Restaurant Review: Bad Hombre in Manhattan, New York

Disclaimer: In exchange for one tasting menu with drinks, I am writing this review.

As a former resident of/frequent visitor to Mexico, I generally don’t enjoy Mexican cuisine outside of that country. The climate zones, the variety, the ingredients, the chilies — to me, Mexico’s gastronomy has no equal. Then I received a surprising invitation to try Bad Hombre, a relatively new Mexican marisquería (seafood restaurant) in Manhattan.

Following the successful Manhattan launch of low-key and modern Spanish restaurant Nai in 2010, Chef Ruben Rodriguez flung open the doors of Bad Hombre in December 2023. Although the emphasis is on Mexican dishes, menu items incorporate flavors from Spain, Chef Ruben’s birthplace, and Japan, a solid choice for seafood inspiration.

I suppose the name of the place owes as much to a bygone U.S. president as it does Chef Ruben’s style. That is to say, he conjures up menus that change with his caprices and the seasons, shopping no less than three times a week at Manhattan’s Union Square Greenmarket. On that note, I should have inquired if there were an omakase thing going on, Mexico + seafood = I will eat everything.

Bad Hombre is located at 29 2nd Avenue (west side of 2nd Ave.), between 1st and 2nd Streets. It is open Tuesday – Thursday from 5:30pm to 10pm, then Friday – Saturday from 5:30pm until the last guest stumbles out.

Ambience

The interior of Bad Hombre was clean and subdued, replete with suspended ferns, tiled mirrors, and three LED arching lights behind the bar. Inside are just 35 seats, and during warmer weather there is additional seating along 2nd Avenue. It can get a bit dark once the sun is down, but that’s where candles on every table come into play.

The music was a mix of 1980s and 1990s pop and rap hits, both in English and Spanish. I wonder if they would have played my recommendation? (Answer: of course not)

Cocktails

I always zoom right for the ingredients/liqueurs I’ve never heard of. Indeed, there were a few unknowns for me on this cocktail menu:

First up, Puss in Boots. (Blanco tequila, mezcal, pollen, St. Germain, yellow Chartreuse, egg white, bitters, lime, jalapeño)

Had no idea what St. Germain was, so the waitress informed me that it was an elderflower liqueur.

In spite of the odd name, this was a top-notch drink. The smokiness of the mezcal, acidity of the lime, heat of the jalapeño, and sweet/anise flavor of the Chartreuse formed quite the team. As for the bee pollen, it looked like there was a small civilization growing atop the cocktail. Yet apparently pollen can help treat alcoholism (it didn’t that night!).

Speaking of which, up next was Abuela Spiked My Lemonade (Hendrick’s gin, Thai basil, shiso, Japanese cucumber, elderflower, velvet falernum, lime, agave, black pepper):

Another immediate hit. But what the heck was falernum, and how did it become velvet? The series of tubes tells me that it’s a Bajan (from Barbados) liquor made of almonds, lime peels, and cloves. No wonder I downed that tipple.

Although I don’t drink much, when I do, I make sure to expand my culinary glossary.

By the way, was it green or red shiso? Also being a former Japan resident, I’m curious. Red shiso would make a helluva drink, too.

Let’s move on to the food, shall we?

Food

If you want the tl; dr version, here you go: damn good food. I might have a couple of quibbles here and there, more importantly they’re aspects that can be easily fixed.

For example, the guacamole:

What could I possibly skewer about the guacamole? It has chunky and smooth avocado, tomatoes, pimentón (smoky Spanish paprika), and cilantro. However, it was quite salty. Never mind that it was served with some fantastic totopos (tortilla chips), which were lightly salted. It was a very good combo that had a rare misfire in the sodium department.

Was that the only dish of the night where the chef was a bad, nay, lackluster hombre?
Actually, yes. All of the other dishes were delicious. Simple as.

On the other hand, I was surprised to see something from the Midwest … -ern United States appear on the menu.

Where’d this one come from? Remember, earlier I said that Chef Ruben chefs something fierce. Whatever he feels like throwing on the menu, as a one-off or a seafood, you will never guess it.

And the meat melted right off of the bone. The sour-sweet of the grilled lime was an unexpected bone-us.

An order of Brussels sprouts was another curveball, yet expertly prepared. I’m in that oddball camp of having always liked Brussels sprouts, so to try them elevated with habanero aioli and lime was fire. Writing “fire” as an adjective makes me sound too young, so I’m done with that.

What’s the allure of Brussels sprouts anyway? They don’t have a good aroma, right? Just add some of that habanero aioli, and you will understand. They’re crispy, crunchy, and soft at the same time, and might even make a good accompaniment to queso fundido (call it a Mexican fondue).

Intermission – Glass of Wine

Pet Nat? What?

It stands for Pétillant Naturel, where sparkling wine completes its final stage of fermentation in the bottle. I’m not a fan of sparkling wine/Champagne, and this glass was no different. But hey, it’s another glossary term.

Back to the food

Sweet purée (I wonder if it was celeriac) helped fend off the saltiness of the corn nuts, and also provided a light textural shift from the sturdy red beans. The leaf salad reminded me that I love vegetables, and that they’re welcome on my plate at anytime.

By the way, there are vegetarian and vegan dishes available, should the thought of mollusks and crustaceans turn your taste buds shy.

Wait a second … Bad Hombre is a Mexican seafood place, right?

Darn tootin’!

High marks all around.

That hamachi — yellowtail tuna — was the bee’s knees. Buttery mouth feel, tasting as if a fisherman were in the back hurling the day’s catch onto the cutting board. You might be a serious contender for a NoWorkAllTravel top eat of 2024.

Not to mention the carpaccio-thin scallops, shrimp, and octopus, all served with similar-looking yet pleasantly contrasting broths.

Oh, and there’s that other thing.

I didn’t even look at the menu, so just presumed it was lobster.

Turns out, this was a shrimp taco. With crema and a lime-topped Modelo, I could have been in Rosarito.

Dessert

After a long chat with the genial Bad Hombre co-owner Raúl, I was convinced to try a dessert. The savory and umami dishes were peak sufficient, but I caved in for a coconut semifreddo with grapefruit granitas (no churros?):

The photo might make it appear that there’s nothing left, but the color of the coconut semifreddo smoothly blended in with that of the shallow bowl.

Just another moonshot of some fantastic bites at East Village’s Bad Hombre.