Beauty and the Feast » Spanish/Latin American

La Duni Latin Kitchen in Dallas, TX

shyema — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:36:23 +0000

Gah. Sorry about the quiet few days here, but I’ve been in Texas ya’ll! I flew down last weekend for my gorgeous friend Mariam’s wedding (I mean, STUNNING), and haven’t had much time at the comp. It was my very first time down in Texas and besides the wedding festivities, I was excited about the FOOD. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of time to explore Dallas by way of calories, but a group of us did manage to get away one day for brunch. My friend Masuma who lives down there recommended a few places, and we ended up going to La Duni Latin Kitchen at the Northpark mall location which was near our hotel.

La Duni

A cupcake tree

There was the prettiest assortment of cupcakes and pastries at the little coffee bar when you enter. There were also the most gorgeous wedding cakes perched on top of random tables and shelves all over the place too. And then I saw this:

Cuatro Leches?!

Cuatro Leches cakes?! Tres leches is one of my favorite desserts ever ever so quatros sounded downright heavenly. I already committed to ordering a slice no matter how full I was after brunch. But more on that in a bit. When we sat down, they handed us a full picture menu of just their coffees. We pored over it and when I couldn’t decide, I asked the waitress which one was their most popular and she said their cafe con leche so I went with it.

Cafe con Leche

They come in monster cup sizes and I loved the heart and star surprises on our coffee, but taste-wise, it was disappointing (and bland). My other followed their first instinct though and went with the vaca blanca which is an espresso with melted Belgium white chocolate and milk. Now THAT was amazing…the chocolate gives it such a delicious flavor that just melts in your mouth. I was a little jealous of their coffee.

Vaca Blanca

They also had a full menu of cold lemonade drinks! We got their limonada con menta (mint, lemon, lime, sugar, soda and crushed ice) and limonada mango (lemon, lime, mango and soda):

Mint and mango lemonades

They were so refreshing and flavorful (I personally loved the mango one a little more– it was light and delicious). That was all just drinks…moving on to food. I guess the best way is to just show you the spread of their huevos rancheros, chilaquiles rancho la lira (crisp tortillas with melted asadero and gruyere cheeses, red and green salsa, and black beans), breakfast tacos, and brunch chile relleno (a stufffed poblano pepper filled with beans, scrambled eggs, cheddar, provolone, gruyere cheese, tortilla chips and topped with queso fresco and salsa):

Brunch is served!

Starter tortilla chips and salsa

Brunch Chile Relleno

Chilaquiles Rancho La Lira

Breakfast tacos

Huevos Rancheros

The portions were generous and pretty much every plate was under $10. Everything from the salsa-doused eggs to the crisp roasted potatoes hit the spot without going overboard on the spice. And even though I couldn’t breathe afterwards, I was not about to deprive myself from trying their cuatro leches cake…

Cuatro Leches cake

I was soo excited when it came out dripping in their leches sauce. It’s described as a layered mantecado vanilla sponge cake in cuatro leches sauce and topped with caramelized Swiss meringue and dotted with Arequipe reduction. Maybe I was over-zealous, but after my first bite, I thought it was disappointing! Tres leches cake is usually light but this, I guess being a sponge/pound cake, was dense and just too sweet for me. I know this point of comparison may not be useful for most, but it sort of tasted like the Indian sweet called ras malai which is a cream-soaked dessert as well. I love ras malai, but this wasn’t supposed to be that. I guess I was also comparing it to tres leches cake, thinking it’d be the original on steroids (basically a taste explosion of tres leches), but it was really different. Some of my friends really liked it though — they also never had tres leches before!

Restaurant Info:
La Duni Latin Kitchen & Coffee Studio
NorthPark Center
8687 N. Central Expy #1516
Dallas, TX 75231
214-987-2260

REPORT CARD
Meal: Brunch
Occasion: Exploring Dallas
Price: $$
(Out of three stars)
Ambiance: ***
Food: ** (loses a star for their disappointing cafe con leche and over-hyped cuatro leches!)
Service: ***
Would I go back?: Yes. And I want to try every single thing on their coffee menu.

