Ideya
349 W. Broadway between Broome and Grand Sts. (Soho)
NY, NY 10013
(212) 625 1441
http://www.ideya.net/index.html
A, C, E train to Canal Street; 1, 9 to Canal Street; W, N, R, Q, 6, J, M, Z to Canal Street (it’s pretty convenient to get to via subway…)

If you like no hassle, good service, a little noise, and can accept standard Latin American cuisine, Ideya might be the place for you. Unlike many of its West Broadway neighbors, Ideya somehow manages to keep a decent mix of young professionals drinking at the bar and eating casual dinners without overcrowding. For example, I planned a Friday night dinner for 19 people at 9:30pm and was able to get the reservation on Thursday evening, as in Thursday evening, the night before my dinner. That’s pretty impressive when I’m used to such New York-ness as calling a restaurant precisely one month in advance at the exact time the restaurant opens for a reservation or waiting around the block for over an hour for a table at a good but tiny downtown restaurant. Heck, New Yorkers wait an hour in line for a cupcake.

The menu at Ideya is very straightforward. There are about 10 entrée options and very few stand out. Out of the group of 19 of us, most got the Papaya-barbecued Argentinian skirt steak, a few got the Dorado a la Veracruzana (pan roasted mahi mahi with black olives and avocado salsa), and two got the Asopao de Mariscos (stew with shrimp, snapper, and mussels). For being barbecued with papaya, the steak was not sweet at all (I was pleased). It was a good size and came with french fries (but screw the fries and eat more of the yummy plantain chips they serve at the table in lieu of bread). If you told me that I was eating a skirt steak from a bistro, I would have believed you. It was $22. The mahi mahi was basic and I hate to say this, but the olives were definitely straight out of the can. The soup was the lightest of the three entrees I tried. It wasn’t outstanding, but I have no actual complaints.

If you must get sides, the rice and black beans and tostones are decent. DO get the pitchers of mojitos if you’re in a large group. They don’t seem like a great deal because of their hefty price tag ($60), but for a group, they are pretty cost effective. The mojitos are a 7 out of 10 taste and presentation-wise (I wasn’t expecting a fancy, Milk and Honey labor of love-type drink), but each pitcher fills about 7 to 8 large tumblers. If I were to choose a meal for my next meal at Ideya, I’d go with the free plantain chips, Argentinian skirt steak, the Banana Tres Leches cake for dessert, and a pitcher of mojitos.

For the location and the convenience, Ideya has great prices. If you can’t stand to eat just decent food, you may want to skip dinner here and just opt to sit at the bar for drinks. It may be the only place on West Broadway where real estate (read: a bar stool) is relatively cheap.