Word Up

Actor Luis Guzman sat down with DNAinfo.com to talk about his favorite places in New York City, including Babalu Latin Restaurant, located in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx. Guzman—whose credits include “Boogie Nights,” “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” and HBO’s “How to Make it in America”—has been seen dining at Babalu several times and told DNAinfo it’s one of his go-to places for Latin food in New York. “If I’m going to go out and have a good Latin American, Puerto Rican meal, stuff like that, I’m going to go to…Babalu,” said Guzman. “That’s some good home-cooking right there.” To read the full article, visit http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130515/lower-east-side/luis-guzmans-lower-east-side. For more information on Babalu, visit www.babalubx.com.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

Rapper Juelz Santana and his brother Twin treated their mama right this Mother’s Day with a special brunch at Babalu Latin Restaurant. Santana’s mom, Deborah James, is a big fan of the restaurant and comes as often as she can, “but not as often as I’d like,” she said. James dined with her sons, as well as Juelz’ girl Kimbella, and she enjoyed steak and eggs along with salad, fruit and some shrimp skewers and chicken on the side. “I always enjoy going up to Babalu,” she continued. “The place is nice, the food is good and the staff is always professional. It was a good crowd and I enjoyed being up there with my family.”

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts was buzzing with excitement on Saturday May 11 as Grammy-winning R&B Diva Patti LaBelle hosted their Spring Gala. The event kicked off with a late-afternoon reception where guests enjoyed wine and hors d’oeuvres provided by Babalu Latin Restaurant and its executive celebrity chef Alex Garcia. Chef Garcia was there to personally serve treats like beef empanadas, ceviche and grilled shrimp, and Bravo TV arrived to shoot scenes from their new reality show City Sisters. As the clock struck eight, guests took their seats in Lehman Center’s concert hall and had the night of their lives listening to Patti LaBelle bring her “New Attitude” to the stage, singing all of her famous hits and leaving the crowd wanting more.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

On Thursday May 2, Babalu Latin Restaurant was the dinner destination of choice for not one but two legendary Latin performers. Nine-time Grammy winning pianist, bandleader and musician Eddie Palmieri came up to the Bronx that night and enjoyed Babalu’s special of the day, Peruvian ceviche, followed by chicharron de pollo, white rice and black beans. Sitting at a table not too far away was famous salsa dancer Melanie Torres, owner of Dance on 2 dance studio and director of the world -famous Copa Girls at the legendary Copacabana. The two posed for pictures and left with big smiles on their faces.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

Babalu Restaurant was a Fab place to be this past Sunday April 21 as Brooklyn-born rapper Fabolous made his way to the Bronx for some of Celebrity Chef Alex Garcia’s amazing pan-Latin cuisine. The “Can’t Let You Go” rapper enjoyed Babalu’s famous mixed grill, which has been a favorite of many of Babalu’s celebrity guests, including former New York Giants star Leonard Marshall. The two-time Super Bowl champ, Chef Garcia and TV host Lisa Mateo dined on Babalu’s mixed grill in a recent episode of Channel 11’s Taste Makers. Chef Garcia even taught Lisa Mateo how to make a Babalu mixed grill at home! To see the full episode and get a taste for the dish Leonard Marshall and Fabolous can’t get enough of, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QofhIjqwJmY&feature=youtu.be. To taste the Babalu mixed grill for yourself, visit www.babalubx.com or call 718.824.8400 to make a reservation.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

Salsa music legend Roberto Roena was a special guest for dinner at Babalu Restaurant on Thursday April 18. Best known as a member of El Gran Combo and Fania All Stars, Roena was in New York ahead of a concert performance Friday night and he made a point of bringing his wife and friends out to the Bronx to sample some of Babalu’s famous pan-Latin cuisine from Celebrity Chef Alex Garcia. They dined on churrasco, an Argentine salad and Babalu’s famous mixed grill. Everyone had a great time and thought the food was delicious. For more information on Babalu, or to make a reservation, visit www.babalubx.com or call 718.824.8400.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

Returning to his roots as a former all-star player with Castle Hill Little League, local entrepreneur and Cristian Rivera Foundation founder John “Gungie” Rivera is proud to be Grand Marshall at this year’s Castle Hill Little League Parade. This year’s parade has special relevance, not only for him but for the entire community, as it’s dedicated to the memory of the victims of Sandy Hook. “We are in the business of children,” said Castle Hill Little League President Henry Pelayo Jr. “We have 500 kids and we deal with them every day, so we dedicated our parade to Sandy Hook so they are not forgotten.”

