He signed the lease just before Covid-19 struck. No matter, the drink was still packed with a wonderfully complex, almost mysterious flavor.Ĭortés, 34, a Columbia graduate, spent years getting Chocobar off the ground. I tried unsuccessfully to melt my cheese into the cocoa but it failed to dissolve. It’s an easy, affordable meal for families on Sunday night.” “People historically enjoyed hot chocolate with cheese. “It’s a Puerto Rican tradition,” Cortés explained. The menu has no less than nine types of hot chocolate. Tamara Beckwith Puerto Rican hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is served with a piece of cheese, which is a Puerto Rican tradition, Chocobar executive director Carlos Cortés explained. The menu has no less than nine types of hot chocolate. The one to catch is heart-stoppingly rich Puerto Rican 80-percent dark ($7.50), which comes with a tiny piece of yellow cheddar cheese on the side to mix in. Breaded and perfectly crispy, they are strong enough to dip into a rich dark chocolate sauce, turning them into a delightful, oozing bomb of salty-sweet. Spanish-style serrano ham croquetas ($11) are another crowd pleaser. The dish is mouthfeel heaven, with the choco-butter functioning like a subtle mole that stops just short of nullifying the cheese. It’s an insanely under-priced ($9.25) sandwich of sharp cheddar and chocolate butter on brioche. On the side, there are irresistible curly fries with a chocolate ketchup that’s at once earthy, sweet and acidic. All for just $16.50.Ĭhocobar executive director Carlos Cortés, the fourth generation to be in the family business, said their best seller is chocolate grilled cheese. The juicy meat is seasoned with a proprietary chili-cocoa blend that makes it piquant and unique – a far cry from the borough’s standard brand of overcooked, flavorless fowl. Cocoa pops up two other times on the plate.
Tamara BeckwithĪ balsamic-chocolate vinaigrette lends a smoky touch to a grilled chicken and asparagus sandwich on sourdough bread. Spanish-style serrano ham croquetas with grated Manchego cheese are served with chocolate sauce. But unlike Michelin-starred chef Paul Liebrandt’s notorious experiments years ago with chocolate-covered eel at Papillon on Central Park South, Chocobar’s more moderate twists are safe, sane and plain delicious. I feared the chocolate shtick might be just an attention-grabbing gimmick. The Bronx eatery is Chocolate Cortés’ first outside Old San Juan, where the original was named the Best Restaurant in the Caribbean by USA Today in 2017. But the 50-seat, high-ceilinged dining room with a black-and-white checkerboard floor, pale green walls, cheerful cartoon art and three grand arches above the bar, brought back happy memories. I haven’t been to Old San Juan - the Puerto Rican capital’s atmospheric former colonial quarter - in years. The staff deliver on the warm promise. “Don’t worry, you’re with us now,” the waitress welcomed me when I struggled to remove a half-dozen layers of winter clothing. The grilled chicken sandwich has a balsamic-chocolate vinaigrette and is served with curly fries.
Bright yellow awnings make it look sunny in any weather. Executive chef Ricardo de Obaldia seamlessly weaves chocolate from the restaurant’s 93-year-old parent company, Chocolate Cortés, into island comfort food. Chocolate in its many complexions - dark and light, solid and liquid, sweet and savory – is built into nearly every menu dish.Ī short stroll through the gently gentrifying neighborhood from the Third Avenue-138th Street stop on the No. You can enjoy chocolate elements on cheeseburgers, grilled chicken and roasted pork.Ĭhocobar Cortés, a new, Caribbean-inspired cafe on a none-too-tropical Mott Haven corner by the Major Deegan Expressway, insinuates fine cocoa elements - lots of them - into spirited Puerto Rican and Dominican cooking.Ĭall it fusion, Bronx-style. Sylvester Stallone will show off super-muscles in new movieĭining shed that’s actually an art gallery hits LESĬOVID restrictions, crime hurting blue-city restaurants as Florida feasts: OpenTableĬhocoholics, rejoice! You no longer have to limit your cocoa consumption to dessert. This 110-foot outdoor dining shed may be among NYC’s longest - and it’s not even open
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