Eight Ideas for Hanukkah

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For the table, the Jewish Museum New York gift shop at Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street sells a colorful and festive round “Happy Hanukkah” platter designed by Jessica Sporn for $30. And the neighboring design store has a small hand-hammered stainless steel bowl with an oxidized bronzed olive branch designed by artist Michael Aram for $70. http://www.jewishmuseum.org/

Burdick Chocolates, one of our all-time favorite chocolatiers, is selling their delicious chocolates presented in their signature wooden boxes and festively wrapped for Hanukkah. Priced from $18-$61 and only available by shipping. http://www.burdickchocolate.com/

We think the beautiful hand delivered fruit baskets from Manhattan Fruitier will add a sophisticated and festive touch to the holiday table, and the contents can be devoured after the party. Prices start at $55. http://www.manhattanfruitier.com/

For many years, Li-Lac Chocolates, with locations now in Greenwich Village and Grand Central has sold yummy milk chocolate gelt. This year it’s $17.50/lb., and they also are selling a chocolate driedel that is filled with the same chocolate gelt for $7.95. http://www.li-lacchocolates.com/

Any cut of prime beef that we get from L. Simchick is always delicious, and is worth an excursion to the Sutton Place neighborhood. If you’re cooking your own, the trimmed brisket there is $8.99/lb. 988 First Avenue (bet. 54th-55th Streets), 212-888-2299.

If jelly donuts are your tradition, we can recommend the Doughnut Plant on the Lower East Side. Check their website (under “Contact” ) for other shops around town where they’re sold as well. http://www.doughnutplant.com/

Lobel’s, the famously expensive Upper East Side Butcher sells fresh potato latkes for $2.50 each. They have to be the least expensive item in the store. http://www.lobels.com/

Eli Zabar’s website has two sizes of Hanukkah gift baskets, priced at $100 and $150. They are also made to order at E.A.T. at 1064 Madison Avenue. You can call in the morning and have one ready later in the day. http://www.elizabar.com/store-baskets14.html

Food Finds: Bargain EV Olive Oil

Available at Gourmet Garage
http://www.gourmetgarage.com/

Last week, near the entrance in the Gourmet Garage on E. 96th Street, there was a diminutive woman dressed in chef whites. She was standing behind a small table with a basket filled with bread chunks. Next to the bread were one-litre bottles of extra virgin olive oil. The name of the oil was Olave. It was a very pale green and came from Chile. It had a sweet, fresh taste and the best part was the unbelievable promotional price of $9.99 a bottle. We just tried it this week on a salad and it was terrific—comparable in quality to good EV oils that we’ve had from Italy. The price goes up to $16.99 on December 1, which is still a bargain considering the skyrocketing prices of European olive oils.

Wine Shop: Sherry-Lehmann

505 Park Avenue (at 59th Street)
212-838-7500
http://www.sherry-lehmann.com/

If you have not made a visit to Sherry-Lehmann at its new location on the corner of Park Avenue and E. 59th street, now is the time. Every NY wine lover knows their familiar shopping bag with the row of French Can-Can girls. To us, the old place on Madison Avenue had a dark dungeon-like feel to it, making it difficult to read labels and price tags. The new store has a much brighter up-to-date look, yet has a lived-in quality with a classic wood panel interior.

As always, the store is a museum of wine treasures. Nobody can dispute that this is a top place in NY to buy high-quality wine. If you are looking for a special gift bottle, this is a place to come. But also we’ve been very satisfied with some of their exclusive case offerings of moderately priced wines, which are generally announced to people on their mailing list and by looking at their website. For years, we’ve ordered from these selections and truly find them to be a terrific value.

In order to make shopping at Sherry-Lehmann a more pleasant experience, our advice is to do your homework on their website before you go. Jot down vintages, prices and the bin numbers, or else you could be in for an interesting transaction. This is simply because you never know what kind of service you will encounter. Over the years we have experienced both ends of the spectrum. We stopped by twice in the past week, and found seasonal salespersons all over the floor, mostly helpful without any pretense about wine. But be warned as it gets closer to Christmas and New Year’s, the store will no doubt be jam-packed during peak hours.

