This leads me to the entry I have been dying to get at: Cafe Cortadito
http://www.cafecortadito.com/
A tiny intimate restaurant in the East Village, on the Southeast Corner of Avenue B and 3rd Street, 210 E. 3rd Street, this little spot is crammed with flavor, and personality. The low candle-lit red hue warms around a hand-painted mural on the east wall depicting a scene of people enjoying themselves at a wine bar- how appropriate! The candles in the window have been burning for months, as evidenced by the layers of wax drippings caressing each candle stand.
I had actually been one time previous, and a fantastic woman I know asked the waiter how long they had been burning, so it is more than a supposition. That night was the perfect ending to a freestyle snowboard competition on the East River, one of the only times I have seen a ski jump about 100 feet from a highway, and more snow than I have ever seen on FDR drive. But, I digress…
This time was no less satisfying. It began with a Malbec on a snowy, brisk evening, waiting for a true friend, and it hit just the right spot between stinging- cold-wind-cutting flavor boldness, and velvety comfort. The calamari wasn't un-classical, aside from the chipotle aioli smothered over it, which, being a condiment lover, I found it brilliant that I didn't have to keep dunking my calamari rings into something. They were perfectly coated as they were, and left nothing to be desired. The entree, I must say, was phenomenal, Rabo Encendido, (tail on fire) or, for us non-native eaters, Braised Oxtail. Need I say more? The most tender, succulent, tangy, and earthy morsels that just fell right off the bone bathed in a tomato, balsamic, herb, and fresh vegetable thick sauce. Three large vertebrae, a patty of a plantain mixture, and there is not much else a girl on a cold stormy night could desire (carnality excluded). I literally sucked the bones dry. Mmm hmmm.
