I love tapas. Perhaps it's the variety that it offers, similar to dim sum. Or it's the family-style dining (albeit a very small family). In all likelihood, it is the illusion of being in Seville for an evening, idly wondering which tapas bar I will head to next.
Until a few nights ago, my NYC tapas experiences ranged from un poco grungy (Xunta) to overrated and overly salty (Casa Mono, a minor fiefdom in the Mario Batali empire, natch) to good-but-not-spectacular (Tia Pol; Alta). Not to be deterred, I persevered in my quest and finally found the spectacular a few nights ago at Boqueria. When we arrived at 9:30 on Friday night, we were told that it would either be a 45-minute wait (not to get all Meredith Grey, but seriously? 45 minutes at 9:30 pm for a party of two?), or we could squeeze into a table in the bar.
We opted for the bar and quickly sat down to an order of tortilla del dia, blistered Padron peppers with sea salt, and the very traditional grilled bread rubbed with tomato, garlic and olive oil. The Spanish omelet was served at room temperature, to my surprise, but it was nonetheless the perfect blend of egg, spinach, and potatoes. The blistered peppers had a hint of sweetness, balanced by the coarse sea salt, and I ate one after another like lollipops. The garlic and tomato made for a delicious perfumed topping on the grilled bread ("It smells like summer," my dining companion exclaimed). We then moved on to the paella Valenciana, a feast of rice, chicken, chorizo, clams, mussels, cockles, and prawns. The paella was good (and I would never turn down the chance to order this dish if I have a willing companion), but since it was so filling, I would have liked to try more of the smaller plates. Come dessert, we were quite full, but I insisted that we have the churros with hot chocolate. It gave meaning to the word heady.
But I haven't even told you the best part of the meal: the red wine sangria. Truly. It was not too strong, nor did it taste like watered-down red wine. Just the right amount of sweetness, like the evening.
well, at least at casa mono we did see elan of top chef fame (before the fame).
ReplyDeleteHi,
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