Recently, I had dinner at Bodega Negra — a Contemporary Mexican restaurant located in the Meatpacking District. I went with a good friend of mine on a Friday night and had reservations for 7pm. The lighting in the restaurant was pretty dim and we had trouble reading the menu, so we did what anyone with an iPhone would do — we used our flashlights. It wasn’t an ideal situation but it did the job. Besides the slight darkness in the restaurant, the atmosphere and music was really great.
Once seated, we started off with an order of tortilla chips and guacamole. I’m all about fresh food and the guacamole had a very rich, savory taste to it.
Next, we had a side order of the yuca fries. To be quite honest, there was nothing special about them — besides the fact that they were huge. They weren’t terrible, but I’ve never been a big fan of yuca to begin with. Although, the mayo sauce that it came with made the fries so much better! I’m a sauce girl, so adding some sriracha or tabasco sauce on my dish can make a huge difference.
After drenching my yuca fries in the mayo sauce, the waiter brought over an order of three different types of tacos — the pork belly carnitas, the peking duck and the skirt steak taco. Each taco was to die for!
We also ordered the crispy pork belly with manchamanteles sauce and pineapple-plantain salsa, which was delicious!
After our meal, it was time for some Don Huevo. Bodega Negra is known for its dark chocolate molten cake with negra model caramel sauce. When brought over to your table, the server pours hot caramel sauce over a white chocolate egg that is then melted. The inside has a rich dark chocolate cake topped with ice cream.
Click on the video below to get a better idea of this heavenly masterpiece:
I have to say that the desert was amazing! Now, not only am I a girl whom loves sauce but I also have a big sweet tooth, so the fact that there was a mini show before eating my dessert really got me excited. Yes, dessert gets me excited.
Overall, my dining experience was very enjoyable. What really urged me to try Bodega Negra was the presentation of Don Huevo, but this restaurant has more than just a fancy dessert show. The tacos are delicious and the ambiance is great too. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in dining at an affordable, trendy restaurant in NYC.