Ocho Simple Ways to Enjoy Your Cuban Food

The entrance to Calle Ocho is unassuming. The modest doors, flanked by columns on either side, tell nothing of the cavernous interior of the Upper West Side Latin American restaurant that lies inside. But walk in, and the room stretches back for at least half of the avenue. The lights are dim, and Buena Vista Social Club style music plays at a reasonable volume. The walls are covered with partially chipped-away murals that reveal the stucco underneath, recalling the wall paintings of Diego Rivera. In all, the atmosphere places you right in Latin America.

The prices, however, take you back to Columbus Avenue and 81st Street. With appetizers for $12 and entrees for $25, the prices are far from the highest in the city. They are more the stuff of intimate places than restaurants as vast as Calle Ocho is. However, the menu is also larger than that of an average restaurant in the same price range, offering daily specials, 10 entrees, numerous salads, empanadas, and appetizers. The owners of the restaurant have set a challenge for themselves: to maintain the expected quality with a more expensive meal while also managing to fill the space each night. Here they have succeeded-a group of managers patrolled the restaurant on a recent night, periodically checking in at each table to ensure that the customers were satisfied with their food.

Satisfied they should have been, for the fare offered at Calle Ocho is varied and delicious. While, superficially, the dishes stay within the boundaries of traditional Latin American cuisine, the cooks have added innovation to each in the form of diverse and contrasting flavors.

For starters, the restaurant offers six different varieties of ceviches, a traditional dish in which raw fish is served with high pH substances like citrus, which disengage the enzymes and makes it safe to eat. Served in a little square dish next to a container of popcorn and ambiguous nuts, the "Hondureno" ($12), consisting of ahi tuna served with jalapenos in coconut milk, was delicious. Though the popcorn was of good quality, the purpose of juxtaposing it with the other tastes remained a mystery. The jalapenos delightfully spiced the umami taste of the tuna, while the coconut milk added a touch of sweetness, and extremely fresh diced tomatoes cut the spiciness to a manageable level.

Among the wide selection of empanadas-the traditional Latin American stuffed pastries-the vegetable empanada proved tasty. Overall, the freshness of the produce offered was impressive considering the season, but it was also reflected in the prices.

As for entrees, the "Dorado" ($24) is mahi-mahi crusted in pumpkin seeds, served on a bed of mango, papaya, and crab salsa. This is a delightful combination of flavors, but the mahi-mahi itself was rather lacking and a bit too tough. The pumpkin seeds give a nice protein crunch to the fish, and the crabmeat was the best part-tender, sweet, and warm. While half of the entree choices are seafood, there is one vegetarian option, which serves to showcase the restaurant's ability to accommodate special diets.

Along with Latin American fare, of course, come Latin American cocktails. Calle Ocho boasts a wide selection, with a fully stocked bar at the front of the restaurant. It offers sangria, several in-house creations, and a variety of mojito flavors. The mojitos ($9) are extremely popular-the colorful green drinks dot the tables throughout the restaurant-and are served with a stick of sugarcane in the glass. The drinks are enjoyable, though a bit too sweet.

Considering the size of the restaurant, it is not surprising that the service is a bit slow. However, the wait staff was certainly on top of any vaguely empty-looking drinks during our half-hour wait between courses.

For dessert, there is just as impressive a selection. But it seemed best to end an otherwise customary Latin American meal with a matching dessert-flan. The flan was nothing less than outstanding. Served with tangy passion-fruit syrup, minced mint, and extremely fresh cream, it made for a sweet ending to a delicious night.

Calle Ocho is worth visiting if you feel like indulging in expensive but delicious Latin American food. What it lacks in affordability, it makes up in the delicately balanced flavors of almost everything on the menu.