Day 285—Thursday, October 21st, 2010
La Flaca
One of the many blogs I follow and comment on is New York Magazine’s Grub Street. Today they had a “first look” at a new Mexican restaurant and bar on the Lower East Side (bordering on Chinatown) called, La Flaca and they said it had and El Sombrero-like vibe. While I like to call El Sombrero, The Hat, I’m anxious to see what this place is all about. Plus I’m thirsty for a margarita so that’s tonight’s destination.
There's no sign outside, but it's the only restaurant on the block, so to quote the Talking Heads, I guess this must be the place.
The bar looks nice and there's plenty of seats, let's go snag one.
And Andy the friendly bartender is quick with a frozen margarita. Andy's an accomplished artist, check out his website here: Andy Mecca.
It's a small margarita, but they pack a punch here. This glass is equal to one twice it's size at most places.
It turns out that this woman is not only a customer at the bar...
She's also one of the owners! This is Daniela, who owns the place along with her boyfriend, Bobby. And now for another weird coincidence, I met Bobby last summer because he bartends at bar 119 which was the 198th bar on the crawl. At the time he told me that he and his girlfriend were going to open a Mexican restaurant and bar in the fall and now by sheer coincidence here I am! This must be the place! And to top it all off, Daniela keeps up the Aussie bar crawl connection, she's originally from Sydney, Australia.
And Daniela generously brought out some chips, dips and guacamole to sample.
Along with one of the house signature appetizers, the Bola di Chino Chicken Dumplings. The name has a special meaning, which you can read about in the review. Everything was delicious!
This vintage chandelier hangs over the dining room and provides some of the low-lit atmosphere.
All the tables are custom made by a friend of Daniele and Bobby's.
There's two benches in the front of the restaurant also custom made.
They're made from 100 pound tree trunks. Very cool and woodsy.
Some of the Mexican motif hanging on the front wall.
There's rocking chairs up front, if you want to have a little siesta after dinner.
Which is what Andy and I decided to do.
Here's the lovely Megan who does waitress duty as well as bartending.
And here she is in active duty.
Meanwhile, it's starting to get hopping back at the bar.
Graham was seated next to me and was wearing shades. He confessed that someone may have put something in his drink earlier, but I'll never tell!
Here's Daniela with Brock. Cheers!
Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but this fucking guy stared at me for the whole night behind the bar.
Grub Street's Daniel Maurer wrote that this place had a vibe similiar to El Sombrero and this picture proves it! (Check out this link, the 11th picture down.)
Okay, one look out the window and I'm gone like a cool breeze. Goodnight, everybody!
Review
La Flaca has just celebrated their first week anniversary, but to walk into this warm and friendly restaurant and bar, you’d think they’ve been on the block for years. The magenta, low-lit hues of the room make it feel like it’s an eternal sunset inside and there’s a comfortable dining area with custom-built wooden tables and benches and a nice bar area to sample cocktails. The decor and atmosphere is inviting and drips of Mexican flavors from the menu to the maracas hanging behind the bar. And you can literally rock out here, there’s two wooden rocking chairs in front of the dining room to relax and enjoy a drink in.
They just got their liquor license last night and celebrated by breaking out the wine, beer and frozen margaritas. Within the week you can sample such signature cocktails as: the El Patio which is the home-made signature Bloody Mary with a salt and pepper rim; the La Flaca which mixes Tequila, Triple Sec, Mango, Mint and Lime Juice; the Caliente which is Jalapeno infused tequila, lime, lemon and blood orange juice and the Lucero wlhich is the house margarita frozen, or on the rocks.
The food menu includes tacos, burritos and enchiladas, plus combination plates. And if you’re not in the mood for Mexican, burgers can also be had here. One of the unique signature appetizer dishes here is a nod to their neighbors in Chinatown. The appetizer is dumplings made of chicken, cheese and green chile and the name of the dish is Bola di Chino Chicken, which translates into Chinese balls. Brunch is available on weekend from 11am to 4pm with various Mexican egg dishes including: Huevos Con Chorizo—Two scrambled eggs with Chorizo; Gordito Burrito—Two eggs with bacon or soy bacon, onion, tomato and cheese and Tacos del La Flaca with steak, fried egg and avocado.
La Flaca
384 Grand St. (Near Suffolk St.)
646-692-9259
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And now a request from Tim Clack. ZZ Top for Clacky, by Cracky!