Pachanga Patterson

Living in a city with a significantly large Mexican population, finding a delicious taco in New York City is never too far away. Here in Astoria, Mexican cuisine ranges from the street meat variety (El Rey Del Taco Truck and El Rey Del Taco Truck #2) to the traditional (Los Portales) to the fusion (MexiQ).  Pachanga Patterson nestles into the traditional Mexican food territory, with a bit of fusion seen in their unique taco offerings.

Pachanga Patterson has a cozy, intimate atmosphere, with rustic and cultural décor adding to the charm and beauty of the small restaurant. During the warmer months, the restaurant has a small outdoor seating area. A wooden bar outfitted in a weathered turquoise wash is the main focal point of the space, opposite a simple brick wall dotted with prints, and another maroon and red color blocked wall. Festive string lights hang year round, and Dia de Los Muertos memorabilia sprinkles the space. Soft indie music, a refreshing relief from the Euro club tunes that abound in this part of town, plays in the background, making the whole experience very enjoyable, fun, and comfortable.

Pachanga Patterson

bar

bar

interior

tarrot card wallpaper

fish print

outdoor seating

outdoor seating

menu

We started our meal with the Honey in Heat and Tequilla Mockingbird cocktails. Aside from a full bar, Pachanga Patterson has a selection of margaritas, tequillas and mezcals that are a step above your standard cocktail. The Honey in Heat is a Margarita consisting of habanero infused tequila, lime juice, honey, and an ancho-salt rim. The Tequilla Mockingbird is a refreshing blend of tequila, lime juice, cucumber, and mint.

The menu at Pachanga Patterson is a bit limited, but you will find that the offerings are a different take on some traditional Mexican dishes, and that the dishes change throughout the months. The menu is broken down into Salsas, Small Plates, Entrees, and Sides. We started with a Salsa, choosing the Mustard and White Bean, although the Hummus and Chili came in a close second option. The Salsas come served with house fried corn tortilla chips. The dip was different from anything I tasted before, and had a pleasantly thick consistency. The mustard was a spicy whole grain mustard, giving the Salsa a kick, while the white bean mellowed out the flavor. The house fried chips were thicker than most store brought tortilla chips, and varied in their oil-saturated hues. However, they were not overly greasy.

Honey in Heat + Tequilla Mockingbird

Mustard and White Bean Salsa

 For our entrees, I ordered the Ancho Battered Pollack Taco, while my friend went with the Roasted Lamb Taco. The Pollack Taco came with a citrus habanero aioli, cilantro, onion and tomato. The light, citrus aioli and refreshing cilantro tasted great with the Pollack. Although the fish was fried, it did not feel heavy.

Ancho Battered Pollack Tacos

The Roasted Lamb Taco was served with a ramp and almond pesto and cucumber slices. The Lamb came shredded, and had such a rich, deep flavor that immediately melted in your mouth. The ramp and almond pesto was subtle, yet added a great onion flavor that paired nicely with the cucumbers.

Roasted Lamb Tacos

Each serving comes with three tacos, and a small side salad. They also leave their own green sauce on each table for an extra kick.

Pachanga Patterson supports local farmers and artisans, and proudly gets ingredients from Tortilleria Nixtamal, Brooklyn Grange farm, and Raphael Vineyards to name a few. Their Moo Shu Duck Taco was featured on TimeOut New York NYC’s 26 Best Tacos list. Giuseppe Falco, owner of Pacahanga Patterson also co-owns popular sister restaurant Vesta Trattoria.

While I can’t say Pachanga Patterson serves the best tacos I’ve ever had, I do give them immense credit in coming up with eclectic and interesting tacos that most people would not even think to create. The atmosphere and décor make it a really cute and charming place to go with friends or a date, and it is a place where I would definitely return to. 

