Tapas - The Hungry Nomad

Breakfast, Brunch, Food, New York, Spanish, Tapas, USA

Brunch at Estela- Nolita (NYC)

July 3, 2014 No Comments

I don’t know how I learned about this restaurant but somehow I did and it made my list of new place to try in New York. Estela is located on an lonely strip of East Houston bordering Nolita. It is a beverage-driven restaurant from former Blue Hill at Stone Barns beverage director Thomas Carter and James Beard Award-nominated chef Ignacio Mattos. The walk- up bar-restaurant’s decor seems typical of what I’ve seen multiply not only around New York but around the country: exposed brick, wood floors and marble bar and wood tables. It’s sleek and sophisticated.

The brunch menu was limited with only a handful of plates to choose from. I would encourage sharing plates as you won’t fill up on one. It is definitely not meant for those of us with healthy appetites.

First up was the Endive with walnuts, anchovy, and ubriaco rosso ($14). A small plate of fresh and crispy endives laying on top of a bed of walnuts, anchovies and ubriaco rosso cheese (italian for drunken sunset). The mix of flavors and textures was perfect and left me wanting more.

Next came the Burrata with salsa verde and charred bread ($15), a serving of rich and creamy bur rata cheese on top of charred bed in a bed of tangy salsa verde. Verdict: amazing, unique and delicious.

The Cod with peas, spigarello, and aïoli ($24) was a healthy, flavorful and unique.

However, my favorite was the Celery with grapefruit, pecorino, and hazelnuts ($12) dish. It was such a different mix of ingredients and flavors yet so simple. The flavors and textures complimented each other in the best way possible. So good indeed that later on in the week I attempted to re-create the dish at home (didn’t turn out quite the same).

The avocado, pancetta, and egg on Danish pastry ($14) was good but didn’t warrant the $14 price tag.

Overall, our experience at Estela was pretty fabulous. I would definitely return to try their small plate style dinner and drinks. For brunch however, I prefer something a bit more filling and hearty.

Andalusia, Food, Seville, Spain, Tapas, Travel, Wine Bar

Tapas in Seville (Sevilla, Spain)

April 7, 2014 No Comments

After our three days of adventures in Madrid we packed our bags hopped on the train and made our way south to Sevilla.

Sevilla was all that I imagined it to be and more: bursting with color and antique charm, beautiful historic buildings, endless rays of sun and flamenco. The Alcazar Palace Complex is a stunning collage of architectural styles and beautiful green gardens took our breathe away and the Cathedral was impressive you with its beauty and its status as the burial site of Christopher Columbus. We spent our days touring the town on foot and nights eating tapas in only a few of the more than 4000 tapas bars in town. On the first day that we visited the town we ended our walk at the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza. Around the corner from the Plaza de Toros we found a restaurant called Baratillo dedicated to the art of bull fighting and decided to give it a try.

Bull heads lined the walls and locals and tourists alike crowded the room. As a newbie to the art of tapas we werent too sure of our selections but there was one thing that I discovered while in Sevilla which was so delicious that I ended up having three servings per day.I wish I remembered the name but only have the photos to remind me of the taste. Fries served with a meat stew and gravy. Very simple but simply delicious.

The dish called Broken Egg or Huevos Rotos is quite popular all around Spain consists of fried eggs, fried potatoes and pieces of Iberico ham. It is simply delicious and made it to our list of orders on every occasion.

The house special- the Berenjenas Baratillo was to die for. Not sure what the sauce that covered the thinly sliced eggplant dish consisted of but whatever it was- it was so delicious we had to order more.

Baratillo restaurant is located at: Calle Adriano, 20, 41001 Seville, Spain, El Arenal

Madrid, Spanish, Tapas, Travel

Tapas at Casa Labra (Madrid, Spain)

April 1, 2014 No Comments

Our tapas adventures continued on the next evening starting off with the famous fried cod at Casa Labra. I had read about this place in travel guides but came about it quite randomly while taking a wrong turn off of Plaja del Sol. Cod and cod croquettes are the specialty served in a room that has remained almost untouched since the 19^th century. The crowds and the smell of fried cod made it hard to resist. We walked in and ordered from the friendly man at the counter. Beer and delicious hot pieces of fish were served to us at the standing bar.

