Hotel Alameda

La Central in Hotel Americano Opens in Chelsea Today | Eater NY

"Located in the Hotel Americano next to the High Line at 518 West 27th St, I found La Central to be a pan-regional Latin American restaurant opened by Top Chef Masters alum Franklin Becker that centers its menu on dishes created by the kitchen team and inspired by the food they grew up with. Becker oversees the concept and primarily tinkers with flavors and plating, but the menu is peppered with personal touches from the staff: chips with four housemade salsas from line cook Lucero Gutierrez based on her Jalisco recipes and family handed-down methods; Roberto Martinez’s namesake enchiladas with a smokier Puebla-style salsa verde; junior sous chef Marco Castro’s Peruvian arroz chaufa made with duck confit; Peruvian-style ceviche alongside an Acapulco-influenced ceviche; seasonally changing pupusas from Ecuadorian chef de cuisine Carlos Cartagena (opening with winter squash and mushrooms); and pastry chef Cesar Moreno’s churro-turned-waffle—deep fried, tossed in cinnamon and sugar, and served with goat’s milk ice cream, dulce de leche, and salted pecans. In addition to a raw bar and table shares, the menu includes tacos (duck, pork, cod, cauliflower, and cheese), mains such as an arbol-spiced chicken and a skirt steak with chimichurri, and a “for two plus” sharing section meant to encourage weaving across countries. The beverage program, helmed by Michael Parish, focuses on tequila, mezcal, cachaça, and pisco with cocktails like the Smoke & Fire (cachaça, charred pineapple, tajín-cured lime) and the Doctor’s Order (mezcal, tequila, and carrots). The restaurant seats 50 inside with a year-round heated patio for 35, features marble tables and lots of black with pops of yellow, and will add a rooftop and underground cocktail bar later in the year; current dinner hours are Sunday–Wednesday 6:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m. and Thursday–Saturday 6:00 p.m.–midnight, with weekday lunch starting January 17 and breakfast and weekend brunch to follow." - Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya