New York’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant keeps it simple

It’s the shorts I notice first. I was expecting Casa Enrique, New York’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant, to be more relaxed than some of the city’s other fine diners but when I arrive on a warm summer evening, I’m a little surprised at the complete absence of long trousers among the guests seated at the restaurant’s outdoor tables.

Casa Enrique: New York’s cheapest Michelin star eatery.Credit: Mariana Pelaez

That includes the table of young women workshopping their friends’ relationship updates, and several families who have brought their kids for an early dinner. Babies gurgle happily at two different tables while another group of diners has brought along their white labrador, which lies contentedly beside a drinking bowl that has been put out for it.

The casual vibe is not the only thing that is unusual about Casa Enrique. A stayer in New York’s ultra-competitive dining scene, this no-frills Mexican restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2014 but has remained resolutely affordable.

The casual eatery has held on to its affordable prices since earning a Michelin star in 2014.Credit: Mariana Pelaez

That sets it apart from many of its contemporaries. New York’s best restaurants are among the most expensive in the world. The nine-course tasting menu at three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, for instance, is $US365 ($568) a person. That’s not including the wine pairing, which starts from $US115 ($180) a person, the tax (at 8.875 per cent), and the standard 20 per cent tip.

Casa Enrique’s a la carte menu is far more budget friendly. An entree of ceviche, delicate slices of raw fish marinated in lime, served with onion, tomato and a scattering of serrano chile, costs $US24, while a chicken enchilada is $US25.

The specialty of the house is mole di Paixtla, chicken enveloped in velvety sauce made with almonds, raisins, sesame, chocolate and seven different chillies that is simultaneously nutty, sweet, bitter and tongue-numbingly hot, and costs $US27 ($42).

Showcasing various Mexican regional cuisines, the house specialty is mole di Paixtla.Credit: Mariana Pelaez

Other favourites include the branzino al pastor, marinated in guajillo and achiote, grilled and served with pineapple and coconut sauce, for $US35 ($55) and the most expensive dish on the menu, chamorro de borrego al huaxamole – lamb shanks braised in chile pulle, huajes and coriander, served with rice and beans. It is yours for $US42 ($65).

In a city where everyone is always eyeing the margin, I ask Cosme Aguilar, Casa Enrique’s softly-spoken chef, why his prices aren’t higher. He smiles.

“When we got the Michelin star, I asked friends that have been in the industry much longer than I, ‘What should we do now?’ Everybody says, ‘Don’t start changing things’.”

And he hasn’t. Keeping the prices affordable has let him keep a loyal local clientele even as he regularly gets bookings from overseas visitors. (“We get bookings from Japan, even Australia!“) The fit-out – from the whitewashed interiors to the curbside tables – has stayed simple, and the drinks list matches the Latin flavours on the menu with Mexican beers, Spanish wines and cocktails such as mezcal martinis and mezcal negronis alongside pisco sours.

The menu, based on Aguilar’s family recipes, has dishes to appeal to every palate. The taco section includes child-friendly fillings such as homemade crumbled chorizo and beer battered market fish alongside more adventurous options such as cow tongue; the mains are more complex and some have a serious dose of chilli.

If you do find a favourite dish, you can rest assured that it will still be on the menu next time you return. “It’s the same menu as when we opened,” Aguilar says. “The products we use are in season all year round so we never take items off, although we always have one or two specials.”

Chef Cosme Aguilar became a chef by accident after working as a restaurant porter.Credit: Mariana Pelaez

Aguilar is an accidental chef. Originally, trained as a mechanic but couldn’t find work when he migrated to the United States in 1998. One of his brothers was working in a French restaurant and got him a job as a porter. Soon after he moved into the kitchen.

“I was already a very good eater, but that is where I fell in love with food,” he says. “I was so lucky to be among great chefs; all I wanted was to be one of them.”

Aguilar and his two partners, including his brother Luis, opened Casa Enrique in 2012 in Long Island City, just one stop on the 7 subway line from Grand Central Station. They were banking on a belief that there was an appetite for genuine Mexican food in New York, where even to this day authentic Mexican flavours are rare. Aguilar says his recipes – passed on by his eldest sister, who cooked for the family after their mother’s death – reflect the country’s many distinctive cuisines.

“I am from Chiapas but I lived in various places, Puebla and Mexico City, and my mum used to travel a lot, so her recipes are from everywhere,” he says.

I ask Aguilar how his cooking compares to his sister’s. “I would say my sister is the better cook,” he says immediately. “I’m a good brother, I put her on top. I couldn’t make better food for a family than her.”

DETAILS

More

casanenriquelic.com

nyctourism.com

Fly

Air New Zealand has three weekly one-stop flights from Australia to New York, stopping in Auckland. See airnewzealand.com.au

Eat

Casa Enrique is open for dinner seven nights a week as well as brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

The writer travelled courtesy of Air New Zealand and New York City Tourism + Conventions. She paid for her own meal.