Casa Labra is located at: Calle Tetuan 12, close to El Corte Ingles Store located in Sol

Madrid, Spain, Tapas, Travel

Tapas at Casa Lucas (Madrid, Spain)

March 30, 2014 No Comments

The hip neighborhood of La Latina is covered with bars, restaurants and tapas bars. One tourist friendly tapas bar that should not be missed is Casa Lucas. A cozy, sleek tavern offering a range of wine and innovative yet traditional tapas. On our quick stop we ordered in broken Spanglish the fried calamaris, served whole and chopped up bar-side and generously covered in black squid ink. Fresh, tasty and delicious.

Casa Lucas is located at: Cava Baja, 30 28005 Madrid, Spain, +34 913 65 08 04

Barcelona, Spain, Spanish, Tapas, Travel

Tapas at Quimet y Quimet in Barcelona (Spain)

November 5, 2013 No Comments

Barcelona is filled with tapas bars, wine bars and restaurants making it extremely hard for those of us incapable of making decisions when provided with too many choices. After a long day of exploring the magnificent works of Gaudi it was quite tempting to stop at one of the many places along our walk. But I needed to check out one of the most famous yet hidden tapas gems in Barcelona, Quimet y Quimet.

And so we walked through many neighborhoods, across the red light district, into the North African district with halal shops and finally made it to Quimet y Quimet in the El Poble Sec only to find that it was closed. Shocked and horrified as only the Hungry Nomad can be when placed in a state of extreme hunger, I was not sure what to do. The restaurant would open in an hour and we had come too far to turn back. And so we waited…waited…and waited until the tiny little bar finally opened its doors.

Once open the place was packed within 10 minutes. Super models, tourists and locals all swarmed the place and yelled orders to the man and wife duo at the bar. We were one of the first ones there so we had bar side spots making it quite easy to point and order in a shop where Catalan language is strictly abided by.

We drank and looked around to get inspiration on what to order. A lot of finger pointing was done but the gentle man at the bar understood each and every order and spewed out open faced tapas that looked too good to eat. A piece of art waiting to be devoured. The smoked salmon with Greek yogurt and truffled honey, which brought together the milky fresh yogurt, the smoky salmon and sweet honey making it a contrast between savory and sweet and the Montado de pate with onion marmalade and balsamic drizzle are only a few of the innovative plates we tried that night. If you happen to make it to this tiny little gem your best bet is to point to the flavors you want and let the owners surprise you. You will not be disappointed.

Quimet y Quimet is locatd at: Carrer del Poeta Cabanyes 25, +34 93 442 3142. Open Mon-Fri noon-4pm, 7pm-10.30pm, Sat noon-4pm, closed August

Food, Madrid, Paellas, Spain, Spanish, Tapas, Travel

A Foodie’s Guide to Tapas in Madrid (Spain)

October 10, 2013 No Comments

Day 1:

Madrid can be summed up in one word: energetic. As soon as we left our luggage at our hotel we were off to discover what was in store. Of course, we were more interested in food than anything else and after inquiring were told to walk to La Latina- a neighborhood in Madrid known for its wine, innovative tapas bars and night life. Also in the same area are many famous restaurants offering traditional Madrid fare. On our way to La Latina we made a few pit stops to fill our empty stomachs and just because we couldnt resist all the seducing window displays of cured legs of ham. It was hard to focus and get to our destination without caving in and walking in to one of the many jamonerias and tapas bars.

We worked backwards. Our first stop was dessert. It looked so good it was hard to resist this pastry shop on an empty stomach. This dessert shop has been around for centuries and is located in the west end of Plaja del Sol. Two orange balls covered in sugar and a Napolitanas de Chocolate were quickly inhaled and we were off to our next destination.

Next while criss-crossinng through the streets while attempting to find our way to La Latina we arrived at Plaja del Mayor. A large pedestrian square, lined with restaurants and is surrounded by three-story residential buildings having 237 breathtaking balconies facing the Plaza. Sounds of foreign men selling annoying whistles and flying glows also covered the square (we were soon to realize that at each tourist filled square in each town and city in Europe we would again run into these men).

The square was so beautiful that we had to stop again. “But we haven’t reached La Latina” I complained to the Count. “Have you seen the inside of this place?” he said. The place he was referring to was the Museo de Jamon, translated to the “Ham Museum”. Seriously? A museum dedicated to ham? The place was covered with cured meats on walls and ceilings, slot machines and men carving legs of ham under bright lights. A large crowd of tourists and locals filled the restaurant and filled every empty seat available on the outside facing the Plaza. It was intoxicating. This was our first exposure to the ham obsessed Spaniard culture, one that both of us adapted to with ease and passion. And one that while I write this I wish was a daily part of my life.

