Somewhere around day 12,, cafe Yaffa fed me

Cafe Yaffa. Most food writers would probably describe yaffa as a hip,ecclectic very east village kind of space. It has a real artsy (kind of bohemian) feel to it from the busy decor (leopard skin tables, kitschy wall hangings) to the lights in the garden. The hostess directed me to Nisha, the manager who was pouring sangria into glasses. "Take a seat", she said warmly after she heard my story.

I sat out in back on the patio. Augustina, my waitress had to come back a few times because i was taking so long to make up my mind. I waa really tired and hungry.By that point, it was about 10 pm and i had approached several restaurants who either told me to come back another time or who were not interested. So, sitting down felt like a bit of a gift.

I finally made of my mind. It was crazy hot that day so the chilled cucumber soup made sense. Cold soups are perfect for anything above 90 degrees. There was lots of it. I am not even a fan of cucumber - it is my least favorite vegetable - but i liked this soup. The yogurt gave it a creaminess.

Next was a green salad with carrot dressing (which came with the main course). Good size portion and excellent carrot dressing. I think the lettuce was ice berg which i thought was funny. Maybe it was a boho snub of arugula.

For the entree, i ordered the swordfish with mango salsa and quinoa. Again, my food blog could be called a beginner's guide for the uneducated foodie because I have eaten neither swordfish , nor quinoa.

I loved the fish. The texture was thick, like a meat. The quinoa is like a round rice with a slighly more pungent taste to it. I liked the quinoa too.

With that I had a glass of chardonnay.

For dessert (yes, there's more), i had the (chocolate)mud cake with whipped cream. Like mud pie but with texture of a cake. You can't go wrong with chocolate unless you've got some kind of political squabble. One of best chocolate cakes i've eaten.

I asked for coffee and Augustina brought me an americano.

One of many satisfying dinners i've eaten. I was on cloud 9.

When done, i asked Augustina a few questions. "I started as a bostess," she said. "I love working ere. It is multicultural. You hear a lot of languages. I live a few blocks away."

She told me she was from Buenos Aires, Argentina and she held a Masters in global fashion management. "Back in BA, i had my own company, i was a designer," she said. Now, she wants to combine accounting and fashion and reopen her company.

I went inside to find Nisha and found the hostess giving a back massage to a co-worker. "on the job perk?," i joked. I asked the bartender which chardonnay he poured me: "Hanging Vine," he said showing me the bottle. "From California," i asked. "Napa Valley," he answered.

I sat with Nisha. "Did you start as a manager?" i asked. "I worked my way up from cashier to manager," she said.

"Is anything on your menu organic?" i asked. "Not too much, the soba noodles. The yogurt..."
I commented on the swordfish. "We get our fish from Chinatown."

Nisha told me she moved to New York from San Francisco to finish an acting degree.
"A lot of artists come in here. The writer ...Musto from the village voice comes in."

Are you going to be performing sonn?
"In January, at the Crown, I am a Woman: monologues by 15 different women," she said.

I asked her to email me about it.
Yaffa cafe also serves breakfast and brunch on weekends.

Yaffa cafe
east village