Caracas Arepa Bar: Why am I Not Eating This Everyday of My Life?!

When I first moved to New York , one of the first places I ate at was Caracas Bar in the East Village. I never went back since, because it was so freaking small. Thankfully in Williamsburg, they have another restaurant. I figured it has been at least 2 plus years since my last arepa, and I wanted to check it out.

 Buddy and I went on a dinner date and was I surprised at how much room this location has! It was a fairly nice night, so we decided to sit outside. It was super cute and romantic.

 We got there around 6pm ( yeah I know, just call us senior citizens... and Im not afraid to admit I LOVE tapioca pudding) and it was still happy hour. We both got a beer (Magic Hat)  and shot deal. The shot was a Venezuelan rum. It was sweet, but still made me make that "face" after taking it.
Price: $6.00

 Braised Beef Arepa

This was a special that night, it was slow cooked beef sliced and layered with red onions and plantains. It came hot and packed with flavor. Especially after a nice drizzle of the special sauce they had sitting on the table. The beef was tender and easy to bit into. I would definitely order this again

Price: $7.00

 Reina Pepiada

This was shredded chicken mixed with avocado salad and served cold. It was probably the tastiest chicken salad I have ever had.  Filled to capacity and the arepas crunchy texture complimented this perfectly. I would order this again, and again, and again...

Price: $6.75

Yoyos

These were sweet plantains stuffed with white cheese. Buddy really loved them, and it came with a side of maple sauce. They were just okay for me, the cheese wasn't even melted and it just tasted like wheat bread sandwiching under ripe bananas and tasteless cheese. Would not recommend.

Price: $5.50

Verdict: Boy were these satisfying! One major stand out was the spicy sauce they had sitting on the table. It was DELICIOUS. They should bottle that shit up and sell it! I would purchase it in a second.  The staff was attentive and the food came out fast. I can't wait to go back!

Caracas Arepa Bar

291 Grand Street

Brooklyn NY 11211

http://www.caracasarepabar.com/

Bar Celona: Wait- Am I in the West Village?

Friday night, and it was getting cold out. The lazy and warm thing  to do? Go right next door to get something to eat! Buddy and I headed over to Bar Celona right in South Williamsburg and grabbed a seat next to their fire pit....only to move away from the fire pit. The flames ended up melting my face off!

Away after we settled down, we decided to  get drunk eat....

Beet Gineration

This was made with ginger liquor, plymouth vermouth, lemon juice, beet jalapeño juice mix.  All the flavors were pretty subtle, but the only standout was the beet juice. If you like beets, get this. If you are like Buddy, you will jag at the taste.

Price: $10.00

 Esterno's Prime

This was made with rum, aperol, grapefruit, manzanilla syrup,and BC house tonic. To be honest I don't remember how this tasted. So I guess I would pass on this again. Buddy didn't like it either.

Price: $9.00

 Mussels

This was made with curry sauce, potatoes and peas. Underneath? Freaking ramen noodles! A nice way to use up the broth. The broth was good, but nothing special. I was still hungry after this since the portions are tapas sized.

Price: $11.00

 Piquillo Peppers

Goat Cheese, herbs, and spicy tomato sauce.  Nice slow cooked peppers stuffed with goat cheese. The cheese was kind of gritty (with all the herbs in it) but still tasty. The slow roasted peppers melted in my mouth and its acidic nature was toned down by the cheese.

Price: $9.00

Verdict: To be honest, we would have stayed a lot longer if the seating was more comfortable and the music wasn't so damn loud.The tables were too low so we were eating crouched down the whole time and it was just awkward to position yourself that way. The drinks were creative and the food was good, but something about this place just doesn't make me want to go back. Even if it is right next door to my apartment.

Bar Celona

104 South Street

Brooklyn NY 11211

http://barcelonaloungenyc.com/

The Rabbithole: A Dinner Experiment

Rabbithole, conveniently located 1 block from my apartment, and yet I have never been there for dinner. The brunchs have always been delicious, and I am hoping the same for dinner...

