Yum Shaker Numero Uno: Adventure with Mala to Altus Cafe in Washington Heights

Pardon the  pic, my laptop just got fixed and guess who doesn't know how to edit her pics on it now?

Today I purchased a ticket to dine at a meet and greet with MujerPower!, Inc. and to my excitement it was at Altus Cafe, at a mere $40 for 3 courses, a drink and a raffle ticket. It brought me way back to February of this year when a meal at Altus Cafe was my pot of gold at the end of a gazillion year journey by train from Eastern Long Island to Brooklyn, Bronx, then finally "The Heights", what we New Yorkers refer to Washington Heights as. Okay, it was more like 5.5 hours by train, but that's an eternity in the freezing cold with about 100 pounds of luggage (perhaps another slight exaggeration).

My stop in the Bronx scored me about another 130 pounds of luggage, my friend Gissel, aka "Mala, dot dot dot". After about 45 minutes of getting dolled up for a networking event I was dragging her to, 10 of which Mala had to try and get my dress zipped up, we strolled out in our dresses and heels emulating a scene of Sex in the City to perfection. That is until the bitter zero degree weather hit us in the face. We looked at one another, let out some girly shrieks and in less than 5 seconds ran back into the building. Reality bites. We were not getting paid to freeze our booties off like the cast of Sex in the City.

Needless to say, we didn't make the event, but re-strolled out in more winterized fab fashions and hopped on the train, not knowing where I was headed, but knowing one thing: I wanted some churassco. As usual, Mala had all these great ideas in her head, which are always subject to change. As I was finally relaxing and cozy-ing up in my seat (as much as you can on a NYC subway), Mala screams out "No, let's get off here, let's go, let's go" giving us about 2 seconds to race off the train before the doors closed.

Re-catching my breath in the bitter cold, I inquire about the change of plans. Mala responds, "It's Thursday and ladies drink free until 11 at Altus." Ok. "What about the food?" FYI, it's always about the yummies with me. I'm assured by Mala that the food will meet my food snobby standards and helloooo: free drinks. So with a few loving threats thrown Mala's way that the food better be worth the long walk in the unbearable cold, we finally enter Altus Cafe.

Once at the bar, we explored our free drink options and both Mala and the lovely bartendress recommend an Altus-tini. I agreed because of the cool shade of blue that looks like it glows in the dark in their lighting. Some may say that sounds toxic, I found it quite amusing. So with around 40 minutes to down all the free drinks we could, I selected my entree (Churassco, duh) and got my drink on with Mala. Not long after 11pm the apple of my eye had an amusing collection of drunk texts (and I some lovely sober ones) and I finally had my Churassco laid out before me. Mala had seafood tacos but I failed to capture her moment. 

My Churassco came to me just the way I like it, crispy on the outside, brown but tender and flavorful on the inside. Yuuuuum. My churassco (emphasis on the my) was served with a basil cream sauce, mixed veggies and yucca fries. The chef of the evening came to see how we were doing and then made us a secret mix of other delicious sauces to eat my meal with. I don't know what the secret was, but it was edible and delicious and that's all I needed to know. We had a nice conversation with the chef and his brother (who isn't mesmerized by Mala's beauty and charm?) and by the end of our conversation I was ready to talk dessert. Though first I outta show you some pics of my churrasco, right? Here they are:

Churrasco at Altus Cafe with mixed vegetables and yucca fries

Some of my friends would be proud to know that I ate every last bit of veggies, and NOT all the fries (pats self on back)

Now back to dessert. I honestly have no idea what it was called. What I do know (and most importantly) is that it was chocolatey (chocolate addict here) and it was damn goooooooood. What I loved most about it was that I was certainly sparkling with love that night, even though he wasn't there, and the fruit and caramel sauce fell into a heart shape! After a gazillion hour (I mean 5.5 hour not including the ride back) freezing train ride I was definitely glowing by the end of my visit at Altus :) Here are some pics of the dessert that I kind-of-sorta-not-really-so-much shared with Mala:

<3 Look at that beautiful heart shaped sauce! <3

Two thumbs up to the Chef at Altus Cafe, I can't wait to come back for more drinks and food!

Altus Cafe is located at 4325 Broadway @ 184th Street, New York, NY and you can check out their current menu and learn more about them at http://altuscafe.com/ Go, check it out, and let me know what you ate!!!

Thanks for reading baby dolls!

Besos, Beijos, Filakia,

Lisa xo