131 Essex St. (between Stanton and Rivington Sts.) 212-677-5838 www.charruanyc.com
Uruguayan. In New York City, there’s nothing you can’t get. This was clearly illustrated when I spent the evening at Charrua. The cuisine is from Uruguay, the flavor from paradise. Each of the tapas I tasted inspired more. The albóndigas (meatballs, tomato sauce) won me over in an instant while the corn and beef empanadas had me awaiting what would come next. Fondue de queso (melted provolone, ementhaler, gruyere with croutons) was such cheese genius, I would have dipped an entire loaf. Learning that chivitos are signature Uruguayan sandwiches, I selected el botija (filet mignon, lettuce, tomato, mayo) which came with the most unbelievable fries (homemade) to cross my lips in eons.
Seeing what they can do, getting one dessert seemed ridiculous and I doubled down on chocolate. The mousse is unforgettable but then there’s the chocolate sausage (resemblance in name and shape only). It is frozen, sliced plus a hallmark of the homeland. So beyond good, it made booking a flight on the next plane sound completely rational. To top it all off, the server was as kind and charming as could be. I’m betting that’s typical Uruguayan hospitality. And one more reason to look up the departure schedule at JFK.