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??