On Draft: Mexico City in Bloom, New York Back in Form
The latest additions to Flood's Worldwide
I’m riding high after my latest trip to Mexico City. I try to make it down this time of year to catch the vibrant purple jacarandas in bloom — and to eat carnitas gorditas for breakfast and drink Carta Blancas.
On a breezy Friday afternoon, sitting at the bar and taking down a few tostadas at Contramar, I wasn’t exactly pining for the scene back home.
But like clockwork, getting back into a New York routine has me feeling alive. I’ve been embracing the longer days — revisiting long-standing favorites, and finding new gems along the way.
I had dinner at Cervo’s last night for the first time in a while, and couldn’t believe how stellar the experience was — more dialed than ever. So good that it fully snapped me back into a New York rocks kinda mood.
The service was anticipatory and flawless. The 50/50 martinis were flowing. Every dish was perfectly executed (the fried skate wing they’re running, with chickpeas and cilantro, is one of their best iterations). The playlist was ripping. The manager gradually dimmed the lights as the sun set over Canal Street.
As I walked out, I couldn’t help but marvel at spring in New York. It feels like a true return to form in every sense. Everyone’s on their game again — injected with joy, purpose, and possibility. The sun shines brighter, longer. The prawns a la plancha taste a little better.
For me, warmer spring temps mean harder-to-reach neighborhoods are back in play. Leisurely Fort Greene Park hangs are imminent. My Citi Bike membership is getting heavy use. And light beers are going down easy on the Gold Star patio.
It also means cracking open the windows and doing a bit of spring cleaning. While I consider myself a minimalist, I still feel the urge to restructure and recalibrate — even if it’s not tossing clothes into a donation bag. It’s a great opportunity to take stock of what feels out of alignment in my creative and professional life and get it back on track.
Included in this year’s spring cleaning was a little freshening up at Flood’s — namely, a streamlined structure for On Draft. Now focused on recent additions to Flood’s Worldwide, it’ll be easier to parse, bookmark, and act on. I’m hopeful a more frequently published, shorter-form letter will pair nicely with the essays.
Voraz
Mexico City, Mexico — Proper Meals
In a city full of restaurants just like it, there isn’t a restaurant quite like it. Voraz is a gastro-cantina in Roma that, impressively, manages to stand out among the slew of tastefully designed, experimental Mexican restaurants in town.
Voraz differentiates by leaning into contrast. The tables are set with crisp white linens, but the airy, industrial room has bare concrete walls and reflective metallic-green sheet panels. Servers are dressed in freshly pressed chore coats, but their service style feels decidedly casual. Autoshop-style LED signage sits on the floor in the hall to the bathroom. It’s a refined environment — meticulously considered, but also utilitarian, approachable, and lively.
The food impresses from end to end — bold takes on dishes that sound familiar. Ceviche verde is topped with fried octopus — bright, refreshing, and texturally quite wild. Taco McAllen tucks black angus, mezcal-caramelized onions, and sharp cheddar into a soft-shell-meets-hard-shell situation (yeah, kinda like T-Bell). Tarta Reynosa — buttery maple pecan pie with vanilla ice cream and soft Mexican mountain cheese — is a banger that hits all the notes: nutty, creamy, tangy. Voraz knows exactly which boundaries to push, and just how far to push them — innovating without complicating
Canyon Coffee
Brooklyn, New York — Great Cafés
Northwest Brooklyn is starved for truly great cafés, and L.A. import Canyon Coffee is proving it. There are plenty of serviceable places to grab coffee around Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Prospect Heights — but the demand for something that feels special, with an elite product offering, is insatiable.
Which is precisely why dog owners and WFHers (and dog owning WFHers) are queued up on Vanderbilt Ave for Canyon. The coffee is stellar, and the corner space is bright and welcoming (though good luck finding a seat).
The slightly sweet, creamy brown sugar latte plays perfectly in the mid-afternoon — which, conveniently, is when the line tends to settle. The draft matcha pistachio latte is a frothy delight — and I say that as a whole milk truther. If it’s a simple black coffee you’re after, Canyon pours a great cup (in a nice ceramic mug), but I wouldn’t tell you to wait in line for it. Pair that coffee with a bite, though, and it’s a worthy undertaking. The pastry case is loaded with hits, pulling from Elbow Bread and Amanda’s Good Morning Cafe. I realized the absurdity of my order as I bit into a potato sauerkraut knish and followed it with a sip of a syrupy latte, but I’d hop back in line to do it again.
Ba Xuyên
Brooklyn, New York — Casual Food
For all that I love about bánh mì — crusty bread, tender meat, crunchy pickled veg — it’s rarely a sandwich I find myself craving. Every time I eat one, I think to myself, “damn, I should really eat more bánh mì.” After experiencing the glory that is Ba Xuyên, I’m already eager to run it back.
In a humble storefront a block off Sunset Park, Ba Xuyên is making the best, classic bánh mì in New York. The operation is chaotic in all the right ways: orders shouted across the room; carryout bags packed frantically; a faded-out, barely legible menu board behind plexiglass dividers. Bánh Mì Thịt Nguội (“Combination #1”) came recommended. There’s a little bit of everything on the sandwich — ham, head cheese, pork, and pâté. And it’s, expectedly, delicious.
But sandwich #8, Bánh Mì Thịt Nướng, was the big winner. Caramelized grilled pork and silky pâté fill gently toasted bread. It’s sweet, smoky, and — crucially — perfectly ratioed with the fresh vegetables. For $7.50, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better sandwich in New York. In fact, I dare you to try.
Vacaciones
Mexico City, Mexico — Proper Meals
There comes a point in every Mexico City journey when two desires arise: 1) to eat something other than Mexican food, and 2) to get off the main Roma Norte drag. Vacaciones is the perfect change of pace.
The ever-changing menu is undeniably Italian, driven by fresh local produce. It carries a distinct Mexico City sensibility without ever veering into a fusion. The airy corner space in San Rafael feels like a deep local secret.
Vacaciones is rooted in a passion for good cooking and warm human connection. The chef, Matt, is stationed front and center — chatting with guests while running expo and baking sheets of focaccia. He’s relaxed, confident, and clearly cooking exactly what he wants to be. The dishes are technically sharp, with simple ingredient combinations and a rustic touch that make the meal feel genuinely homestyle.
It’s worth ordering all three pastas, including a seafood busiate in a bright, fragrant tomato sauce. The punchier mains — like grilled beef heart over a bed of chile-laden, brothy beans — are memorably good. As your meal winds down, yeah, you’ll have a badass bombolone with fresh plums and mascarpone, but Matt might also offer you a cup of tea on the house, because “you look like you’d enjoy one right now.”
Thanks for being here, thanks for reading. Subscribe for free and get Flood’s delivered regularly. If you feel inclined, consider becoming a paid subscriber and gaining access to the Flood’s Worldwide map with over 900 hits from around the globe.
Cervo’s has really been on their game lately! This is like the third post I’ve read recently recommending it. I look forward to trying Canyon if/when the lines die down.
I was just in mexico city and cervo’s was my first new york meal out when I returned!! 🤝