My latest NY discovery, thanks to my friend Roark, is Coppelia, is a 24-hour Cuban diner on 14th Street that has quickly become a favorite hangout. Excellent food, great service, friendly staff, and a cool crowd. Call me a sucker but anyplace that can stay open 24-hours, especially in a place like New York, deserves kudos. It makes me smile and then weep for another NY 24-hour favorite (now gone) – Restaurant Florent. Like Florent, Coppelia has a different menu and personality for breakfast, lunch, dinner and the wee hours of the night – all of which deserve to be tired. Oh and did I say the food is incredibly good!
Chef Julian Medina grew up watching his grandfather and father cook at home – nothing beats the lessons of family tradition. His culinary career brought led to serving as the head chef of his local Hotel Nikkos restaurants. A French Culinary Institute graduate, Chef Medina has a record of winning the admiration of critics and customers alike with NYC restaurants that include Toloache (2007), Yerba Bueno (2008) which New York Magazine rated as one of NY’s Best, and now Coppelia – which deserves the same praise – the food is wonderful, the ambiance inviting, and trust me when I say the place is one of those New York gems you just have to try.
