Still dreaming of this meal!- Yerba Buena, Perry Street, NYC

After an awesome matinee, my husband and I walked down the West side along the Hudson heading for a good Mexican meal in the village.  The restaurant we chose, had yet to open.  This turned out to be a great thing.  A quick search of the area and we stumbled on quaint Latin restaurant tucked in the corner of Perry and Greenwich.  Yerba Buena is fusion of Cuban, Peruvian, Chilean, Mexican and Argentinian flavors, tastes and styles.

As with many NYC restaurants the seating is very cozy, with only inches between you and the next table.  No worries because you are so involved in your meal that you don't even notice the people around you.

They have a full bar but highlight their custom cocktail menu.  I ordered the El Manguito, cachaca with mango, ginger beer and lime juice.  I took a sip and loved the flavor and then I was hit with the heat!!  I missed the fact that it also contained poblano pepper!  It was an amazing drink! I loved it more and more with each sip.  

 

My husband was thrilled to see chicharron on the appetizer menu.  Why order guacamole, when you can have chicharron?  This appetizer, called Picada, comes with yucca, tostones, chorizo with rocoto.  Holy Moly was this good!!  The chicharron was crispy, crunchy on the outside and smooth on the inside.  I am drooling just thinking about it!  The Yucca was fresh and salty and the tostones fried to perfection all having a kick from the rocoto pepper. 

Dinner was a culinary masterpiece.  We ordered the house dish, Parillada, a mixed grill popular in Argentina and Columbia.  This Parillada came with rib eye steak, Beef short rib, Bone marrow and Morcilla arepa with three amazing salsas for dipping, Chimichurri, Yerba Buena horseradish and an Aji panca salsa.  The meat was so flavorful it didn't need the salsa but we added a bit and the flavor exploded.  I left most of the ribeye and short rib for my husband and dove into the marrow and Morcilla arepa.  My husband will not go near blood sausage or marrow.  He was missing out!  I could have had only the Morcilla arepa for my meal and I would have been happy.  This meal was definitely a treat, and one you should definitely try on your visit.  We ordered a side of beans and rice that I didn't eat till all the meat was gone.  I couldn't leave that plate.  They offer Chaufa rice, which is a Peruvian/Chinese fried rice.  Wow! My husband ordered the Papas a la provenzal, aka fried potatoes.  He always finds a way to get French fries.  These were awesome.  They were drizzled a tomato salsa which added quite a kick. 

If you aren't full by this point, make sure you get the Churros for dessert!   No matter what you order, I am sure that you will be as happy as we were.  Happy Eating. 

 

An Oasis in the city- Cosmos, Lansing

We now have a new favorite family dining place.  With it's casual outdoor patio, wood fired pizzas,  and amazing staff, Cosmos is the go to for a great night out.  Situated on the corner of Grand River and Larch, Cosmos is a galactic space odyssey on the inside and open air patio outside Bordered by a wooden fence, blocking the busy city out, the patio is an awesome space for relaxing, eating and enjoying a beautiful summer night. 

Cosmos provides a large variety of Michigan local microbrews with a rotating schedule so you can get the a favorite or a new release. They also offer a full bar inside and another in the patio area. 

The menu is simple, but fantastic!  You cannot come to Cosmos and not get the Duck fat fries!  They are to die for!  They come in sea salt and truffle. Careful, the truffle is very addictive.  Perfectly fried to have a crispy outer layer and soft inner layer.  The spicy ketchup (Cosmic sauce) that comes with them adds the perfect kick.  I am lucky to get some when we go with our kids.  They disappear fast. 

If you are looking for a less fried starter, you need to try the Caprese salad with fresh heirloom tomatoes, thick slices of mozzarella, and arugula pesto with a balsamic drizzle.  I could eat it everyday.  They also have 4 different kinds of bruschetta and several other salads and starts like Tempura shrimp and corn fritters.

The pizza menu provides a variety of palate tempting combinations of toppings.  We have tried several of the pizzas but the Chorizo is my favorite.  Chorizo sausage with grilled asparagus, sweet corn, garlic cream, peppers and mozzarella.  Wow!!  I sometimes eat a few too many pieces because it is so yummy.  My husband and son love the Pepperoni with pancetta, and andouille sausage. 

The pizza is full of meat!!! 

