Pico de Gallo, Stuyvesant, NY
Saturday afternoon and we were trying to think of someplace fun to have lunch. Rumor had it that a new restaurant had opened recently in the building that was previously the Riverview Café. Unfortunately, no one we knew had eaten there yet and they didn’t have a website.
Previously the Riverview Cafe´
Up until it closed last year, the Riverview Café was one of our favorite restaurants. It was one of the few in the entire county with a view of the Hudson River. The food was consistently outstanding, the ambiance quaint, and the service efficient.
Eventually we figured out that the name of the new restaurant was Pico de Gallo, and their Facebook page stated that they served Mexican and Tex/Mex cuisine. There were several documents in the photo section of the Facebook page and Huevos Rancheros (one of my all-time favorite dishes) was on the breakfast/lunch menu. We decided to give it a try.
Arriving around 10:30am, we got a parking spot right in front. We were hoping to sit outside, and we were in luck. Both tables on the front porch were available, in fact, most of the tables inside were open, too.
I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, of course. It’s a dish that isn’t that popular, so whenever I have the opportunity, I order it. In addition to being delicious, it’s fun to see how differently each chef prepares it. There doesn’t seem to be a hard and fast rule about what ingredients are included in Huevos Rancheros. Some chefs use corn tortillas for the base, others use flour tortillas. Some don’t use a tortilla at all, opting for a pile of tortilla chips. There’s always an egg on top, but how that egg is cooked is open to debate. Sunny-side up is the most common, but I’ve also seen poached, over easy and scrambled. Beans are another inconsistency. I’ve been served huevos rancheros with refried kidney beans, black beans, even white beans.
What’s So Special About the Huevos Rancheros?
The Huevos Rancheros at Pico de Gallo was simply the best I’ve ever had. The flour tortilla was obviously homemade–it was crispy and flavorful. The tomato sauce/salsa came next, not too much or too little. The avocado was perfectly ripe, the onions and cilantro fresh as could be. The Mexican rice, black beans and sour cream brought all the flavors together. Finally, a splattering of queso fresco on the top made it just perfect. It was hardly a light lunch, but every mouthful was heaven.
The building where Pico de Gallo is located is really a lovely spot. Adjacent to the Stuyvestant Post Office, the restaurant is a few hundred feet from a small community picnic area and boat launch. The setting is active but quiet. We watched a couple of boats enter and exit the water, the high speed Amtrak train passed one time, and a huge barge made its way down the river with the help of a tiny tugboat.
Pico de Gallo offers dine in and take out service. They are open Wednesday through Sunday. See their Facebook page for updated hours.