Good Eating
Washington Heights and Inwood: The Taste of Way Uptown
Along with the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park and the serene hiking trails in Inwood Hill Park, the uptown Manhattan neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Inwood are home to a number of intriguing restaurants.
809 SANGRIA BAR AND GRILL
(212) 304-3800; 112 Dyckman Street (Nagle Avenue); $$; Article: 8/23/06.
Tapas are served upstairs and downstairs at this new Latino restaurant, which is done in exotic woods and onyx. The bar on the ground floor leads into a churrascaria, with all the meat-grilling action visible through big windows on the street. Upstairs there is a tequila and rum bar.
The chef de cuisine, Jorge Adriazola, is taking his direction from Ricardo Cardona, the executive chef, with a menu that explores Central and South America.
EL NUEVO CARIDAD
(212) 923-8269; 1004 St. Nicholas Avenue (West 191st Street); $; Article: 1/26/06.
This Dominican restaurant, with the slogan “Un cuadrangular en sabor” (“A home run of flavor”), is a favorite hangout of Dominican baseball players and their fans. The menu offers dozens of dishes named after Latino ballplayers, based on what they order when they visit, and lists their preferred side dishes.
A footnote on the menu assures customers that each player has authorized his own dish before lending his name.
NEW LEAF CAFÉ
(212) 568-5323; 1 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park; $$; Article: 8/22/01.
A few minutes’ walk from the medieval complex at the Cloisters, this 1930’s limestone structure with chiseled arches near the park’s southern entrance was restored to elegance five years ago. The renovated building houses the New Leaf Café, a cool, airy oasis, its dark oak contrasting with pale green walls. Profits from the restaurant help maintain the park.
The menu includes pan-roasted filet of salmon with lime coriander broth, tiger shrimp, fregola and asparagus; and grilled rib-eye steak with beer-battered Vidalia onions and ancho chili sauce.
PIPER’S KILT
(212) 569-7071; 4946 Broadway (207th Street); $; Article: 12/15/02.
Inwood was once home to many Irish immigrants. Piper’s, one of the area’s few surviving Irish pubs, serves pub food like Irish nachos (French fries with cheese and bacon), terrific burgers, hot wings and a fish lunch special on Fridays.
EL PRESIDENTE
(212) 927-7011; 3938 Broadway (164th Street); $; $25 and Under: 3/8/00.
This small, bright place serves food of the Hispanic Caribbean: Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Flavors are powered by garlic, bell peppers and annato rather than the heat of chilies.
E-mail: eating@nytimes.com
NY Times
September 3, 2006
Related: Time Out New York
Filed under: Flavor Guide, Restaurants
Stumble It!