flan
Margot Restaurant: It’s Flan-tastic!
After spending a rhapsodic two and a half hours immersed in New York City’s best-kept secret, Parlor Jazz at Marjorie Eliot’s, it was time to break the spell at Margot, a Dominican restaurant in Washington Heights.  At this wonderful little hole-in-the-wall, you’ll fill up on amazing roasted chicken, coconut fish, fried plantains, and rice and beans. But take heed: save room for dessert! A kindly owner/host-type fellow came to our table after our meal and presented us with the evening’s offerings of sweets: bread pudding made from croissants, flan, and rum raisin pudding. I normally don’t get too excited by these kinds of cold custardy things, because they’re made ahead of time and sometimes sit around in the fridge getting nasty. But this man had a twinkle in his eye as he described his desserts passionately, as if he made them himself… somewhat recently. There were also six of us, so half a dessert each seemed survivable for most of us. They were extraordinary:
The bread pudding was my favorite, with a rich, creamy custard, and not a hint of dryness from the bread. It was also sitting in a thick pool of what tasted like dulce de leche. The flan was perfect: not too eggy, nice and smooth, with a sweet pool of syrup. The rum raisin pudding was equally yummy, but with a strange chocolate cakey-type bottom, which I think was the only thing that didn’t work. Overall, these desserts were worthy of standing up with the great custards of the world, and I can’t wait to go back. Margot Restaurant 3822 Broadway New York, NY 10032-1547 (212) 781-8494