Yuca Bar and Back Fence

We were way overdue for catching up with our fav Rock Band buddy, Liz.  So we met up at Yuca Bar for a little end-of-the-week happy hour and tapas.

The food was all delicious; we sampled a bit of guacamole, shrimp ceviche (great seasoning), vegetarian arepa, chicken platano, steak, Spanish meatballs, and bread pudding.  Everything tasted extremely fresh and light, and Mel and Liz thought the mojitos were phenomenal.  (DJ felt they were a bit strong and stuck with his fav sangria.) 

 

The only down-side of this place was the service.  We got there early enough to get a table without a hassle, but then they took about 45 minutes just to bring us guacamole.  After it finally came, the rest of the food was served much more efficiently which was nice because it was all piping hot.  But then as the place got more crowded, they kept rushing us to pay the bill and essentially glared us out of there.  Talk about feeling unwelcome.  Perhaps next time they want to pressure people to be speedy, they should remember to be just as speedy bringing us our order!  We're chalking this up to being a casualty of the invading NYU crowd, and since the food was so good we're going to try going back on a less popular night so we hopefully don't get rushed.

Afterward, Liz had an awesome suggestion: some live classic rock at Back Fence.  Best way to spend a Friday night EVER!  The place is so unassuming, with a down-home decor and peanut shells strewn on the floor.  The bartender was generous in mixing, and every song the band covered brought back Liz and Mel's memories of dancing around the living room in pajamas.  DJ was a good sport and got into the groove too, but we promised that next time we'll try to find a spot that plays some Metallica.  :)