We decided to go for brunch at Estela, a restaurant located in Nolita that made it in the news recently, after President Obama and the First Lady ate there. Nothing unusual if it was not that the credit card of the President was declined. He explained later: "I guess I don't use it enough, so they [the bank] thought there was fraud was going on." Fortunately, Michelle Obama's card worked...

So, Estela is the result of the collaboration of Thomas Carter, who was beverage director at the award-winning Blue Hill at Stone Barns for six years, and Ignacio Mattos, an award wining Chef born in Uruguay. The menu is composed of American dishes with European influences, perfect for sharing. To go with our brunch, Jodi got some tea that she loved and, of course, on my side, I got some coffee, that I did not like...

Our first plate was the burrata with salsa verde and charred bread.

I love burrata, that sublime Italian cheese made with mozzarella and cream and was surely not disappointed: yes, it was creamy and had a wonderful freshness to it. Pairing it with the salsa verde that soaked the bread was a genius idea. I definitely recommend this dish.

The second dish was a take on a bacon and egg sandwich, the South American influence being the guacamole and the European one the danish pastry, that was like a chocolate croissant without the chocolate, but with poppy seeds.

This was a fantastic sandwich: the guacamole had a little kick; the egg was perfectly cooked, the yolk being runny; and the danish pastry was flakey and very buttery. I should not forget the smokiness of the bacon, that paired altogether made this a fantastic sandwich. Another recommendation.

The only disappointing dish was for me the lamb ribs prepared with charmoula and honey.

I was very excited to try that dish as I love lamb. My excitement did not fade when I saw that the meat was literally falling of the bone, but did fade when I choked on the amount of spices, especially the pepper. I had to rub it off the meat to be able to eat it. At that point, I regretted not ordering the fried arroz negro with squid...

It was a good brunch at Estrela: the dishes are original, although a bit pricey. Would I go back? Definitely: it made me want to try their dinner this time.

Enjoy (I did)!

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