Café Cortadito
210 E. 3rd St, East Village, NY
map & more
Oh Café Cortadito, how I love thee. You hit me right in my sweet spot with your Cuban flavored goodness. Honestly, if you like Cuban or Latin food it’s pretty much impossible not to love this joint. Granted, when I went there for the first time, it was before they got their liquor license, so we went with a big group and took down six bottles of wine while stuffing ourselves to the max on yuca frita, beef turnovers, skirt steak, and plantains. Nowadays, that drink bill would be a little higher, but that first time around left such a great taste in my mouth that I really don’t care. Plus, the wine list is well priced. Make sure you get a table in the relatively small back room if you can. If you ever have a big party (twenty or so), you can rent the whole back room – it’s a great place to have an intimate, fun dinner party. Overall, this is a great little restaurant that does Cuban food right. The price is right, the service is great and the food is excellent.
Food Rundown:
Yuca Frita Con Cortadito Salsa
Thick, fried yuca fingers with salsa. Two orders please.
Empanaditas De Carne
Similar to the beef turnover starter at Boca Chica, these are a great appetizer – the beef was well cooked and the salsa was quite tasty.
Churrasco (Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Salsa)
I’m a sucker for skirt steak. A good skirt steak is one of my favorite foods. This one was perfect. A really nice portion cooked perfectly medium rare. Mix this juicy hunk of meat up with some rice and salsa and you are set my friend.
Vaca Frita (Pan-Fried Skirt Steak Flavored with Mojo, Crillo Sauce)
I’d never had a pan-fried skirt steak before but this was just as good the grilled skirt steak, just a different texture. Think really amazing chicken fried rice but with skirt steak – a little dryer and then mixed with salsa and Cuban sauce. Feel it.
Rabo Encendido (Oxtail Braised in Stew of Tomatoes, Garlic, Peppers, and Red Wine)
This wasn’t bad, but was no where near as good as the skirt steaks. If you’re going to get meat, which we all did, stick with the steaks.
Maduros (Fried Plantains)
More please. I feel like all the Cuban and Latin places in the city do plantains right. It’s kind of hard to screw these up.
