11.25.11
Posted in Chelsea, Latin, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5, small plates, Spanish at 18:41 by Dominique
239 W.14th St. & 7th/8th Aves. (Centro Español), 212-929-7873
Great for: vegetable and meat tapas, sangria, large parties, flamenco shows
I starred in a webseries that teaches foreign nurses English – it took all day for a whole month. This was our wrap party. I’d been here a few years ago to watch flamenco, and I really wish I’d had the food then! Tapas is often mildly disappointing in NYC – too salty, oily or bland. These guys get it right. (Well, I’ve only been to Marbella, where my family opted not to eat the local food, so it’s not like I know what’s completely authentic, but I do know from yummy.)
There were nine of us and I think we sampled most of the menu. All their “vegetable” tapas were simple and lovely – we had the pan con tomate, tortilla (scrambled eggs with creamy potatoes), patatas bravas and egg tomato soup. The seafood tapas were not as good, though decent. I found the grilled octopus tasteless and squishy but still okay, and liked the fried calamari better. I didn’t bother with the grilled calamari since I usually don’t like that.
The meat tapas, on the other hand, were stellar. We had a nice cheese and meat plate with two cheeses, a spicy chorizo and a prosciutto-type meat with olives. The chorizo escarole soup was pretty good, as were the shrimp in garlic oil. I loved the chorizo dish and its sauce, and the croquetas were perfect, thinly breaded balls of cod mousse that came six to a plate.
My favorites were the tortilla, chorizo, patatas bravas, croquetas and egg tomato soup. I’m getting hungry just thinking about them! The waiters were sweet and patient, and we really enjoyed the delicious sangria. It’s sweet and not too alcoholic. This place definitely stays on my list.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $335 (12 kinds of tapas, 5 pitchers of sangria)
Noise level: noisy party
Chance of walking in: it’s busy.
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Posted in Chelsea, Latin, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 7 to 7.5 at 18:36 by Dominique
228 W.18th St. & 7th/8th Aves., 212-206-8930
Great for: pastelitos
Have you ever had Venezuelan food? Neither had I, until I went to an audition nearby and decided to try this place for lunch. It’s no Argentinean steak or Brazilian churrascaria, but it’s still pretty tasty.
The lunch special of shredded chicken with rice, beans and sliced plantains, $9.95 as opposed to $15 at dinner, was good. Though it needed a ton of hot sauce, I liked it enough that I even ate the beans. (I usually hate beans.) I was delighted by my jamon y queso pastelito, a round fried pastry big as a saucer. It was delicious, stuffed with a large block of cheese and ample ham. Like the empanada’s big sister who has three kids and always wants to feed people.
The restaurant is quite big with a friendly atmosphere and colorful décor. I think next time I should get lots of pastelitos on Bolívar Day or some other happy holiday to get the full experience.
Rating: 7 / 10
My cost: $15 (1 pastelito, 1 lunch special)
Noise level: between ceiling fans, music and conversations, pretty high
Chance of walking in: decent.
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11.24.11
Posted in East Village, Italian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5 at 21:16 by Dominique
19 1st Ave. & 1st/2nd Sts., 212-420-4900
Great for: focaccino, late-night Italian cravings
The only Frankie’s restaurant I’d been to before this was Falai, and this one confirmed my good opinion of them. Fortunately they’re all a little bit far from me or I’d get really fat.
The arugula with parmigiano reggiano was so fresh it was a bit spicy, and the balsamic vinaigrette balanced wonderfully against the lemon my date and I squeezed on it. It does have to be chopped up and looks enormous, but don’t worry, it’ll disappear quickly.
I liked the cute rigatoni polpettini ragu. There’s just something adorable about tiny meatballs. It could maybe use a little more salt but it was a nice homey, tasty dish with rich red sauce.
The life-changing focaccino, two flat sheets of bread enclosing melty robiola cheese and prosciutto di Parma with a big hit of white truffle, is incredibly decadent and wonderful. The crisp bread and prosciutto were an amazing contrast to the creamy cheese, while the truffle oil was the perfect final touch.
Our waiter was nice and didn’t hover much, probably because it was still busy. The gangsta rap was a bit loud but apparently it’s usually not like that. Overall, it was a very satisfying meal and I was happy.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $75 (app, pasta, main, beer, glass of wine). Cash only
Noise level: kind of loud
Chance of walking in: they’re open until 2am weekdays, 4am weekends; you’ll probably still have to wait.
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