New York, NY 10012
http://www.esquinanyc.com/
.
Ever wonder what's hidden behind those doors marked, "Employees Only"? In most cases, they lead to a places such as a storage room, a controller's room, or a restaurant's kitchen so when we see a door that forbids us to enter, we just pass it by. But what if the door was marked so only exclusive people were allowed through. What if the door led to a whole new world, underground, and the only thing keeping you from getting in was a phone call away?
.
I love Kelly Ripa. She is so much fun to watch, a wonderful wife and mother, and she works one hour a day, five days a week, making $36,000 per "Live with Regis and Kelly" episode. During one episode, she was explaining how her family had gone to her favorite Mexican restaurant in SoHo for her birthday. My boyfriend and I immediately Googled, "La Esquina, "and found it to be some small Taqueria on the corner of Kenmare and Cleveland.
Reviews raved about the tacos, but something didn't seem right. Why would Kelly Ripa, a multi-millionaire, spend her birthday at a Taqueria? As we continually researched on the place, we were astonished at what we discovered. At first, we were confused when we found a menu to La Esquina's Brasserie and Tequila Bar (serving full dinner) having the same address as the Taqueria. Where was the restaurant?
.
Behind the "Employees Only" door.
.
We had no idea what to expect, but we learned the only way to get in was to make reservations over the phone. On the day of our reservations, we were unsure of where to go to check-in. We nervously approached a tall dark man standing in front of the "Employees Only" door and said, "Brian, table of four?" He pointed to a man across from him, sitting at the window, beer in hand, searching through a list of names on a piece of wrinkled paper. "He's good," and we were let through the forbidden door.
.
We immediately walked down an old, beaten flight of stairs, finding a hostess waiting for us at the bottom. The floors looked unwashed and I wouldn't have been surprised if we saw a couple of rats hugging the walls. What were we getting ourselves into? As the hostess escorted us around the corner, through the kitchen, and around another corner...
we found ourselves in entering a chic, candle-lit restaurant. Finally, I was thinking to myself, "Now this looks like a place Kelly Ripa would call her favorite." The first thing you see is the Tequila bar accompanied by a small lounging area. Behind the bar, was the dining room, where our hostess seated us at our table.
Prior to our visit, we had only read reviews that recommended the tacos from the Taqueria. With a completely different menu from upstairs, everything sounded so appetizing that we ordered it all!
The Cangrejo Tostadas were delicious. Three tostadas with lump crabmeat, mango, and chipotle mayo. But, my personal favorite was the Elotes Callejeros (Mexican grilled corn). It wasn't anything really fancy, but it was something I could eat all day, everyday.
.
As the night went by, the music got a little louder and more people were entering the bar area.It had become a late-night hang out! But after a few drinks, appetizers, entrees, and dessert we were stuffed and ready to call it a night. As we weaved our way through the crowd around the bar, we walked back through the kitchen area, and up the stairs.
.
We walked out of the "Employees Only" door and were surprised to find a crowd of people around the tall dark man who had let us in earlier. Plenty of people were being turned away from entering the bar!
I guess they weren't on the list.
No comments:
Post a Comment