We were seated facing the Plaja del Mayor and ordered a plate of jamon and a basket of bread served with two cervesaz. It was the perfect introduction to our Spanish adventure. But I was a woman on a mission: destination La Latina for some world famous tapas!

We passed through one of the many arches of the square and walked a few more minutes down to Cuchilleros, crossed Segovia and continue on to Cava Baja, the main street famous for its tapas. We first walked in to a jamon shop. The Count who at this point was only familiar with the Italian term ‘prosciutto’ was in Jamon-heaven. He even approached a salesman to ask whether he could ship a whole leg to America, sadly he was refused. “Lo Siento” said the Jamon man. That was the first Spanish phrase the Count leaned on our trip.

I was a kid in a candy store. Well, more like a carnivore in a butcher shop. But you get the gist. A foodie’s paradise (and not your vegan or veggie foodie, but your meat-loving one). So many great places to choose from. But that was the thing. We had to choose one. Based on recommendations we walked into Casa Lucas, a cozy, sleek tavern offering a range of wine and innovative yet traditional tapas. Here we got the fried calamaris, brought to us served whole and chopped up bar-side and mixed with the black squid ink. One word: amazing.

Casa Lucas is located at: Cava Baja, 30 28005 Madrid, Spain, +34 913 65 08 04

After our calamari dish and wine we walked down a bit further and had more Spanish wine. I was floating on cloud 9, so happy and so in love with Madrid. We were the only foreigners in a sea of spaniards which made ordering somewhat of a challenge but I’ve found pointing to objects and using hand signals really work in these dire circumstances.

We spent the evening in La Latina, walking back late at night to our hotel located by Plaja del Sol. Except, it didn’t feel so late. Crowds of people roamed the streets and the squares were filled with performers (and those undesirable salesmen mentioned above).

Day 2:

Our tapas adventures continued on the next evening starting off with the famous fried cod at Casa Labra. I had read about this place in travel guides but came about it quite randomly while taking a wrong turn off of Plaja del Sol. Cod an cod croquettes are the specialty served in a room that has remained almost untouched since the 19^th century. The crowds and the smell of fried cod made it hard to resist. We walked in and ordered from the friendly man at the counter. Beer and delicious, hot pieces of fish were served to us at the standing bar.

Casa Labra is located at: Calle Tetuan 12, close to El Corte Ingles Store located in Sol

The night then turned into a sea of tapas when we made our way to Mercado de San Miguel. Crowds of hungry and thirsty people stormed the various tapas bars lining the glass walls of this foodie market. I felt right at home and ordered one dish from each and every merchant, making this foodie experience deserving of a post of its own.

Mercado de San Miguel is located at: Plaza de San Miguel, (+34) 915 42 49 36

Philadelphia, Tapas

Tapas at Iron Chef Jose Garces’ Tinto- Rittenhouse (Philadelphia, USA)

February 7, 2013 3 Comments

Tinto is another one of local Iron Chef Jose Garces restaurants. I was a fan of Amada and am slowly making my way through his other restaurants in Philadelphia (Distrito, Tinto, G Domestic, Garces Trading Group, Village Whiskey and Chifa). Tinto is located in the Rittenhouse neighborhood and seems to be quite the trendy spot. It was packed with stylish young clads on Saturday night. Now I know where they have all been hiding. It was nice to finally see some life in the city which we have failed to find in these cold winter months. We were a group of 5 and the wait was 2.5 hours however, we were quickly accommodated by the matire’d who within minutes had us seated. Now that’s what I call service.

Tinto offers tapas style food which the Count and I love. Given that there were five of us we ordered a wide variety of dishes to share (see menu). Within minutes we were served with a complimentary crispy cheese bread plate and aioli sauce. It was devoured within seconds.

The night then started off with a single serving of the Short Rib Sandwich ($10). It was served with bacon, asparagus and celery root aioli. Since only one was ordered it was a hard plat to share. Although, as the food blogger in the group I did have a bite and found it to be a delicious and hearty short rib sandwich. I guess we should have ordered more.

It started off with the Sopa de Castano ($12). A truffled chestnut soup served with a duck and mushroom hash, fried quail egg yolk and pistachio.

The deconstructed soup was presented in a large bowl with the hash and egg yolk in the center. The broth was poured table side. The complexity of flavors in the soup was great and was a perfect balance.

