La Cenita, or “the little dinner,” which opened in the Meatpacking District earlier this fall, features a Mexican-inspired menu by Akhtar Nawab, former executive chef of La Esquina.
It’s the newest restaurant concept from the EMM Group. The 250-seat restaurant has two floors, featuring a a ceviche bar, and selections of frozen cocktails and small plates.
Cocktails include Margarita Cenita, a classic Herradura Blanco margarita, with grapefruit and lime juice ($15); Meatpacking Sound Machine, a jalapeno-infused Avion Reposado tequila with pomegranate, prickly pear, grapefruit. and honey ($16).
Highlights of the menu include small plates for sharing, tacos, a shellfish stew, and a 21-day dry-aged sirloin steak. Small dishes and tacos are priced $10 to $22, and they make up the majority of the menu.
Notable appetizers include goat cheese crepes, made with poblano chile, cumin and ranchero salsa ($13), and Crispy Artichokes made with harissa-guajillo chile sauce ($12).
Try the Pescade Taco made with grilled market fish, pistachio mole, and mango ($13); and Vegetable taco with romesco cauliflower, grilled scallion, and raisin salsa ($11).
The dessert menu was created by EMM’s pastry chef Thiago Silva, including treats such as apple pie taquitos and fried rice pudding.
La Cenita’s brick walls are canvassed in cultural imagery by a locally commissioned artist, along with three-dimensional Mexican shrines.
La Cenita
409 W 14th Street New York, NY 10014
646-289-3930
www.emmgrp.com/restaurants/la-cenita/
