Aces

B and I went on a date last night here in LIC. Around 9pm we headed to a place on 36th Ave called Aces. It's probably been there about a year, and he'd read reviews online praising the bartender and his special cocktails and the "Huitlacoche" risotto. B had a caipirinha (national drink of Brazil, made from sugar cane) and I had the blackberry mojito. Though I don't really like mojitos, the bartender had said hew as making it, completely fresh etc, I thought I'd give it a try. It was certainly better than a normal mojito, and after a few sips began to grow on me.

We shared the "Huitlacoche" risotto to start. Huitlacoche is apparently Mexican corn smut - a fungus, like mushrooms or truffles. Nothing looked particularly fungal in the dish, and it was really really tasty. The risotto was almost creamy and sweet. For entrees, B had the braised lamb shank, which was also fabulous - tender and meaty and sweet - and I had the pan-seared striped bass, which came out steaming - topped with fried plantains, sitting on a bed of spinach in black bean and mango sauces. The meal came out to about $60 - about the same price as our lunch at Dos Caminos in Midtown East. However, whereas Dos Caminos was considerably overpriced, the meal at Aces was ridiculously underpriced. For the taste and presentation of everything, I would have been willing to pay much more. It's unfortunate that the fact that it's located in LIC probably means it's severely underappreciated and relatively unknown. Except for two women at the bar, we were the only people in the restaurant. And when we walked by again three hours later (after seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End) there were only three men at the bar. Sad. Even the decor was really nice.