BOKAGUÁ

"Bokagúa in Riverdale (the Bronx neighborhood, not the home of Archie Andrews) is a Dominican and Asian restaurant with lounge-like decor. There’s a full cocktail menu, and fusion-y dishes, like oxtail samosas, mofongo dumplings with pork belly, and fried snapper with green curry sauce." - will hartman

"The hanging vines, loungy electronic music, and palo santo burning on the bar could convince you that Bokaguá is a buzzy Miami restaurant. This spot is actually in Riverdale, and it’s got powerful, colorful drinks being sipped by people sitting in tangerine-colored velvet chairs, or at the LED-lit bar. The menu is self-described as Dominican-Asian fusion, and while not everything fully works, there are more than enough exciting bites and boozy drinks to make it a repeatable spot where you can the leave top three buttons of your shirt undone, and enjoy a casual night out with your partner—especially if you live nearby. photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Bokaguá photo credit: Will Hartman You probably aren’t coming to Bokaguá without having at least a cocktail. Theirs have big, bold flavors, and we’re particularly fond of the Forest Fire—smoky mix of mezcal, chile ancho liquor, and lychee. The La Margó is lighter and more acidic, with agave, lime, tequila, grand marnier, and passion fruit. The food is a bit less consistent, but there are plenty of hits on the menu to carry your conversation. Food Rundown photo credit: Bokaguá Spicy Tuna Tartare Montadito While wrangling a complete bite of this spicy tuna atop a cassava hash brown is no easy feat (the hash brown is pretty tall, and the tuna likes to run away from forks), this dish shows how the restaurant’s Dominican-Asian fusion concept shines. The tuna is fresh and lightly spiced, and the tamarind and fish sauce-caramel sticky syrup on the plate should overpower the fish, but it doesn’t. This is worth an order. photo credit: Will Hartman Mofongo Dumplings In spirit, we like the idea of this, and it was a carb-on-carb combo that we hadn’t had before. The crispy pork belly and pickled onions do a lot of work on this dish, and ultimately, the mofongo inside the dumplings just doesn’t have the textural difference that we look for in a dumpling. photo credit: Will Hartman Caribbean Oxtail Samosas Another item that should be on your table. The oxtail is rich, savory, and properly stewed, the samosas are crispy, and the garlicky mango slaw brings it all together. photo credit: Will Hartman Fried Crispy Red Snapper This is the entrée to get here. The fish is fried to a state of juicy perfection, the breading is like a thick crispy shell covering the snapper, and the papaya salad brightens up the whole dish. Just be careful to avoid the spine, as it’s not taken out of the fish. photo credit: Bokaguá Fire Grilled Head On Shrimp These didn’t work quite as well. Haphazardly grilled, and under-seasoned, there are better ways to get your seafood fix at Bokaguá." - Will Hartman