Calle Ocho

Calle Ocho is another place that I found out about while doing research for the engagement dinner. Unfortunately, the ambiance is too casual for me so it didn't make the finalists list, but it definitely made my NYC must eat list.  Everyone always raves about the unlimited sangria brunch here, so we took advantage of the extra vacation day on labor day weekend and tried out the famous brunch.

One thing to note, if you are coming with a large party be sure to make a reservation a couple of weeks in advance. Their brunch is so popular, it is pretty much impossible to get last minute reservations. We ended up just showing up around 2:30 to try our luck. We were able to get a table, but the dining room was completely packed, so this may not always work.

It doesn't looks like it from the outside, but the inside dining space is REALLY large and spacious.

Calle Ocho interior

Whimsical warped lampshade decoration

I love the curved skylight ceilings. It really made the room feel large and cheery. Look how packed it is!

Sangria bar

Their sangria bar is free with any entree purchase. This is a great value since the entrees are pretty inexpensive, maxing out at around $15.

Blanco - Fresh fruit + splash of spirits

Havana banana

This was my fave drink out of the line up: Havana Banana. It's made of coconut rum, banana flavoring, and real pieces of coconut, banana, and lychees. Its light and sweet, so it went down really well. I usually enjoy white wine more than red, so of course I preferred the white colored sangria selections here over the red. 

Yummyyy

I tried all the white sangria selections, but I only tried the Fresas in the red section, which is raspberry rum, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Fresas was too strong for me. The taste of alcohol was overwhelming and the fruits did not taste fresh. 

Complimentary bread and dip

Since there were so many people dining at Calle Ocho, the service was a bit slow. We did not receive our complimentary bread for a long time, but when it came we realized it was sooo worth waiting for. The bread you see are warm brazilian cheese bread. Its soft and chewy in the middle, absolutely incredible! The black bean dip looked a bit questionable at first but after the first bite I was hooked. Its lightly flavored so it's a savory dip with a distinctive latin american flavor. I found a recipe for it on the food network site, it's a bit like salsa but with blackbeans instead of tomato chunks: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dan-smith-and-steve-mcdonagh/black-bean-dip-recipe/index.html

Burrito Sucio

I had the Burrito Sucio - Chorizo, scrambled eggs, black beans, and Tetilla Cheese wrapped in a burrito with salsa verde on top.  I liked this, the salsa for this had quite a kick to it, and the chorizo and scrambled eggs fillings are quite different from a typical burrito. Parfait for brunch though!

Cachapa de Salmon

DF's roomie ordered the Cachapa de Salmon - Venezuelan sweet corn crepes, smoked salmon scrambled Eggs, caper red onion, crema nata.  Notice how blurry it is, because I did not like the dish well enough to retake for a clear picture. Actually, none of us liked this dish. It may be because we were too busy stuffing our faces full of alcohol and other dishes, so by the time we got to this it was already a bit cold. The smoked salmon were in little pieces mixed in with the eggs, so the flavor did not really shine. It tasted like creamy scrambled eggs. I'd skip this dish next time.

Quesadillas de El Salvador

DF actually ordered the best dish of the day. The Quesadillas de El Salvador. The usual quesadillas you find in restaurants are filled with boring old cheese and chicken. If they're not cooked correctly and eaten immediately, they can also be quite dry. So I usually avoid ordering the quesadillas if I can. At Calle Ocho, their quesadillas also includes curtido (pickled carrots, onions, and peppers), and avocado, with crema nata on top. The curtido  gave the quesadilla flavor and kick. The avocados were also a nice touch as a balance to the heavy cheese and provided a great smooth texture.   

Yuca Fries

Chorizo

We also ordered two sides: Yuca Fries and Chorizo. Yuca is also known as the Cassava root and a large part of South American cuisine. As fries they were a bit too starchy for us. It was also crunchy like a crisp apple, but without the juiciness. Our dislike of this dish was mainly due to personal preference and not because of Calle Ocho's preparation. It was served with a red sauce that tasted a bit like marinara sauce with the spicy kick of cocktail sauce. The Chorizo was really good, but it seems like a hard to mess up side. They are not stingy with their side dishes, so again brunch here is a very good value. 

One additional thing I just HAVE to mention. During the meal, perhaps because I was a bit too tipsy from all the sangria, I dropped my fork on the floor. It literally flew out of my hand. Before I even realized what happened, the manager (Manager! not waiter!) was at my side with a new fork and napkin. Now THAT'S service! Especially in such a crowded restaurant. I didn't even get that caliber of service at michelin star restaurants. Needless to say, that really impressed me.

There were mixed reviews for this brunch. I thought it was great! DF thought it was only okay and still prefers Chipotle, and his roommate said he was too drunk to taste the food. However, we all enjoyed the experience and were all quite tipsy at the end of the meal. 

Calle Ocho is definitely a must do for brunch, especially if you enjoy your alcohol. It's a very comfortable and friendly environment, which is seriously hard to find in NYC, and you get so much for your money.