Crema Restaurant – NYC
111 W 17th St (betw 6th & 7th in Chelsea)
New York , NY 10011
(212) 691-4477
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VdV Rating: 4
Food: Mexican
Ambiance: Fancy & Scmancy
PRO: Cool ambiance, fresh ingredients, great food and good ritas!
CON: $8 chips & salsa – Que Pasa?
OK New York. WTF happened to you? Back in the day, you were a little more like San Francisco. No, I don’t mean rolling up the sidewalks at 10PM. I mean, you couldn’t swing a stick without beaning some homeless person in the noggin. I mean, the streets were lousy with homeless. Seriously, you’d trip over them on the way to your Starbucks. God awful! But the polar opposite was our sad situation in Chelsea on Saturday after eating a delicious late lunch/early dinner at Crema (yeah, I’ll get to that). 
After stuffing our faces so full we couldn’t finish the last Pork Taco, we figured we’d donate it to some hungry homeless (is that like Sahara Desert?) person. It’s pretty obvious we have huge hearts and tons of empathy! So we hit the streets in anticipation of a quick transaction.
So after insulting several people that I thought looked homeless (Hey it was Fashion Week, we set the bar high. Obviously too high) by asking them if they wanted a free taco; and sulking around subway stops (’cuz aren’t they always infested by homeless?) looking for a worthy donor, and then just getting fed up by the lack of homeless in NY after searching high and low (mainly low) for more than 30 minutes we went up to some sheet rockers (construction people) and they snatched it right up. Halla-f’ing-lu-yah. Really Bloomberg, your city is losing its character!
OK, now that the PSA is over, let’s get down to business, shall we? So, Crema is led by kick-ass chef Julieta Ballesteros, who is rated as one of NY’s best Mexican chefs. She gets tons of great buzz and has lots of flashy awards. But Michelin ratings be damned! Could she bring It under the pressure of the VdV Troupe?
Well, first impressions. This is a cool place. Mexican atmosphere but with a French Bistro flair. A pretty cool mash-up, the front and back both have windows that open up and let in the air (or smog, smoke or whatever else) and gives it that Parisian feel. In between? Subtle Mexican notes, nothing too over the top, no mariachi bands or pictures of bull fights. No no, this is a classy place, kittens. So right off the bat, we order up a couple Partida Margaritas ($12). For one, they’re served in decent size glasses not some dixie-cup imitation, and b), they’re made with fresh lime juice and a fair amount of tequila. Tasty. We had 4 more! Yee haw!
On to the food. Stay with us! This is a marathon, not a sprint. We were here on Saturday afternoon, so got the brunch menu. So, we have to have Chips & Salsa right? Yes, we do. So we ask for chips & salsa and we get it. For EIGHT DOLLARS! And you have to choose what salsa you want, spicy or mild. Come on, just serve ‘em both if you’re going to clip me for $8 bones. So we selected the more mild, smokey Chile-Tomate Salsa made with Roasted Tomatoes, Chiles and Cilantro. You would swear on the holy Bible itself there was cream in this stuff. It’s really bizarre, more of a soupy type of concoction than typical salsa. But y’know what, Festus? We drank it up like it was soup too! Awesome flavors, no cream, just slow-roasted tomatoes and chile goodness. The chips were good. Not great, they were a bit thicker than we like.
Next, we had the Asado de Puerco ($14), basically pork tacos, people. It’s Tender Pork Marinated in Chile Ancho. Two tacos, presented like artwork, but way more importantly crammed full of tender, juicy swine. These little piggies ran all teh way to our bellies. At least one of them anyway. They aren’t over spiced, but just right and down-home (if your home is Mexico) good. All killa no filla. Excellent. We could only eat one, so took one to go to give to a worthy homeless person. Damn Bloomberg, what’d ya do with ‘em all!? OK, we won’t revisit that topic.
Next, we had the Alambres de Filete ($17), Grilled Filet Mignon Skewer Marinated in Lime and Beer, served with Red Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Red Onion, Bacon, and Drizzled with a Five Chile Paste. Yummy Yum Yum for the tummy. It’s only one skewer so it’s not cheap but the meat quality is awesome, they served it up RARE like we asked and the flavors were really just great. It comes on a very thin, crunchy tortilla and the five chili paste makes the dish. I don’t know how they say ‘drizzled’ ‘cuz can you really drizzle a paste?
Details, details! I would eat here 3 times a week if I lived close by. Not cheap but excellent Mexican, done up right. Bonus: They host a Premium happy hour every day from 5pm to 7pm with 2 for 1 drink special! Viva la Crema!
VdV Rating: 4
Hours:
Mon-Wed 12p-11p
Thu-Fri 12p-2a
Sat-Sun 11:30a-11p
Crema Restaurant
111 W 17th St (betw 6th & 7th in Chelsea)
New York, NY 10011-5468
(212) 691-4477