LA CERVECERIA

65 Second Avenue

New York, NY 10003

(212) 777-6965

Tapas aren't the first thing that come to mind when it snows, but that just means that there's less of a wait for a table. Myna and I found our way here to grab dinner and drinks before meeting friends for a movie. La Cerverceria is a tapas place but also a beer bar and boasts an impressive list of beers from craft IPAs and microbrew pumpkin ales to forty dollar Belgian sours. Just for that reason alone, it's worth going. New York City has precious few places with truly impressive beer lists, and this is one of them.

As I said, the crowd at La Cerveceria was light and we were able to get seated without a wait. The interior is dark and intimate without being cliched and although I could easily go here with my guy friends, just about everyone there was a couple. The wall opposite us housed thousands of beers. Faux vintage newspaper ad wallpaper and soft dim Edison bulbs made me feel like I should have been smoking a cigar. Our waiter was super helpful and friendly and while we sipped our drinks and looked over the menu, he made suggestions which, as it turned out, were right on the ball.

The menu is a varied one with tacos and larger plates and tartares and salads and skewers. We started with the Fish Tacos. Cod (I think) with pepper, onion, lime, tomato and herbs. While Myna and I both love fish tacos, and both thought that these were good, they were the least impressive of the things we tried. The fish was a little on the timid side, so I'd probably go with the steak taco next time I come here. I say this because the next thing we ordered, the Skirt Steak Skewer, served with a little salsa made of avocado, onion, tomato, and ricotta, was delicious. The meat was tender and the marinade was perfect and the meat was so tender that it could be compared to tofu. Well... not really, but you get my point. The best dish was the last one, the Peruvian Empanadas. Chicken, raisins, herbs, and onion wrapped in a dough pocket with an aji amarillo (a tangy yellow pepper) dipping sauce. So good. Sweet and savory at the same time and it's only too bad that you only get three instead of fifteen.

Time was running short and there were still a few avenues between us and a movie about teenagers living in a neo-feudal, consumer-driven autocracy throwing spears into each others' chests as a function of pop-culturally-enforced fascism. So we skipped dessert. Also, I just wasn't in the mood for flan.