Next came the Arugula salad served with Serrano ham, mission fig, fried goat cheese balls, spiced almonds and orange vinaigrette.

Next came the Pulpo ($12). An octopus salad served in a spicy tomato sauce with smoked green olive oil aioli and baked chips. The octopus was really tender and delicious when mixed with the tomato base. The chips added that crunchy texture that made the plate perfect.

The Tuna Tartare ($10) was served on a mini croissant with pickled guindilla and chorizo aioli. I loved it as I love anything tuna based. However, some in our party found the croissant to be drowned in mayonnaise sauce.

Next was a serving of jumbo lump crab, served on toast with fresh avocado and espelette chile ($9). I loved the generous amounts of crab meat mixed with the avocado. Served on toast it was the perfect combination.

The Moules Basquaise was my favorite of the night. A serving of mussels in a tomato and chorizo broth served with a side of delicious fries dipped in lemon aioli ($13). What a creative dish. I loved that the fries were pre-dipped in mayonnaise. The Count hates fries which left me with more fries. The mussels were tasty and the broth was savory and delicious.

The Kobe Beef was served like the crab- on pieces of toast with avocado, pisto bilbaina and romesco. The beef was very tender and went perfectly with the avocado.

Next came the dish I was most looking forward to but liked the least upon taste. Others at our table loved it. So it goes to show that its all about your personal palette. It was a brochette of lamb and chunks of eggplant wrapped in bacon served in a sherry jus shot glass ($14). I found it to be overly salty and the eggplants undercooked. There is nothing less appealing than undercooked eggplants. The bacon really added too much salt to the dish so I unwrapped it and tried it without the bacon. It still did not do it for me.

We also ordered the Bomba Rice in order to add some starchy carbs to our meal. It was a rice dish consisting of white asparagus, maitake mushroom and manchego cheese ($12). Although different in name it tasted very much like an italian mushroom risotto. And lets face it who isn’t a fan of risotto? Creamy rice and mushrooms always do the trick in my books.

A few at the table were still not full from the shared plates above and decide to order more. We decided on the meatballs and paella. The Albondigas (or spiced meatballs) was so beautifully presented. Each meatball was served with a toothpick in a spicy tomato sauce and a poached egg in the middle.

Besides the spicy and tasty flavors of the meatball the tomato sauce and egg could have been served as a separate dish on its own. It was that good! The Gutxuxa paella came out last. For $18 I expected a entree size dish and was surprised at the small portion of the dish. However, in a setting where everyone is sharing I guess it makes sense to serve in a mini paella dish (which was adorable).

The basque style paella was served with shredded rabbit meat, shrimp and chorizo. So far in life, I have refused to eat rabbit after having a terrifying experience in France (don’t worry I won’t share the agony). However, on this night being accompanied by a Belgian whose parents farmed rabbits I was convinced that it was no less humane to eat rabbits than any other meat (given their reproductive rate). So I dug in to eat a bite of our little soft and furry friends. And guess what? It tasted like chicken. Except it had less flavor. Was I a fan? Not really. Will I go out of my way to eat rabbit? Probably not.

Rabbit aside- the paella was just okay. I prefered many of the other dishes we had over the paella and for the price I would have rather gotten two more tapas. Note to self for next time. For dessert we shared a Chestnut Cream and Chocolate cake served with a scoop of coffee flavored ice cream. Who knew chestnut would make such a great dessert ingredient? The cake was delicious.

Philadelphia, Spanish, Tapas

Amada- Old City/Society Hill (Philadelphia, USA)

September 18, 2012 1 Comment

It was a Friday night. With no dinner reservations and empty stomachs we found ourselves in Old City searching for a new restaurant to discover. Walking through the old cobblestone streets behind Independence Hall we arrived at Chestnut passing Amada. Amada has been on the list of restaurants I have been wanting to try, so with no hesitation we walked in hoping to find a table. The hostess was nice enough and told us that all the empty tables in the dining room were reserved but offered us to wait in the bar area until a high top became available. And so we did. The place was buzzing with tables of young and old drinking wine and mouthfuls of small Spanish tapas.

The bar area was dark with a variety of Spanish Jambon hanging from the ceilings.

…And more cheese and cured meats on display.

The bar was full and so we stood around watching others eat while the bartenders sliced the leg of ham and prepared drinks. A high top became available and we were quickly seated. At this point, we were both too hungry to speak so we sat quietly staring down at our menu ordering everything that sounded good in my head. Not too long after, we were served bread chips with a side of tuna. The side itself was so delicious I wanted to order more…if only it was offered on the menu.

