ME Casa

ME Casa is the type of place I'm always looking for, but rarely find. It's an underground alcove with dim lighting and less than 15 tables, atmospheric without being suffocating. Perfect for an intimate date, a few friends catching up, or even a small group just having fun. The servers seem intent on providing a good experience, sincerely exchanging pleasantries and keeping a watchful eye. All this plus delicious food.

                                                                    (Pernil Asado)
Boasting authentic, but with a twist, Puerto Rican food, ME Casa is not someplace I'd recommend for vegetarians or vegans, but would recommend for just about anyone else. There are a lot of classic dishes here with delicious and familiar flavors being shown off in a new way.One of the best-known and most widely acclaimed dishes is the Mofongo - a bed of mashed and fried plantains topped with beef, chicken, or shrimp stew. On one visit, I tried the chicken entree and on another, we ordered the mofongo appetizer which is three mini mofongos topped with whatever variety of stews you'd like - in this case, one chicken, one shrimp, and one beef (seems like the obvious choice really). The chicken seems to be the favorite, but all of them are excellent. The plantains are garlicky with a creamy texture and while each of the stews is slightly different, they are all very flavorful with a bit of peppery taste to them.

Another favorite is the pernil (shown at the top) which is basically just served as a large plate of shredded pork. This is nothing to complain about as the pork is incredibly tender and juicy, highlighted by the simplicity of how it's served. The roast chicken was similar - fairly simple in preparation, it seemed like it had just been given a spice rub and then roasted, but came out tender and juicy. It was definitely well-seasoned, with lots of garlic and I think oregano. With the addition of the money sauce (ME Casa's green sauce), it doesn't get much better than this.

I've also tried the Pollo Boracho (drunken chicken) which was served with lots of perfectly cooked onions and the Bistec Encebollado (steak). Again, both excellent, perhaps slightly more complex in flavor. Everything has been well cooked and I strongly suspect this is one of those places where there's no bad order, just favorite ones.

         (Pollo)

 
                                             (Bistec)







Each entree comes with a side. So far, my favorites have proven to be the Maduros (sweet yellow plantains) and the Tostones (savory green plantains). Apparently, I like plantains. The Maduros are tender and soft but never mushy and have a great caramelization to the outside. The Tostones are crunchy but with a bit of a chew to the middle and very tasty.

In addition to the sides, you should order a side of money sauce. Basically, just get as much money sauce as you can. The other options are good, but once you try this...well, it's not really a competition. This is ME Casa's green sauce and it is amazing. It's got a lot of heat to it that builds slowly with a burst of cilantro, garlic and bright citrus flavor that just wakes your taste buds right up. I have so far managed to eat this with just about everything short of dessert and it works well and is a great addition every. single. time.

As for desserts, I've only tried the tres leches which came with strawberries and small pieces of shaved guava on top. I feel like the fruit was actually more of a distraction then an addition, but the cake itself was fantastic. Cold, creamy, with lots of vanilla; I love that the cake was fully soaked with milk, but not a soggy mess. If you can find even an inch of room after eating dinner, I highly recommend finishing the night off with a piece of this cake.

All in All
ME Casa is truly a hidden gem with authentic but creative food, a great atmosphere, and great service. My only (quite minor) complaints are that the food can be a touch too salty on occasion and I find the garlic bread they serve you at the beginning of the meal a little lackluster, especially in comparison to everything else. But seriously, that's about it. It's BYOB, portions are huge which makes the moderate pricetag even better, and while it's a small place and can get crowded, there is absolutely no sense of being rushed out the door. Located at 356 Varick by Colombus, they do offer delivery to the downtown area and have weekday lunch specials worth checking out.