Bay Ridge isn’t known as a destination
for Nuevo Latino cooking, but Samba, which opened in September,
may change that.
Ridgite Mark Dabundo (pictured), Samba’s owner and chef whose
recent stints include C3 in Greenwich Village and Mazzei on the
Upper East Side, says, "One thing I knew, there were enough
Italian restaurants in Bay Ridge."
In his new restaurant, Dabundo serves Mexican, South American,
Peruvian and Cuban dishes.
"The flavors are familiar but their plating is modern,"
he says. To begin, try ceviche (fish marinated in citrus juice
and served chilled) or an empanada filled with chicken, pork
or steak.
For entrees, there’s an Argentinean skirt steak with spinach
and spicy chimichurri sauce (parsley, oregano, oil, vinegar and
garlic) and Cuban-style roast pork marinated in mojo (orange
and lime juices and vinegar) and served with black beans and
rice.
For dessert, Dabundo cools down over-spiced palates with "chocolate
a la bamba," a warm chocolate cake served with dulce de
leche ice cream and a delectable Cuban-style bread pudding flavored
with coconut cream and topped with house-made Tahitian vanilla
ice cream.
When the weather warms up, the floor-to-ceiling front windows
will slide open, the seating will be pushed to the walls, and
on Friday and Saturday evenings a DJ will spin disco, jazz and
Latin sounds.
Need a drink to get you on the dance floor? The "Sambapolitan"
is a heady mix of blood orange and lime juices, with Grey Goose
and Cointreau.
Samba (9604 Third Ave. between 96th and 97th streets) accepts
American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Diner’s Club and Discover.
Entrees: $15-$18, $25 for three-course prix fixe dinner served
each evening. Samba serves dinner Wednesday-Sunday from 5 pm
to 11 pm. Beginning April 20, dinner will be served Tuesday-Sunday.
A late-night menu of light snacks is served from 11 pm to 1 am.
Samba is closed Mondays. For reservations call (718) 439-0475.
