Bar Ama
Cashew Poblano Queso
Whole 2 lb. Chicken Mole – chile, flour tortilla, cotija
Tres Leches – mocha, coconut, cream cheese frosting
Leche Quemada con Arroz – graham cracker,fennel pollen, cinnamon
Impressed to varying degrees by Bacco Mercat, Orsa & Winston, as well as Ledlow it was to Josef Centeno’s Bar Ama that the group turned for late Saturday lunch, but between balmy temperatures, agonizingly slow service, and a thumping soundtrack that reminds one more of a Las Vegas nightclub than an upscale Mexican restaurant there really was not much worth seeing at 118 West 4th Street, least of all the most disappointing dessert tasted this year.
Billed as an “upmarket twist” on Tex-Mex comfort food with a menu heavy in tacos, enchiladas, and several options designed around dietary restrictions plus a sizable tequila list, it was after a sweltering delay for water (as well as service) that a soon-to-depart waiter finally greeted the table and with decisions already made an order was quickly placed, another long wait separating us from creamy vegan dip that showed a great depth of flavor amidst robust spices, the housemade tortillas offering a bit of reprieve from the spiciness of the peppers as beverage refills remained scarce.
At this point apparently being served by one back server along with a young woman who never once visited the table until it was time to order dessert, it was forty-five minutes in that the family style chicken board arrived and having to request the menu-listed tortillas as the busser was entirely unaware of how to present the plate it was another short delay before we tucked in, the earthiness of the black sauce thankfully quite pronounced as a result of not being over-sweetened while the bird’s flesh was quite moist beneath somewhat flabby skin, the pickled onions offering a nice balance though we could have without the herb-forward greens.
Impressed by the sweets program at Centeno’s other spots and excited by a list of items that seemed to encompass all the best of Mexican desserts it was in two selections that final bites were invested and although the stick-a-spoon-up-straight rice pudding was a beautiful balance of spices, sweetness, and textures the Tres Leches was an unmitigated disaster, the cake itself offering a bizarre sponginess that was extremely unpleasant on the palate while the frosting was thick and chalky, not one aspect of dish even hinting at the traditional texture or flavor profile.
http://bar-ama.com/
