Even though Greenpoint isn't really that far from my apartment, it's far enough that I never really take the time to walk over there to check it out. But after my walk over to Sindicato De Cocineros I will definitely try to make more of an effort to check out all the great stuff I saw on my way over to dinner. Sindicato De Cocineros is a really cute higher end Mexican restaurant that I would have never thought existed in the more mom and pop neighborhood of Greenpoint.
The menu here is definitely more upscale than your traditional burrito and enchilada joint. The menu ranges from jicama salads, gazpacho with shrimp and octopus, home made fish tacos, suckling pig and hanger steak. So it's definitely an eclectic fancy menu. We started with the guacamole ($9) and for an entree I had the hanger steak ($22). In most higher end Mexican places that I've been to usually the guacamole is pretty small in size. However, the size of this guacamole appetizer was actually pretty decent and for the dead of winter the avocados tasted super fresh and ripe. The guacamole was very smooth in texture and the slices of radishes added a nice crunchy texture to it.
One of the main reasons I ordered the hanger steak was because the description of it sounded like a killer combination: marinated hanger steak, oyster mushrooms, herbed mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and snap peas. The part I was most excited by was the brussels sprouts but when the dish came out I didn't see any of them. But actually upon closer inspection I did find 4 pieces of brussels sprouts. I guess it's not sprout season because they were the tiniest brussels sprouts I've ever seen. But that actually didn't deter from the overall dish. The hanger steak itself was huge and one of the bigger pieces of steak I've seen outside of a steakhouse. My one small gripe was how the steak was served. Usually with hanger steak, I prefer the steak cut into slices but this was served as one large piece and they didn't give me a steak knife. But at least the meat was cooked perfectly medium rare that cutting it with a butter knife wasn't all that difficult. The combination of a nice pink piece of steak, mashed potato and vegetables is really so basic but delicious at the same time. I was so full that I couldn't even finish my steak, much to my dismay. My friend had the braised pork shoulder with pistachio pipian, black beans & herbed mexican rice and the bite that I had was also done well. The pork was juicy and tender and paired well with the herbed rice. Of course, despite claiming that I was super full we had to consider dessert. We ended up getting the lemon pie which was really more tart like than pie like. It was a sweet lemon filling sandwiched between two wafers and served with a fresh lemon sorbet. It was a nice refreshing end to what was kind of a heavy meal.
The ambiance of this place was very nice...it was casual yet also very intimate and cozy. Although I will warn people that it is super dark in there at night, so if you are at all tired, I could easily see someone falling asleep at dinner. Total bill: ~$100 for two including tax and tip.
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