Degustation

Gabe and I are co-writing our first blog post! You would think that since most of my dining out experiences in NY are with him, we'd co-write more often, but I guess not.

For our big dinner during my short visit back to NY, we went to Degustation, a really small "tapas bar" in the East Village. It's counter-seating, surrounding the little kitchen. It adds for a very unique dining experience to be able to watch the three chefs and single waitress in action. It may not be the most romantic, but it's certainly ideal for foodies. Gabe and I had planned to do the 10-course tasting menu. I had some doubts about it, afraid that I wouldn't be able to finish my food, but I went for it anyways since it's only $15 more expensive than the 5-course. We also each got a glass of txakoli wine from the Basque region - very crisp and refreshing white wine!


We got an amuse-bouche of pork croqueta and quail egg tortilla done in a new way. The tortilla was shallot with quail egg wrapped in a sheet of potato.


Course 1 - chilled almond soup with muscat grapes. We absolutely loved this one, and it was one of my personal favorites. It was very nice and smooth, and the grapes added sweetness, bite, and crunch to the soup.


Course 2 - Crudo of Hiramasa. The fish was very fresh and tasty. It was drizzled with good olive oil and garnished with tomatoes, shallots, and some other vegetables that we can't remember in order to add a bit of acidity.


Course 3 - Fried artichokes with blood orange supremes, an oyster, and grapefruit foam in a mussel broth. I didn't like this one at all. Gabe liked the individual components but didn't think it worked as a whole. The mussel broth was a bit fishy to me, and I just didn't think the artichokes were good with the other components of the dish. Personally, I'm not a fan of artichokes or grapefruit, so that's another reason why I wasn't a fan of this dish.


Course 4 - Sardines 3 Ways. This one was awesome, but in my opinion, the portion was too big. Sardines have such a strong flavor that I didn't think it was necessary to make each piece as big as they were. The marinated one on the right was accompanied by a potato salad. This one was my least favorite because it just had too much of the salty sardine flavor. The fried sardine sandwich, accompanied by pickled onions, in the middle was both mine and Gabe's favorite, however he didn't particularly like the pickled onions. The grilled one on the left was accompanied by red peppers and was also pretty good, but Gabe said he had a little bit of bone in his.


Course 5 - Grilled squid with some kind of mushrooms in a dashi broth. Gabe liked this dish because it was an interesting departure to Japanese flavors. I honestly don't remember much about this one, but Gabe said that I just thought it was ok because the dashi broth and seaweed was too fishy to me. I also thought the squid was too chewy.


Course 6 - Slowly scrambled duck egg in brown butter, with lamb bacon and migas. This was probably both mine and Gabe's favorite dish of the night. It just shows how sometimes, simplicity is key. It was rich and creamy, but flavorful. The migas (breadcrumbs) added texture, and the little piece of lamb bacon added additional crisp.


Course 7 - Pork belly with quinoa, grilled ramps, soft-poached egg, and a green sauce that neither of us can remember. The pork belly itself was nothing out of this world, but it was cooked right, and the skin was so crisp. The grilled ramps and egg were perfectly cooked. The quinoa gave a nice crispiness and was probably there more for the texture than anything else.


Course 8 - Grilled sweetbreads in a white bean + something else sauce sauce. This wasn't the best sweetbreads I've had, but it was cooked right. The sauce was a bit spicy, but added good flavor to the sweetbreads.


Course 9 - Oxtail cannoli. The very flavorful oxtail was wrapped around by potato, and it was garnished with fried shallots and radishes. I liked the shallots but didn't try the radishes.


Course 10 - Torrija. This was an awesome dessert. The torrija is like french toast, but was so moist, almost like custard and with a bruleed topping. There was blood orange on the side, but I'm not such a fan, so only ate a little piece of it.

While some dishes had a minor fault or two, it was, overall, a wonderful meal at such a "bargain." The 10-course meal was $75, and as you can see, we ate a ton of food. This would, however, be ideal for someone interested in eating a large tasting menu without the $150+ price tag. If I were to go again, I would probably just go with the 5-course at $50 because the 10-course was just too much for me (even though I've had a bigger tasting menu at Eleven Madison Park). We both also really enjoyed watching the chefs prepare our food, so anyone who enjoys cooking or is curious about the way chefs work in the kitchen would enjoy this. Highly recommended!

