdays, and we were lucky to get a table in a little alcove.

Our jubilantly tall Italian waiter taught us the Happy Birthday song in Italian and came to check on us many times. He was cheery, brought us good wine, and we had great fun.

The sun-dried tomato and olive oil spread on bread made me deliriously happy. I must try to replicate this. We shared lightly battered calamari and zuchinni with a tomato sauce for antipasti, along with a melted hunk of mozzarella between grilled slices of juicy portobello. For primi, I had a perfectly al dente fusilli with tuna, capers, and olives. Although I thought all together it would be very salty, it was in fact truly balanced. Dulci? We shared three among us: a pear tart, fried bananas crusted in cinnamon and sugar, and a chocolatey chocolate tort, all with gelato on the side for good scooping.

We walked over to Avenue C and in true birthday fashion, tried to go dancing. Maybe it was too much pasta, so we finally settled at Yum Schneider, a wonderful German bar. With a disco ball and stuffed animals perched in paper mache trees, it's certainly peculiar. But very nice and with a wide range of German beers and food. If only my pasta has not expanded, I would have sampled more...

Buon compleanno, Ryan and Brad!

Assenzio
205 E 4th St (between Avenues A and B)
East Village, New York
212-677-9466


Yum Schneider
229 E 7th St and Avenue C
East Village, New York
212-598-1098
www.yumschneider.com

Scottadito

Brooklyn restaurant week is a genius invention. It means you can get a three course meal at any number of fantastic places for a reasonable $21.12. The only flaw is that it does not include wine or dessert, which we know must come with every meal.

My charming party was a bit late for our dinner at Scottadito, osteria Toscana, but that gave me some serendipitous time at the bar to eavesdrop for a moment...The lovely and very pregnant bartender and a man that appeared to be a neighborhood regular were having an agreeable exchange in Italian. I have no idea what they were saying, but it was something about good food and life, I'm sure.

Turns out the restaurant is new to the neighborhood, though I was so sure it had been around forever - it looks comfortably settled in, with sturdy butcher block tables, worn brick walls and low, heavy wood beams. Like a homey cave of good food and nice, mellow tunes - anywhere from Dean Martin to Brazilian bossa nova. My friends and I sat by the front window, which is huge and looks out onto Union St in Park Slope.

Delicious food, of course. For antipasti, a vegetable souffle in a pool of tomato and basil coulis. For primi, an orecchiette with beets, arugula, black olives and ricotta salata. Orecchiette is a thin, ear-shaped pasta named for it's shape - orecchio is "ear" in Italian (both vocabulary and stomach grow). For secondi, a nice tilapia coated with dry herbs, along with steamed greens. We drank a delightful Montepulciano and for dulci, a heavenly tort of rich dark chocolate and some creamy chocolate gelato, with our steamy lattes and cappucinos.

Also for dessert we had a deeply involved and intense discussion about the concept of the moustache - what it symbolizes, it's shifting power dynamic, and the female equivalant. Everyone had an impassioned opinion on this topic, and by the end we were no closer to consensus. The Italianness of Scottadito must have rubbed off on us!

Scottadito
788 Union St (between 6th and 7th Aves)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
New York
718-636-4800
http://www.scottadito.com/

Forecast: food, snow and sleet

Mid-march and we have an actual snowstorm in NYC. The whole day I was buried in my scarf, hiding from little beaming ice pellets and avoiding giant piles of snow and slush. Ryan and I planned to meet at BAM cafe after work, have a little dinner and go back downstairs to the theater to catch a movie, thus smartly avoiding more wintery mix.

We walked into the hugely cavernous cafe, looking forward to the menu, but saw empty tables full of empty wine glasses. It looked like a mass exodus had just occurred. It was 10 minutes of feeling semi-strange as waitstaff were cleaning before we found out that the kitchen had just closed. The people before us had ate, drank and scurried into the theater. Whoops. The best laid plans...

No worries. We went back outside and trudged through the ice and snow to nearby Pequena.

The only thing about Pequena that's actually small is the restaurant itself. The plates are huge. I don't know how authentically Mexican the food is, but I'm always happy eating there. Little tables are crowded into a small colorful space with el Dia de los Muertos figurines and little twinkly rose lights.

