I had a last minute invite this morning to join a friend's reservation. I have heard great things…read moreabout this place but hadn't had the opportunity to visit yet. So it was an easy yes, to say the least!
When I arrived, I walked around the corner to the entrance on Rochambeau. The waiting area inside is bright, colorful, decorated with some personal tokens, assorted cookbooks and accolades. You can just see into the kitchen and suddenly the chef and owner, Milena Pagán will appear over the cafe style doors to greet you and get you checked in for your reservation. Highly recommend a reservation if you plan to come on the weekend. The place was busy!
We were taken to our spots at the bar and greeted by Milena's partner, Darcy. He took care of us from start to finish. I could not resist the brunch prie fixe menu for $45. What a steal. An entree, house made pastry, juice/coffee/tea and one of the house cocktails. I chose the shakshouka, a cardamom knot, the guava-pineapple fizz and the rebujito. I also added an iced horchata latte because I was at brunch after all!
We had our drinks and pastries in front of us quickly. My juice was refreshing, tangy and just a hint of sweetness. I love guava and this was exactly what I wanted. The latte was simple but effective, hitting the spiced notes you want from horchata with the depth of good espresso to back it up. The latte in particular was delicious with the cardamom knot, the two harmonizing together for a moment of heaven on this rainy Sunday afternoon. The outside of the knot was caramelized in spots adding this great crunch and the inside was soft like a cinnamon bun. My friend mentioned it was one of her favorites and I can see why!
When the shakshouka came out, the smell hit me first. Warm tomatoes, the herbs from the chimichurri, and the tostones fresh from the pan. The presentation is beautiful, inviting you to dig in immediately. I of course opted for the smashed avocado upgrade and they thoughtfully plated it on the side. I like to taste everyone together so I added it to my skillet, and began eating the dish using my tostones as my utensil. It was amazing. All those smells I mentioned before played through beautifully in the tasting. It was one of the best dishes I've ever had. My only wish was for more tostones but I know if I had asked for an additional side, they had that as an option to take. I'll make sure to do that next time!
The rebujito cocktail was something I hadn't tried before so I was looking forward to it. It felt like the kind of drink you have on a hot summer day. Similar to a mojito, but with good sherry as the base alcohol instead of rum. As a side note, I think it's an incredibly clever to create a cocktail menu around sherry when you have a beer and wine license. Using a fortified wine? Brilliant. But after my experience here today, I know that brilliance is in every brick of that space.
If you were like me and haven't made the trip to this spot on the corner of Hope and Rochambeau, please fix that ASAP! I can't wait to go back, and bring all my friends and family here so they can share in what I enjoyed today. Just an incredible meal and service.