Brunch at Calle Ocho in NYC

Dan and I finally made our way to Calle Ocho for a brunch.  You can only get a reservation a month out because it's so popular due to the all-you-can drink sangria brunch.  I thought you could get your own but that would probably be madness, and it was nice to have wait service for that.  The place is inside the Excelsior Hotel, and everyone there looked 30ish or below.  All of the food was excellent, starting from the crack bread basket.  Seriously, best bread I've had.  The "pan de bono" is Colombian bread that smells/tastes a little like popcorn though has cheese inside it.  We asked for seconds, as did both table beside us.  I probably ate too much bread and as a result could only get through half of my meal, but it was fine because we took it to go, along with the extra bread.  The sangria was also ridiculously strong.  There are 8 flavors.  Between the two of us we tried 6.  Definitely would be a fun with a big group of people.  Also the sangria comes included with your meal, so potentially you could spend under $20 for a crazy all-you-can drink brunch.  No wonder it takes a month to get a res.

Box of bread plus delicious strawberry butter.  Pan de bono (cheese bread), plus chocolate chip and blueberry muffins

Close-up of bread

(L) Blanca (fresh fruit and splash of spirits) and (R) Fresas (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and raspberry vodka).  Both were delicious though the fruit was better in the Fresas

(L) Tropical (Mango, pineapple, lemongrass, passion fruit, rum) and (R) Spanish Harlem (peaches, mandarin, cinnamon, dark rum).  I again like both but the Spanish Harlem went down so smoothly

2nd bread basket of just pan de bono.  Seriously like crack.  More so than Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Latin Benedict - poached eggs, house-made pork and duck sausage, arepas, and chipotle hollandaise.  Dan got this and ordered sides bc we thought it might not be enough food.  It was super rich and delicious and the eggs poached perfectly.  The sausage was also out-of-this-world flavorful.

Vaca Frita - Cuban skirt steak, latin pork, fried rice, avocado, fried eggs.  An ideal HP meal.  I was so full though I could only get through half.  But the next day it was delicious for breakfast

Close-up of my steak

Sides of home fries and chorizo.  So much flavor

(L) Samba (Veev Açaí Liqueur, Brandy, Blueberries) and (R) Punta Cana (Mamajuana Hispanola, Peaches, Oranges, Pineapple, Rum).  We were definitely feeling it after this.  So full