During one of our recent visits, Sherry-Lehmann Chairman Michael Aaron was giving a personal tour to a VIP-type friend and the temptation was too great not to listen in on the conversation. So now you know that one of the owner’s favorite sections is the display of oversized wine bottles right in the back row. We had to agree. Perhaps this year you can be Santa to someone with an Imperial (eight-bottle size) Chateau Beychevelle ($495) under their Christmas tree.

Restaurant: A Voce

41 Madison Avenue (at 26th Street)
212-545-8555
www.opentable.com
www.avocerestaurant.com

Worldwide Italian wine consumption is exploding thanks in large part to the popularity of Italian food and restaurants. We learned this interesting fact at an Italian wine lecture that was held at the NYU Stern Alumni conference this past June at La Pietra in Florence, Italy. So when we returned home to NY—which is to us the food capital of the world—we wanted to go back and eat at our current favorite NY Italian restaurant.

A Voce is that place. In Italian it means, “word of mouth.” This is modern Italian cooking with a NY twist. Even though the cuisine is very sophisticated here, one of our favorite dishes is called, “My Grandmother’s Meat Ravioli.” So if you are a pasta lover, this is also your kind of place too.

We remember when Chef Andrew Carmellini was cooking uptown at Café Boulud. For years, this was always our #1 choice in Chef Daniel Boulud's empire of establishments. So when Chef Carmellini went out on his own, we were sure to follow to see what he was up to. Since then, we’ve had several meals at A Voce and always had a great time.

The boss of the dining room is maître d' is Dante Camara, who always wears a big smile you when you walk in. At our last meal he gave us a table by the window because we told him when we made the reservation it was our anniversary. We ordered a perfectly cooked sliced duck breast with roasted figs, and the most delicious marinated chicken breast topped with outrageous looking tomato foam.

After you place your order be sure and have a discussion with the wine director, Oliver Flosse, a native of Marseille, France. When we told him what we were having, he picked out the most delicious Italian red, the 2004 Le Volte, from Tuscany.

The meal ended with a citrus tiramisu made with a Meyer lemon crema that was smooth as silk and a chocolate caramel tartino. There is also a nice selection of Italian cheeses to end the meal.

Food Shop: Bouchon Bakery

10 Columbus Circle
212-823-9363

The Best Brioche Rolls

Last Wednesday, we discovered the best brioche rolls that we ever had at Bouchon Bakery. On a lark, we stopped in at this terrific shop at the Time Warner Center, hoping to find some interesting bread to serve with our Thanksgiving meal, and were delighted to find these little glistening gems nestled in a Bouchon box. Sold only by the dozen ($9), they were made especially for the holiday, but the pleasant staff assured us that the small brioche loaf ($4.50) that is offered on a regular basis is made from the same recipe. And we’re hoping that the rolls will be back during the December holiday season.

If you haven’t already been to Bouchon Bakery, it certainly is worth a detour if you’re in the neighborhood. They also sell a mouth-watering selection of viennoisseries and pastries, and offer soup, sandwiches and salads to go.

A bit of a recap of our Thanksgiving hits and misses. The turkey from Schatzie was absolutely delicious. We were disappointed in the Pugliese Vineyards sparkling wine, but did think the Bedell Cellars 2005 Reserve Merlot was terrific and went extremely well with the Thanksgiving feast. Pat’s rendition of Bill Yosses’ pignoli tart was a good sturdy effort, but not memorable.

