Monday, June 24, 2013

Monday's Mambo 64 Musings: Lunch Starts Tomorrow!

  
The adventure continues at Mambo 64--and I'm still enjoying the post-opening delight of meeting and greeting old and new friends!  I'm currently delighted and fascinated by our guests; many of them share my passion for travel and food. I thank you all for your shared enthusiasm, and your lovely wishes!

On Saturday I was telling a customer that our menus are not only reflective of my travels, but also of what I like to eat.

This is as true for my dinnertime menu, as it is for lunch, which, my friends, starts TOMORROW!

But, okay, I have another confession. As much as I love Cuban sandwiches, and miss my Miami jaunts where I feasted on 'em, it was my husband's idea. Yes, Seth was the one who said, "You should feature Cuban sandwiches on the lunch menu!" Y, pues, aquí están--here they are!

But it's not just Cuban sandwiches; we are including some other bits (bites!) which, again, are some of my favorites: maduros--perfectly roasted ripe plantains, sweet potato fries--I've been in love with them since I lived in Peru many moons ago, and finally--the nutty-sweet flavors of yuca, topped with our red sofrito.  Salads--well, they're always a lovely complement, and we're offering the night-time selection, as well as one based on what we find at the market!  Our soup--which will be our interpretation of a classic Spanish gazpacho--is refreshing and tasty (perfect with a glass of our Sauvignon Blanc, OR Passion Fruit Sangría--OR an ice-cold beer...or, of course, our ginger lemonade!).


 
Hope to see you at Mambo 64 for lunch--dinner, Happy Hour--all of the above! 

Monday, June 3, 2013

Monday's Mambo 64 Musings

Remember when your baby was little, and you were so concerned about everything--just simply everything--and in a kind of delirious state of joy mixed with frequent concerns/anxiety? I think that aptly describes the first week of restaurant ownership! It's an exciting and wonderfully consuming venture. And though I'm exhausted, I can't help but liken it to the same feeling I had when my little babies were born. Yes, I feel like I have a newborn!
My "newborn" Mambo 64! 


And I feel lucky...
Don't be fooled: just like raising a child, growing a business requires great patience, persistence, and assistance, in every sense of all those words. As I've said numerous times over the past few weeks, it's all an amazing adventure...

So, last Friday morning, at dawn, I had the pleasure of watching the sunrise over Manhattan--from the Jersey side. I'd never been to Weekhawken before; Wow--what a view of New York from there!  And though it was crazy early, I talked--with lovely Vicky Sosa--about making my passion fruit sangría which, my friends, is the perfect cooling cocktail. (We've got it chilled and waiting for you at Mambo 64!) 


Posing "on set" with my  Passion Fruit Sangría for Friday's Buenos Días Nueva York segment! 

For the recipe, please check out my Latin Twist post for Passion Fruit Sangría
More tales from Mambo 64 coming soon!