Yellow Rose: San Antonian Magic
“Genuine Cosmic Texas Cookin’,” reads the sign as you enter Yellow Rose, the Tex-Mex San Antonio restaurant in the East Village. It’s no surprise that chef-owner Dave Rizo hails from San Antonio. After working at the “always vegetarian, accidentally vegan” Superiority Burger, he set out on his own, evoking the flavors of his hometown and unleashing them on unsuspecting New Yorkers. Chef Dave does branch out to serve non-vegetarian options to satisfy the meat loving New Yorkers. The food here is very, very, very good, regardless of what option you choose. Bold, complex flavors are the name of the game here and Yellow Rose plays the game with pinpoint accuracy.
Welcome to Yellow Rose, a genuine San Antonio restaurant in the East Village, New York City.
Outdoor dining shed at Yellow Rose, NYC.
The restaurant has a warm, homey Texan vibe with its red and brown tones. There’s a resemblance of a mini general store in the front, right before you walk into the dining room. Bags of Rancho Gordo beans and jars of powdered laurel were for sale on a humble shelf. Parlor coffee beans are displayed behind the host podium. Walking further into the dining room, eclectic mismatching chairs and wooden tables make the dining room feel like a warm and inviting country ranch home.
The dining room at Yellow Rose, New York
The menu includes a variety of tacos, both meat and vegetarian options. There are also salad options along with chips and beautiful avocado dip and vegan queso. There are rotating items like tortas and chalupas and specials of the day. Being a proud Texan, there is a jam filled sheet cake for dessert (previously was a chocolate sheet cake). While there are donuts and other sweet treats during the mornings on Saturday and Sunday, I haven’t been able to tri them personally… yet.
The signature San Antonio taco of bean and cheese is not to be missed. A simple sounding dish, for sure, but you haven’t had a real bean and cheese taco unless you’ve had this one at Yellow Rose. The texture is so creamy and rich that it feels almost too decadent, too good to be true. He coaxes so much flavor out of the beans that it seems impossible that it’s vegetarian. The complexity of the beans is so deep and umami-filled that you could find this dish at a 3 star Michelin restaurant (and surprise, it’s only 4 dollars)!
Creamy, hearty bean and cheese taco goodness at Yellow Rose.
Another vegetarian taco is their Papas Ranchera, or fried potatoes tossed in ranchero salsa. The potatoes are fried to perfection. The texture is so creamy and smooth as you bite into the potato. It yields gently to the pressure of the teeth but it isn’t overcooked to the point that feels like mush. The ranchero salsa is phenomenal. The slightly tangy flavors meld well with the starchy potatoes while giving off a gentle smoky aroma and taste. This taco is hearty and will easily fill you up but it is so wholesomely satisfying and addicting that you can’t help but eat all of it in 5 seconds and contemplate ordering another one. It is that good.
Papas ranchera taco at Yellow Rose. Potato and salsa inside a flour tortilla, waiting to be eaten.
Those who aren’t convinced by the meatless options can go for the Carne Guisada taco. It is beef simmered in a deep red colored dried chile gravy. The result is fork tender meat coated in a very rich, almost mole-like sauce. Intensely complex and smoky flavors coat the palate as you eat the taco. Amazingly, the beefy flavor both holds up to and comes through the rich sauce. The highlight of all the tacos are the bold flavors that are multi-layered in flavor.
Tender, saucy beef peeking out of a flour tortilla in the Carne Guisado taco at Yellow Rose. Beef cheek barbacoa taco hides in the background.
Another can’t miss meat option is the beef barbacoa, made from the tender beef cheeks that have been slowly simmered and served with onions, avocado and cilantro. The cheeks have been shredded, which increases the surface area of the meat holding onto its cooking juices, and gives it extra depth of flavor. A hearty bite will always come with a mouthful of flavorful rich soup because the meat is incredibly moist. The flavor is unmistakably beef and the accoutrements complement it well.
Given that Chef Dave worked at Superiority Burger, his skills of preparing tasty and flavorful vegetarian and vegan dishes are on point. So the salads at Yellow Rose are not to be missed. The tomatillo romaine salad is cut up into bite-sized pieces and perfectly dressed with a smoked tomatillo vinaigrette, croutons, anchovies, cotija and dried parsley. It is a nice, refreshing reprieve from the deep, rich flavors of the tacos. This salad is enjoyably acidic and zesty from the vinaigrette. The tang combined with the creamy cotija cheese and the umami packed anchovies provide a fresh, yet intricate dance on the tongue. Definitely a must order.
Flavorful and refreshing Tomatillo Romaine Salad with anchovy, Cotija cheese, cilantro, and croutons.
The Little Gem Ranch Salad is dressed with a vegan cashew ranch and topped with corn crunchies, sliced radishes, dill and hominy powder. The cashew ranch has a slight cheesy flavor that mimics the real thing. The big leaves of the little gem were a little bit unwieldy to eat but the flavor out shadows it. Instead of just providing texture, the corn crunchies (cut up tortilla chips) add additional toasty corn flavor that is vital to the dish as a whole. It is very refreshing and a great vegan option.
Little Gem Salad at Yellow Rose, with vegan ranch dressing, hominy powder, dill, radish, and corn crunchies.
For dessert, there is only Texas sheet cake. On a previous visit, it was a rich chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, candied pecans, olive oil and sea salt. The cake itself was super moist, tender and light with a light chocolate flavor. However, with all the elements of the cake, it became a very luxurious affair. A definite hit for the chocolate lovers out there.
On this visit, dessert was a pink cake with pink cream cheese frosting, rainbow sprinkles and a rotating fruit jam (strawberry, perhaps?). The yellow cake is also very moist, tender and light like its chocolate cousin. The frosting added richness while the jam added fruitiness and acidity to cut through the buttery frosting. It is a sweet cake but the balance is just right. Definitely shareable for two, even three people
Decadent, sinful, luxurious chocolate buttercream Texas sheet cake with candied pecans and of course olive oil and sea salt.
Light and moist pink Texas sheet cake, with cream cheese frosting and seasonal fruit jam filling. Oh, and rainbow sprinkles.
Yellow Rose is the place in New York to try amazing San Antonian Tex-Mex food. The flavors are distinctly Tex-Mex but incredibly high quality. Do not skimp on the vegetarian options because they are just as good, if not better, than the non-vegetarian options. Don’t mistake the casual decor as a place to have mediocre food, Yellow Rose is producing fine dining quality food for an excellent value. If Yellow Rose is doing some “Genuine Cosmic Texas Cookin’,” then Chef Dave Rizo is Thanos using the Infinity Gauntlet of flavor on the inhabitants of New York City.
