I will start with this lovely little gem I have been visiting for a couple of years…Koriente. The service is always friendly, spot on, beyond pleasant, and the food is nothing less than stellar. Each item is very fresh, made to order, no MSG, and delicious. On a “fat day” I normally lean towards the (amazing) miso soup and the hummus roll. On an evening when I need a good drinking base, I lean towards the Koriente Curry A. It’s absolutely perfect. The iced green tea is to-die-for, and I normally accompany my meal with a black tea and soy milk bubble tea. It’s so cute and fun. If you visit between 6pm and 9pm and order a meal, you get a choice of either a cup of miso soup OR green tea ice cream set atop crushed pistachios and drizzled with fresh honey. Holy shit…I’m hungry!
Best of all, the owners have completely transformed the building and vicinity with the most amazing gardens. Before and after pictures below. Go eat there. ASAP.
The next fabulous morsel on the list is a newly renovated, renamed, remodeled, re-everythinged Rio’s Brazilian Cafe on the east side at the intersection of E. 5th street and Pleasant Valley (Looks like Capital Metro has something positive going for them). It was a taco shack (and I mean that in all senses of the word) previously that advertised a $.79 breakfast taco. Um, I can’t even get anything from McDonald’s for that cheap…I stayed away. Much to my amusement and pleasure, I accepted a lunch invite to the new and improved venue from a friend last week. I enjoyed it thoroughly. While I am by no means a vegetarian I normally do eat veggie while I am dining outside of my home. Frankly, meat is scary…especially in “cultural” cuisine…that is, if you call it cultural.
I had to try as much as I could because that’s how Fat Mommy rolls. I started off with the Leblon salad. A concoction of epic porportions such as black-eyed peas, tomatoes, spinach, corn, peaches, apples and olives in a white wine vinaigrette. I then had the soy chorizo sausage empadao (equivalent to the more recognized empanada) and the spinach & ricotta pastel…also more or less an empanada. My dining pal had the cheese bread trio of which I sampled. They are indeed belly bombs in comaparison to the liter fare on le menu, but delightful none-the-less.
The interior, though small (at a meager 5 tables and a couch) is simply a charm to enjoy a deliscious and comfortable meal, and as soon as it ceases to rain up in this bitch, I plan to return and sit on the patio. Nothing like the exhaust from (Un) Pleasant Valley to glorify your delicious meal.
Anyways, just go…to both of these places. Trust me!