After watching the men slice up the jambon we couldn’t resist ordering a plate of the Serano ham from the Cured meat selection. If you are familiar with Italian Proscuitto and like it then you will enjoy the Serano ham. It is very mild in flavor and melts in your mouth. We also ordered a cheese plate with the aged Manchego, La Peral and Ermesenda. One goat, one blue and one hard. Each were served with a side which added to the taste and flavor.

The Garlic Prawns were next. Served in a hot dish of sizzling butter and garlic the prawns floated so delicately in the mix. It’s hard to dislike anything that is cooked in garlic butter but neither of us found this dish to be exciting or necessarily good. It seemed the prawns were a tad bit undercooked.

The Amada Empanada was next. It is hard to go to a Spanish restaurant without ordering an empanada. Amada has three different varieties on the menu but we chose to go with the vegetarian version filled with spinach, manchego cheese and artichokes. The presentation was beautiful. One empanada was sliced in half presented over an artichoke mix. The Empanada was slightly empty on the inside with a layer of spinach and cheese mix barely visible. I assumed that we were left with the task of filling it up with the artichoke filling. This we did and the result was fantastic. The mix of flavors were great- unlike anything I have ever tasted before (at least in an empanada).

The next dish that was brought out was the Patatas Bravas. Again, this is typically offered on most Spanish menus and can vary in shape, flavour and presentation. At Amada the potatoes were cut into little round cylinders with a spicy mayo mix on top. Presentation was beautiful and flavors were great.

The next dish was the Count’s choice: a bowl of chickpeas served in a tomato base sauce with spinach. First spoonful of chickpeas were undercooked and too hard (you know what beans can do to your stomach). So we had to send it back. The waiter informed us that the chickpeas are made to taste this way. Perhaps undercooked chickpeas is a thing in Spain but neither of us were a big fan. Without hesitation they took the dish of our bill.

The next dish was my favorite: a baked goat cheese served in a hot tomato sauce with a side of toasted garlic butter bread.

At this point we were both full after initially filling up on all the bread and cheese servings. But we had one last dish coming: the arroz temporado. A creamy rich rice dish mixed with wild mushrooms, peas and manchego. The Count refused to have more. But I took one bite. I am not sure what the herb in the rice was but it was very strong. I had envisioned a risotto dish filled with mushrooms however, I think I spotted one or two mushrooms in the entire plate. Overall, this was my least favorite dish.

Our dinner was Amada was exciting and flavorful. The bill came to just over $100 for the two of us. A bit expensive seeing that between the two of us we had two drinks and 7 small plates. However, the experience, service and ambiance was well worth it.

Website: http://amadarestaurant.com/index.html

Menu: Click here

Type of food: Spanish Tapas

Ambiance: 5/5

Food: 3/5

Service: 4/5

Gourmand, New Orleans, Tapas, USA

Salú (New Orleans, USA)

April 12, 2012 No Comments

Salu is located on Magazine street and offers hot and cold Spanish and Mediterranean tapas (although they also had some Indian dishes). It is a pretty large restaurant offering both indoor and outdoor seating. The interior dining area is decorated with eclectic art pieces and a hand-painted circular skylight designed by local artist E. Lee Jahncke. There is also a large colorful bar offering a wide range of wines.

This place has been around for over a year now; however, I’ve always passed it by without considering it. What a mistake! Everything from the decor, ambiance, service and food was great. The food….

…ahhh the food was delicious. Although I wouldn’t exactly describe all the dishes as tapas since some came in large portions. We ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, Patatas Bravas, Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Empanadas and Grilled Lamb Lollipops.

As soon as we finished ordering we were served with warm white bread and a plate of olive oil and herbs. Each plate came out as prepared. We went on a Thursday which also happened to be Paella night. The Grilled lamp lollipops was served on top of roasted red pepper fava bean hummus and crumbled goat cheese with two pieces of flat bread.

The wild mushroom and goat cheese empanadas was amazing. I could go back just for those. It was served in a delicious sauce with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

The patatas bravas (roasted potatoes served in tomato sauce) was perfect. Usually the skin is not crispy however this one was crispy yet absorbed in delicious sauce. And on to my favorite dish of the night, the Chicken tikka masala. The masala was a perfect blend of spices and flavors, served over top saffron rice and flat bread. It was delicious and the portion was huge considering it was meant to be a tapas…but I’m not one to complain about larger portions.