We were pre-celebrating Ryan's birthday (more food and fun coming next week!) and after two minutes of sipping our deliciously tart margaritas, the entire table was full of food for us to share. There was some serious rearranging to get everything to fit. And we were faced with a food challenge: eat everything in 30 minutes in order to make the movie. Fish tacos with chipotle mayo in soft corn tortillas, rice and black beans, and a plate of sweet plantains, guacamole, and pico de gallo with hot tortilla chips to scoop it all up. Needless to say, we packed in quite a bit and ran to the movie.

It's cash only - thus one more dash through snow and ice to an ATM. Then a quick hustle through the messy streets and sidewalks to get back to BAM. Wet socks and shoes, but great dinner and movie. The movie, The Lives of Others (Leber der Anderen) was brilliant and beautiful.

Pequena
86 S Portland Ave (at Lafayette Ave)
Ft. Greene, Brooklyn
New York
718-643-0000

The Lives of Others (Leben der Anderen) - in German with English subtitles
http://www.sonyclassics.com/thelivesofothers/

Remembering Sunday Brunch...

Every week I start anticipating the weekend by Tuesday. Since the next weekend food adventure seems light years away, I simply have to recall the past until the future arrives...this past weekend Ryan and I met for brunch at Caracas, a Venezuelan restaurant in the East Village. This place opened in a storefront the size of a small bathroom and then after some time of taming the hungry, drooling crowds that gathered nightly outside, the owners expanded to the much larger (still pretty cramped) space next door. Caracas has a happy and colorful decor, bright table clothes with giant flower and fruit pattens, and big painted murals on the walls.

Here is the thing about Caracas: if you go there once and eat an arepa, afterward you will suffer strange cravings and urges to return. Arepas are foods you do not cross paths with often. That said, if you see one, eat it - a semi-sweet corn cake with any number of meat, vegetable or cheese items stuffed inside. My favorite has a combination of ripened and sweet avocado, black beans, sweet plantains, and a soft, fresh cheese inside that is dyno-mite. When I say dynamite, I mean you could literally explode with happiness. Also try their appetizers - Emilia and I have shared some favorites: tequenos (little fried cheese sticks), tajadas (fried sweet plantains and cheese), guasacaca and chips (Venezuelan guacamole and plantain chips), or ensalada la acida (multi-bean and corn salad with a puckering lemon dressing).

Last Sunday after Ryan and I unsuccessfully tried to get a table for brunch at Yuca Bar (another favorite place), we walked down the block to Caracas at prime time and sat right down. Ah, desayuno. I had un plato muy delicioso. An big plate of the favorite fillings listed above, plus perico - eggs with peppers, tomatoes and onions - and a big glass of sweet passion fruit juice. Life is good.

Caracas Arepa Bar
93 1/2 E 7th St (between 1st Ave and Ave A)
212-529-2314

Caracas To-Go
91 E 7th St
East Village, NY
212-228-5062

www.caracasarepabar.com

Melt - in your mouth?

Melt does not look typically Park Slope. It's very stylized, both on the plate and in the interior. Bare walls are semi-cozy feeling, some a dark chocolate brown, others ivory. Warm lighting, spare-looking tables and chairs. Furniture and lack of decor shows the dichotomy of both straight edge and curvy lines. This would make sense if you saw it.

The inside of Melt inspired a conversation among Alix, Colin and I about design and architecture - we observed that despite living in one of the boldest, fastest moving cities in the world, New York does not go leaps and bounds ahead in architecture. Where are the crazy, sleekly curvaceous buildings we all think of as futuristic? Even super laid back Seattle has a space needle. Mystery unsolved.

So the food...I am never quite sure about "New American" food - it usually looks good but falls short and feels sadly overpriced. However, the lightly fried goat cheese ravioli that we shared on a salad of arugula, almonds and stewed yellow tomatoes was top-notch appetizer. A sensation surprisingly peppery mingled with the goat cheese. My salmon main plate was artfully arranged AND delicious - a compact stack of fish, under teepee-ed asparagus and sprigs of thyme standing like a flag on new land, all resting on a soft plop of whipped potatoes and ginger infused spinach. Modern architecture and design?

The co-owner told us the various meanings of Melt after we mused over coffee and inquired - a melting of flavors, the American melting pot of cultures and also the "sensation of melting". I had a hard time with that one, but Colin had an example: like when you come in from the freezing outdoors and your ears and fingers are painfully cold but the heat of your home and your chocolate drink warms and tingles you. That's "melt".

