Friday, September 19, 2008

THE COFFEE SHOP & BAR – New York City (Union Square)

The Coffee Shop is a classic American diner with a Brazilian twist. This loud, bright diner serves a sprinkling of expected diner fare but the focus is on Brazilian cuisine. It is open 23 hours per day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Julie and I had spent most of the day walking and window shopping our way through on the the greatest cities. We needed a break; I remembered a recommendation from friends and found ourselves with a short wait for a table at Coffee Shop in Union Square.

It was only appropriate we start our lunch with caiprinhas – the classic Brazilian concoction of rum & lime. We decided to order several dishes and share. We started with the chilled carrot and ginger soup. We actually had 2 orders of the Pao de Queijo; the bite size pieces of Romano cheese bread gently baked to a delicate crusty outside and a slightly undercooked gooey center. These were truly cheesy puffs of heaven!

Pastels de Cameron were mouthwatering Bahian dumplings filled with tidbits of shrimp, celery & onion. The “centerpiece” of our lunch was the Sopa de Peixe Bahia – seafood chowder with a very light, fresh tomato seafood stock. The large soap bowl had a mound of carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, grilled tuna, shrimp, crab, skin-on white potatoes, corn, celery, cilantro and garlic. These al dente tidbits were swimming in a delicate tomato fish stock. Yumm!

Go for the incredible, reasonably priced Brazilian food & the eye candy! The elevated noise level makes conversation both with your dining companion and wait staff can be challenging.


Mmm... Mmm...

$$
++++


$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+

Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!

Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”

No comments: