La Sirena Clandestina

beautiful room, dark, sexy, candlelit it was the perfect spot for a belated birthday dinner date. The staff was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable, everyone from the host to the server assistant. we opted to have chef manion cook for us and could not have made a better choice. don't let the simple, rustic presentations fool you, every dish was amazing. Each and every sauce was fresh,vibrant and perfectly seasoned. heat, garlic and herb levels were spot on. the grill gets a lot of use and whoever is working it deserves a raise, prawns and lobster tails were a stand out, perfectly cooked. hanger steak was perfectly cooked, beefy, delicious and the chimichurri i would like to buy by the gallon. I'm not usually impressed by lentils but here they are rich, smoky and scrumptious. wine list was unique and well thought out. cocktails were imaginative and perfectly constructed. Papi Chulo is a must have final note, if you haven't had their empanadas, get in your car and go immediately. light, flakey, hauntingly good...i woke up thinking of them the next morning.

We loved La Sirena SO much, we went twice in a row! We were looking for a new spot for dinner and had heard so much praise for La Sirena, that we had to give it a try. We started out the first night sitting at the bar (best spot in any restaurant!) with some tequila cocktails (perfect, not too sweet, right amount of tequila and bitter), as well as : -the empanada special of the night (rabbit and mushrooms)- delicious, rich, but lighter because they're baked, not fried -shaved brussels sprout salad-light and a great palate cleanser -and our FAVORITE, the grilled sweetbreads. This was the most exciting dish I've had at a restaurant in a LONG time. It had the lovely crispier, grilled outside with a creamy and delicious inside, and the sauce had a great kick to counteract some of the creamy richness of the HUGE sweetbread. We literally went back the next night just to reorder this. We also had : -hanger streak with chimichurri sauce; perfectly cooked with a bright sauce and amazing olive oil -dry rubbed pork ribs- which had a crunchy quality because of the dry rub, but still fell off the bone -side of feijoada (rice and beans) We finished with cookies with dulce de leche filling and an chinato on the rocks. Perfection. There were so many things on the menu we still wanted to try that we decided to have dinner again the next night as well! We had: -the rabbit empanadas again -chicken hearts- tiny little explosions of flavor, with a spicy kick -head-on prawns- amazing flavor, and delish brains! -octopus escabeche; perfectly tender octo with peppers and olives -the sweetbreads AGAIN, because it was non-negotiable. -the cod croquettes -the pork milanese- crispy outside, tender inside, great mushroom sauce -lentils with bacon-a hearty and tasty side -kale salad- one of my favorite salads with a mustard vinaigrette, raisins, and pine nuts. After two great meals in a row, I am thoroughly impressed with La Sirena Clandestina. The service was great; we loved the bartenders, the drinks amazing, the food spectacular, and it's a cozy place to spend a pleasant night out. I can't wait to go back, AGAIN!