Restaurants and craft breweries are taking cues from Santo Domingo.
“ As a Dominican , you always have a relative that lives in Washington Heights , ” say Antonio Espaillat of theNew York Cityneighborhood . Based in Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic , he is the beginner of Jalao Santo Domingo and cofounder ofJalao NYC , two eatery that specialize in Dominican cooking . “ For me , it was my uncle . I would bring down him every summer growing up and solve in his bodega . ”
know asLittle Dominican Republic , or “ Little D.R. , ” Washington Heights is home toone of the largest Dominican - American communitiesin the country . Stretching from 155th to Dyckman Street , and flanked by the Harlem and Hudson Rivers , the arena is home to tons of intergenerational restaurants that serve traditional sweetheart such as mondongo ( applesauce stew ) , moro de guandules ( rice with pigeon peas ) , and sancocho , the state ’s interior dish .
In recent years , the food scene in the Heights has evolve to encompass various Dominican culinary businesses , include hunky-dory dining spots like such as Bocaditos Bistro , a European - expressive style bistro , Sushi Mambo , pop the question Nipponese and Caribbean sushi , and the raw additionJalao NYC , which Espaillat open with celebrated restaurateur Richard Sandoval in August . As the culture and community in the Heights evolve , Dominican business owner aim to keep up their culinary traditions while embracing unexampled ones , and explore Modern ways to reward the flavors of home .
Photo courtesy of Jalao NYC
Washington Heights and theDominican Republicshare a long account . In theearly sixties , the D.R. was in the thick of potentate Rafael Trujillo ’s 30 - year reign . As Dominicans looked for more political stableness and estimable opportunities , some emigrated to the U.S. , and many settled in the upper Manhattan neighborhood . Still today , this influx of immigrants facilitate to make the neighborhood ’s prosperous cultivation .
In 2016 , Espaillat and his wife , Monserrat , opened their flagship eating place , Jalao Santo Domingo , in the Zona Colonial neighborhood of the rural area ’s capital letter . When it derive time to work with Sandoval on a New York City outpost , Espaillat bonk he wanted it to be in Washington Heights . “ It was quite an amazing thing for me to experience as I watched [ Sandoval ] take these ingredients that I ’ve known my whole life and flex them into dishes that are truly salient , ” he says . Still , he ’s determined to keep the vibe welcoming . “ When I hear ‘ fine dining , ’ I recollect of dress codification and diners eating restfully . ”
But Jalao NYC — the signature eating house atThe Radio Hotel , the first full - military service property in Washington Heights — is the antithesis . The eating place decor pay off tribute to the Dominican Republic , with lavish verdure , wall painting , Carnival masks , and furnishing by Dominican couturier .
Photo courtesy of Jalao NYC
Chef Noemi Guzman of Jalao SD oversees the culinary programme for both restaurants in quislingism with executive chef Harold Breton to interpret pop dishes from the flagship location for the localmarket . “ By advance our cuisine , we open up the way for us to be viewed as more than just a holidaymaker destination of beautiful beaches and mountains , ” she says .
While sure knockout are popular in both placement , the fare in the Washington Heights and Santo Domingo eating house vary to suit their clientele , Espaillat says . New Yorkers love the bombones de yuca ( fried yuca croquette filled with American cheese tall mallow ) , but the croquetas de chiva ( goat croquettes ) are the top appetizer in Santo Domingo . “ Goats are n’t nearly as popular in the U.S. as they are in the D.R. , but I recommend trying them , ” he says .
Juan Camilo , owner ofDyckman Beer Co. , find that his neighbor in the Heights are open to fresh culinary experiences . “ A lot is due to a demographic alteration , ” he say . “ There ’s a set of tribe like myself that clear may have a Dominican background and utter English and mind to both kinds of medicine , so I think we ’re just more prone to have a more curious roof of the mouth . ”
Pastelón de Platano con Berenjena|Photo courtesy of Jalao NYC
deliver in the Dominican Republic , Camilo came to the U.S. when he was five age sometime . He worked as an investment banker and homebrewed on the side . In 2012 , he debuted his craftbrewerywith beer that feature some Dominican - inspired sapidity , like Highbridge Summer Ale , Chiola ( passionfruit ) Wietbier , and Chocolate con Leche , a cacao stout . Camilo says he want to bear homage to his aboriginal country and contribute something newfangled to his community in The Heights , “ inculcate those flavors and smells that I ’ve grow up eating and drinking in my Dominican culture . ”
With itsCaribbeanroots and tradition and a wide raiment of cuisines , Dominican food has been an integral part of the culinary landscape in Washington Heights . But as residential and commercial material estate prices zoom in New York City , it remains unnamed whether the neighborhood ’s eating house setting will be able to coexist with its residents . “ I ’ve noticed a bit of a shift , as unexampled group of people are starting to move into the neighbourhood , ” say Cynthia Rivera , who grow up nearby in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx . “ But It ’s unquestionably still inclusive , which is great . I hope it keep on to stay that way of life . ”
