Comodo, formerly of Soho, is the new Latin American restaurant in the Simon and The Whale space in the Freehand Hotel.

Met a friend there recently, starting with cocktails.  I sampled their Martina #2 ($17) made with Mezcal, Raicilla (a distilled agave spirit similar to Mezcal and tequila) with lime and orange juices and a bit of olive brine, served up like a martini. Instead of one of the specialty ones, my friend asked for a Tito vodka-martini but settled on Grey Goose as the bar doesn’t carry the Texas type.

My friend began with their East Coast oysters with yuzu mignonette (6 for $21), I with their pan-seared shrimp al Ajillo ($21) in garlic oil with thick slices of toasted sourdough bread.

We then shared their baby eggplant and mole veracruzano ($18) with feta (my favorite of what we ate) followed by the Black Bass ($32) with chipotle tahini and a green salad. With that, we tried their flavorful half head of cauliflower ($16) in a chimichurri sauce, their fries and each had a glass of wine to accompany. My dining partner had the Colicchio, ‘Delica Rosa'($15) Sangiovese blend. Lazio, Italy, 2019 while I sipped their Picard & Fils, Sancerre Le Chemin de Marloup ($18), Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley, France. 2020.

Service was extra attentive; food was okay. And so, I’d suggest for bar food and fun, not dinner.

Comodo (in Freehand Hotel)
Flatiron
23 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10010