Grilled Vegetables

This was made with goat cheese and fig vincotto. F.Y.I- vincotto means to be cooked down with wine. DELICIOUS, flavorful, softly cooked and a fairly large portion. Sweet, sour, creamy, perfect. A nice appetizer or even a light dinner if you are not too hungry.

Price: $11.00

Fries with Aoili Dip

Nice quality fries, the kind you wonder why you are still eating them when you are full. They are crisp and came out hot as hell. The sauce tasted like sour cream with a bit of garlic. It was tasty, but could have used another herb, like rosemary to liven it up a bit.

Price: $4.00

Angel Hair Pasta

This was made with tomato, garlic, basil, a splash of olive oil and shaved Parmesan.  My roomate ordered this, and it was finished before I could even ask for a bite! She said it was super garlicy (but that is a good thing).

Price: $11.00

Grilled Salmon

This was made with roasted sweet potato, beets, parsnip and string beans in a dill horseradish sauce. Dana ordered this one. I had a bite, the salmon was cooked perfectly and flaked off effortlessly with a gentle push of the fork. 

Price: $16.00

Skirt Steak Salad

This was made with oranges, and blue cheese. Nick got this one, however, he ordered it medium rare and it came out medium well. It was still flavorful, if not a bit chewy.

Price: $15.00

Fish and Chips

This was stout beer battered cod with hand cut fries ain a remoulade sauce and side of vinegar. I ordered this one. The  batter was like the texture of the outside of a corndog. A little soggy since they didn't bring it to me right away. The cod was extremely moist and fell apart after each bite. I ended up having to use a fork to finish this dish. It was okay, but I would not order this again.

Price: $11.00

Verdict: Very slow service, we even had to wait for our menus! There are definite hits and misses for dinner. The grilled vegetables were superb. I would order that again and again!

The Rabbithole

352 Bedford Ave

Brooklyn, NY 11211

http://www.rabbitholerestaurant.com/

Radegast Biergarten: I'm the Loser That Goes for The Food

It was about 2 am in the morning when my friends and I decided to go to the beer hall. More hungry and drunk then desiring a beer, I immediately  headed to the grill section to get a delicious bratwurst.

Bratwurst

Mmmmm.... hot an fresh from the grill, the casing had a nice snap with every bite. Juicy, fatty and the perfect drunk food. The french fries however, took the horrid fate of being fried in very very old oil. They were like trying to eat a brittle finger nail. I longed for the moister of the sauerkraut to soften the fries a bit, but it didn't happen. Now granted, this was very late at night, right before the grill closed, but I should have opted for the bread option instead of the fries.

Price: $7.00

Verdict: It would have been a 5 yummy, but the nasty fries knocked it down 2 yummies. Sigh... next time I will go earlier I suppose. When everyone else is drinking, I will be that loser in the corner shoving a sausage down my throat (that's what she said). Anyway, then you aren't stuffing your face, the beers are great and you can even get a nice giant stein. Last time however, the stein shattered as we were toasting, but thats another story...

 Radegast Biergarten

113 N 3rd Street

Brooklyn, NY 11211

http://www.radegasthall.com

Breakfast: Cake for Breakfast...The Bagel Store is a Mad Scientist!

After my depressing encounter with Vic's Bagel Bar the other day, I decided to treat my taste buds with ol' faithful- The Bagel Store. I never know what I am going to get in here since they are constantly rotating new and wacky flavors. As I walked in, I saw something was different...is that a red bagel??  Holy Mother of all things doughy and delicious, it was a RED VELVET BAGEL. I rubbed my eyed to make sure I wasn't delusional. Yep. Red velvet bagel...

As I approached the counter the nice guy behind it smiled 

Me: Oh My God... a red velvet bagel?

Nice Guy (laughing) : Yep!

Me: I'll take it!!

Nice Guy:  Sure, what do you want in it? We have red velvet cream cheese too

Me ( almost fainting from what he just said): WHAT? Wow... I guess that would be too much red velvet for me.. how about just plain cream cheese?

Nice Guy: Sure! Sliced and toasted?

Me: Nah, just sliced, cream cheese on the side

I wanted to toast it at work. I am they type of weirdo that waits til I get to the office to eat my breakfast because I think eating on the subway is gross. Yet if they toast it right away, I am also the weirdo that thinks it wont be at it's "yummiest" potential if I do wait an extra 30 minutes to eat it. So my solution? Toast it at work, so that it will still be piping hot and crunchy.

Red Velvet Bagel with Cream Cheese

After it was out of the toaster, it was soft and actually cakey- bordering on falling apart. There was not much crunchy shell that a normal bagel would have coming out. I slathered on the cream cheese and took a bite. The perfect balance of bagel/ red velvet cake ratio, the denseness of a bagel with the soft bouncy recovery of a cake. I took another bite. The taste was most definitely red velvet, milky cocoa flavor, almost bitter but in a good way. I took a third bite. The cream cheese added just the right smooth creaminess, but I wished it had been blended with a little powered sugar. Not sweet enough.

Price: $1.80

Verdict:  Would I get this again? Maybe. Or perhaps I will try the red velvet flavored cream cheese paired with the featured coconut bagel instead...

The Bagel Store

247 Bedford Ave

Williamsburg NY 11211

www.thebagelstoreonline.com

Dinner: Fiore

In Williamsburg there is a cute little italian place called Fiore, whenever Buddy and I don't feel like going back in the city for dinner, we always end up here. The atmosphere is what makes this place so welcoming and keeps us coming back.

Outside

The indoor seating, there is a really nice outdoor patio in the back!

Long Island Iced Tea

Usually I am not one to order these, but I was so sleepy, Buddy insisted we order them to wake us up. I thought...doesn't alcohol make you MORE sleepy? He reasoned...well there is SO much alcohol in these that it well make you super awake.  Umm...I'm not sure if this made any sense, but I was too tired to argue.

Okay, so this definitely woke me up, but not because if the alcohol. It woke me up because it tasted HORRIBLE. I am not a "tequila person", and all I tasted was tequila. Buddy seemed to only taste gin in his.  We were wincing after each sip, probably looking insane with muscle spasm problems to the people at other tables.  Red wine for me next time around!

Price: $10.00

Complimentary Bread

After our alcohol convulsions, bread finally came to our table to save us. This was nice crusty and crunchy bread. Satisfying when dipped in olive oil, and perfectly chewy and doughy.

Price: Free

Cozze Prezzemolate In Padella

These mussels were sauteed in a garlic parsley broth. The mussels themselves were tender, big and juicy. The broth however, was very watery and needed salt. This was my least favorite dish of the night, and rightfully so after Buddy referred to the taste and texture to that of a vagina. Nice, the Vagina Musselogues.

Price: $8.00

Pizza Al Formaggio E Pepe Nero

This was the classic margherita. It came 12 inches round and cut into rectangles.  The sauce was excellent, fresh, light and not too sweet. I loved that this was such a thin pizza and it had the perfect amount of basil. The only thing I disliked was the underbelly was not crisp enough and the pizza ended up very floppy. I wished they had kept this in the oven just a little longer to get that nice crunch.

Price: $9.00

Skirt Steak with Salsa Verde

This was a 10 oz steak and came with a side of broccoli rabe and potatoes. Buddy ordered this rare, and it came out perfectly. It was well seasoned and had pretty good marbling in the meat. The broccoli rabe was delicious, sauteed with garlic, it was tender and melted in my mouth with each bite. The potatoes were nice and crispy on the outside and starchy and soft on the inside. Mixed with rosemary, thyme and cracked pepper, it was a good companion to the steak.

