Sunset Parker , an OTBKB fave, writes about the Mexican restaurants of Sunset Park. He reviews one of the newest. In an upcoming post, he will review another.
Since 1990, Sunset Park’s Mexican population has more than quadrupled. In that time, the number of Mexican restaurants has increased more than tenfold. For almost a mile, along Fifth Ave.; from the mid 30’s to the low 50’s, there’s a taqueria on every block (some boast two). Some are decent, some are fantastic. None are bad. However, we prefer and heartily recommend two spots along fourth avenue: the more recent Eclipse and the more traditional Tequilitas (Note: Jason reviews Tequilitas in a forthcoming post).
Eclipse opened on 43rd and 4th a little over six months ago and we’ve been very pleased each of our five visits. The upbeat, friendly couple, who run the restaurant play all roles, smoothly interchanging host, waitress, busboy, bartender; accentuating the cozy boutiqy vibe of restaurants opening all along fifth avenue from Flatbush on down over the last decade. From the scrumptious picaditas and sopes: differently prepared thick home-made tortillas topped with meat, sour cream, cheese and salsa to the pozole: chunky pork and white-corn soup, to the chicharron salad (chopped fried pork skin, avocado, onion, lettuce and tomato) the starters have consistently entranced and intrigued. In addition to offering the gamut of meat platters in traditional sauces from mole to cactus sauce, they serve a wide range of shrimp dishes with sauces ranging from chipolte to diabla.
On weekends, their leisurely brunch offers standard huevos rancheros or any number of special-of-the-day traditional Mexican egg dishes. For dessert, we’ve had the delicious flan (egg custard) and cinnamon-drenched Mexican rice pudding (great, though be warned, more of a soup, than a pudding, the consistency is much milkier than American rice pudding)
Every first and third Friday of each month, they feature a local jazz trio who perform standards (both American and Mexican) and take requests. Beers like Brooklyn and Bass, Dos Equis and Negro Modelo are only $3 a bottle, or you can order a bucket of minis for $11!
Unfortunately, Eclipse hasn’t totally caught on, as it stands in the shadow of the Old Police Precinct. A nineteenth century mini-castle, the 72’s nineteenth and early twentieth century headquarters changes hands every decade, but hasn’t been touched in over fifty years. Buried under graffiti and muck; mired in scaffolding and plywood, the hulking derelict building could be one of Brooklyn’s most beautiful. While high hopes were had by the Sunset Park School of Music (who held onto it for twelve years), it’s now in the hands of a Chinese Fraternal organization who have done nothing with it for seven years. Unfortunately, the sidewalk-wide scaffolding obscures Eclipse from passersby and must be putting a dent in their business.
NEXT FROM JASON: Tequilitas Restaurant