New York: Yerba Buena

The hospitable, enjoyable boozy brunch has largely left the island of Manhattan. Brunch in Manhattan these days involves fighting crowds of self-important yuppies, battling snotty hosts tripping on an overinflated sense of power, and waiting in line for at least an hour for mediocre plates dished up by a rookie line cook who would probably rather be at home nursing his hangover of death instead of cobbling together that week’s leftovers and calling it brunch. Sure, the drinks (which are usually pre-mixed and rather weak) are often abundant, maybe even unlimited, but if they weren’t, then you might actually taste what you were eating, and the whole moneymaking racket would go down the tubes. The cattle-herding nature of what is now a Manhattan brunch does absolutely nothing for my hangover, and well, sometimes a girl is just in no condition to make it out to Brooklyn, where all the high-quality, properly-mixed-stiff-drink brunch places now hold court.

Yerba Buena is not exempt from all of the aforementioned transgressions, but at least the drinks are nice and strong, the food demonstrates some care, and the staff actually smiles at you. The margaritas are individually mixed by hand, and the wait isn’t atrociously long, despite the restaurant’s miniscule dimensions. We were quoted a thirty-minute wait one Saturday morning, and were actually seated in about fifteen, with a graciousness that is rarely seen at other Manhattan brunch standbys.

Tacos de Pescado: crispy tilapia Baja style, jicama cabbage chipotle slaw, rice and beans

The offerings at Yerba Buena are decidedly Pan-Latino, and this may be why the food avoids the slapdash disposition of its peers. You can’t just throw hollandaise sauce on it and call it a day. Though the menu is a bit scattered, taking detours through Mexico and Venezuela, with a stint in Peru, Yerba Buena manages to put out some respectable renditions of Latin-American classics, and even makes an effort to incorporate authentic ingredients native to the countries it pays homage to. The fish in an entrée of fish tacos is skillfully fried, the now-rampant chipotle mayo texturized by strands of crunchy jicama. The tacos aren’t mindblowing, but they are definitely tasty, although corn tortillas would have been preferable to the flour ones used, the softness of which lend a certain one-dimensionality to the dish. A side of rice and beans is not particularly noteworthy, the rice tasting suspiciously like Rice-a-Roni.

Tres arepas: Chicken tingas with fried egg, BBQ short rib and pork belly

A trio of arepas is an exercise in adorableness, each arepa the size of a small Whoopie pie. The chicken and short rib are the best, the smoky sweetness of the chicken softened by curds of egg, and the beef pliant and faintly spicy. The arepas themselves have a nice texture, the cornmeal carefully toeing the line between crisp and tender. The only dud of the three was the flavorful but excessively chewy pork belly.

Ceviche limeno: hamachi ceviche, pink grapefruit, maiz cancha

An appetizer of ceviche features fat chunks of decently fresh hamachi, simply accented with lime and wedges of grapefruit. However, I was perplexed by the niblets of toasted tumorous corn sprinkled throughout. These might make for a novel bar snack, but they contribute next to nothing to the dish, and their tooth-breaking brittleness is jarring juxtaposed against the fish and citrus.

Churros con chocolate: Mexican hot chocolate, cinnamon dusted churros

End the meal with a plate of tiny churros, which impressed me with their light-as-air crunch and well-balanced cinnamon flavor. The accompanying dipping chocolate, however, is disappointing. Its thin, Swiss Miss hot cocoa-like consistency seems to sink into the churros, rather than clinging to the expertly-fried dough in silky skeins of thick, rich chocolate.

Do you go to Yerba Buena to sample the apex of Latin American cuisine? No. But if an appropriately trendy, fairly tasty and minimally irritating brunch is on your agenda, Yerba Buena will not only welcome you with open arms, but bid you goodbye after it’s all said and done with an indulgent smile and a warm handshake.

Yerba Buena

23 Avenue A # A

New York, NY 10009

Phone: (212) 529-2919

Best dishes: Churros, ceviche, arepas

Hours: Weekdays, 5pm-12am; Weekends 11:30am-4pm, 5pm-12am