Dinner With Friends - Oso, Harlem, NY

Yesterday when I wrote the post on fish tacos and mezcal margaritas, I was trying to link to the post that I wrote on Oso last year. Then I realized that it was actually on the Holy Sip site. So since I did absolutely no wine studying or wine drinking or anything even remotely interesting today, I’m reposting it here.

I woke up the next morning not really sure what we were laughing at, just remembering that it was a night filled with laughs.

It started with trying to go to a Thai restaurant, arriving at 10:45 pm, to find them cleaning up and locking down the place. I would have never imagined that restaurants in New York closed so early, especially on a Friday. Barcelona definitely spoiled me. 

After a few more failed attempts to locate food in the area, I suggested Oso in Harlem, a quaint modern Mexican restaurant at 140th and Amsterdam. I went there the first night I arrived so the bar had already been christened with my dating woes. Additionally, I knew the service was solid and that the mezcal margarita was perfection. I try not to repeat places, especially in a city like New York where there are so many options, but this was a worthy repeat.

As we reminisced over old Camron songs (and laughed at the nonsensical lines line: “I keep computers ‘putin”) the tacos, mezcal cocktails and rice and beans flowed from the chef-driven kitchen. The fish tacos reminded me why I once created an entire blog to the deliciousness that is the taco de pescado. It was simple with an unexpected crunch that didn’t come from the fish being deep fried (it was pan-fried). Everything that a perfect taco should be. 

While everything was great, the highlight of the meal was the horchata ice cream. I could have done without the churros. It didn’t churruin the meal, but the horchata was such a star. I would have preferred to sit there with a bowl of it without any interruptions from fried dough or chocolate sauce. 

I might not be able to remember why we were laughing so hard for hours, but this is definitely a meal and a moment that will stick with me. It reminds me that the hallmark of a good restaurant is consistency.