Oh, proximity. My biggest ally and my worst enemy…read more
BACKGROUND
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I spotted La Casita comply by chance, driving to the airport one weekday morning to fly off to who knows where for work. I never noticed the sign before and thought it must have been new.
I pondered.
An ice cream place opening up as the weather's cooling down? Unusual, sure, but then I hail from a city where it can be 40 degrees and wet & windy outside and there's still a line out the door for ice cream (we're a weird people), so this was no biggie.
And so today, taking a break from work, I decided to head on down to check this new addition out.
THE PLACE
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If you haven't figured it out already, La Casita is a house. and typical of a lot of house-businesses in this part of town, you park in the back and walk in through the back door.
The setting inside is kind of sparse at the moment as these guys are brand new and are still putting stuff together. Besides the food counter there are tables to sit inside, as well as some on the front porch and the back patio. The family that owns the place was milling about on a laptop. I think they're pondering and strategerizing ways to get the word out. Little do they know...
MENU
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Considering La Casita calls itself an ice cream place, the selections of actual ice cream is limited to only 4 flavors - chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, and I forget the 4th one. I was pretty surprised. Perhaps they'll carry more down the road?
A number of sandwiches are on offer, and the owner mentioned they've been getting good business during lunchtime. For the healthier conscious, they also offer fresh fruit and vegetable juices to blend together or have seperately.
But whatever, above items! I'm all about the raspado, which is basically a Mexican sno-cone. And here, La Casita doesn't disappoint. A number of choices, including mango and plum, but I immediately locked in on the tamarindo. Why? I don't know. I'd chalk it to being brown but that'd be ethnicist.
And so, I watched as a large styrofoam cup was filled with shaved ice, and large spoonfuls of tamarind juice (along with big chunks of tamarind) were poured on top. I was then given the squeeze bottle to add as much condensed milk as I wanted.
But that was not all, as my gluttony knows no bounds. A sliced apple! Yes. I needed to balance my raspado with something fresh, for sure. However, this wasn't some virtuous apple, as it was promptly doused in sweet red syrup and sprinkled with salted peanuts. But I'll pretend it was healthy, like those people who order a Big Mac with a Diet Coke or a Starbucks venti nonfat mocha with extra whipped cream.
In any case, both items came to about $6 and change.
AND...?
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The apple may have been a little too much for me. I hadn't had dinner yet and this was bordering on insane sugar overload. It's good, but definitely recommended if you really like sweet stuff. I'd give it a 3.
That said, the raspado was perfect. The chunks of tamarind were perfectly balanced with the ice and the condensed milk, and I enjoyed every bite as I sat outside, staring at the 16th St. traffic. The owner mentioned more flavors that weren't yet listed on the menu, so I'll be sure to try them some time down the road. A 4.5.
RANDOM INTANGIBLES
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They have wi-fi! How cool (and random) is that? The network password is listed inside, but yep, you can have a sandwich or a mango raspado and tap away on your laptop.
They're also (at least currently) open from 9-9 every day, except Sunday when they're doing business 11-8.
IN CONCLUSION
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I'll hand it to any business, especially anyone in the restaurant industry, deciding to open up now in this environment. They don't get a free pass from scrutiny or a deservedly bad rating, sure, but they do deserve some kudos.
La Casita seems like it's still a pupae, waiting to come out of its shell. Only a couple of weeks old, it has a ways to go to become an institution amongst both the local Latino population as well as the larger non-Latino crowd. But I'll definitely be checking in again and hopefully they'll be successful once they've settled into a good groove. Dangerous for me, as they're just down the street, but I'll just have to temper myself.
As for you, the Yelper (or lover of a Yelper, or any other lurker type), would I recommend this place? Yep - for the raspados, at least. Haven't tried ice cream, juices, or sandwiches yet, but if they're as good as that cup of shaved ice, then these guys will go gangbusters.
3.55 for now, rounding up to 4.
Hasta luego.
