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-
Lows-
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
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Espana
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
QuickBites- June
This month I decided to set a goal for our dining. I wanted to eat out only at neighborhood establishments that promise interesting food. The one objective condition was that the most expensive item on the regular menu could not cost more than thirty dollars. Thinking about the cost of of gas and the eventuality of a down payment for a house, I knew we could choose restaurants that offered a delicious compromise between pub/chain food and those establishments that promise a near fine dining experience.
While our latest experiment has been going on, we at A Man Has to Eat have been out twice to places we frequent with family. Enjoy these QuickBites.Meson Los Espanoles
My aunt and uncle vacation in Spain every year and frequently gravitate to the Spanish culture and cuisine. Since Solera closed the doors to its Irvington location, they have been on a quixotic endeavor to find a replacement in Westchester. Very few establishments that promise authentic Spanish food have been left untested.
Meson Los Espanoles, located on Post Road in White Plains across from the Tango Grill, is one they have found that consistently pleases. While neither as sophisticated nor as progressive as Solera, Meson Los Espanoles offers a traditional Spanish menu in an atmosphere that is conducive to conversation and enjoyment of food (read: Aunt Nancy and Uncle John don't like eating in a place that is too crowded or loud).
Everytime we go someone orders, without fail, the pulpo a la Gallega and the boquerones con pimientos. The pulpo are served thickly sliced over potatoes with olive oil. The boquerones are bleached herring (anchovies) cured in vinegar. Both are a perfect start to a fulfilling meal.
Most of the dishes are grilled or served in a cazuela. The best way to summarize Meson Los Espanoles is as a traditional restaurant that reminds me most of coastal Spanish cooking (though their menu does certainly branch into other Spanish traditions). It doesn't offer the promise of cutting edge Spanish cuisine, but comfortably puts out dishes that replicate the foundation upon which those culinary leaps were built.Encore
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading this blog that my father asked to go to Encore for his Father's Day dinner. I'd been involved in a discussion thread on the trisate board at Chowhound recently whose focus was on places to eat in Larchmont and Mamaroneck. The usual suspects, deservedly so, all came up, but no one mentioned Encore. I threw this gem into the mix and the only person who engaged me wrote about how Le Provencal is better. My take is that Le Provencal and Encore are two very different restaurants. In my opinion, Encore defines bistro dining. That they execute it well only makes me love them more.
Last night's meal was one of the best yet. At our previous visit they were introducing new menu items, one of which was a whole baked snapper. It was just a little under done last time, but I wrote I expected it to be much better when the kitchen had a chance to get used to it. I was correct. The fish was perfectly cooked and the pineapple garnish provided a wonderful acid. Balancing out the dish was a hint of heat that I do not recall last time.
I started my meal with the grilled calamari. My mother enjoyed it last time and wanted to share the dish with me. I agreed because she is my mother and because I had grilled calamari less than a week ago at Solmar and I wanted to compare the two while the flavors and textures were still fresh on the tooth and palate. I'm not sure which flavors I liked more. The Encore plate employs a tremendous amount of garlic in a rich sauce while the Solmar plate utilizes oil and sun dried tomatoes. On Encore's side is the fact that my dish came out fresh from the oven. One of my only complaints about Solmar was my lukewarm appetizer.
Chrissie and my father split, as they usually do, a dozen escargots. I would never order this, but I enjoy having bites of theirs, especially dips of baguette into the buttery cells of the cast iron plate. I'm of the opinion that enough butter and garlic on anything will taste good.
A more pleasant surprise than doneness of my fish was the inclusion and execution of quail as a nightly special on a Monday. Both my parents ordered this dish last night and both of their birds were perfectly cooked. I would have ordered it myself had I not been on a mission to re-evaluate the snapper.
Posts
