I ran into Nythia, the badass Kings of Karaoke chica and she was raving about a new Mexican spot on Nassau Ave where she’d just eaten called Sindicato (57 Nassau Ave) which just opened two weeks ago. It’s right next to Lokal and the Bradley Manning mural across from McCarren Park.
Mexican is not my favorite kind of food, not because it isn’t absolutely delicious, but because I feel like total shit afterward. For a while I thought it was from the sweet and salty margaritas. I can guzzle those. Then I began to wonder if it was all that corn. Who can resist buckets after buckets of tortilla chips?
Last night I decided to go all the way Mexican and we stopped into this new BYOB restaurant, which was reported in Eater’s March 2010 Plywood Report!
I did not hold back on the food shoveling front and afterwards I didn’t feel like I just ate Ceviche, Braised Lamb Shoulder Enchiladas, Fish Tacos and Flan! I felt great!
At the front door, it feels like it could become sceney, dark and glossy inside with glittery chandeliers, but the hostess and the wait staff were very friendly and the service was superb. It has the typical reclaimed wood and tin ceiling design formula we see in many new North Brooklyn restaurants, which is a good formula. The dark wood bar is gorgeous and there is a roof deck area, but you’ll have to tell me about it because I forgot to check it out. It was too dark for any worthwhile food photos. It was very fancily plated.
The food was delicious with a good amount of heat and lots of flavor that was not overwhelmed by too much spice or sauce. The Fluke Ceviche ($13) was fresh and flavorful, not fishy, a good starter to share. The Striped Bass Fish Taco was Baja Style (3 for $13) and topped with pineapples. I’m not into sweet on my fish tacos, but it was fresh and expertly deep fried. I loved the Braised Lamb Shoulder Enchiladas ($12) – one of their small plates, but big enough for a reasonable meal. Maybe it’s just that, the tapas size servings were not enormous, enough for a meal, and the prices reflect that. They have some higher priced Main Dishes ($18 & up) but the sharing plates were enough. We even had room for dessert, a very traditional Flan that was a great ending to an enjoyable meal.
Try it out and let me know what you think! For now it’s BYOB but I am sure they cannot wait to stock up that beautiful bar.