Haitian hideaway
I was exploring the East Village with a friend from out of town. I love this part of the city. Awesome vintage shops, some great jazz venues, fun bars. After trying on a wide selection of hats at one shop, and purchasing some beautiful vintage threads at another, we decided to look for a place to eat. As my friends know, when I get hungry, it’s not a pretty sight. And I got hungry. So we went to the first place we saw, a tiny place that we had no clue about, but the door was open and there was an empty table.
The place was one simple room, tinted in red. As soon as we entered, the owner approached us with a wide, friendly smile. He was a beautiful black young man who charmingly informed us in a Caribbean accent that we were in a vegan, Haitian restaurant. I didn’t even know such a thing existed. There was no menu, only items listed on a blackboard on the wall. But all the items on the wall seemed delicious. I chose advocado roasted with mushroom mousse inside.
The owner took our orders, with his dashing smile, and introduced us to his partner, his beautiful red-haired American wife. The two of them made such a stunning couple, I kept thinking how gorgeous their children would be. Both in their twenties, they told us that they had started this restaurant a couple years ago and had also started a similar place up in Harlem which had a music venue. The place was BYO, but as we had brought none, the owners offered a bottle that had been unfinished by former customers and we accepted.
The food was amazingly delicious. Unlike anything I have had before or since. Such an amazing combination of advocado and mushroom! We left the restaurant with our appetites sated and a feeling that we had made friends with this fascinating couple.
Unfortunately, we did not leave with the name of the restaurant, nor the address. I have searched for this place since and failed. It is an utter tragedy. Please, if you know this establishment, tell me! And I’ll add it to Wikipages so others can find it.