Brooklyn Heights Restaurant Review: Taino Soleil

Replacing the well-attended but rather average Makayla Restaurant is Taino Soleil on 121 Livingston Street, next to Sea Asian Restaurant. Like its neighbor, Taino Soleil is easily accessible by subway- short walks from either the Hoyt Street station (2 or 3 train), Borough Hall, (2, 3, 4, 5, N, R, or M), Jay Street-Borough Hall (A, C, or F), or Hoyt-Schermerhorn (A, C, or G) Lawrence Street - Metro Tech (N or R). But unlike its neighbor, Taino Soleil is a bit more spacious.

I must admit I have had some bad experiences with this restaurant. The first time I went, at the urging of some very enthusiastic co-workers, I broke one of my cardinal rules of dining: never order seafood the first time out. I ordered the Seafood Ceviche and the Locrio (rice with chicken and chorizos), and was violently ill, I would assume from the former. I resolved not to go back, but it had become a regular destination for my co-workers and so I went back and had no problems, even ordering the Locrio again. But a few weeks later, I went back and wound up ordering take out. The long waiting time would not have bothered me except that when I got back to my office they had put in my two sides and not my entrée. Compounding the matter was that I could not quite recall the name of the restaurant and so could not get a proper listing from information to call them. Google Maps also still had satellite images of Makayla stored on their servers, but after rooting around for a few minutes I found the correct number - 718-858-8778 - and called about a dozen times - no one picked up. So I walked back, still dialing, pretty irritated.

That said, Taino Soleil does have some good food - I have since stuck to chicken and rice dishes, and a very nice décor. The restaurant doubles as a bar and lounge with a DJ booth, with dim lighting and wood collage art and paintings, adorning its walls. Shots of the décor can be found on their website here. It is not too expensive, with most lunch entrees costing about ten to twelve dollars and most dinner entrees costing about two to five dollars more. I would recommend the Pernil (Pork) and the Picadera Mixta, a plate of chicken, beef, and fried pork, along with two sides. The food is plentiful and (generally) prepared with care; as such, the wait time can be a little long. The meat and rice dishes are generally good and the vegetables are fresh, although the sautéed broccoli usually comes out way too soggy.

Taino Soleil is relatively new, so I think perhaps they will become even stronger. They seem to have been experimenting with some dishes: I have not had the Locrio prepared the same way twice. Also, it is a really nice afterhours spot, with well-mixed drinks, and the same generally solid food. Happy hour is from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Friday and offers cheap drinks and delicious appetizers ...I would recommend the Honey Chipotle Wings.