📍Claro, New York City

Even though there’s no wrong time to have coffee or cocktails, I still find the concept of brunch fascinating. It offers a kind of leisure that makes a meal special. I had a spare afternoon so I decided to go to a place I had yet to try. A place that wasn't necessarily nearby. I couldn’t decide, so I assigned a number to my top choices and used a random number generator to decide.

The place was much smaller than I expected. Maybe 8 tables but there was a lengthy bar. Most of the tables had parties. I love sitting at the bar to dine and I took my seat as the only one. The first thing I noticed was the collection of Mezcals behind the bar, it was extensive. I did not recognize most of them.

I knew what I wanted to order from their website: Chilaquiles and Pancakes. I was surprised to see the menu online was different, probably older, than what I got. The biggest difference is the Chilaquiles were vegetarian or at least they had no meat. This version included eggs, so that was a brunch-time win. I later learned they use lard in their Mole, so not quite vegetarian. I ordered the Chilaquiles regardless.

The first thing I noticed was the quality of the chips. They were fresh and crispy with my ideal level of size and thickness. Sometimes I find the chips end up soggy quickly or they’re so thick it’s hard to break or eat. Not the case here. I could break them with the side of the fork and avoid navigating unruly chip sizes. Each chip was coated with the Mole like it was painted on. Wonderful.

The Mole Rojo had awesome flavor. It was deep, warm, and a little tart. You could tell this was a Mole that had been cooking for a while. There’s no other way to get this kind of depth. I didn’t ask what was in it, which was a mistake. If I had to guess, there probably was a little tomato and chipotle peppers. Of everything I had, the Mole Rojo was the star. I scraped the bottom of the bowl, after all the chips were gone, to get the last drops of Mole.

Rounding out the dish were the eggs. When I got it, I thought there was only one poached egg but I was pleasantly surprised to see a second. Both were just barely cooked eggs with a very runny yolk. Personally, that’s my preference when it comes to poached eggs so it’s another thing I was happy with. The Crema and Cotija are always welcome additions.

I wanted the Pancakes. They’re made with masa and it’s masa they make in-house from fresh corn. They use it in the chips, in their tortillas, and yes, in the Pancakes. I did not get the Pancakes. Instead, enamored with the Mole I got a Mole Negro Chocolate Cake.

This cake was hot and the bowl itself was scalding. The whipped cream on top was melting as I quickly took this picture. This cake was not overly sweet, which is a win for me. This cake had a deep savoriness to it. No doubt from the Mole Negro. Their Mole Negro is finished with chocolate so it’s an ideal component here. The crumb on the cake was nice and tender, so it was well executed.

Lastly, the drinks. I had a cocktail and beer and shot combo. The cocktail was a Clarified Milk Punch called Jungla with Mezcal, Tequila, Campari, Pineapple, and Lime. I was told this was the least sweet cocktail on the menu. I can confirm that it is not sweet. For my taste, this was an easy drinker. It had some bitterness from Campari, smokiness from the Mezcal, and sweetness from the Pineapple. It’s one of those cocktails that tastes like a blend of all of the ingredients. I would drink it again.

The wall had all those Mezcals. I wanted to have one before leaving. I did the beer+shot combo which included El Buho Espadin Mezcal and Monopolio. It’s the same Mezcal as the cocktail. It’s not quite as smoky as other Mezcals I’ve had. I enjoyed it. Monopolio is a classic Mexican lager similar to a Pacifico or Modello. Very easy drinker.

📍 Claro
284 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215