09.11.08
Review of El Faro, Tuesday July 2008
823 Greenwich & Horatio Sts., 212-929-8210
Great for: alliophiles (garlic lovers), sangria
My friend Matthew and I kind of randomly picked this spot for its location. Poor Matt got lost along the way because I forgot to tell him Greenwich Street, not Avenue. As I waited for him, a weird guy at the bar tried very persistently to get me to try one of his meatballs. He said they were really good, but I wasn’t about to eat some disturbing stranger’s food.
After Matt rescued me and we ordered, they brought us complimentary salad with a nice dressing. My shrimp à la diablo with tomato sauce, onion and green pepper was decent, not peppery as the adjective would suggest. His shrimp cocktail turned out to be baby shrimp in a very garlicky, somewhat spicy sauce. It was great. Probably my favorite thing we had.
In an effort not to over-order we shared an entrée of Valenciana paella with chicken, sausage, clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp. It was pretty good. It would have been very good but the chorizo was a bit dry, the shrimp unflavored and the shellfish just ok. The scallops were juicy and great though, and I liked the flavor of the rice. The dish was so huge, we only finished half.
We had a pitcher of just-right sangria, not too strong or sweet. I can’t say the same for the service. They barely paid attention to us, and I had a saucer for a bread plate. It was fine, since I don’t eat bread; I just think the difference between a regular plate and a saucer with a circle in it is pretty noticeable. The place wasn’t that busy, either, so I’m not sure why they were so lackadaisical. It’s a cozy space with a lot of filigree metalwork, which I preferred to the faded amateur frescos decorating the walls. I’d only come for the shrimp cocktail plus sangria.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $80 (1 pitcher of sangria)
Noise level: room is small, so you’re out of luck if there’s a table full of loud drunks.
Chance of walking in: pretty good, we didn’t wait at 8pm.
Matthew Heintz said,
September 12, 2008 at 15:39
lol did we really spent $80 dollars there? I need to be less mentally challenged with money. You can use my full name, I like the attention.
Dominique said,
September 12, 2008 at 15:44
That was $80 total, not each, don’t worry. You have now been outed!