Confessional, East Village, NYC

On my way to Confessional in the East Village for dinner, I walked down St Marks place between Second and Third Avenues and felt as if I was in a time warp back to the 60s in Greenwich Village with head shops and sales people barking at me to come in. Some things never change! Confessional is just two blocks from there. It’s a late-night nook serving Latin bites & creative cocktails with an interior with chalkboard walls for sharing confessions. I stopped in with a friend as I was asked to sample and write about their food.

We started with cocktails. My friend, who prefers sweeter drinks than I do, had the Striptease with Leblon cachaça, Cedilla açai liqueur, spiced pomegranate tea & fresh lemon juice ($14); I had the spicy Hot Scandal with Cabeza tequila, mango puree, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, chipotle powder and bitters, topped with a fresh rosemary sprig ($14). I’d recommend the former for those who don’t like the taste of alcohol, the latter for those who do, and who like it with a kick.

I like this small, dark place with their tasty libations and delicious nicely presented food. Like at most restaurants, I liked the appetizers best. Do not miss either their sweet corn goat cheese tamale with a tomato-corn ratatouille ($12) or their sautéed shrimp with chorizo on a bed os sweet plantain mofongo in a delicious sauce. The latter arrives flaming from the kitchen.

I can’t recommend the trio ($12) as they were out of the octopus and gave us a double portion of the churrasco (beef) in addition to the shrimp on tostones (fried plantain slices). I wished we had ordered their guacamole. Everyone else seemed to, which we noticed as it came from the kitchen surrounded by tall fried plantain chips. Next time.

For entrees, we had the grilled (three) lamb chops ($29) and were thrilled that was accompanied by the yummy sweet corn tamale that we had as an appetizer. The chops were topped with mint chimichurri. The disappointment of the evening was a plebeian salad ($17) with greens, avocado, plantain chips, quinoa and an okay dressing with a side of a sliced chicken breast. Skip that. The truffle cheese fries ($7) were crisp, although missing the promised truffle.