Degustation
5th St. btwn 2nd and 3rd Ave
New York, NY

Cafe Iberico

On my birthday, my family, friend Vadicel, and I went to Cafe Iberico for dinner. Even though it's a very large restaurant, the wait is supposedly ridiculous, especially on the weekends. We went on a Wednesday, and the place was basically filled up by the time we left around 9pm. Since we ordered a bunch of tapas plus paella, I won't post every picture. But overall, the food was really good and by far the best tapas I've had so far in Chicago.

Patatas Aioli ($4.95, red potatoes with garlic mayonnaise sauce) - this is something I've never seen in NY, but is on every single tapas menu in Chicago. This was pretty standard and good, though perhaps a bit too mayonnaise-y for my liking. Good taste though.


Jamon Iberico ($6.95, jamon iberico with pan tomate and manchego cheese) - I actually don't even know if this was really jamon iberico because I thought it's really expensive and not even really legal in the US, so it may have been serrano. Whatever type of ham it was, this was a really really really awesome tapas. Very simple.


Gambas al Ajillo ($6.95, shrimp in olive oil and garlic) - Also a very standard dish, and it certainly did not fail.


Pulpo a la Plancha ($7.95, grilled octopus with potatoes and olive oil) - I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It came in a heaping portion (for tapas), the potatoes were more like handcut fries, and the octopus was perfectly tender. While my dad would have preferred it a little saltier, I thought it was perfectly salty and seasoned for my taste.

Bacalao - This was a special, so it's not on the online menu, but I know it involved red peppers and that it was very good.

Lomo de Buey a la Brasa ($9.95, grilled beef tenderloin with potatoes and vegetables) - Really simple dish much like everything else, but I was happy that the beef wasn't too dry. Sometimes I worry about that when I'm not at a steak place and when the beef isn't doused in sauce. But while the beef was cook probably medium well (i typically only like medium rare), it still quite juicy and tasty.


Paella Iberico ($9.95) - This was your standard paella with chicken, chorizo, and seafood, and you better believe it was only $9.95 for a decently sized pan. I've read that some people don't like Cafe Iberico's paella, but this was actually really good in my opinion. Not too dry, not too watery. It was also perfectly tasty in my opinion.

For dessert, we also tried the fried plantains with vanilla ice cream. I also must mention that a pitcher of sangria is only about $13 or $14 there, and IT'S GOOD. They don't even fill the large pitcher with ice (the ice is in your glass), so it definitely comes with lots of sangria.

I would highly recommend Cafe Iberico for a big group since the tapas portions are actually pretty big. It's nothing fancy at all. Just solid, simple Spanish fare.

Cafe Iberico
739 N. LaSalle Drive
Chicago, IL 60610

La Nacional

Instead of doing a pricey and super romantic dinner, Gabe and I decided to be low-key for Valentine's Day. We decided to go to La Nacional, a very under the radar Spanish restaurant that has traditionally been a gathering place for Spanish expats. We weren't expecting a romantic atmosphere or a place with awesome service. We just wanted good, traditional Spanish food.

The entrance is very unassuming and easy to miss. Once you step in, it's sort of confusing. Go there, and you'll see what I mean. In all honesty, the atmosphere isn't very inviting, but at the same time, I didn't care because I actually felt like I had stepped back into Spain. Madrid has a very soft spot in my heart because I spent a summer there, and La Nacional literally felt like a typical Spanish restaurant/tapas bar in Spain. People are just chillin' there, eating, drinking, or just sitting there watching soccer on tv. Because of the fact that I appreciate anything that makes me feel like I've gone back to Spain, I actually loved the fact that the atmosphere at La Nacional was what it was.

We were given bread, olive oil, and olives to start. Out of the many Spanish restaurants I've been to in NY, this was the only one that gave complimentary olives. We also ordered a small pitcher of Sangria - this was by far the best sangria I've had in the States. It wasn't watered down, not too fruity, not too strong, and not too much ice and fruit pieces. A small pitcher ($18) served 6 glasses which was pretty good.
We started with the Sardinas Plancha. Just the right amount of crispiness and saltiness. This was something we haven't had at a Spanish restaurant before, so it was a nice change from the things we tend to order again and again. The Sardinas were actually more like what I ate when in Greece. This was definitely a good choice though, and pretty well priced at $8 for 3 decently sized sardines.


