The delightful Maria Marquez, Owner of the Dulce Vida Cafe
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Open since 2011, the Dulce Vida Cafe led by owner Maria Marquez has been bringing delicious Colombian food to Manhattan's beautiful Upper East Side, and it's quite a unique type of cuisine we'd encourage you to try. It was first featured on Whom You Know in Terrific Takeout in 2011:
and we were delighted to return this year to consider it for Peachy's Picks. Now that we are looking back, maybe we should do another coffee review since we did like that years ago and Peachy's Pantry has expanded exponentially since. Peachy Deegan was warmly greeted with some fantastic Bordeaux, which she enjoyed; specifically: Belle-Garde Bordeaux Rouge. (Readers: get excited for some new wine reviews via Movers and Shakers Alex and David, from France bien sur!)
The Dulce Vida Cafe has taken an upscale turn in the past two years, adding tablecloths to complement their convincing authentic cuisine: Maria is from Colombia. Maria tells us it is the only Colombian restaurant in New York City, and we have not come across another.
If you are a guacamole enthusiast, and who isn't, Maria's is phenomenal. It's made fresh every day and the chips are made on premises every day also. You should visit Maria for the guacamole alone, and it is pleasantly addictive.
Under the appetizers, Maria encouraged us to try the Corn Empanadas. When you cut them open:
Both the beef and the chicken were delectable, and we were glad to try them.
One component of dinner we believe is a must (and are even more convinced after hanging out with our MD pal recently who eats a lot of them-far more than us) is the green salad. More restaurants should be putting more thought and effort into their salads and Maria certainly does. She has four salad options we were happy to see.
They were happy to put the dressing on the side (vinaigrette) and Peachy chose the Grilled Chicken Salad, which was one of the best components of the review to her. Less is more and we reveled in this pure simplicity done well. The chicken was perfectly grilled and it joined mixed greens, eggs, cucumbers and tomatoes, all fresh.
The carnivore-in-chief (please do not ever confuse Deegan with Vegan, people that answer the phone at restaurants) thought an attractive menu item was the Ropa Vieja: shredded beef, sauteed with onion and tomatoes, served with your choice of two sides. Maria did not believe Peachy's choices of the sides were the most Colombian choices, so Peachy listened to Maria and tried something authentic and Colombian: yellow rice and plantains. They were lovely Colombian companions to the flavorful beef.
The two sides that Peachy wanted to try were the slice of avocado (fresh and perfect) and sauteed spinach, and Maria was happy to bring them out also. Though the spinach wasn't exactly Columbian we found it to be fresh and just as delicious as other sauteed spinach dishes we've tried. Eat your green vegetables, readers!
As far as ambiance, it is a small spot with festive music in the background with thoughtful accents by Maria, and we loved how clean everything was. Clean gets big, big points with us and note you do not always see us mention it. The lighting was low and they were a sport about turning it up a little for our editor who needs to see her food and her menu! Peachy loves light and relative quiet.
Rice pudding seems to be an internationally loved dessert, because Peachy has a family recipe for it from her Irish relatives. Columbian rice pudding is just as amazing as all others we've tried and it ended our Dulce Vida Cafe experience on a high note. Cinnamon, raisins, and panella (Colombian brown sugar) team up to score a winning goal in our stomach. (We surmise more than one Colombian person is enjoying our new column, MLS Peachy...)
Our esteemed panelist adds:
I had the pleasure of accompanying Peachy at Dulce Vida Cafe. I was thoroughly impressed. I loved the ambiance, the low lighting, and the intimacy of the restaurant. I also loved their red cloth napkins. It gave it that little extra touch.
This was the first time that I ever had Colombian cuisine and I was extremely impressed.
I tried the chicken and beef empanada. They were delicious! It came with a green sauce called Asi.
Its a green sauce that has some spice to it. I usually am very sensitive to spicy things but it really went very well with the empanadas. The empanadas are also gluten free which was really great to know.
Maria's Guacamole was out of this world! It's the owners special recipe and it does not have cilantro in it. I've had a lot of guacamole in my life and this was truly the best I have ever had!
I had the Cranberry apple and goat cheese salad. It came with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and it was delicious.
For an entree I had the Chicken Ropa Vieja: shredded white meat chicken breast, sauteed tomatoes and onions served with your choice of two sides. I got the white rice and Frijoles rojos (red beans). The sides were recommended by Maria and they were the perfect combination.
Although I was extremely stuffed, I did try the Tres Leche for dessert. Normally I am not a fan of this dessert, however, Maria's was fantastic. It's home-made and it was to-die-for.
This was a hidden gem. I am in this area often and I never knew about this restaurant. The food was absolutely amazing. It was fresh, flavorful, had great portion size and I was extremely pleased. I will definitely return.
Peachy Picks the Dulce Vida Cafe!
The Dulce Vida Cafe is Recommended by Whom You Know.
