Delightfully Fortunate Tasty Goodness
Street-weary, heat-exhausted and thirsty, LP and I sat on stools at Carteles waiting in the small super cute cafe munching tasty guava empanadas. The AC may have been on, but with the door open, there was no cool air to be felt. We melted and waited patiently for Cienfuegos, the upstairs rum-based cocktail hot-spot to open.
It was one of those 100-degree days, and I had tromped all over Brooklyn until meeting LP for a late lunch in Manhattan. We went together to see a small apartment in the East Village. It was yet another building where the garbage was kept in the hall, and there was nowhere to store a bike. Top dollar for a tiny space with no charm and stairs that look like they haven't been mopped in the last decade. We tried thereafter to go to an open house that wasn't open at all. Sigh. Another dead-end lead from the pages of Craig's List.
We were in serious need of a refreshing beverage. I was a little skeptical eyeing the large churning daquiri machine in Carteles. Surely, no quality cocktail could come out that monstrosity. My cynical eye was quelled, however, by the display of interesting, and I assumed, quality rums. New territory for your urban gastronomer.
Cienfuegos is on 6th Street just west of Avenue A. It's new enough that there is nothing yet on the website, but they say it's coming soon. The space LP and I were seated in was pretty with a flavor that was part Caribbean and part Victorian garden. Cream seats and wrought iron accents stood out against the brushed aqua walls. The back room, which I spied on my way to the ladies, has an I-Dream-of-Jeannie pink plushness.
The drinks were as refreshing as a cool breeze next to some large body of water the color of those walls. I ordered the Vesperone, subtitled "Dark and mysterious, Esperanza for evening." The mixture was Ron Zacapa Centenario rum, rye whiskey, green Chartreuse, blackberries, fresh sage, agave, fresh lime juice and champagne. It was a beautiful drink, darkly colored by the sweet-tart summer blackberries. The sage hit the nose more than the palate in the most subtle and wonderful way, and the bubbles from the champagne gave it the slightest lift on the tongue. There was an herbal undertone, again very subtle, presumably from the Chartreuse and sage together.
LP had the Punch (Tuesday) 13. The subtitle stated "In many Spanish-Speaking countries, there is nothing to fear on Friday 13th." This may be so, but lucky for us anyway it was Monday. The delightfully fortunate cocktail contained Smith and Cross Jamaican rum, Leblon Chachaca, yellow Chartreuse, strawberries, fresh pineapple and lime juice and angostura bitters.
And once again, I conclude, I really need to pick up a bottle of Chartreuse. So many possibilities!
As we enjoyed our drinks, we watched a nearby couple ladle punch from a silver bowl on their table into their glasses. This is a neat feature... you can order punches for groups.
There is so much more to be tasted at Cienfuegos. I hope to go back again this summer. I was so wiped out from apartment hunting, I couldn't drink another cocktail, no matter how delicious or refreshing.
Stay tuned, my friends. More cocktails to come! I still haven't signed a lease, but things are looking promising. Send your good-home thoughts my way Tuesday morning! It may be the 13th, but at least it's not Friday!
Street-weary, heat-exhausted and thirsty, LP and I sat on stools at Carteles waiting in the small super cute cafe munching tasty guava empanadas. The AC may have been on, but with the door open, there was no cool air to be felt. We melted and waited patiently for Cienfuegos, the upstairs rum-based cocktail hot-spot to open.
It was one of those 100-degree days, and I had tromped all over Brooklyn until meeting LP for a late lunch in Manhattan. We went together to see a small apartment in the East Village. It was yet another building where the garbage was kept in the hall, and there was nowhere to store a bike. Top dollar for a tiny space with no charm and stairs that look like they haven't been mopped in the last decade. We tried thereafter to go to an open house that wasn't open at all. Sigh. Another dead-end lead from the pages of Craig's List.
We were in serious need of a refreshing beverage. I was a little skeptical eyeing the large churning daquiri machine in Carteles. Surely, no quality cocktail could come out that monstrosity. My cynical eye was quelled, however, by the display of interesting, and I assumed, quality rums. New territory for your urban gastronomer.
Cienfuegos is on 6th Street just west of Avenue A. It's new enough that there is nothing yet on the website, but they say it's coming soon. The space LP and I were seated in was pretty with a flavor that was part Caribbean and part Victorian garden. Cream seats and wrought iron accents stood out against the brushed aqua walls. The back room, which I spied on my way to the ladies, has an I-Dream-of-Jeannie pink plushness.
The drinks were as refreshing as a cool breeze next to some large body of water the color of those walls. I ordered the Vesperone, subtitled "Dark and mysterious, Esperanza for evening." The mixture was Ron Zacapa Centenario rum, rye whiskey, green Chartreuse, blackberries, fresh sage, agave, fresh lime juice and champagne. It was a beautiful drink, darkly colored by the sweet-tart summer blackberries. The sage hit the nose more than the palate in the most subtle and wonderful way, and the bubbles from the champagne gave it the slightest lift on the tongue. There was an herbal undertone, again very subtle, presumably from the Chartreuse and sage together.
LP had the Punch (Tuesday) 13. The subtitle stated "In many Spanish-Speaking countries, there is nothing to fear on Friday 13th." This may be so, but lucky for us anyway it was Monday. The delightfully fortunate cocktail contained Smith and Cross Jamaican rum, Leblon Chachaca, yellow Chartreuse, strawberries, fresh pineapple and lime juice and angostura bitters.
And once again, I conclude, I really need to pick up a bottle of Chartreuse. So many possibilities!
As we enjoyed our drinks, we watched a nearby couple ladle punch from a silver bowl on their table into their glasses. This is a neat feature... you can order punches for groups.
There is so much more to be tasted at Cienfuegos. I hope to go back again this summer. I was so wiped out from apartment hunting, I couldn't drink another cocktail, no matter how delicious or refreshing.
Stay tuned, my friends. More cocktails to come! I still haven't signed a lease, but things are looking promising. Send your good-home thoughts my way Tuesday morning! It may be the 13th, but at least it's not Friday!
Comments
Post a Comment