Tapas
by Celia Cheng
December 18th, 2006
BOQUERIA
53 W 19th St
(5th & 6th Ave)
212-255-4160
Wow! Let me say that again. Wow! How much fun was Boqueria?! Though it was packed and a bit loud especially for a Monday night, I enjoyed the atmosphere, the décor, and most of all, the food! I must admit that I’m guilty of only trying the tapas and cheese on my first visit, and not the medium and large plates, which I hear are even better. Is that even possible considering the tapas were delicious?! No worries though, I will be back again and again to try everything. I only wish that this was my neighborhood restaurant so that I could just walk downstairs and either have a drink at the bar and munch on tapas or eat a full meal. Instead I live in the culinary desert called University Place — the biggest magnet for the most mediocre and unsatisfying eateries.
Many friends told me about Boqueria and a reader even sent me a specific craving, cojonudo (fried quail eggs and chorizo on toast), which reminded me to check it out. The cojonudo was my favorite, even though I really liked everything! It’s like a miniature egg and sausage open face sandwich, with a little fried quail egg on a slice of chorizo on a small piece of toast — bite size. Two of these mini treats comes in one order, so naturally we added another order on top of bacon wrapped dates, croquettes, tortilla, patatas bravas, a special fried squid and zucchini, and the flash fried and house pickled sardines, which was another knock out! We also tried six cheeses and a cured sausage that were all very fun and delicious.
I usually go in depth to describe the taste, textures and aromas of each dish, but Boqueria is a place filled with bursts of energy. Everything delights for a moment in time and you can move on to the next, sure of continuing pleasure. My attention span is cut short but I totally recommend the food and the experience. So stop reading and go try it!
Posted in Flat Iron District , Spanish , Tapas
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