With all the "Best Of..." lists coming up now that Spring is attempting to be Sprung I thought I would put together a few off the beaten path starting with Chilaquiles. I love brunch & on a occasion a beverage or so... I discovered Chilaquiles some years back at Cafe Habana. I was looking for something different & the dish described on the menu as "broken up tortillas bathed in tomatillo sauce which I love & topped with chicken, crema, & cotija cheese(the goat-cheese they put on their corn)" had my name all over it & I loved it. At the time I just thought it was something they came up with & didn't realize that it was a Mexican mainstay hangover dish made with leftovers...(ever notice this being a recurring theme with many great dishes?)
The term Chilaquiles means broken up sombrero & generally consists of broken up tortilla's drenched in a spicy sauce. Generally I've found it topped with shredded chicken, cheese & crema....but sometimes it has eggs & or steak. While I found it first with tomotillo sauce it is usually offered with a fiery red sauce as well(I think it started out that way). The following are some of the best I've found...
Barrio Chino - I love this little place & it has a great version made with a fiery & smoky chipolte red sauce with a choice of eggs or steak up top & black beans on the side. Have it with one of their great margarita's for some of the dog that bit you the night before...try the Habanero Grapefruit if you dare...
Cafe Habana - Where I first discovered this great dish. They do it as stated with sauce & shredded chicken. For another $2 bucks & a protein boost get it Trucker Style (topped w/2 fried eggs). I usually go coffee here but if you're up for a beverage go with their Morita (exactly what it sounds like...combo of Mojito & a Margarita...muy bueno)
Hencho en Dumbo - One the one hand this one is served in a really tasty spicy sauce that really had the tortillas drenched in the sauce so that they really soaked it up compared to many of the others. It came topped with an egg & the menu said shredded chicken. Now in all fairness they were very good...but were a little too light on the chicken for me...mas pollo por favor
Papatzul- This place has been around a little while now (in the old Lucky Strike space) & I finally hit it this weekend (kicking myself I haven't been here before). While all the versions listed are great these might just be my favorite. They came in a choice of verde (tomatillo) or roja (poblano) topped w/shredded chicken, cheese & crema. What really made these stand out as good as they are on their own are the side sauces you can get (not listed as an option... I just asked about some I saw in other dishes & they gave me a couple). The jalapeno was day-glo lime green & pretty hot for the cucumber of hot spicy peppers. The drunken pasilla sauce was amazing! The best condiment bar none I've had recently...it was delicious & the sauce tasted like it was loaded. They had a good selection of margarita's but I went for Tamarind Aqua Fresca (Spanish for water refreshments blended usually with liquefied fruit) which was delicious & only $3 bucks for a large glass. I'll be back here to further investigate their menu.
The average price at all the above locations is $12 (some charge an extra $2 bucks for chicken or eggs) & it's fairly filling. So next time you are looking for something a little different hungover or not give this tasty dish a whirl...
Barrio Chino is located at 253 Broome Street
Cafe Habana is located at 17 Prince
Hencho en Dumbo is located at 354 Bowery
Papatzul is located at 55 Grand Street