“Like” Beauty and the Feast on Facebook
Follow Beauty and the Feast on Twitter

Salinas in Chelsea: Last meal in NY (before a short vacay)

shyema — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:00:39 +0000

I’m sorry for a little lag in posting. It’s been a whirlwind of a week…of a month, for that matter. Trying to update this blog late at night doesn’t always work too well for me when I’m on zero to only a few hours of sleep (literally!). I felt like it was time for a little break. Well, it was actually brought on after my brother sent me a video of my eight-month-old nephew who’s growing up so freaking fast. I barely finished watching this one of him trying to “sing” (which was really him adorably trying to imitate a tune my brother made up), that I found myself booking a ticket to come to visit my family in the Midwest. Hey, you try to resist those dimples! It’s a nice excuse to mellow out before Fashion Week anyway.

Before I left though, I was able to catch a meal at Salinas for a beauty product launch. The Spanish restaurant is fairly new — I believe it opened up just this past summer — with a dimly lit tapas room and bar, dining room which opens up to an airy 35-seat garden in the back where we ate. It’s a gorgeous outdoor space if you’re looking for one.

Salina's outdoor backyard patio

Here’s a peek at what we ate:

Seasonal salad

Mini soups

Pa amb oli: grilled country bread, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, sea salt

Ceviche canario: yellow fin tuna, tomatoes, spicy mojo picon, onions, cilantro, avocado

Pasta

Fried brussel sprouts

Hanger steak

Fingerling potatoes

Quince pasta, passion fruit semifredo with creamy rice pudding

The food sounds more involved on the menu, and though fresh, I don’t think everything tasted extraordinarily “different.” The starter bread with tomato and garlic spread was tasty (I might have eaten a whole bowl on my own), and as far as I’m concerned you can’t go wrong with fried brussel sprouts. I also learned recently that although I’m not huge on fish, I never had ceviche I didn’t like. The problem for me was because of my own diet restrictions, I couldn’t have a lot of the menu items (bacon came with a lot of dishes, for example), and I wasn’t totally feeling anchovies on some of the flat breads. I was being hosted though and when I looked up some of the menu items for this post, I don’t think I personally would feel like all the dishes justified a $20+ plate. The passionfruit and rice pudding dessert with a latte was a nice way to end though.

Apparently this newish restaurant is getting a lot of buzz though (where I heard people were straight up being sent away rather than given a ridiculous wait time). Not sure if it meets the hype as far as all of the food’s concerned. Anyone else been? What did you think?

Restaurant Info:
Salinas
136 9th Ave,
btw 18th & 19th St.
New York, NY 10011
212-776-1990
Chelsea

REPORT CARD
Meal: Dinner
Occasion: Business dinner
Price: $$$
(Out of three stars)
Ambiance: ***
Food: **
Service: ***
Would I go back?: Although I loved the outdoor space and glad I got to sample some of the items, I feel like the menu is somewhat limited for my own preferences so probably not.

x
Shy

“Like” Beauty and the Feast on Facebook
Follow Beauty and the Feast on Twitter

La Esquina in SoHo

shyema — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:19:19 +0000

What to do on a warm summer evening in NY? I’m practically allergic to indoor dining on nights like these, so last week after the CoverGirl/Pat McGrath party, I decided to ~~crash Archana and Eaman’s date~~ join my friends for dinner at La Esquina in SoHo. It wasn’t my first time there, but it was my first time eating in their outdoor area. La Esquina pretty much has three parts to it: the taqueria, which is a small, to-go lunch counter; their cafe, which encompasses their sidewalk seating and their indoor space that serves the full menu; and their downstairs brasserie and bar area in the basement, where they have even more extensive menu, a DJ, and a (sometimes pesky) reservations-only list.

