Featured Brunch: Boqueria

GutterGourmet — January 29, 2010

Clockwise from top: Olives and Tortilla Espanola, Dátiles Con Beicon, 19th Street exterior, and Croquetas Cremosa.

Seamus Mullen may not have become the next Iron Chef (he came in third), but he has brought Spain to Manhattan’s brunch scene with his two Boqueria locations (19th Street and Spring Street).

Start with one of the best Bloody Marys in the City. It comes with a skewer of Spanish olive, fresh sardine, and guindilla pepper to add salt and heat to an already spicy Bloody Mary mix ($10). The Pimientos de Padrón are blistered shishito peppers with about every fourth one carrying intense heat. Order some with friends for a version of Spanish “Russian Roulette.”

For a more traditional brunch item, the fluffy Tortilla Espanola beats an omelet and hash browns any day. To add a side of bacon to your eggs, order the Dátiles Con Beicon, almond-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. Need toast? Try the Cojonudo. Notwithstanding the nasty sounding name, it’s toast covered with chorizo and a fried quail egg. The Txipirones (baby squid) comes with an addictive dressing, over an arugula and radish salad, and fried chickpeas.

The Quesos Y Embutidos platter comes with a fantastic selection of cheeses (Idiazabal, the sexy nipple-shaped Tetilla, and La Serena, which is meant to be scooped with a spoon like fondue and eaten with quince paste). There are also mixed Spanish olives, grapes, pimiento, raisins, chorizo, lomo embuchado, and tomato-rubbed Pan con Tomate covered with jamón serrano. A variety of creamy Croquetas Cremosas (mushroom, chicken and more ham) and you’re set.

Don’t forget to save room for some Churros con Chocolate for dessert.

AlwaysPartying: Epicurious’ Ultimate Lunch Break

The Gluttoness — September 30, 2009

From Hill Country BBQ Beef Sandwich with Cole Slaw and Sweet Pickles.

Epicurious Entertains NYC (view) began today, and the mega-event (calendar) featuring celebrity chef demos and tastings, with portions of the proceeds going to Feeding America and the NYC Food Bank, kicked off in Union Square with The Ultimate NYC Lunch Break. The sold-out affair lived up to its lofty moniker. The afternoon’s plentiful spread featured some of AlwaysHungryNY.com’s neighborhood lunchtime favorites, namely Tabla’s Chicken Tikka Frankie and Hill Country’s BBQ Beef Sandwich.

Celebrated chefs like Julian Medina and Seamus Mullen were on-hand to dish out their respective Pork and Pineapple Tacos and Lamb Bacon BLTs. Following Mermaid Inn’s Lobster Roll and Cafe Habana’s Cubano, the Treats Truck came through with an impressive array of sweets, the Pecan Butterscotch Bars being the best of the bunch. For twenty bucks, it won’t be easy to find lunch from this many great diverse restaurants in Manhattan.

Click Here for "The Ultimate Lunch Break's" Dish-by-Dish of >>

HungryChefs: Love Summer Dishes

Arthur Bovino & The Hungry Goat — June 29, 2009

Chef John Stage, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

At City Harvest’s Summer in the City fundraiser last week, we chatted (in between amuses) with some of the hot New York City chefs who were serving up food for a good cause. It was an opportunity to find out what these chefs are AlwaysHungry for, which restaurants chefs crave, and their favorite summer dishes to prepare.

Click to find out what chefs' crave, where, and the summer dishes they like to prepare >>

AlwaysHungry: Flatiron Lunch

The Gluttoness — September 04, 2008

The AlwaysHungry Team hit up Boqueria for lunch this afternoon. We were able to saunter in past 3pm, grab a seat at the bar, catch the Federer/Murray match at the U.S. Open, all while sipping on some refreshing Rose Sangria. The menu was extra small at the odd hour and our lunch was relatively quick but there are two important things worth sharing:

1. The Dàtiles Con Béicon (bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with almonds and valdeón) are exceptional and represent the quintessential Spanish tapa at its finest. Between the sweet date, salty bacon, creamy cheese filling and crunchy almonds, you are instantly lost in an oblivion of decadent tastes and the most sumptuous mouthfeel.

2. No good can come from a pickled anchovie sandwich. Trust me. I thought the inclusion of apples would make for an intriguing amalgamation of flavors but the nauseating fishiness just overpowered all. I couldn’t even enjoy my multi-grain bread because it was tainted with fish juice. Sardines are one canned fish that make for superb sandwiches. Anchovies, not so much.

So lesson learned. Boqueria knocks it out of the park when it comes to fresh charcuterie and the swine-filled sandwiches are simply the best of the bunch. All sandwiches come with Mesclun Salad and Patatas Bravas (crispy potatoes topped with creamy aioli), which definitely come in handy when you order the anchovies. Never again.