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Mustang Grill
New York City
Posted: Thursday, November 07, 2002
By Michael Moretti
While a buckaroo straight off the range would scowl in disbelief when entering the Tex Mex Mustang Grill for the first time, a cosmopolite looking for a hint of the Southwest in the Big Apple may belly up to the bar for a tequila shooter and feel right at home. Even though this Tex Mex import has certain anachronistic qualities reminiscent of another place and time, Mustang Grill is very much an extension of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in appearance and atmosphere.
Walking up Second Avenue, you're immersed in a flurry of lights, sounds and colors: yellow taxis whiz by, the noise of conversation surrounds you, young professionals and newly married couples step out on stoops to decide on the night's meal at one of the legions of restaurants in the area. The facade of Mustang is marked with a yellow, red and green awning. Bright yellow block letters proudly display "Cigars" on the left and "Mustang Southwestern Tex Mex" on the right. Inside, a long bar backed by a kaleidoscope of bottles, including 140 different tequilas, greets you, along with two young hostesses.
Mark Weissenberger, tasting coordinator for Cigar Aficionado magazine, and myself are escorted across the dark, stained hardwood floors to a low-lit cigar lounge, which is in a separate room behind the bar. It is a relaxed, intimate setting with an array of candles upon candelabras. We are seated on two comfortable couches draped with Southwestern blankets and huddled between shabby-chic weathered-looking end tables. Regular tables are available in the main dining room, as well as in the cigar lounge.
The authentic decor -- imported from Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1993 when the restaurant opened -- has blended with that of New York City, resulting in something that's one part western saloon, one part living room, and one part New York City nightclub. Nouveau multicolored lights stretch across the upper corners over the heads of the trendy patrons, a steer skull mounted on the wall, a sombrero and a pair of chaps. In the corner, an old wagon wheel leans beside crushed velvet curtains.
As we get comfortable, the waitress comes over and takes our order. I have a blackberry margarita -- I know, I know but they came highly recommended -- and Mark has a mojito -- a citrus blend of rum and 7-up garnished in lime. The margarita calmed my fear of saccharin sweetness. It's well balanced, consistent and not too strong or sweet. Dinner and cigar menus are propped atop a wide coffee table made of weathered wood and we take a look.
Something glinting in my periphery catches my attention. Next to us, a cabinet gleams from the phosphorescent recessed lighting behind the glass doors. Boxes of Macanudos, Fuentes, CAOs and Davidoffs are featured. The restaurant used to carry a greater stock but had to cut back as patrons stopped coming solely for cigars, said owner Chris Crnobori, who joined us later in the night.
Talking with Crnobori, you know the restaurant is his baby. A New York City native, he graduated from the New York Restaurant School 17 years ago and fell in love with the Southwest setting on a trip to New Mexico. He decided to bring it all back with him and proudly states that he was one of the front-runners in the city to offer a wide selection of tequilas. Also, quite a cigar aficionado, he used to take frequent trips to Cuba. Crnobori recalls longingly, puffing on a Fuente Hemingway Short Story. "It used to be a business for us; now it is more like a service, an extra I keep around for those who want it and for myself."
We decide on the calamari and sautéed mussels to go with our drinks and wait to order the entrées. The calamari is tender and salty, -- a nice partner to the margarita. The mussels are served in a white wine broth, topped with a spicy unusual blend of corn, tomatoes and jalapenos. Be forewarned if you can't take the spice, you won't find many appetizers to your liking and should go with the salad.
I have the loin of pork and Mark has the pecan-honey-encrusted chicken breast. The loin pork is stuffed with apples and prunes that are a bit overpowering, but it is tender and complemented by the sweet potato bedding and sautéed spinach. The chicken breast is crisp on the outside and juicy inside, with notes of citrus and sugar served on a bed of Spanish rice also sided with sautéed spinach.
The crowd starts pouring in at about 8:30 p.m. The cigar bar is always open to smokers. The restaurant and regular bar stay smoke-free until 11, at which time the entire restaurant becomes smoke-friendly. Young suit-wearing college graduates mingle beside middle-aged couples and guys-out on the town. We settle down for a drink with Crnobori, and talk over a cigar.
I choose a C.A.O. Lancero 1968 L'Anniversaire and Mark has a Fuente Robusto. For after-dinner drinking, we start with a round of Quinta do Noval Port and follow it up with a glass of Sauza Hornitos tequila, served neat as recommended. For desert, we have the margarita pie made with the restaurant's own margarita gelatin recipe, trimmed in crushed pretzel crust and served up in a martini glass.
Joining us in a smoke, Chris said he wanted to make a restaurant that people could come to that is almost an "extension of their homes."
This is the comfortable feel you get from this place. Mustang Grill does not have the widest selection of cigars, but they are pretty well chosen. It does not have the best food in the city, but it has a nice variety of spirits, including an exceptional selection of tequila that goes great with an appetizer and a smoke.
Mustang does not pretend to be anything it is not. Think of it as a Tex Mex room in your home: perfect for a casual meal, the best in tequila and a good selection of premium cigars, and you will leave satisfied. Enjoy its smoker-friendly atmosphere while the law allows.
Go to Cigar Bar Central.
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