Calaveras Corner — Restaurant in New York

3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

We went for an early outside dinner on a beautiful summer evening. I was happy to find out that this place is owned by the same people that owned The Calaveras on Columbus Avenue and 107th St., which had been on my list for a while. I had a strong Creamy Mango Margarita while we waited for the food.

We had 4 tapas ($36). By far, the winner was the large-portioned fried calamari. It was lightly fried with a soft texture. Also very good were the meaty Thai Chili Wings which had a nice charred flavor with the standard Thai sweet chili sauce. The dense crab cake had the wrong sauce. It was suppose to be mustard aioli, topped by cilantro leaves. I think I got the bland chimichurri. The Grilled chorizo was a disappointment; the chorizo was over cooked, thus dry as was the naan. The mild but nutty manchego cheese, melted/then cooled, was a strange accompaniment. The Arrachera tacos were not what I was expecting. I was expecting marinated steak grilled and then sliced, instead I got sliced meat, marinated and then pan fried so it seemed braised vs grilled. The meat portions were somewhat generous but we could have used a double tortilla.

With so many places around, I would come back for outside drinks but not...

tl;dr nice atmosphere, confused concept, okay food.

I believe that when the owners of this place envisioned what it will be, they thought, "let's make a place where everybody can find something they like". And so, they serve dumplings, and tacos, and chicken wings, and pasta. And just like that, without noticing, they accidentally re-invented the American staple that is... the diner.

But, at least from my dining experience there, none of the food is "specialty". It's palatable and generic. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. It's really decent. But this is not where I would send you for "fish tacos" ($9) nor for "thai red curry" ($19). It's a good place to visit if you really want American and your friend really wants Italian (or Thai, or Mexican, or Chinese, or French, or Spanish). But the food almost certainly won't blow your mind.

At the end of the day, this place has a really nice atmosphere with decent food. Not for me, but maybe you.

P.s. I do feel somewhat bad for posting a non-glowing review when I know so many businesses are struggling, but I do think my experience may inform future diners...

We just moved from the East side of Central Park. I’d heard about the restaurant but thought it was East Side. We went quite late to have a few drinks and a snack. We were served by a delightful young lady called Bess. The chef brought our food out (I had shrimp and sweet fried plantain) I regret not finding this place beforehand. Our cocktails were expertly made (I didn’t get the name of the bar person) and shots were generous. Low lighting was nice. They have large tv screens for games and news. There were a few other parties coming in. We left at about 2am and would have stayed had we not had guests arriving. We will definitely be back. Hoping Bess will be there as she was great at suggestions on the menu for me.

Totally worth at least one visit. Limited parking at night (I’m tee total so driving...