Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein
DESPITE BEING UNSAVORY between Friday night and Sunday morning (the original reason the Jews planned their Sabbath that way), the Lower East Side does occasionally birth a spot that reminds me why the area is worth loving.
Bel-Del Mexican ceviche spot La Barra is one of those places. One small, simple room with a neon sign in the window and an open kitchen, chef Allan Feldman’s 9-month-old restaurant does more than one would expect.
Upon sitting down one summer night, my date and I made quick business of the chips and black bean dip (beans, mole sauce and queso fresco) that replaced the classic salsa normally plunked down as a welcome.
Since at the time the restaurant had no liquor license (but does now!), we clinked our sodas (tangerine for the lady, apple for me) and looked over the menu. All of the plates at La Barra are small, so we started out slowly and attempted to build a meal without repeating too many ingredients. A nice guacamole seemed key to kicking off the meal, and both of us were pleased when it came served on a plate, saving us the humiliation of scraping the last streaks from a bowl.
Then came the mixed ceviche ($13)—our waitress called it “the star of the show”—a thick, chunky sailor’s gazpacho featuring shrimp, fish and scallops and served with Saltines that were a nice touch but did nothing to hold up to the liquid that the seafood was soaking in. Luckily, leftover chips saved the day. A plate of smoky, razored octopus with lime, cilantro and onions ($12) was complex and enjoyable, but another, surf clams with all of the octopus’ fixings plus hot peppers ($7), my classy lady friend compared to “Frenching Poseidon.”
Slowing down just a bit, we opted to try a plate of tamales ($7.50) next. One was stuffed with chicken and covered in a thick, sweet mole sauce, the other stuffed with cheese and doused in salsa verde. Each of the corn-wrapped treats was about two bites long, and with everything we had already eaten, seemed a solid, if unadventurous, way to end the meal. I’ve had better, but with a gullet full of raw fish and citrus, the tamales managed to even us out.
Lingering at our table,
we worked up a taste for dessert.The two options were flourless
chocolate cake and a tres leches cake (both $6).We opted for the latter
and washed it down with cups of cold-brewed coffee ($2 per cup) poured
from a big, plastic jug in the kitchen. Both the coffee and the cake
were excellent, giving us strength to head off into the night and
leaving a sweet taste in our mouths.
> La Barra
250 Broome St. (betw. Orchard & Ludlow Sts.), 212-260-1607
