3-8-14 Calle Ocho in the UWS

My buddy Miller and I decided to run out to go see the new Wes Anderson flick and I invited him to join me for a spot of brunch first. If there has been one drunk brunch I could do over and over, it would be at Calle Ocho. This place hit on all the levels: great food, great drinks, a vibrant atmosphere and good service.

Stock Photo of the Dining Room

There was a momentary panic when we got there and they said an hour and 45 minute wait, but that was just for the bar/lounge area. We were led through the bar and into a large dining area, and sat at a table within five minutes. The place does get crazy though, so do show up early. Despite the large open space and voluminous conversation going on around us, it was rather easy for my friend and I to still have a private conversation and hear each other perfectly. The atmosphere was warm and colorful and reflected a sense of life and vibrancy.

Sangria List

The menu itself consists of Cuban inspired dishes, eight different kinds of sangria and a variety of additional cocktails and wines. Samples include Pan Rellano (a stuffed French Toast), the Calle Ocho Omelet, and a vegetarian paella. The real treat is that you get unlimited sangria with your entree (within reason) as long as you are eating.

Within moments of us sitting down, a server came over and asked us what Sangria we wanted. I started with the Spanish Harlem, and my friend got the Blanca. The Spanish Harlem was a dry, a little earthy, and overall nice. The Blanca was incredibly light, refreshing, and slightly sweet. As soon as our sangria came, a server ninja showed up right behind with a basket of baked goods. The real prize inside it were these little rolls that were baked with some kind of cheese, and a side of whipped strawberry butter that went perfectly alongside it.

First round of sangria

The server returned and we ordered our meals. I got the Frita Cubana, a pork and beef hamburger with fries. My companion got the Latin Benedict, a Cuban inspired eggs benedict. I also ordered us a plate of fried plantains to start.

The plantains came two ways: a younger green plantain, sliced and fried, and ripe plantains chopped and also fried. The young plantains had a light herb sauce on top, were fairly salty and savory and went really well with the accompanying pickled onions. The ripe plantains were lightly breaded and fried and very sweet. Both were perfect and complimented each other.

One course down and our next round of sangria was ordered. I switched to the Havana Banana, a white and my friend got the Fresa, a red. The Havana Banana, as the name implied, had a banana flavor to it, but also fresh lychee and white rum and was sweet and refreshing but not cloying. The Fresa tasted like fresh berries but was still off-dry, very nice.

Frita Cubana

The Frita Cubana consisted of two pork and beef spiced patties on a fluffy sesame seed bun. A light glaze of chipotle ketchup and some lightly sauteed red onions were the only compatriots on the bun, and it came served with a mound of seasoned shoestring fries. The burger itself was slightly spicy, delicious but also slightly dry, most likely from the pork. But overall it was really good. The fries were excellent and the seasoning on them complimented the burger nicely.

Latin Benedict

My buddy's Latin Benedict consited of a duck and pork sausage, topped with some herbs, which was in turn toped with poached eggs and then finally doused in a chipotle hollandaise sauce. He admitted that he had actually never had an eggs benedict before, which made me a bit curious as to why he ordered it. But he said that the dish was delicious, creamy and slightly spicy.

The server came around one more time to offer us a final round of sangria. This time we both wound up getting the Roja, though neither of us realized we each got the same thing. At this point we did have a little bit of a buzz going, because as I may have neglected to mention, these sangrias weren't exactly tiny glasses. The Roja was a slightly sweet, but off-dry red sangria with a hint of citrus and loaded with fresh orange pieces.

The service at the restaurant was great considering how incredibly crowded it was. Within moments of our sangrias being empty someone would come over to take our order. Our water rarely ran out for long. The only knock I have is that I ordered a second side of fries and they never came. But we told the server and she was incredibly apologetic for it.

Overall, Calle Ocho may have been one of the best brunches I've been to ever. It was fun, scrumptious, and wonderful. Only a few small knocks on it that kept it away from perfection. 4.5 out of 5 bloody marys.