www.barpaya.com

Proprietor/Chef: Mathew Kenney

Category: Tapas/Peruvian

Neighborhood: East Village

65 2nd Ave
Manhattan, NY 10003
(212) 777-6965

Mood: tapas to share with a large party…. feeling festive and seafood-y adventurous

Tastes Like: party in your mouth… with a few key things they can easily tweak to make it even better.  Tapas is a must for sharing.. and even great for large groups because you get to try a variety of stuff.  We opted for Yuca fries, lobster guacamole, two different types of ceviche, hangar steak and octopus tiradito.  The seafood here is OK, not too shabby.  The lobster guac was my favorite, only because the plantain chips are so addicting and when lobster meat is lost in translation with the guac, it doesn’t matter how fresh the lobster is.   I wasn’t particularly in love with both ceviche (classic and tuna)… pieces could have been more chopped up, and it was too tart due to the overwhelming amount of lime juice used.  The tuna was a bit on the sweeter side for me.  The portions here were on the bigger side (not complaining).  And we left pretty full and satisfied.  Hangar steak was pretty good.  I think they need to look at each dish and just modify the ingredients and usage of each ingredient (salt, limes, pepper) to refine each dish. Plus, a lot of it seems to be too much clutter.  Sometimes less is more.  It’s almost there, but not quite fully.  

Must Haves: lobster guacamole, hangar steak, octopus tiradito

Stay Away: ceviche.

Ambiance: Outdoor seating a plus.

Service: I don’t think we got each other’s sense of humor…he seemed … afraid of me.

Rating: 3 stars

Caveat: No pitchers of sangrias available.. ONLY by the glass.  How the hell does this make sense??

http://www.boquerianyc.com/

Proprietor/Chef: Yann de Rochefort/Seamus Mullen

Category: Tapas

Neighborhood: Flatiron
53 West 19th St, New York, NY
(212) 255-4160

Tastes Like: Wham!  Citrus zing in your mouth that pops of all different kinds of flavor you could possibly think of.  Everything was plated beautifully, which I had anticipated on.  My absolute favorite dish was the txipirones, (baby squid with arugula, olives, radish and fried garbanzo beans).  By using the purest top olive oil, the ingredient enables the dressing to taste fragrant and alive.  The paella is also a hearty dish and definitely meant to be shared with at least 3 people.  The one component that was missing  from the dishes was a bit of heat.   Otherwise, the easy traditional flavors all came together with a very straightforward and comforting bite that left me enough room for dessert.  The warm chocolate cake left me in utter content.

Must Haves: Seafood paella as was the patatas bravas and the txipirones (baby quid with arugula, olive , crispy radish, garbanzos)

Stay Away: one of the seafood dish that had rock fish in it….was extremely way too salty for me…and the salt cod fritters.  tasted like fried oil batter to me.

Ambiance: This place is a must for a fun date or large groups… We didn’t make reservations, and table service was so long, we ended up sitting in the bar seating area.

Service: Our waitress knew her stuff–she was so kind and helpful.  Not a hint of arrogance, which is so often the case in the city.

Caveat: Ok, I’m not really sure how realistic it would be to get a meal here for $15… all their tapa dishes for the most part IS under $15.  But like I mentioned earlier, this place is a no-no if you’re super hungry.  This place is very reasonable for brunch and lunch though, so highly recommend it for the afternoon dining affairs.   Also, Seamus Mullen is apparently going to be on an upcoming show: Season 2: The Next Iron Chef.  This is great press for the restaurant, but what it really means is that it’s going to take triple times the wait now.  *sad face.

Rating: 4 stars!