Melt
440 Bergen St (between 5th and 6th Aves)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
New York
718-230-5925

Max Caffe

Happy hour is best spent at Max Caffe. There is simply no contest. It's the winner, with only two possible hours during the week to celebrate - Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:00 - 6:00. This signifies that all wines are 1/2 price!

Max also wins the ambiance contest - comfy, vintage-style chairs and couches, grouped around scratched and worn coffee tables (read: a good trip to the thrift store). A scuffy wood floor, giant mirrors and big art on warm red and brick walls. Mellow bossa nova pipes through the spacious room. Lights lower as six o'clock nears.



Friday evening James and I had a (ahem) business meeting, starting there shortly after 5:00. I had the sweet Nero D'Avola and shared my favorite Antipasto di Verdure, a plate of - clearly - heaven-sent grilled crisp and buttery zuchinni, asparagus, yellow peppers, and carrots, paired with fresh, soft and salty mozzarella and crusty italian bread. See what I mean by no contest? Happy hour is normally spent getting increasingly sloshed and hungry at the same time. Oh, not here. Buzz comes slowly, in style and comfort.

Max is a coffee house, cafe and wine bar. Thus, it is suitable for all hours of the day. Also, it is two blocks from work, so I have tried all the various hours, sampling their excellent cappucino, panini, wine, and antipasti. But hmm...have not yet consumed dessert there...

You will leave feeling...discerning: After just one glass at Max, my friends have come up with brilliant observations - once Katie mused that, "Strangeness supercedes structure." Mull over that - it can be applied to almost any situation. Emilia and I have dissected our boy situations over countless glasses of the Montepulciano, always emerging with absolute clairvoyance. Or feeling...better.

Max Caffe
1262 Amsterdam Ave (at 122nd St)
Morningside Heights, New York
212-531-1210
http://maxsoha.com/caffe_home.html

Superfine and the Brooklyn Winter Hoedown

String Bands + Food and Drink = a good weekend. The 3rd Annual Brooklyn Winter Hoedown was held this year at Superfine. If ever New York has you feeling claustrophobic in tiny bars and restaurants, might I recommend this spacious, likely former warehouse in DUMBO. It's a bit hard to pin down the theme: huge and colorful abstract art, long strands of blue bulbs and giant paper lanterns hang from the ceiling. With its hewn wood floors and barn high ceilings, Eric thought maybe the theme was "Whaling Town." It could be true - we spotted quite a few whaling types there for the shows and food on Saturday.

I spent both Saturday night and Sunday evening this weekend among the yeehaws and cowboy boots, soaking in the bluegrass and string bands with some snacking on the side. Sunday I had a superfine burger with jack and all the fixings, and delightful little shoestring fries, along with the day's special brown ale. I also had one divine bite of Nick's Ginger Creme Brulee. Genius.

Superfine boasts about its seasonal menu, local ingredients and grass-fed beef. That makes me feel mighty fine. And it must be true because the menu is written on a dry-erase board that changes and travels from table to table. What a great reason to go back for the Bluegrass Brunch held every Sunday!


By 8PM on Sunday, full and happy with a table full of fun friends and my favorite Brooklyn string band playing, I declared that I shall learn to play the banjo. You never know what the food effect may be.

Superfine
126 Front St (at Pearl St)
DUMBO, Brooklyn
New York
718-243-9005

The M Shanghai String Band
www.mshanghaistringband.com

Sotto Voce

, a little Italian place in Park Slope. Warm colored orange and brick walls, with black and white photos hanging - it's very simple and friendly. Abby and I met there for Sunday brunch. If you cannot decide between pasta or more typical brunch fare, you don't have to! While some brunch menus are spare, this one is a huge list and would be good for any food mood. I had a giant plate of smoked salmon on toasted bread with cream cheese, tomatoes and capers. Mmm, salty and filling. Abby's challah french toast was a delicious-looking mountain of fluffy bread and fresh fruit. We chatted about updates in life, school and travel and determined our next Brooklyn brunch spot after Abby's spring tour of Europe's fashion capitals!

