<< previous review   next review >>

reviews

“Txikito”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Spanish	Chelsea	Moderate	Great

r tortilla chips, your warm artichoke and jamon dip is generously spooned over slices of toasted baguette and then gratined under the broiler turning the top piping hot and golden. The only issue was that Craig and I were having dinner with our friends Debbie and Liz, and the order of tutera only comes with two toasts. We had to double up. While sharing is possible, it’s not likely. Ditto the kroketas ($5)—two crispy tater tot-shaped croquettes enclosing a warm pool of thick and creamy béchamel. Double (or triple) up on your order as needed. The marinated mussels with piquillo pepper puree ($8) are also excellent—piquant and bright, and perfect appetite stimulant.

There are some great ribs served in this town—my mind immediately goes to the salty peppery ones Ryan Skeen serves at Irving Mill, but his ribs will have to share the spotlight with the spicy cross-cut pork spare ribs ($11) bathed in stew of tangy, sweet and spicy piquillo peppers. These nuggets of slow cooked pork, skewered with a rib bone, fall apart into the piquillo pepper ragout like a luscious ten-hour braise. The restaurant doesn’t serve bread with the meal, but they’ve got it if you want it, and I’d ask for some to mop up all that good sauce.

You’ll also want the bread around to sop up the yolk of the soft-poached egg that’s secreted under a pile of beautiful arugula, topped with crispy tempura-fried silver fish ($12). These slim little fish resemble potato sticks more than they do any sort of true fish, and they add just the right amount of salt and texture to this salad, turning it from something that could be forgettable into something truly revelatory and memorable.  

After such a spectacular buffet of little Basque snacks, I was ready to lift someone up on a chair or for the round of the Hora. And I was also expecting, as is usually the case at catered affairs, that the larger plates might be dull or uninspired in comparison to the snacks. But everything continued to wow us, save maybe for the tender garlicky green beans that might have been cooked a few minutes past tender. But other than that, the blaze of flavors on the plate continued to burn steadily throughout the evening. Lamb breast—a special that night ($15)—was a cut I was not familiar with, but was remarkably juicy and tender. Quite honestly, it tasted like boneless lamb chops, but perhaps a bit more fatty. The lamb is s ... [more, click below]

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  

 Make a reservation

<< previous review   next review >>

Posted: February 22, 2009

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)   

Share ! Post a comment