I also love the Applewood bacon pie with sundried tomato aioli. If you are not looking for so much flavor variety or you have children, they also offer cheese and pepperoni alone. 

This place is a guaranteed win for all.  We are always happy when we eat here and you will be too!!

Happy eating!

New Orleans food and flare in Old Town, Lansing

For Mommy birthday brunch my girlfriend picked Creole Coffee, the new restaurant in Old Town.  It is a double treat.  By day, it is a tasty brunch and coffee joint, by night the space next door is a hip, jazzy restaurant, Creole.  

Two of us arrived early and we were glad we did!  The place was packed!  It is usually seat yourself but with the amount of people the wait staff was helping to get everyone seated.  While we waited, we got a chance to check things out.  The place is very cool with antique metal advertisements and art on the walls.                        

There is a coffee bar in the back with the selection written, in impeccable handwriting, on a chalkboard.  The large windows in the front make the small area appear more spacious.  

Luckily, we were sat just as the rest of our party arrived.  The menu is fantastic, a mixture of southern goodness and French deliciousness. You can choose from crepes, eggs benedict, and quiche, but also shrimp and grits, and pain Perdue (French toast).  Even the drinks are awesome!  None of us drink coffee, ironic for a visit to a "coffee Company" but they have tea and honey steamers.  

The tea comes in it's own seeping pot with an hourglass timer.  I love this!!!  

My girlfriend got the honey steamer with was infused with rosemary.  It was both yummy and pretty to look at.  The china cup and saucer helped!   

The breakfast items tasted as good as the descriptions suggested.  The beignets were warm, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  Oh My Goodness, yummy!!!! 

 The quiche had a flaky buttery crust with fresh veggies and fluffy eggs.  I wanted the egg benedict with the crab cake base, but it was so popular that they were out by the time we ordered.  No worries the Tasso ham and spinach eggs benedict didn't disappoint!!!  Spicy and gooey with fresh spinach...yum!!!  The hollandaise sauce is rich, but not so rich that it overtakes the whole dish. Perfect!  
Finally, they serve crepes, but not just crepes, bananas foster crepes!!!  Wow!!!

That is just the brunch!!

The restaurant space, next door ,looked so cool and I spied a cask beer tap, so a few weeks later, when it was Daddy Daughter dance night,  I took my favorite son to dinner.  He has a great palate so I knew he would appreciate Creole. 

Like the cafe side the restaurant is full of character.  The bricks are exposed and the pipes are visible with wooden chairs and tables you feel like you are transported to the Big Easy.   They had four types of beer on tap.  Two local, and two imports, one of which was an ESB!!!  That is the only way to get me to order a non-Michigan craft beer.  Offer an English cask beer!  

Word of warning...they do not have kid friendly drinks such as root beer.  but they serve water in beautiful glass bottles.  
With our drinks our waitress offered fresh corn bread.  Nice!!!

Of course, my son wanted to start with gumbo, so I ordered the lobster bisque.  They were served in the adorable little pots, just the right size for an appetizer.
We wanted to order everything on the menu but needed to narrow it down.  My son asked what pork belly was and once he heard it was like bacon he was set.  We both are huge fans of crab cakes so that was a given and thankfully he likes Brussels sprouts because I was psyched to try them here.  

The pork shank was cooked to perfection, not too greasy as it can be with that much fat but not dried out in the process.  It was served with savory bread pudding that, like savory kugel, translates well from its sweet cousin.

The crab cake was served with a mango tomatillo gastrique that paired really well.   I was glad there was an ample amount on the plate because I did a lot of dipping. 

But my favorite dish was the Brussels sprouts.  Easily a dish in itself for a vegetarian, they were served in a sweet cranberry sauce with pumpkin seeds and crisp flaky kale.   The sweetness of the sauce was a perfect match for the tang of the sprouts.  Yummy!!!  

We almost licked the plates clean.  Of course, we ordered dessert!!!  Having not been with us for the brunch, my son ordered the beignets (I didn't argue, wanting to have them again) and I ordered the bread pudding.  It is served chilled unlike many other places and it works!!!  This makes it less gooey and easy and more like a cake.  The bourbon caramel sauce was amazing!!!  And again I was grateful for the abundance of sauce!  

We left with full bellies and more than happy with our meal.  You will be too.  Happy eating at Creole!