Brooklyn / Gowanus
Get directions | 284 3rd Ave, New York, NY 11215
Hours |
Seasons make people – especially New York people – very excited. That first day in September when it’s not 90 degrees and sweaty? People can’t get their scarves on fast enough. We’ve seen real adults huddled around the Muji notebooks and pencils section in September like they’re trying to will themselves back to Psych 101. And the fact that La Colombe, the coffee shop whose cups you used to rely on to make you seem cooler, now sells a pumpkin spice latte? We’ll leave it at that.
Sometimes it feels like we’re all just trying to make ourselves feel better about having seasons. If we get excited about scarves and pencils now, maybe when it’s 20 degrees and filthy-snowy in a few months, we’ll all be less miserable.
Go to Claro, and you won’t be able to lie to yourself anymore: New York City would be a much better place if it was always summer. This Mexican restaurant in Gowanus is great – but when you get to eat on their back patio, it’s outstanding.
Claro’s big backyard is full of trees, string lights, and most importantly, an open kitchen. The best seats in the restaurant are at the outdoor bar, where you can watch your tortillas being made over an open fire while drinking a frozen mezcal cocktail. It reminds us of Salazar – an entirely-outdoor Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles – and if you’re unfamiliar, all you really need to know is that a meal there could convince anyone to move to the West Coast.
(347) 721-3126
https://www.instagram.com/claro.bk/
FOUR COURSE DINNER $72
*Curated Mezcal Flight $54
FIRST
ENSALADA DE GRANJA
norwich farms carrots, turnips, chapulines, quesillo
*Neta – Espadin by Candido Garcia – Miahuatlan, Oaxaca
AGUACHILE
montauk fluke, satsuma mandarin, blood orange, charred habanero oil, spicy peanut oil
*Mal Bien – Espadin by Lucio Morales – San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca
TOSTADA DE REMOLACHA
beets, guacamole, queso fresco
*Nuestra Soledad – Espadin by Gregorio Ivan & Francisco Mendez – San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca
TOSTADA DE PULPO
Octopus, black aioli, escabeche, guacachile, chicharrón
*Rey Campero – Espadin by Romulo Sanchez Parada – Candelaria Yegole, Oaxaca
SECOND
QUESADILLAS
broccoli de ciccio, aged cheddar, salsa roja
*El Buho – Cuixe by Octavio Jimenez – Cuixe, Oaxaca
MEMELA DE MARIA SABINA
wild mushrooms, goat cheese crema, pasilla
*Melate – Barril by Semei Garcia – Miahuatlan, Oaxaca
GARNACHAS
venison, salsa de tomate, aged sheep’s milk cheese
*Real Minero – Espadin/Barril by Edgar Angeles – Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca
MEMELA DE COSTILLA
heritage pork rib, chile de arbol, queso fresco
*Bozal – Cuishe by Goyo Garcia – San Luis Amatlan, Oaxaca
MAIN
MOLE VERDE
black sea bass, broccoli, escabeche, watercress
* 5 Sentidos – Sierra Negra by Alberto Martinez – Santa Catarina Albarradas , Oaxaca*
ENCHILADAS PRIMAVERA
nettles, green chick peas, green garlic, salsa chilhuacle
* El Jolgorio – Tepeztate by Pedro Vasquez – Miahuatlan, Oaxaca
MOLE ROJO
heritage pork cheek, chicories, apple
*Vago – Tobala by Emigdio Jarquin – Miahuatlan, Oaxaca
MOLE NEGRO
pekin duck, spring onion, potato
*La Medida – Jabali by Jose Santiago – Tlacolula, Oaxaca
DESSERT
ARROZ CON LECHE
rice pudding, candied kumquats, whipped cream
*Rayo Seco ‘Travesia’ – Cenizo by Gilberto Roldan – Nombre de Dios, Durango
CHOCOLATE MOLE CAKE
whipped cream
*Mezcal de Leyendas – Ancho by Oscar Obregon – Mazatlan, Guerrero
CHURROS
cajeta
*Mal Bien – Alto by Isidro Rodriguez – Michoacan
HELADO DE MEZCAL
*Derrumbes – Tradicional blend by Cuauthemoc Jacquez, Tamaulipas
LA RIFA CHOCOLATE BAR
$9 – pairs perfectly with mezcal
