Yerba Buena

This restaurant is closed!

Yerba Buena

Photo: Cititour.com

Contact Info:

Address: 23 Avenue A
City: Brooklyn, NY
Zip: 10009
map: View the Map
Phone: (212) 529-2919
Email: info@yerbabuenanyc.com
Website: http://www.yerbabuenanyc.com
Hours: Dinner: Mon-Sun 5pm-12am Brunch: Sat & Sun 11:30am-4pm

Food Info:

Menu: View the Menu
Chef: Julian Medina
Cuisine: Latin America
Reservations:  Click for reservations
Payment: Amex

Cititour Review:

A summer getaway is closer than you think. A meal at Yerba Buena, a new soothing pan-Latin eatery in Alphabet City, has the ability to make you feel like you’ve been transported thousands of miles from the city’s humid streets. Beautifully decorated in woods and neutrals that accentuate the coziness of the space, the restaurant is designed, in every possible way, to create a relaxing if slightly exotic experience.

It would be impossible not to relax after one (never mind two) of the inventive cocktails created by bartender Artemio Vasquez, a veteran of the famed Pegu Club. My companion went wild for the refreshing Piquanto Picante, made with gin, Cointreau, cucumber, fresh lemon juice and a floating jalapeno, while I was more than content with an expertly prepared Pisco Sour. If you’re more of an oenophile, you can rest easy: the house’s wine list is remarkably extensive and well-chosen, and full of unusual South American varietals.

Unlike so many of its new brethren, Yerba Buena sticks to the conventional appetizer-entrée-desert format. However, with portions on the slightly delicate side, a hungry pair can throw an in extra starter as we did. While rabbit meatballs sounded dreary on paper, chef Lenis Gonzalez’s version were a triumph, with the forest creature tasting more like beef or pork than day-old-chicken, accented by a tangy fresh tomato salsa. A pair of truly enormous and super-fresh langoustines was the ideal conduit for a brilliantly smoky chipotle-garlic sauce, and a delicate crepe filled with rich-as-can-be duck confit was nicely accented with a pile of baby arugula in a delicious sherry vinaigrette.

Not every chef in town handles both fish and meat as expertly as Gonzalez does. A meaty filet of salmon and the rib eye steak both arrived rare as requested, and each held its own against the other. The fish was coated in a complex Malta coffee sauce, and served atop an enticing mélange of oyster mushrooms and hominy-like cholo corn, while the beef – served in two good-size boneless chunks -- gained depth from its kicky “aji panca” glaze. A trio of surprisingly good crunchy yuca balls and a dollop of “avocado salad” that was really fabulous guacamole were just the right complements.

Latin desserts rarely thrill me – sorry, you really can’t beat the French in that department – but my dining partner had nothing but kind words for the coconut-rice pudding. And I truly can’t recall the name of the quasi-ice-cream-soda concoction we shared, except that it tasted like the world’s most sophisticated egg cream!

 

Review By: Brian Scott Lipton

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