While we didn't go back to ABC Cocina for a margarita, we did have one a Salvation Taco, Thursday's lunch spot. More than one.
April Bloomfield's Mexican restaurant is located inside the Pod 39 hotel in Murray Hill. The New York Times gave it a mediocre review earlier this year, but what does Pete Wells know? We were seated at a high top table overlooking the bar, where we ordered a pitcher of margaritas, chips and guacamole.
Salvation Margarita - pueblo viejo blanco, combier, lime juice, guajillo chili salt
Chips & Guacamole The margaritas were a bit too sweet, but I had no trouble drinking more than my share. The guacamole, seasoned with lime and serranos, was the best we'd ever had. Salvation Taco offers traditional Mexican fare. We started with the tacos, served three per order, with five to choose from. Following our waitress' recommendation, we ordered the carne asada and the fried fish.
Carne asada with pickled peppers & onions
Fried fish with Mayan mayo & pickled red onions The tacos were relatively small, but both varieties were excellent. The flour tortilla was light and unobtrusive. The tangy marinated beef was delicious. The fish was lightly fried — the best fish sticks we've ever had! We were still hungry so we ordered another round, this time the roasted cauliflower tacos and the Chiapas style tamale.
Roasted cauliflower with farro piccolo & curried crema
Chiapas style tamale with saffron tomatoes, veal breast & olives The roasted cauliflower taco wasn't as tasty as the other two, but it was still good. The tamale was excellent. We had fun at Salvation Taco and will definitely return, although when we do, we'll order our margaritas by the glass. Thursday evening we saw "Disgraced" at the Lyceum Theatre. It was the most powerful of the three plays we saw, although all three were wonderful. Charles Isherwood's New York Times review encapsulates the story, which takes place in an Upper East Side apartment, as the "exploration of the conflicts between modern culture and Islamic faith, as embodied by the complicated man at its center — a Pakistani-born, thoroughly assimilated New Yorker."
Playwright Ayad Akhtar's "The Invisible Hand" premiered at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in 2012 and was also excellent. If "Disgraced" makes its way to St. Louis, we'll see it again. Our dinner reservation was at Amáli, a Mediterranean restaurant on the Upper East Side, committed to "seasonality and sustainability."
Amáli was noisy, or at least it was at our banquet seats. Diners at the tables-for-two on either side of us were shouting to be heard, their voices bouncing off the low wood ceiling overhead.
Marlene started with the kale salad and I started with the Spanish octopus. My dish turned out to be an octopus Mediterranean salad in a tangy red wine vinaigrette. It was wonderful. Marlene enjoyed her ubiquitous kale salad.
Spanish octopus, gigante beans, oregano, celery
Kale Caesar, parmesan, breadcrumbs, herbs For our main courses, Marlene ordered the linguini with clams and I ordered the duck leg. The linguini was bathed in olive oil and lemon — too much lemon. And the clams, which should have been sweet, were not. The crispy skin duck leg was good, with its rich sweet red wine reduction.
Linguini with clams, olive oil, lemon, parsley
Crispy skin duck leg, sweet red wine reduction Amáli may be committed to sustainability, but after sustaining a noisy ambiance and uneven preparations, it's doubtful we'll return. Copyright © 2014 TwoForTheTable.com |
