Eats

We’ve been to a couple of noteworthy eating establishments in our neighborhood lately and it’s even better that they both happen to be quite easy on the pocketbook.

Porchetta is a new addition to our neighborhood. The menu has less than ten items and even less seating space. We both had the porchetta sandwich, which is simply a delicious crusty piece of bread, stuffed to capacity with roasted pig and crispy skin bits that are seasoned to perfection. It’s a greasy good mess and the bread soaks it up nicely. The two of us shared fried potatoes with burnt ends and a serving of steamed greens for good measure.

Date night numero two, last Friday was at Cara Cas. It’s a cozy Venezuelan place with a perpetual wait. They’re known for the arepas and winning a thowdown with Bobby Flay. We chose to have a drink at a new bar (and what I thought was a sushi restaurant) across the street, rather than enduring the freezing temperatured for an hour. We were informed by the chef that it is called a cevicheria. Only in New York. Anyway, it was worth the wait. We had a couple of local beers and a dinner consisting only of arepas (shredded pork and mango sauce, whitefish, chorizo, chicken and cheese) that were truly awesome. And the owners are truly lovely people, as well. Actually-at both places. Those are the ones that make you want to go back again-even with so many choices out there.