La Esquina

It took us about a hour to get seated once we got there, but we dove right into the queso once we did. Layers of baked cheese with roasted pumpkin seeds, served with plaintain chips was pretty much heaven on earth.

Queso

I was crossing my fingers that it would set the standard for the rest of the meal. I can’t even remember the last time I had tacos, so I decided to go for some steak tacos this time (why not?). The anticipation for the main course wasn’t worth the results…the steak was bland at best.

Steak tacos

Archana ordered their famed fish tacos, which she said she enjoyed more (“grilled, fresh and juicy—the perfect choice for a warm night”).

Fish Tacos

I have to say though, on my previous trips here, I really enjoyed their De la Casa salad with shredded chicken. The greens are so fresh and the chicken is flavorful and salted just right.

La Esquina cafe

La Esquina inside

Salad

Shredded chicken

Kinda disappointing that the salad beat out the tacos at a Mexican food joint. Oh well. At least their queso made up for it a little.

Restaurant Info:
La Esquina
114 Kenmare
btw Kenmare & Lafayette
New York, NY 10012
646-613-7100
Soho

REPORT CARD
Meal: Lunch and dinner
Occasion: Once for a dinner with outdoor seating in the taqueria, once for a light lunch at the cafe
Price: $$
(Out of three stars)
Ambiance: **
Food: **
Service: **
Would I go back?: For the queso and salad, yes. For the tacos, sadly, no.

x
Shy

“Like” Beauty and the Feast on Facebook
Follow Beauty and the Feast on Twitter

Havana Harry’s in Coral Gables – Miami

shyema — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:10:43 +0000

On my recent trip to Miami, we made a little dinner stop at Havana Harry’s in Coral Gables, an authentic Cuban restaurant that happily keeps a very unpretentious, family-friendly vibe.

Havana Harry's in Coral Gables

Havana Harry's inside

It’s not crazy expensive either, though I now understand all too well my friend Sarah’s obsession with this place…two words: vaca frita.

Vaca Frita

It’s shredded beef with onions and garlic, and fried to perfection. It has so much flavor, I’ve been craving it ever since I came back (sidenote: someone PLEASE tell me where I can find awesome vaca frita in NY before I slowly wither away and die from these cravings). Anyway. They had equally delicious Churrasco steak, which is served with chimichurri sauce.

Churrasco steak

I guess you could expect the meat at a Cuban restaurant to be this good. The place itself is not one for presentation as much. Consider our fried plantains appetizer and sides of boiled yuca:

Fried plantains

Yuca, black beans, and white rice

Don’t even bother with the seafood here either — my friends who ordered the fish and shrimp said it was pretty much subpar:

Shrimp creole

Snapper creole

We turned it into an early celebration for our friend Shahla, and the staff was great about being discreet and bringing out some YUMMY tres leches cake right at the end.

Birthday tres leches

So remember, meat and dessert. You will be a happy person for it. Oh yeah, and tell me where I can find awesome vaca frita in NY. Before I go crazy. Thanks.

Restaurant info:
Havana Harry’s
4612 South Le Jeune Road
Coral Gables, FL 33146-1815
305-661-2622

x
Shy

“Like” Beauty and the Feast on Facebook
Follow Beauty and the Feast on Twitter

Zengo in Midtown East

shyema — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:00:03 +0000

I gotta admit, when I first heard of Zengo, I didn’t think it’d be so great (the name doesn’t lend itself much to first impressions). That and its dank location (40th and 3rd…I just think…suits…and…buildings…and…and yeah that’s also the first time I ever used “dank” on this blog). Plus the outside pretty much looking like a giant misplaced club made me a little dubious. But walk inside, and you’ll begin to realize all that is misleading (claustrophobics rejoice, this place is huge).

