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As La Estufa means “the stove” in Spanish it’s not surprising

that the charm of this Inwood eatery is its open

kitchen and exposed brick walls.

Owner Alex Torres decided to open his first restaurant when

he was working as a personal trainer, a career that demanded

healthy food. “This is one of the healthiest take out menus in

the neighborhood,” Torres said.

Though it tends to lean toward simply prepared Italian fare,

there are American staples like burgers ($10.25) served on a

whole-wheat bun paired with well seasoned and crispy homemade

French fries ($4.25). The butternut squash soup ($6.95)

has been winning raves since the restaurant opened in 2007 and

was a hit with the first Manhattan Times Readers’ Favorites

survey. A large tangle of linguini topped with a rich lamb ragout

($12.25) adds a Sicilian touch, and the double fudge chocolate

cake tastes like home ($5). A recently added sangria has

customers begging for the recipe and prompted the owners to

start a week-day happy hour: half-priced pitchers of sangria and

bottles of wine, and 2-for-1 beers from 4-7pm.

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