Hecho en Dumbo
Lately it seems like everyone’s moving to the Bowery. Now Hecho en Dumbo, whose owners shuttered their Brooklyn location last fall, is open for business on the newly-chic stretch above Houston Street. And by “newly,” I’m talking about what’s happened just over the last five years: John Varvatos moved into CBGBs, luxury hotels soared over nearby tenements, condos trampled the Liz Christy community garden, and the new Whole Foods and Think Coffee usurped the men’s shelter as neighborhood hubs. Let’s not even speak of that weird Cooper Union building. Hecho, with its artfully-repurposed Hershey’s Ice Cream sign, seems almost undercover compared to its neighbors.
The possibility of dining on good tacos in my neighborhood (a long-cherished, oft-dashed hope) compelled me to drag a friend into the thick of Hecho en Dumbo’s Saturday night rush. We put our names down for a table, and nursed margaritas ($10 each) near the ear-splittingly noisy bar. The crowd around us was young and frighteningly pretty, accessorized with dagger heels and Buddy Holly eyewear. After forty-five minutes I began stalking the host, who peered at his scribbled list and said “soon?”
After an hour we were seated in the dining room, a modern take on lower-east-side quaint: exposed brick, naked lightbulbs and ceiling pipe running the length of a long, windowless room. A few seats around an open kitchen in the back offered a full view of the preparations: a nice touch.
Our first bite was a child-sized dollop of guacamole flanked by corn chips ($7) which came with three mild-to-moderately spicy salsas. Next I ordered queso fundido de rajas–roasted chile poblano pepper with sauteed onion smothered with oaxaca cheese and queso asadero ($10). This dish was heartily-sized, and meant to be scooped into fresh tortillas. Overall I enjoyed it, although I defy you to screw up anything that’s slathered in cheese. My next dish was tacos de cochinita de pibil–three tiny tortillas topped with shredded berkshire pork and picked red onion ($8). They seemed rather like mouthfuls of soggy pork as opposed to proper tacos, although I suppose the meat was well-seasoned. My friend’s Burritas de Res ($8)–three small tortillas rolled around steak and caramelized onion–suffered from similar blandness.
After just one visit I can’t say it’s not worth it, but go on a weeknight. Waiting an hour for ok food at a trendy restaurant is for folks more patient than I. And if the cochinitas were any indication, my quest to find a delicious taco in my neighborhood will drag on.
Hecho en Dumbo
354 Bowery between Great Jones and E 4th St.
Brunch: every day 10:30am-4pm
Dinner: Monday-Thu 5:30pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-2am, Sun 5:30pm-11pm