Chivo en Coco – Young goat stew in a coconut and red & green pepper sauce
$20

If you’re like me (which, don’t kid yourself, you are not but you desperately wished you were) than you’ve walked by this place a dozen times and thought “I should eat here sometime!”

(Just a reminder, you are NOT me).

So, today I thought “Ok, today’s the day I eat at El Cocotero!”

Except I probably totally mispronounced it.

We arrived at opening time on a Saturday (11 am) and enjoyed a very delicious Venezuelan brunch.

I can’t really think of any other Venezuelan place this side of 125th street, so it’s definitely a neighborhood gem.

Or Jam as my autocorrect keeps trying to make me say.

Probably because I misspelled ‘Gem’ as ‘Jem’ (I’m baffled why “…and the Holograms” was not then suggested by Autocorrect).

Moving on.

The menu is massive and you’ll probably get a little overwhelmed but just know that whatever you order is probably delicious so do not fret.

HOWEVER, you certainly must order the Arepitas sampler for the table (maybe even 2, since they come as just 4 per order).

If you live in NYC, you’ve seen Arepas hocked at any type of event or street fair. They’re these fried corn cakes stuffed with cheese but they can be stuffed with anything your heart desires!

And at El Cocotero, the sampler has them stuffed with beef, chicken and various cheeses. So good.

Something else you must order are the Cachapas.

They’re these amazing sweet corn pancakes stuffed with various savory items such as slow roasted pork, Venezuelan cheeses or the Venezuelan pot roast that I ordered.

Defintely one of the best dishes I’ve EVER had.

Seriously.

(One last reminder, you are NOT and could NEVER be me).

Thanks bye!

Cachapas w/ Venezuelan pot roast
$13

Sampler Arepitas
$10.95

The 21 Club has a long and fascinating history (I just read an abbreviated Thrillist version a few moments ago) but I won’t bother retelling it.

I’ll either end up lying or making most of it up.

The current location started as a speakeasy and restaurant in 1929 and it’s been a New York City institution ever since.

It’s great for a quick dinner before a Broadway show but I also love it during NY Restaurant Week.

For $42 you get a filling 3 course dinner, which I feel is about a 50% discount.

Which is also why I ONLY come during restaurant week.

Definitely a special occasion place (jackets required) and the ambiance and crowd are both throwbacks to a different era  when people actually WANTED to wear a suit.

I would say the food is a solid B. Not amazing but still a solid, tasty, old fashioned meal at an iconic NYC landmark.

Truffle Pasta of some kind….

If you are looking for a super, duper cute little pasta place in the west village, than literally look no further (literally) than….however you pronounce the name of this place.

Let’s call it FP.

FP is impossibly tiny and charming (aka, no large groups and be prepared to wait during peak dining times), it almost feels like you’re actually in Italy and not instead at some pretentious NYC version.

They make all their own fresh pastas (also, besides some appetizers, that’s pretty much all they serve) and they do so in a glass enclosed little room in the front, where you can watch like the dirty little voyeur you are.

Prices aren’t cheap but they aren’t expensive, everything is about $20-$24 with the exception of the truffle dish above, which currently costs $32 and is WORTH IT.

Definitely a good option if I Sodi or Via Carota (the hottest two Italian eateries in the neighborhood, if not the city) are all booked up.

BURRATA E POMODORINI
(BUFFALO BURRATA WITH GRAPE TOMATO)
17

PAPPARDELLE AL RAGU’
(SLOW COOKED BEEF RAGU BOLOGNESE STYLE)
20

PICI FRESCHI CACIO E PEPE
(HAND-ROLLED SPAGHETTI, PECORINO, BLACK PEPPER)
22

TIRAMISU’
10

If you like your burgers so rare that your hands are covered in cow blood while trying to look dignified in a nice restaurant, then Victor’s is for you!

Granted, the burger was quite tasty and I enjoyed the addition of Manchego cheese to help cover up the taste of pure bloody carnage.

Instead of the usual fries, the burger comes with plantain chips which were perfectly thin and crispy.

We started with an order of Bartolito, which are sweet plantain croquettes stuffed with pork, black bean purée and topped with goat cheese. Quite necessary.

I had noticed that pretty much every table in the joint was ordering the Cuban Sandwich, which comes in 4 nicely displayed triangles and seemed like a substantial portion.

Always nice when an upscale restaurant decides to buck the trend and actually serve American sized portions, AKA the size of three human stomachs.

Hint: Try to sit in the brightly light, festive indoor courtyard in the back and not the dismal throw away section in the front, that we sat at.

Grilled Red Snapper, ginger, black beans, sesame oil, Serrano chili and bok choy.
$36

Sai Oua & Pork Belly Set – $21
Two Fried Eggs, Grilled Thai Pork Sausage, Berkshire Pork Belly, Papaya Salad, Sticky Rice

The only thing preventing me from crying in my curry about being denied access to the supposedly lovely outdoor patio (wait time was 45 minutes) was how yummy the food was!

You’re lucky, Wayla! Really lucky.

Night.

Almost.

Ruined.

When we arrived at this Lower East Side hotspot, we had a bit of trouble figuring out where to go. Wayla is located in a nondescript basement with practically zero signage (see pic below).

So, when some stranger saw my struggle and decided to instruct me where to go, I was secretly horrified.

This is my JOB, people. I should KNOW this. Get with the program, Bun Boy.

Clearly I have a serious disorder and the idea of being seen as someone who does not know where he is going or what he is doing is just ABHORRENT!

(anyway……………)

We get seated in what is basically the hallway to the ever elusive outdoor patio we proceed to order our guts out.

We start with the infamous crispy noodle wrapped meatballs (which people seemed disappointed by, on Yelp) and the Berskhire Pork appetizer.

The meatballs are simple but once dipped in the sweet chili sauce, come alive. They’re only $8 so whatever.

The Berkshire pork dish is sort of like a deconstructed lettuce wrap appetizer. Everything is nicely dressed and served cold atop a few lettuce leaves.

If you feel like it, you can unearth the soggy lettuce leaves and attempt to make yourself a lettuce wrap.

Then, you’ll give up because the damn thing is so messy and just eat the remainder like a salad.

But it’s SO tasty. The vinaigrette has a nice tart bite to it.

The chicken is your standard fried chicken but it’s that green sauce that elevates things. Not sure what the ingredients are but it has the essence of that mint cilantro sauce that Indian samosas come with.

I think I enjoyed the green curry noodles the best. They weren’t very spicy but they were packed with flavor and came as a nice sized portion.

Just an FYI, two apps and two mains for two people here is a LOT of food. Come hungry, be ready for leftovers or maybe only order one app?

(But underordering is SOOOOOO boring….)

***Oct 31, 2019 UPDATE*****

I came back for brunch and got to sit at the patio! WORTH IT.

http://WWW.WAYLANYC.COM

100 Forsyth St
New York, NY 10002

Wayla is located downstairs, in the basement

Khao Mung Gai Tod – $16
Thai Style Coriander Fried Chicken, chicken rice, sweet chili sauce

Moo Sarong – Crispy Noodle Wrapped Pork Meatball
$8

Yum Khor Moo Yang – Grilled Berkshire Pork, Shallots, Basil, Chilies, Bibb Lettuce Wrap
$15

Mee Pad Kang Kiao Wan Pak – Green Curry Noodles
$17

Gai Tod Hat Yai – Southern Fried Amish Chicken
$24