Cubano at Cafecito

Happy together.

Cafecito is the place to be.

Rachel and I dug into the menu like the voracious food lovers we are. Plenty of lip-smacking sandwich options available, though we settled on the lunch specials. For just $9, you get a thick 8-inch slab of meat with rice, beans and plantains on the side. What better way to go?

Warm lighting.

Mini disco lights draped delicately from the ceiling like long, dangling earrings. The brick wall insets added a homey vibe to the Cuban restaurant/bar. A collection of plush cushions scattered on the front benches enhanced the lived-in feel.

One thing we noticed right away was how clean the bathroom was. Spotless! Seriously much better than what the plain, nondescript yellow awning suggests.

Biztec con arroz, frijoles y tostones.

Rachel ordered the seasoned steak.

Look, Mommy - I made a heart!

I got the Pollo Cafecito, or house chicken. And boy was it mammoth. See that picture? The entire chicken was nearly twice that size. Needless to say, I brought leftovers to work the next day. As for the flavor, I'm not sure how Cubans do it, but the tender chicken had a most satisfying blend of spices - black pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin and who knows what other "secret" ingredients.

You can't see it here, but we also ordered a half-carafe of sangria. It was Rachel's first time, and though she found the drink "ok," she heartily ate the chopped apples. Sangria is also a refreshing summer drink. I like making it from scratch, soaking the fruits in the wine concoction for hours. You can use just about any type of fruit - apples, oranges, peaches, grapes, cherries, etc. (Just pick one or two, not all of them!) Then, pop it in the refrigerator to chill.

Vamping up the freak.

Couldn't resist snapping up a few Vampire Freaks.

Rating: 4.5 stars. I...LOVE...rice and beans. Our waitress was pleasant and didn't rush us in the least. An energizing music selection featured everything from classic jazz to reggae and all the shake-your-moneymaker salsa and rumba in between. I'd go again with a bigger crowd to sample the sandwiches and half-priced Happy Hour drinks. Or maybe a pitcher of that sangria.

Location:
Cafecito
185 Avenue C
(between 11th St & 12th St)
New York, NY 10009
212.253.9966

Bryant Park

Trees lean close to whisper sweet nothings in your ear.

All the people.

Snooze Fest.

Fountain of youth?

Purple-necked pigeon.

Photo montage taken June 2. Bryant Park, New York, NY.

Arriba! Arriba! Una dia en la Loisada

Outside East Side Community High School.

Walking east down 14th Street towards the Lower East Side, I had a peculiar feeling that I was crossing boundaries from the hipster, ultra-urban Union Square to another territory altogether. On the basketball court outside East Community High School, I heard the shuffle of sneakers, the thump thump thwack of elastic basketballs skimming the rim.

75 degrees. Mostly sunny, with a slight breeze.

An Asian mom and her toddler son watched enthralled behind the black fence as squeals and screams of glee filled the playground in front of them. These noises came from 20 or so students, lined up back-to-back in a row on a yellow mat with their legs spread wide forming tunnels. Their pants were rolled up, shirts drenched from water.

All of a sudden a human canonball burst threw the line, splashing bucketfulls of water in his wake.

It's slip-n-slide time, baby.

They looked like they were having so much fun...oh, to be young again.

"Slum of Providence."

Go watch City of God. It's only my favorite movie.

"Be cool stay in school."

Kool Bloo Express Eats is doing you a solid. Rachel thinks so, too.

Boombox biker.

I love this shot. An older Latino gentleman (or Abuelito, as I nicknamed him) rides leisurely through Avenue C, a veritable fiesta of Spanish tunes flooding through his boombox speakers. Something tells me he's got the longevity thing down pat. Check out those orange rims!

Cool-aid.

More orange, in the form of a mango ice. Waiting for my lunch date to arrive, I sat down on a green bench next to Ctown (the supermarket, not Chinatown). A little old man with some of his teeth missing gave me a gum-filled smile as he peddled around his ice cart.

"El coco, la cereza, el mango!" he hawked.

Since it was getting rather warm, I thought I'd give one a try. Mango's my favorite, of course. I asked him how much.

-Pardon, señor. ¿Cuánto cuesta?

-Un dolar, one dollar.

-Mango, por favor.

-Ah, un mango por una chica linda! (One mango for a pretty girl.)

A lovely ice from a lovely man. And for just one buck, a good way to keep your cool!

One Ramen to Go, Dog

Mithra's dog, Aga, guarding the ramen.

It's amazing what tukbokki (Korean rice cakes), SPAM and a sprinkling of seasoning can do for your ramen. I just consumed Hong Ramyun a minute ago, so I find it funny that somewhere in the world Epik High's Mithra was also making ramen. We could've been chomping on ramen at the same time...Of course, his looks a lot more spiffier than my sparse bowl.

Something else Mithra once blogged about stood out in my mind: "Blogs need love too." Even though I'm working now - and I'm all for employment! - I must remember to keep the dream alive. Writing (or typing) in this blog is a way for me to communicate my food/music/green whimsies to the public. After deducting the monthly $--- for student loans, I'm most definitely setting aside some dough for my Travel Fund.

That's for when I can actually take a vacation...explore the unusual, offbeat, five senses-pleasing things I want to pursue, and share 'em with you via pictures and text.

True, everyday we strugglin'

But not without a reason.

ONE.

Unleashing the Animal In You

Photo by dorsia.

In-n-out, how I miss thee.

When I saw a close-up shot of your animal-style goodness...your fresh, hot potato fingers never soggy or deep fried battered...it brought back fond memories.

Ingredients: Hand-cut fries, grilled onions, American cheese, "special" sauce.

Please come back to me.

'Gal' Sone Eats 20 Pounds of Curry

Can this girl eat or what?? Weighing in at just 95 pounds, Natsuko 'Gal' Sone sure has a fast metabolism. You have to wonder, though...where does all that food go? Is her stomach a bottomless pit?

All this footage of Japanese curry's got me fiending for some myself. Go!Go!Curry, anyone?


Source: Americurry.

High on Life, Low on Blood Sugar

It was all a blur.

This was before the Epik High show started and my arms were aching from pumping my fist in the air, raving that strobe light and clapping.

Rachel's Butterscotch Boba, my Lychee Nectar Nata De Coco, Dave's satisfied face.

It's 10 o'clock. Do you know where your children are?

I don't, but I do know where I was at 11:30. Saint's Alp. It was the closest place we could think of at the time for quick service and food in the stomach.

When the waiter served us our hot bowls of nourishment, a good five minutes passed before any of us said a word. Hunger = lack of conversation. That was one of the most satisfying dinners ever. Maybe because I was just that hungry.

On a side note, I noticed that the Romeo and Juliet specials had been taken off the menu. Noooo...

Farewell, young things. I guess this is goodbye.

Braised Chicken Chunks on Rice (mine).

Platter of wings, fried dumplings & tea eggs (Rachel's).

Minced pork on rice (Dave's).