Zengo

“Zengo,” turns out, is actually Japanese for “give and take.” The Latin-Asian cuisine mix keeps things interesting, as well as the gorgeous interior. It’s one of two locations by chef/restaurateur mogul Richard Sandoval (the other located in DC). We shared almost all of the plates, so let’s start with how I did NOT think I would be digging the seafood as much as I did. The bluefin tuna flatbread and fish tacos were particularly amaze.

Bluefin Tuna smoked gouda, frisee lettuce, orange, sambal aioli

Charred Tuna Wonton Tacos: sushi rice, mango salsa, guacamole

Volcano: seared salmon, red crab, cucumber, chipotle aioli

Vegetariano Roll: soy paper, lettuce, cucumber, avocado, bell pepper, caper aioli

But my personal hero was the shrimp ceviche (thai sweet shrimp, aji amarillo, citrus, cucumber, avocado, cilantro, red onion). I love an interesting mix of tastes, and this was fresh, light, and tangy.

Shrimp ceviche

We also got an ordered a few steak churrascos (Skirt Steak Churrasco grilled onion, crispy fingerling tostones, mushroom chimichurri sauce, chipotle egg sauce). The sauce made it even a little spicy:

Steak churrasco with a side of potatoes

Salted Edamame

The service was also pretty impeccable and the mix of small round tables makes it a good pick for business meetings and the longer cafeteria-style ones makes it perfect for a large group (like our party of 12). So yeah. We were pleasantly surprised. That’s what I get for pre-judging. NYC-1, Shy-0.

Restaurant Info:
Zengo
622 Third Ave at 40th St
New York, NY 10017
212-808-8110
Midtown East/Murray Hill

x
Shy

“Like” Beauty and the Feast on Facebook
Follow Beauty and the Feast on Twitter

Yerba Buena in the West Village

shyema — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:48:14 +0000

Sorry for the MIA’ness everyone. The thingggg is, the cutest little guy came to visit me in NYC (also known as my nephew) and it was just a tad distracting. He LOVED the city. Well, he can’t talk yet but I’m pretty sure that’s what he would say. I’m also pretty sure if he could talk, he would say the food at Yerba Buena, a lively Latin American restaurant that he visited with his younger cousin was phenom.

Yerba Buena Perry

Croquettes de Quiejo, $8

OK, he really didn’t eat the food and he may or may not have slept throughout brunch but he did get a lot of attention from the ladies while we started with the Croquetes de Queijo, these little croquettes filled with manchego cheese that comes with pickled jalapeño salsa verde.

Pan Dulce, $10

The real superstar is the Pan Dulce french toast. O Em Gee. My brother’s in-laws who took us here, were not kidding when they told us how delicious this dish was. It was the best french toast I’ve ever had, made with brioche toast and also stuffed with manchego cheese, dulce de leche and bananas.

Green chile burger, $12

Shoestring fries

We also tried the Green Chile burger (piedmontese grass fed beef, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, green chile sofrito), done medium. I prefer medium well but it was really tasty and came with a side of crispy shoestring fries (tasted more like potato chips). Also, you guys would be really proud of me — I actually ordered a seafood dish too. The Chupe de Mariscos — a spicy soup with shrimp, calamari, black cod, aji amarillo broth, rice queso fresco, choclo, and a poached egg.

Chupe de Mariscos, $14

The only thing is, this place is LOUD. Depending on what type of atmosphere you’re looking for, that could be a good or bad thing. We were with a newborn and a two-month-old and they pretty much slept throughout the entire meal so it wasn’t a big deal surprisingly. We also had really friendly wait staff and patrons alike. ALSO, I have mentioned this website before, but if you sign up for VillageVines.com, you can get 30% off your entire bill here (and a lot of other great restaurants – I’ve already signed up and planning to use it more often when I go out to eat!).

Restaurant Info:
Yerba Buena
1 Perry Street
at Greenwich Ave.
New York, NY 10014
212-529-2919
West Village

x
Shy