Next we were given the Gambas al Ajillo ($9). I actually sort of liked this better than all the other ones I've had elsewhere because of the sauce it came in. Sure it didn't come in a clay bowl with the olive oil still sizzling, but the sauce was so perfect for dipping the bread in. I would highly recommend this as well.
Finally we got what we were wanting the most - Paella de la Casa ($18/person). This was a very well-sized portion for two people, and as tradition, it came in a big paella pan. The rice was perfectly al dente and not too dry nor too wet. It came with clams, chicken, shrimp, and mussels. The taste was perfect. It was by far the best paella I've had in the city (Sala's version is on par), and definitely as good if not better than anything I had while in Spain. Unless all you want is tapas, you can't go to La Nacional without some of their paella.

We were so full that we decided not to get dessert, however our waitress gave us a complimentary glass of dessert wine each! I'm all for anything gratis, and this was definitely a nice treat. I'm not sure if they always do that or if she gave it to us because it was Valentine's Day and we didn't order dessert. But hey, it tasted good, and it was a nice ending to our meal. In fact, it was ideal because after tapas and paella, sometimes you just can't eat anything else after that, yet you want that sweet taste in your mouth. So the free dessert wine was a plus.

If you want traditional Spanish food in a traditional Spanish atmosphere, go to La Nacional!

14th Street, btwn 7th and 8th ave.

Pamplona

I went to Pamplona for lunch with a friend today. It's a Spanish restaurant on 28th st between Park and Madison - a bit of a weird location, but at least it's close to my work! We decided to opt out of entrees and just get tapas.

1) Bunuelos de Queso - Iberico cheese, Manchego cheese, and Cider fritters. Each little bunuelo (fried ball) had a mixture of the three inside. I ALWAYS love fried goat cheese whenever i have tapas at other places, so this was a nice alternative and probably one of my favorite tapas at Pamplona. I really liked the cider that was mixed in inside.

2) Pincho de Chorizo y Gambas - the order came with 2 pinchos - one skewer over toast with goat cheese. I really liked this tapa/pincho as well, not only because I like all of the ingredients, but just the fact that it was on toast with a goat cheese spread. It really made the dish more tasty and interesting.

3) Patatas Bravas - unlike most things on Pamplona's menu, this is perhaps the most traditional/typical tapa ever. in spite of that, some places make really awesome patatas bravas. unforunately, there wasn't anything too notable about Pamplona's. it wasn't as crispy or tasty as the patatas bravas I've had at other places.

4) Bocadillo de Jamon - with Jamon Serrano and Iberico cheese. unlike bocadillos I've had before, this one used something more resemblant of Italian white bread with no crust. It was like the bread 'ino uses for their paninis. So this bocadillo was slightly different from what I've always had, but it was so good - very tasty, crispy, the bread almost dripping with olive oil which I do like. I just wish it were a bigger portion for the $9 price tag.

5) Bocadillo de Conejo - the same thing as above except with rabbit and crema de cabra. I loved this bocadillo too. It was the first time I've really ever had rabbit. The thought weirded me out at first, but rabbit just tastes pretty similar to chicken. While this bocadillo was more interesting in terms of ingredients, I think I still preferred the taste of the Bocadillo de Jamon.

6) Churros con chocolate - for whatever reason, not too many Spanish restaurants in the city serve this typical dessert. This one was pretty good. Nowhere as good as the ones I've had in Madrid, but it was good enough. I liked the melted Valhrona chocolate too.

Overall, this is a pretty good Spanish restaurant. It's not as traditional or Spanish in ambiance/atmosphere as all the other Spanish restaurants I've been to. It had a more modern decor. Since I spent a summer in Spain, a Spanish restaurant in NYC that actually has Spanish ambiance makes a big difference to me. Such restaurants would be Las Ramblas and Tia Pol, as their waiters and waitresses seem to be either Spanish born and raised or people who've spent a lot of time in Spain. Pamplona is certainly worth a try though. I wouldn't mind coming back again to try the chorizo with suckling pig hamburguesa and the paella.