SADLY, YERBA BUENA IS NOW CLOSED.
Since there were two items on our list from Yerba Buena, we decided to make a full dinner of it. I usually end up doing this at all the restaurants, but it does get expensive and I keep trying to train myself to come in specifically for the one dish and then go eat a cheaper dinner elsewhere. You think I’m made out of money?
But many of the restaurants on the list seem to be the reason why a dish was picked. So I often want to experience the entire experience.
Yerba Buena has two locations and has been gaining lots of good word of mouth of late. We picked the East Village spot (there’s also one on Perry Street). The restaurant felt classy and a bit fancy as we entered. I knew it couldn’t be too formal (we were in the East Village after all), but I felt out of place for a second. Once we were sat and greeted by the overenthusiastic maitre’d Giovanny, I began to settle in and enjoyed the romantic atmosphere.
After we ordered our other list item, the Leche de Tigre (a cocktail made with ceviche liquid), we dove in. For some reason, I always want to try pork when I’m eating Latin American food, so the Lechon (suckling pig) was a must. We also figured we should get some ceviche to balance the heaviness of the pork and to pair with our cocktails. The guacamole was strongly recommended (on the menu), so we bit. And finally, as a side order, we picked our next list item (there’s a shock): the Palmitos Fries.
The guacamole was really disappointing. The avocado was very chunky and it was lacking acidity and brightness. The ceviche had nice flavor and textures (pieces of sweet corn kernel), but was rather small for the price. The pork was well-cooked and moist. And came with a delicious yucca puree. Pretty much what I expected, but also on the pricey side.
The Palmitos Fries were a stand-out. They were thick sliced logs of hearts of palm that were breaded and deep fried. It also felt like there was some queso blanco inside (although the menu didn’t mention it) as it had a chewy cheese stick texture. I had never had hearts of palm in this form and really enjoyed it. The creamy aji panca (red pepper) was a great dipping sauce that added some smoky heat to the vegetables.
I found Yerba Buena to be casual and atmospheric, but way too pricey for the food they were serving. Everything was decent, but should have cost much less. And really, besides the attention and service from Giovanny, the only stand-outs were the two list items from Time Out. I appreciate the publication weeding out the less than stellar options. So in this case, I really should have come in for those desired dishes and gotten a cheaper dinner elsewhere.
Would Yerba Buena’s Palmitos Fries make my Top 100 of the year? 8 out of 10 is my rating because they were tasty and unusual and were one of the few dishes at this hip spot that were actually worth the price tag.
