Ideya [Latin Bistro]

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by Jessie on February 15, 2009

If there’s ever a salsa you must try, it’s at Ideya. For our first dinner in a year in a half, Ling and Carson wanted to check out Ideya. Wai, somewhat of a regular, vouched for the place as having solid delicious food. When I asked for what he recommended, he said that he’s never ordered a dish that he didn’t like.

Ideya is just the sort of restaurant you’d expect to find in Soho. Amidst a long street of chic looking cafes and restaurants, Ideya has this sort of beach house vibe. There’s a bar immediately to the right and tables aligned on the left hand side. There’s a strip of brightly colored paintings reminiscent of the beach scene aligning the left hand wall. The music completes the ambiance.

I think one of things that a regular looks forward to is the plantain chips and salsa. I never liked salsa until now. Chunks of pepper, onion, mango, and tomato juice create this harmony of sweetness that compliments the plantain chips so well. You can actually buy a jar of their salsa for $5 and from what I tasted, it’s definitely worth it.

Ling and I decided to skip out on appetizers and instead split a side of Boniato fries, or sweet potato fries. They’re great for people who prefer crispy, crunchy shoelace sized fries. But I prefer my fries to be a bit soft on the inside. These were so crunchy that they almost appeared to be hollow on the inside. It came with a tomato puree for dipping and that really brought out the sweetness from the sweet potatoes.

Carson and Wai, however, did order appetizers. Wai ordered the Empanada de Pollo [braised chicken filled yucca turnover, mango chutney, and chive crema fresca.]. Carson got the Manchamanteles de Pato [pulled duck, cinnamon stewed fruit, corn and manchega cachapa]. Both enjoyed their food, and Carson said that his duck was very sweet.

We were in the middle talking about Wai’s new production This is Life (check out the trailer!) when the mains came out. The entrees were huge! Wai’s Bistec de Argentia [sliced skirt steak, ideya chimichurri, papaya barbeque, boniato fries] won the portion sizing contest. Boniato fries invaded his plate, threatening to take over the steak.

Ling and Carson’s Medianoche [pressed sandiwch of roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, and pickles with ensalada] came to a close second. As if the sandwiches weren’t big enough, they got a giant serving of greens which had this incredible creamy sauce on them.

My Pato Ahumado [pecan wood smoked duck breast, spicy mango marmalade, plantain harina] may have been put to shame by the other two dishes in the portion arena, but the flavors were all there. The duck was tender and the skin was still crispy, like it should be. I was particularly impressed with the plaintain harina. Harina is sort of like cornmeal and I guess the closest analogy I can come up to describe the way it was served is mashed potatoes. Just imagine that sort of consistency but with a grainier texture and a sweet accent.

By the end of the meal, we were so stuffed. I’d definitely come here again, but probably for brunch. It’s a moderately priced place, and I ended up spending around $30 for my entree and half side order.