Espana

Ever since Solera closed the doors to its Westchester outpost, Chrissie and I have been attempting to fill the void left by our favorite Spanish restaurant. We've kept track of all the restaurants that purport to serve tapas. We've eaten from the low end to the high end and we've tried both the traditional and the progressive. Some have come very close, but none have lived up to the overall experience at Solera. Recently, we tried Espana, the fairly new tapas restaurant in Larchmont. Espana, located in the space formerly inhabited by the Larchmont Oyster House, has gotten some great press by both the professional reviewers and the lay eaters and we decided to once more try to recreate the past.

I'll begin with the vast wine list that represents the various wine regions of Spain. One of my favorite memories of our trip to Spain involves buying, in the supermarket, a few bottles of five dollar wine each morning to accompany the day. The wine you can drink in Spain for under ten dollars is far superior to the cheap wines available in the United States. Unfortunately, the wallet friendly price of domestic Spanish wine is lost in translation during its voyage to American drinkers. The wine list at Espana, while comprehensive and interesting, seems on the expensive side and does not represent the value we love at A Man Has to Eat. We got a bottle anyway.

We decided to take a three course approach through the evening, sampling a variety of dishes from both the tapas and appetizer menus. We couldn't resist beginning our meal with the jamon special of the evening and a plate of boquerones. The Iberian black footed pig, available for the first time in the Untied States in our very own Westchester, costs as much as a dinner plate, but we decided, after watching Alton Brown speak so frequently about the pleasures of the jamon produced by the acorn eating swine, to try it despite the cost per slice. It was worth trying once. Its texture was impossibly both smooth and firm. Its taste subtle and nuanced. It was difficult to show restraint and not eat it like a piece of prosciutto. However much I rave, Chrissie and I were both in agreement that we would prefer to order regular jamon next time and save the the extra money for another dish.

The boquerones were meatier and fresher tasting than the thin, completely bleached, and very pickled versions that typically arrive in a typical tapas presentation. Chrissie liked the Espana take better. I called it a draw, slightly missing the stronger tart, but appreciating how clearly the flavor of the fish came through.

We finished the dishes and decided to go hot for the next course. Since we were eating comparatively, we had to try the pulpo a la gallega, which is a staple of our tapas dining. Chrissie has been on an egg kick lately, so she was delighted to find an egg preparation as part of the daily menu.

We are hard to impress when it comes to octopus. So many places don't give it the attention it deserves and then put out a plate of substandard food to a customer they hope doesn't know any better. This is not the case at Espana. The pulpo was sublime. The egg dish, on the hand, was confusing. The egg was properly cooked and the vegetables were tasty, but it lacked the sense of excitement the other dishes had. Philosophically I understand its inclusion. If I were truly going out for a drink and snack to hold me over until a late dinner then this would be a perfect dish. Conversely, if I were ending a night of drinking and wanted some protein then it would also be perfect. As it was served, I don't quite understand the circumstance in which the chef envisions this plate being ordered.

We went for heavier dishes to conclude the meal, ordering canalons de carn and a foie gras dish. Both were flavorful, interesting, and hearty, leaving no room for dessert. Sated, we ordered coffee and decided to return another time to either explore the rest of the small plates menu or to see what the kitchen puts out as a prepared plate.

Highs-

• Great food service that isn't rushed, especially considering how busy it became at the tail end of our evening.
• Very good food. Traditional with sparks of creativity.

Lows-

• The room itself is very dark and narrow. It worked better as the oyster house than as a tapas bar.
  
• Expensive. Tapas average ten dollars, appetizers come in at fourteen, and entrees hover around thrity. The small plates can quickly add up if you are not paying attention. Solera wasn't cheap, but the room was grander and the experience was more upscale. I'd love to see Espana make their pricing more competive, even if it means smaller portions and fewer options.

Will we go back? With so much left to try, we will definitely go back. Espana has the best tapas oriented menu we've eaten in a long time. I look forward to satisfying Spanish cravings at Espana for many years. I only hope other diners continue to find the value in a two hundred dollar tapas dinner during our current economic climate.

Espana is located at:
147 Larchmont Avenue
Larchmont, New York 10538