Taking a break from the cold with cafe con leche

To escape the bone-chilling weather today, I ducked into La Barca, a small Dominican restaurant on Broadway, near West 163rd Street, in Manhattan. Cafe con leche -- strong espresso coffee with hot milk -- was only $1. I had two.

With outside temperatures hovering around 20 degrees, the restaurant provided a pitcher of ice water to customers who ordered a bowl of chicken soup or a filling lunch of Dominican specialties.

A flat-screen TV was tuned to Dominican Television. Sandwiches, left, are prepared in a heated press.

Some of La Barca's lunch offerings. The restaurant is at 3892 Broadway, near New York-Presbyterian Hospital.