My friend Rishi knows Manhattan restaurants way better than I do, so I’m happy leaving it in his hands to pick a place to eat. On a sticky, humid Sunday, we met up for brunch at Yerba Buena, an East Village pan-Latin spot fusing South American and Caribbean flavors.
There’s not much of a sign — that tiny thing in the window is pretty much it.
Yerba Buena’s not a big place, and a boisterous party of around twenty people brought the noise to near deafening levels, but then, what else is new.
We shared a fresh, chunky guacamole with queso fresco and moved into our dishes. For Rishi, the Frita Cubana, slider-like burgers of beef and suckling pig (the pork was nestled inside the ground beef) with pickled jalapenos and a red onion slaw.
I’m a sucker for arepas — in this case, Tres Arepas: chicken tinga on the left, BBQ short ribs, and pork belly on the right — all three topped with a fried egg and spicy, tangy sauce.
Crunchy arepas filled with flavorful meats is my idea of good eating, and pork belly is quickly becoming one of those menu items that makes my eyes light up. It’s that textural play of a crispy crust, tender pork and soft fat. I saved the pork belly arepa for last.
After brunch, I was still feeling the urge for a bit more food. We walked past the iconic Katz’s Deli, famous for its heaping pastrami sandwiches, and site of the Meg Ryan orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally.
A whole pastrami sandwich would have been pushing it, but a half? A half I could have handled. Next time.
And we checked out the mecca of all things pickled, Guss’ Pickles.
Those big red barrels contained all sorts of pickles, peppers, mushrooms, artichokes and sauerkraut. I buy generic pickles in a jar from the supermarket, but if you’re a pickle aficionado and want the good stuff, this is your place.
(But go quickly. Guss’, a fixture on Orchard St. since 1920, is closing shop and moving to Brooklyn by the end of the year.)
On my way home, I stood waiting for the 6 train in a subway station so oppressively steamy, we may as well have broken out into an impromptu hot yoga class. Just another summer day in NYC.
NYC’s Yerba Buena Esta Muy Buena
My friend Rishi knows Manhattan restaurants way better than I do, so I’m happy leaving it in his hands to pick a place to eat. On a sticky, humid Sunday, we met up for brunch at Yerba Buena, an East Village pan-Latin spot fusing South American and Caribbean flavors.
There’s not much of a sign — that tiny thing in the window is pretty much it.
Yerba Buena’s not a big place, and a boisterous party of around twenty people brought the noise to near deafening levels, but then, what else is new.
We shared a fresh, chunky guacamole with queso fresco and moved into our dishes. For Rishi, the Frita Cubana, slider-like burgers of beef and suckling pig (the pork was nestled inside the ground beef) with pickled jalapenos and a red onion slaw.
I’m a sucker for arepas — in this case, Tres Arepas: chicken tinga on the left, BBQ short ribs, and pork belly on the right — all three topped with a fried egg and spicy, tangy sauce.
Crunchy arepas filled with flavorful meats is my idea of good eating, and pork belly is quickly becoming one of those menu items that makes my eyes light up. It’s that textural play of a crispy crust, tender pork and soft fat. I saved the pork belly arepa for last.
After brunch, I was still feeling the urge for a bit more food. We walked past the iconic Katz’s Deli, famous for its heaping pastrami sandwiches, and site of the Meg Ryan orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally.
A whole pastrami sandwich would have been pushing it, but a half? A half I could have handled. Next time.
And we checked out the mecca of all things pickled, Guss’ Pickles.
Those big red barrels contained all sorts of pickles, peppers, mushrooms, artichokes and sauerkraut. I buy generic pickles in a jar from the supermarket, but if you’re a pickle aficionado and want the good stuff, this is your place.
(But go quickly. Guss’, a fixture on Orchard St. since 1920, is closing shop and moving to Brooklyn by the end of the year.)
On my way home, I stood waiting for the 6 train in a subway station so oppressively steamy, we may as well have broken out into an impromptu hot yoga class. Just another summer day in NYC.
Yerba Buena
23 Avenue A
New York, NY
212-529-2919