Aroma 31

Aroma 31 opened last October, after the comically short-lived Eco Table in that same location mysteriously closed. Fast forward a few months, and the former Eco Table décor and menu had transformed into what is now Aroma 31. Perplexed by this seemingly sudden change, especially considering how Eco Table had been open not even a full month before closing, I was able to get an answer from our server at Aroma 31 on my visit. Story has it that two friends and business partners had the idea to open a restaurant together, and thus, Eco Table was born. However, shortly after opening this venture together, the partners had different ideas about running the place, and butt heads. This lead to them closing the restaurant, while one partner took over the space to open his own restaurant, Aroma 31.

Aroma 31 features floor to ceiling windows that are opened in the warmer months. The interior has a warm feel to it, with exposed brick walls, and dimly lit hanging ceiling lamps. Cool colors in warm hues reign here, with a palette of greens and blues filling the space. It is a simple, cozy space, yet large enough so you don’t feel cramped.  Walking past Aroma 31 quite frequently, it does not seem to get as crowded as other hotspots in that immediate area, making it a nice, quiet place to enjoy a meal.

Aroma 31 from the outside

Aroma 31 from the inside

Visiting Aroma 31 on a Friday night with a group of friends, we were brought complimentary pita and hummus to start our meal. The hummus was freshly made and topped with spices and olive oil, which was a nice alternative to the usual bread and butter most restaurants fall back on.  Aside from the permanent menu offerings, Aroma 31 also offers a few specials, found on the chalkboards outside or inside the restaurant.  Our group started with some drinks, namely the White Sangria and the Organic Nut Brown Ale. The sangria was refreshing, but tasted a bit watered down, while the Nut Brown Ale was just okay for its $7 price point. For our meals, my friends and I settled on the “Seven Hour” Slow Braised Lamb Osso Buco, the Fresh Mint Tagliatelli, two of the Aroma Burgers, and a side of Sautéed Spinach.

hummus + pita

The “Seven Hour” Slow Braised Lamb Osso Buco is described as having a dates and raisin demi glace and served with vegetable couscous.  My friend enjoyed her dish, saying the lamb was tender and falling off the bone. The demi glace left something to be desired, as she wasn’t sure if she tasted the dates and raisin flavors. The vegetable couscous was good as well, but did not have a whole lot of vegetables in it.

"Seven Hour" Slow Braised Lamb Osso Buco

The burgers at Aroma 31 consist of 8 ounces of the Chef’s Blend of Flank Steak, Short Ribs, Sirloin, and Beef Flatiron, served on a brioche bun and house fries. The Aroma Burger comes topped with Feta cheese, crispy onions, and tzatziki sauce, and got mixed reviews in our group. One of my friends enjoyed the burger, which came truly “medium” as requested, with the fried onions piled on top of it.  He thought the brioche bun could have been fresher, but the price of $10 and accompanying crispy fries made up for it. The side of Sautéed Spinach was really tasty and fresh, and loved by us all. My other friend did not love the Aroma Burger, feeling that the Feta and the tzatziki flavors, along with the beef mix, did not complement each other as expected.

Aroma Burger

My dish was the Fresh Mint Tagliatelli, featuring a slow roasted lamb shoulder ragu. Ordering this dish was a bit of a risk for me as one, I do not like mint in my food or beverages, only in my gum, and two, I am very picky eating lamb and only like it prepared certain ways. I love ragu with ribbony pasta so this dish piqued my interest. I was also debating getting the Butternut Squash Risotto, but trusted our server who told me to go with the tagliatelli. Lucky for me, the mint flavor in the dish was not overwhelming, and was quite subtle. The lamb ragu, though chunky, was extremely tender once you bit into it. Having the soft tagliatelli with the delicate and tender lamb made it an enjoyable dish.

Fresh Mint Tagliatelli

We looked at the dessert menu but nothing really captivated our interest, so we skipped a sweet nightcap.

Dinner at Aroma 31 was an enjoyable experience, especially since it is quiet and offers a cozy environment to catch up with friends or bring a date to. Although it is not the first place that pops into my mind when I think of restaurants to eat at, the food was good, and it is a place I would consider visiting again.