Terrific Takeout: La Palapa Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
CAMARONES en SALSA DE TAMARINDO shrimp in tamarind~ancho~pasilla salsa saffron rice, sautéed green beans by the incomparable Barbara Sibley!
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In our search for delicious cuisine and a beautiful dining experience, we have found a lot of Italian venues, and a good amount of French, Greek, Seafood and American spots. We have not found as many Mexican restaurants, and one of the best in our experience based on our inaugural visit is La Palapa, which has an incredibly talented and intelligent owner behind it: Barbara Sibley. We are proponents of smart businesswomen (Stribling! Maine Woolens! The Giving Back Foundation by Meera Gandhi! Ellen Christine Couture Millinery! And of course, Entrepreneur Barbie.)
We began with the succulent QUESO FUNDIDO con CHORIZO CASERO. You'll remember Peachy studied French for six years, so have no fear, we will translate everything to understand it ourselves. This means a mexican fondue of baked queso chihuahua with their housemade spicy guajillo pork chorizo served with warm tortillas. You will not be able to eat just one, so get your rolling skills ready! The flavor in this dish was superb and definitely spicy enough for us, without setting us on fire, and the pork and cheese combination is genius. La Palapa has been open for 14 years and everything is made by hand. There's a level of artisinal quality in the dishes we tried that we do not see prevalent in Mexican cuisine in Manhattan, and we can see how dedicated Barbara is.
CÉSAR CARDINI
invented by Cesar Cardini in Tijuana, Mexico ~ crisp romaine hearts, toasted pine nuts queso añejo,
anchovy and spiced croutons tossed with lime~anchovy dressing was our green salad component and we reveled in its terrific simplicity.
If your little heart desires, you also may add grilled shrimp, chicken or steak .
If you've ever read Whom You Know before, you know who is a maniac for shrimp done well-and Solera's Garlic Shrimp is definitely the most mentioned food item anywhere on this site because Peachy Deegan loves it.
CAMARONES en SALSA DE TAMARINDO shrimp in tamarind~ancho~pasilla salsa saffron rice, sautéed green beans brought us back to our favorite food memory, and the flavor was absolutely stunning. The color in presentation added to our enjoyment, and Barbara's succulent shrimps we hope to meet again as well as Barbara herself.
La Palapa is Terrific Takeout!
