Location: 269 Columbus Avenue
Cuisine: Latino American
Best Dish: The Hot Chocolate Brownie is an absolute delight. Creamy ice cream fluffy whipped cream and warm bubbly brownie, how can you not fall in love with all of that? If sweet isn’t your thing, you can’t go wrong with the burger, the patty is everything juicy beefy dreams are made of.
Overall: AG Kitchen is a romantic comfortable space with good food that is well prepared and not pretentious. The menu is diverse enough to satisfy picky eaters but never overwhelming.
Chef Alex Garcia is a successful restaurateur, author and host of Food Network’s “Melting Pot”. He is best known for his commitment to preserving Latino culture and flavors through his cuisine. AG Kitchen, located on NYC’s west side, is one of several restaurants in his growing empire. We wandered into the venue on a Monday night. It was surprisingly busy, with a diverse crowd. The space is divided into two parts: A bright dinner area ideal for family dinners and a casual date and an ambient bar area with booth seating and soft amber light. We chose a large booth for our meal and settled in with a round of cocktails.
The “Simple Pleasure” is a beautiful colorful cocktail of vodka, cava, fresh berries and honey garnished with fresh strawberry and pineapple. We also tried the classic Mojito cocktail and one of the staff’s favorites.
While enjoying the beverage we munched on some house-made chips and freshly prepared guacamole.
One of the more surprising appetizers offered at AG Kitchen is the bacon wrapped dates. They are served on top of slivered almonds and endive salad and blue cheese. Dates on their own are a sweet healthy treat but bacon makes it even better. Not exactly healthier but who cares? It’s bacon!
Next up was the Loteria Five a collection of five mini tacos. We chose the Baja Fish,Roasted pork and mushroom. The Baha fish is made of crispy snapper with citrus slaw and a drizzle of chipotle cream. The pork taco is topped with tomatillo avocado salsa.
Mahi Mahi is one of our favorite fish, it as a mild flavor and meaty texture. AG Kitchen serves the Mahi a Caribbean flare. It is pan seared and served with jumbo crab meat, mango pineapple salsa and an herbaceous chimichurri.
If you’re in the mood for something light and tasty we recommend the jumbo shrimp. The shrimp are glazed with rum and served with a light fresh salad of avocado, tomato, radish and cucumber.
AG Kitchen is home to several unique and interesting burgers. We had to try the “Juiciest Lucy: Inside out”. This massive burger is served with bacon, cheddar, onions mushrooms and a savory garlic aioli.
With our bellies full and nearly bursting with good food we were ready to leave when our server presented us with two view finders. If you grew up in the 80’s and early nineties you remember these toys. The small red viewers contained disc which held images of their dessert options. We flipped through each image like excited adolescents but notice there was one item missing. Since we couldn’t see it in the view finder, we simply had to order the hot chocolate brownie.
If you are planning to have this on your visit, please note it takes 13 minutes. The Brownie is made to order and arrives piping hot. In fact it is still bubbling when it is placed on the table. The ice cream and whipped cream are served on the side. It was torture waiting for it to cool down, the smell alone had us salivating. Once we were able to eat it without setting our mouths on fire we jumped right in and it was glorious.
AG Kitchen is an inviting space with lively atmosphere. The menu offers a variety of options to fit your tastes and mood. You can bring anyone into AG Kitchen and know that they will find something tasty. From seafood lovers to carnivores everyone will leave satisfied.
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[…] fine wines and spirits, and inventive cocktails. Restaurant and beverage participants included: AG Kitchen, Alidoro, Almond, BLT Prime, Calle Ocho, Fresco By Scotto, La Fonda Del Sol, Luke’s Lobster, […]
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