The parade, which includes 800 people and seven marching bands, will feature a special poster designed to commemorate the victims of Sandy Hook and feature all of their names. Other special surprises are set to take place during the parade, which heads down a 45-minute route to the main field where Pelayo and other special guests will speak in a 30-minute ceremony.
“Playing with Castle Hill Little League was probably the best era of my life. Baseball and music were my two first passions,” said Rivera. ““It is an honor to serve as Grand Marshal and to contribute to such a worthy cause.”

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

Babalu Latin Restaurant was buzzing with excitement this past Sunday as New York Giants legend Leonard Marshall and his wife joined Celebrity Chef Alex Garcia and TV host Lisa Mateo for an evening of fun conversation and delicious food for Channel 11’s Taste Makers. The restaurant was busy all day as brunchers and dinner guests alike hoped to catch a glimpse of the two-time Super Bowl champ.

“It was fun having him there,” said Chef Garcia. “We talked about everything from his home life to his career-defining moment playing against the 49ers, and we ate his favorite dish, Babalu’s Mixed Grill. He also fell in love with our Cuban tamales,” Chef Garcia continued, “and from there we got to talking about being Cuban and how Latin food is such a big part of our lives. He’s from New Orleans so he loves the spiciness of Latin cuisine.”

After the meal, Mateo followed Chef Garcia to Babalu’s kitchen, where he showed all of Taste Makers’ viewers how to make a Babalu Mixed Grill in the comfort of their home. Of course, nothing beats the real thing! So visit www.babalubx.com or call 718-824-8400 to make a reservation at Babalu, and don’t miss Babalu and Leonard Marshall this Saturday April 13, at 6:30 on Channel 11. For more information on Taste Makers, visit www.facebook.com/TasteMakers.TV.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

It may be “Wine Down Wednesday” at Babalu but the restaurant has been turning up the heat on Wednesday nights since the premiere of a new weekly concert series by Cuban rhythms band Yuka Seka. Beginning Wednesday March 20, Yuka Seka has appeared at Babalu every Wednesday from 6pm until 10pm and fans of Cuban music have been flocking to the restaurant so much that there wasn’t one empty table during their set. The danceable sounds of the Guantanamo-based group—described by band leader Pablo Moya as “an acoustic Jaibo River in the heart of New York”—are a great complement to Babalu’s delicious menu of Pan-Latin dishes from Celebrity Chef Alex Garcia and great background music as customers “Wine Down” with $4 glasses of wine at the bar and free bottles of wine at the table when parties of two order one appetizer, entrée and side dish per person. To take advantage of these specials and experience the one-of-a-kind sounds of Yuka Seka, visit babalubx.com or call 212-779-2222 to make a reservation.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

“Today in New York” co-anchor Darlene Rodriguez made an appearance in the Bronx on Friday March 8 as she and her family had dinner at popular Pan-Latin restaurant Babalu. This was hardly Rodriguez’s first time at the restaurant, where she has dined many times on dishes from Celebrity Chef Alex Garcia. On this particular night, she and her family feasted on many popular items from Babalu’s extensive dinner menu. Among the many dishes they enjoyed were appetizers like the Cubana salad and mariscos escabiche, the combination mixed grill, as well as maduros and tostones, yucca frita, papas bravas and much more. And what is a delicious Latin dinner without desert? The group savored Babalu’s mouth-watering flan and tres leches with some ice cream on the side.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb