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“Tia Pol”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Spanish	Chelsea	Cheap Eats	Great

of spicy pork sausage in a terra cotta cazuela. Next up were the croquettes—essential eating for any Spanish restaurant—and these were terrific, fried to a crunchy crisp, and filled with creamy melting béchamel studded with salty nuggets of ham ($4/$8). Then we moved on to a wild dish called paquetitos de jamon con alcachofa—picture triangular envelopes made of jamon (Spanish ham), so they resemble ravioli, filled with mixture of manchego cheese and confited artichokes. This dish packs in some huge, shameless flavors, and I love that. If you are more a of a meek food person, don’t bother. But if you like to eat big and bold, you’ll love these. Ditto for the gambas ($7/14)—juicy, head-on shrimp that taste like the sweet sea. Be sure to suck on the heads because there’s lots of great flavor in there. Don’t be dainty! Don’t waste it! If you are shy, take them with you to the ladies room and suck on them in there.

I had no room for dessert but we did try one called Calimocho ($6)—a riff on a red wine and coke drink all the kids who go clubbing drink in Spain (It’s their Red Bull). Alex serves it as sort of a soda float—a glass of coke topped with a scoop of red wine ice cream. As my friend exclaimed, with a huge smile on his face—it’s like a slurpy! I love this thing. And then he slurped the whole thing down. The smile stayed put.

Tia Pol also serves lunch and brunch—scrambled eggs with scallions and romesco, olive oil fried eggs topped with house cured pork and confited piquillos, and croissants sautéed in Catalan butter with orange marmalade and orange blossom honey.

I was completely enchanted by Tia Pol. The service is warm, knowledgeable, friendly and so hospitable. The food is fun, terribly addictive, and delicious. And most of all, I love the fact that these two women, who are so amazingly lovely, created this place, building it from the ground up, all from a dream. Tia Pol is a tender little gem that makes you believe in possibility—in those dusty ideas we all have, tucked away somewhere far far away under the heading “That’ll never happen so why bother?” Here’s my thought on that: Bother.

Tia Pol is open Tuesday through Sunday; closed Mondays. Tia Pol is located at 205 10th Avenue (b/w 22nd 23rd), 212-675-8805.

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Posted: August 14, 2004

Other restaurants in Chelsea :
+ Matsuri   + La Bottega   + Tia Pol   + Bombay Talkie   + Cookshop   + D'Or Ahn: THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED   + Buddakan   + Crema   + InTent: THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED   + Trestle on Tenth   + Klee   + El Quinto Pino   + Socarrat   + Txikito   + Co. (Company)   

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