Price: $17.00

Fedelini Ai Frutti Di Mare

 This dish was AWESOME. I had substituted linguine for fedelini, and was cooked al dente. The white fish, scallops, mussels and squid were cooked perfectly!  They were tender, chewy and well seasoned.  The sauce was my dream tomato sauce, light and incredibly fresh tasting; thick, and clung onto the pasta and seafood like lint on black pants. My favorite dish of the night.

Price: $15.00

Verdict: The service here was fantastic, and the back patio was so warm and inviting. Though I wouldn't travel from Manhattan to come here, if you are in the neighborhood, this is a nice place to rest and get a hardy meal. But remember my warning, Don't get : the long island iced tea. Do get: anything else. I will be back for sure to try their desserts and other pasta dishes!

Fiore

284 Grand Street

Brooklyn NY 11211

Breakfast: The Bagel Store

Ahh....breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Why not start it off with a carbo-load of delicious bagels and fatty cream cheese?! This place is on the way to the L train in Williamsburg and a very popular place to get bagels. My belly was ready!

Outside, super hipster art mural

Hipsters waiting in line for their bagels. It got SO crowded in here and the lines were very chaotic ( it was also a Saturday).

Sesame Bagel with Vegetable Cream Cheese

I asked for it toasted and it barely came out with a light tan. However, it was extremely fluffy, doughy and super chewy. All the aspects I look for in a bagel. It could have used another sprinkling of sesame seeds to completely cover the top however. The cream cheese was the winner, with actual chunks of veggies  in each bite. None of that pulverized stuff, they gave a generous spreading of this on the bagel.

Price: 2.75

Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Bagel with Banana Cream Pie Cream Cheese

While in line I had to get a "dessert" bagel. The problem was that along with their 15 different flavors of cream cheese, they also have limited edition flavors . I ended up changing my mind 3 times before picking the banana cream pie (I could tell the guy taking my order was getting annoyed).

The bagel was a lot more dense and tough than the sesame. Swirls of cinnamon and raisins were in each bite I took, but I really couldn't taste the peanut butter. Perhaps it was because the cream cheese flavor was so strong, and not in a good way. I was expecting chunks of real banana mixed with sweetened cream cheese, but what I actually got was a HORRIBLE fake banana flavor (reminiscent of a banana laffy taffy) and way too much yellow dye. Definitely not getting this cream cheese again.

Price: $2.75

Verdict: I really love getting my bagels here, especially because they have very interesting flavors (apple pie flavored cream cheese is on my list) AND, right now they have a bacon, egg, and cheese flavored BAGEL, yes.. literally an all in one breakfast.

The Bagel Store

754 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211-3750

www.thebagelstoreonline.com

Dinner: Take out at Dumont Burger

After hanging out with friends all weekend, Buddy and I decided to have a relaxing Sunday dinner at home. Since neither of us felt like buying groceries and cooking, we settled for the next best thing...take out. We have eaten at Dumont before and gotten their burgers, but I was curious to try new things on the menu.

Dumont Mini Burger Buddy ordered the mini with gruyere cheese since the regular size was pretty big. It came on grilled brioche with a side of bibb lettuce, tomato, red onion, homemade pickles and was about size of a CD.  I tried the fries and they were crispy and satisfying, I loved the kosher salt and parsley sprinkled on top. Great to dip in ranch dressing! I didn't try his burger, but he seemed to really enjoy it. The brioche looked delicious! Price: $ 9.50 plus $1.00 for cheese

Dumac and Cheese

This was made with radiatore pasta, bacon lardons, cheddar and gruyere. It came in one of those large round containers,  and we wondered before we opened it... this couldn't possibly be filled ALL the way full of mac and cheese...could it?  Um, yes it most definitely was! The pasta shape as short and chunky with ridges circling the pasta, forming the shape like the grill of a radiator. The cheese leaked its way into ever possible ridge and was gooey and delicious. The outer crust layer of the cheese was wonderfully crunchy and flavorful. Bacon lardon was sprinkled generously throughout the entire dish and added a nice hit of salt and smokey flavor with each bite. This could possibly be one of the best mac and cheeses I've had in a while!

