Every Monday evening, the space that houses Tasting Social’s Mountainbird in East Harlem, transforms into a delicious little slice of Spain. Chef Cedric Durand offers an eclectic menu of Modern Spanish Tapas at Tastings Social Gaudir, which transported me back to my trip two years ago.
Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to this establishment for a complimentary meal. All opinions expressed in this post are my own
Food: ☆☆☆½
Service: ☆☆☆½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆½
Cost: $$$
Must try: Scrambled Eggs, Mushroom and Kale Paella
Food: ☆☆☆ ¾
Service: ☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Must try: Grilled Maitake Mushrooms, Raw Shaved Fluke, Guacamole with Grapefruit Salsa
ABC Cocina is Jean-Georges Vongerichten and executive chef Dan Kluger’s endeavor at inventive, Latin inspired, tapas style fare.
Housed within the stunning ABC Carpet & Home Store, this hot spot is fashioned in abcmkt’s eclectic style – an aesthetic I love (of course everything is available for purchase on the shop floor).
The menu consists of seven sections with choices that range from a “Raw Bar” to “Light and Bright” to “Wood Burning Grill” and more.
The cuisine is based on flavors from Latin America and Spain and is for most part executed rather well. Dishes that blew me away were the “Raw Shaved Fluke with Green Chili Dressing” and the “Grilled Maitake Mushrooms”. Other such as the “Fish Taco” felt lacking in clean flavors and brightness as is was unnecessarily doused with some kind of creamy heavy Russian type dressing. The “Short Rib Tacos” though are a clear winner!
Service was very pleasant but uneven. We were kept waiting for fairly long spells between certain dishes.
I didn’t fall in love with ABC Cocina the way that I did with ABC Kitchen….but the small plate fare piqued my interest enough to make warrant several revisits.
Here is some of what we ate:
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| ABC Cocina | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| Flatiron / Latin American other / Tapas/Small Plates | |
| * Street Address | |
| 38 East 19th St. (Between 5th Ave. & Park Ave.), New York, NY 10003 | |
| * Phone | |
| (212) 677-2233 |
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Must try: Patatas Bravas, Setas al ajillo con La Serena, Espinacas a la Catalana, Patatas Bravas
José Andrés is the culinary mastermind who is credited with bringing authentic Spanish cuisine and the concept of Tapas to the United States.
At Jaleo, which is at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas, Andrés along with Chef Ramon Martinez, offers a delightful blitz of fantastic small plates showcasing the very best of Spanish cuisine.
Andrés has created a remarkable paella pit at Jaleo, lit by all wood fires, which flavors their delicious paella of the night.
The menu is extensive offering over 70 options to diners to pick from. Each dish delights in different ways as do the wonderful drinks. The service at Jaleo is just as charming as the food is. For me, this was a perfect Vegas food spot to kick off an evening of fun.
Here is some of what we ate:
|
|
* Restaurant Name |
|---|---|
| Jaleo by José Andrés | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| Spanish | |
| * Street Address | |
| 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South , Las Vegas, NV 89109 | |
| * Phone | |
| (702) 698-7950 |
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Service: ☆☆☆☆
Ambiance: ☆☆
Cost: $$
Must try: Selezione Del Salumiere, Caponanta, Focaccia
Food: ☆☆☆½
Service: ☆☆☆½
Ambiance: ☆☆☆☆
Cost: $$$
Must try: PB&J, Rice Crispy Crusted Monkfish
