#94 – MORIR SOÑANDO at REBEN LUNCHEONETTE

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

Creamsicles might have been my least favorite treat as a kid. To begin with, I was never a big fan of sherbert, especially orange sherbert. There was something about the tang, even with the sweetness of that fake vanilla ice cream underneath the layer of orange, that just put me off. I still would have chosen them over lima beans back then, but I would always have opted for a different flavor popsicle.

And those milky orange flavors are still not what I prefer (although I did love Orange Julius – does anybody remember those?). So that’s probably why it took us so long to venture to Reben Luncheonette to try the next TONY list item. We did head over there one Saturday, but they had already closed. And it was difficult to devote a whole trip to this little drink.

The little drink is called Morir Soñando and it translates to “to die dreaming”. Not a bad way to go. It’s a Dominican drink that has often been compared to a liquid orange Creamsicle.

It’s a blend of orange juice, milk, sugar, and vanilla syrup. I was worried it would be cloyingly sweet and reminiscent of those artificially flavored pops from childhood.

Reben Luncheonette is a breakfast cafe located right on the border of hipster Williamsburg, Hispanic Williamsburg, and Hasidic Williamsburg. Very eclectic. Not sure if this drink is kosher, but it’s definitely Latin and definitely hip.

I was surprised at how refreshing and light it was. I think the use of fresh orange juice (I even felt pieces of pulp) and just the right amount of milk (adding sweetened condensed milk is also an option) kept it from being too heavy or too sweet.

It went down very quickly and at $3, I almost turned around to get another. I’m amazed all these years later I’ve finally learned to enjoy that orange vanilla combo.

Would Reben Luncheonette’s Morir Soñando make my Top 100 of the year? It gets an 8 out of 10 for being a light, sweet, refreshing drink that’s perfectly balanced and reminiscent of a creamsicle in the best possible ways.