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“Pampano Botaneria by Dara Pollak”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Latin/Mexican	Midtown	Moderate	Good

Catching up with friends is a good excuse to try out a new bar or restaurant, and when the restaurant in consideration is from the Richard Sandoval empire (Zengo, Maya, Four at Yotel), you know you’re in for a good meal. Pampano Botaneria is a sophisticated and sleek bar/restaurant hybrid that serves up potent cocktails and small plates underneath its flagship restaurant, Pampano, in Midtown.

Inside this den of deliciousness is a gracious menu of 30 small plates, and an extensive drink list that includes over 150 tequilas and mescals, homemade sangrias, and Latin wines, making it a perfect spot to share stories and share plates. We started with the traditional guacamole AND the smoked swordfish dip with homemade tortilla chips. The guacamole was creamy and had a nice hint of citrus, sort of what you would expect, but the smoked swordfish was what blew us away. Smoky, creamy, and a little tangy, it’s a perfect complement to the standard guac and chips. So far, Pampano Botaneria was living up to the Sandoval golden reputation.

As we chatted and snacked on crispy chips and creamy dips, our drinks arrived and were accompanied by an industrial-sized chicharron (fried pork rind). Most people have seen pork rinds cut up into small pieces and eaten out of a bowl or bag; Pampano Botaneria likes to make one big sheet and place it in a holder so it stands above your food like The Great Wall of Pork Skin – then you break off the pieces and either dip in the guacamole or eat it plain. Salty and super crunchy, if I didn’t know any better I would think chicharron is Spanish for “crunchtastic.” It may not be the healthiest appetizer, but Pampano Botaneria makes it fun!

If light and fresh is more your speed, the ceviches are sure to please; mahi mahi, tuna, and halibut are served sampler style and go perfectly with a crunchy chip. Clearly I had trouble staying away from the chips. The fish is mixed with lemon and lime juices, onions, tomatoes, mango, and herbs (usually cilantro). Probably the most refreshing appetizer you could choose, and the antithesis to a chicharron wall.

As the cocktails kept flowing, the plates kept coming as well. This is the great thing about Pampano Botaneria; you don’t feel rushed and are more inclined to stay a while because you can keep ordering as you deem necessary. And where there are lots of stories, there are lots of plates. While discussing a tragic date, we were pres ... [more, click below]

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Posted: April 1, 2012

Other restaurants in Midtown :
+ Lever House   + Aquavit   + RM   + Joseph's (formerly Citarella The Restaurant)   + Town   + Artisanal   + The Oyster Bar   + Geisha   + David Burke and Donatella Restaurant   + Riingo   + Amma   + Cafe Sabarsky   + The Stone Rose Lounge   + BLT Steak   + V, The Steakhouse-- Closed   + Bar Masa   + Cafe Gray   + The Bar Room at The Modern   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + Bistro du Vent-- Closed   + Shaburi   + Xing   + The Modern   + Bar Americain   + Alto   + Park Blue   + Mainland-- Closed   + Nobu 57   + Quality Meats   + Dona-- CLOSED   + Daisy May's   + 7Square-- CLOSED   + Amalia   + Fireside   + Anthos   + Patroon   + BLT Market   + Toloache   + Mia Dona   + Park Avenue Summer   + Convivio   + The Oak Room by guest reviewer Julie Besonen   + At Vermilion by guest reviewer Elaine Weiner   + Lunching at Inakaya, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Marea, by Guest Reviewer Susan Kane Walkush   + Le Bernardin   + New York Central -- A Reason To Eat at the Grand Hyatt Again   + Pampano Botaneria by Dara Pollak   

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