Sotto Voce
225 7th Ave (and 4th St)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
New York
718-369-9322
http://sottovocerestaurant.com/

Salam Café

Nathan is one of the best people to go out to eat with. He will make with you the same eyes closed, half smile expression of "Oh, THIS is good," when eating something notable. We went to Salam Café, a Northern African-Middle Eastern restaurant in the West Village. All the tables are made of lovely mosaic, and the ambiance is laid-back and cozy - lots of curtains, mirrors, colorful lights and wall hangings.

Our waiter kindly left me the menu after ordering so I could take the perfect picture of the copper relief bearing "Salam," or "peace" in Syrian, he told us. Oh, peace it was. We started with the slightly tangy homos (hummos) and toasty pita. Nathan declared it was the best he'd ever had. For dinner, he had the Moroccan cous cous with shrimp, and I had the vegetable Ouzi, a phyllo "pastry" filled with rice and raisins, zucchini, eggplant, carrots and spinach. When I asked the waiter how to pronounce the name of the dish, he said, "It's easy. "Oozey." Ouzi is easy and delightful - the flavors were incredibly subtle, all melded together, and I wish I would have asked which spices were working the magic. Cinnamon, tumeric, cumin, ginger, pepper, paprika, anis seed, parsley, coriander, saffron and mint are the basis for Moroccan cooking [Wikipedia].

Out came the dessert special - a vanilla mousse-like almond and pistachio layer cake, with a plop of cinnamon ice cream and two little dark truffles. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Afterword, we walked down the cold and windy 6th Avenue to the V Bar, one of my favorite places in the city. It's a small wine, beer and coffee bar that is the ultimate comfortable, casual hangout. Muted globes of light hang from the ceiling, the side wall is lined with books about theater and philosophy, and couples and friends gather around a long, high table with with tall bar stools. I normally go on a Sunday evening, when it's not empty, but not too full either. This Friday it was packed and it was a challenge for Nathan and I to have our typical philosophical and theoretical discussions - but we still managed to have a good talk about what "home" is. For the sake of the food effect, home is simply good food and good friends. Nathan stuck with his fave Belgium, Lindeman's Framboise, while I tried two reds - a peppery Cannonau and a more sweet Rioja. Mmm, good night, New York.


Salam Café
104 W. 13th St. (between Sixth and Seventh Aves)
West Village, New York
New York
212-741-0277

V Bar
225 Sullivan St. (between W 3rd and Bleeker)
West Village, New York
New York
212-253-5740
http://vbar.net

Zoma

To celebrate Ann's birthday and give Katie a good send-off, Ann, Jamel, Katie and I went to Zoma, a new Ethiopian restaurant in Harlem. It was a cold walk there through Morningside Park, but the space inside was lit like a warm, white space-age womb. With little candles, low-lights and a minimalist-artifact decor, it was not your typical Harlem or Ethiopia, really.

I have only had Ethiopian food once or twice and am usually mystified by injera, the flat, spongy bread used to scoop and sop up the wat, or stew, dishes plopped colorfully on top of it. Injera has a slightly acidic taste and is not the type of bread to eat by itself. I've decided injera is not the end, but rather the means to a delicious food experience. I'm not sure what Ethiopia intended, however. Perhaps after my formal food education I will find out; for now I will use food sites on the internet.

We all shared a vegetarian combination platter, and along with it we had glasses of Tej, or honey-wine. Ahhh, tastes like a summery sweet nectar. I only wish I remember or knew exactly what was on the platter, but I can say it was several wats of lentils, carrots, cabbage, and collard greens and chickpeas. Spices were paprika, salt, ginger, onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, pepper, coriander, and fenugreek, all typical of Ethiopia and together making up Berbere, the thick red paste. Some wats were made with Niter Kebbeh, a butter of onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, clove, and nutmeg. What a nice grocery list of foods and spices...and a wonderful warm spectrum of reds, browns and yellows. I think the spices, and perhaps Tej, also have some storytelling properties, because we heard great character sketches and stories from Ann about the men who adore her (and for good reason).

We shared another platter for the main dish (pictured above) again on injera, this time also with lamb and chicken wats. To wind down the meal we drank a tea, which may not have been tea at all, but hot water infused with some spices that smelled much like Christmas-time.

Happy Birthday, Ann! And farewell (again) Katie ...

Zoma
2084 Frederick Douglass Blvd (at 113th St)
Harlem, New York
New York
212-662-0620