Price: $14.00 for a large

Brownie

When we called to place an order, I asked the girl on the phone how much brownies were, and I was expecting to hear 2-3 dollars. When she said 5 dollars, all I could think was "this better be the best freaking brownie on the face of this earth". 

This was a really big brownie, it was the size of a CD case and came heated and piping hot (insert Homer Simpson drooling here). Of course we started attacking this before our actual meals (notice the missing chunk?) This was a extremely moist brownie. Every bite I got a mouthful of hot melted chocolate chips mixed with sweet brownie dough. Add a scoop of salty caramel, coffee or vanilla ice cream and this is the perfect topper to a rich and decadent meal.

Price: $5.00

Verdict: Dumont can get pretty pricey if you eat at the restaurant ( add a couple of beers and one meal could cost up to 30 dollars per person!) but I am lucky enough to live 3 blocks and get carry out. Just buy a 6 pack of some good IPA, and go on your apartment rooftop, you won't even miss the restaurant atmosphere.

Dumont Burger

314 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211

www.dumontburger.com

Brunch: El Almancen

So there are just a couple more entries with my iphone pictures before I put up pictures with my new camera (insert excited squeal here). I had to post this place because A.) the food here was amazing and B.) I haven't posted anything with a Latin flare yet.  This restaurant is only 2 blocks from the L train and just a little more from my apartment. My friends raved about the avocado fries and steak, but what intrigued me was their brunch menu. So on a Saturday morning I dragged Buddy out of the apartment to check it out. Walking in we were greeted by a warm and rustic atmosphere. There were a lot of vintage kitchen appliances placed throughout and the windows were dressed with antique lace curtains.

Inside seating 

I loved the cute little cups decorated with a single flower, it put a smile on my face : )

Avocado Fries 

Taste: The avocado was ripe and the kosher salt sprinkled on top was a perfect amount, just enough to bring out the avocados natural flavor. The dipping sauce was a kind of homemade tomato and chili concoction. It was nice to have the acidity of the tomato contrasting against the gentle fry

Texture: The texture was the star of this dish. The breading was so crispy, crunchy and was not oily like what you would expect from a fry. The avocado center was creamy and melted in my mouth

Price: $5.00

French Toast

This was topped with caramel sauce, caramelized banana's, and diced strawberries, dusted with confectioners sugar.  Umm... yeah orgasm in my mouth. This was Buddys dish, but I was practically pulling the plate away from him to get more bites. The BEST french toast I have ever had. Ever. Period.

Taste: This was such a well executed piece of toast. They managed to have a creme brulee like coating on the top while still being able to maintain the integrity of the airy center of the bread. The caramel was not too sweet, the bananas ripe, and the strawberries were tart and fresh. No syrup was necessary

Texture: I loved this dish so much because it did not leave me feeling very heavy and full like so many other french toasts do after I eat them. The bread kept is airiness and the coating, its crunch.

Price: $8.00

Huevos Rancheros

This was with 2 sunny sideup eggs, a tortilla, stewed black beans mixed with greens in tomatillo salsa, and topped with cream cheese. The prettiest presentation I have ever seen for huevos rancheros!  

Taste: All of these elements made this a spicy, tangy, truly decedent and satisfying morning meal. Definitely a step up from the everyday omelette.  

Texture: The fried torilla was still able to maintain its crunch though it was immersed in the tomatillo and bean mixture. I loved the creaminess of the egg yolk and how it was able to still stand out against all of the other components.

Price: $8.00

Verdict: I am so glad I live near this restaurant. I came when it first opened,  and the service was excellent (considering there were only 2 other tables being occupied). I am definitely curious about the offerings for dinner, but until then you can be certain you will get a satisfying and hearty breakfast here. 

El Almacen

557 Driggs Ave

Brooklyn, New York 11211

(718) 218-7284‎