Wine Shop: America's Wine Shop

398 3rd Avenue (bet. 28th and 29th Streets)
212-679-1224
http://www.americaswineshop.com/

A Source for Long Island Wines

A quest for a special Long Island sparkling wine for Thanksgiving led us yesterday to America’s Wine Shop (aka McAdam Buy-Rite). It all started on Friday when we read an article in the Wall Street Journal about small-production American bubbly (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119518541093895468.html). We were especially intrigued by one of the recommended wines, the Pugliese Vineyards Blanc de Noir Nature 2000, and since we were already planning on a Bedell Cellars Merlot for our holiday meal (also from the North Fork of Long Island) this sparkler promised to make an excellent start to the Thanksgiving meal.

When we called up Pugliese Vineyards, we were told that there was only one shop in NYC to carry it, “go to McAdams,” was the direct order! So, off we went, and sure enough, there was a large sheet of paper pasted in the window that claims the McAdam Buy-Rite liquor store has the largest selection of Long Island wines anywhere in the world.

If not for the sign, from the outside you would never know this place specializes in anything. It looks like a run-of-the-mill neighborhood liquor store. The harsh yellow lights coming from the sign over the place says it is a “Buy-Rite” discount store. Inside confusion reigns and boxes are everywhere. And to find wine bottles not covered with dust is a challenge. But all of the Long Island wines are there on the first aisle right when you walk in.

Our advice is to immediately ask for help. If Scott is on the floor you will be in good hands. The gruff check-out guy was another story altogether. He claimed the Long Island list was around 300. Who knows? But we did get exactly what we were looking for: the Pugliese sparkler ($19.99) and the 2005 Bedell Cellars Reserve ($26.99). And as a bonus, Scott enthusiastically suggested a wine to go with Thanksgiving desserts: a 2003 late harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Paumanok Vineyards ($29.99).

We’re off for the Thanksgiving holiday and will be back on Monday.

Recipe: Bill Yosses' Pignoli Tart

Back in the 1990's when we published The NY Food Letter, we asked Bill Yosses, then pastry chef at Bouley, and now the pastry chef at the White House, for a Thanksgiving dessert recipe. He suggested his Pignoli Tart, saying, "It's a nice change from pecan pie." Flavored with an apple compote and pistachio cream, this original creation will make a wonderful finish to your holiday meal.

Note: when shopping for pignoli (pine) nuts, be sure to buy ones that come from Spain or Italy, which are elongated in appearance unlike the squat, more commonly found and less expensive variety from China. There is a big difference in flavor and we never use the inferior ones from China.

This tart is made of four different layers. It can be made one day ahead, in which case you should wrap it well and store it at room temperature. If you refrigerate it, make sure it is tightly wrapped with cellophane paper. Bill recommends that home chefs use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients rather than standard measures. It's just as easy and yields more precise results. We've included both measures.

Makes one 10-inch tart

Pignoli Sable Dough
2 1/4 oz. (or 1/2 cup) pignolis
2 1/4 oz. (or 5/8 cup) confectioner's sugar
5 oz. (or 10 Tbs.) butter
9 oz. (or 2 1/4 cups) cake flour
1 oz. (or 1/8 cup) Sauternes, Malvasia or other sweet wine

Preheat the oven to 375°. Coarsely chop the nuts in a food processor. In a mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the butter with the sugar and nuts until smooth and creamy. Mix in the flour and then add the wine, little by little until the dough comes together. Using a spatula, spread a 10-inch circle of the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan (or use a 10-inch ring mold). Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the apple compote.

Apple Compote
2 Winesap, Macoun or Golden apples
1 oz (or 1/8 cup + 1 tsp.) granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean

Peel, core and cut each apple into six equal-size pieces and place in a stovetop casserole. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds. In a small saucepan mix together the water, sugar and the vanilla seeds. Bring to a boil, and cook until it becomes syrupy. Pour the mixture over the apples, cover and simmer over a low heat for about 7-10 minutes or until the apples are tender yet still maintaining their shape. Chop the apple mixture until it becomes spreadable. Spread the compote onto the dough and allow to cool.

Pistachio Cream
2 1/4 oz. (or 1/2 cup) shelled pistachio nuts
2 1/4 oz. (or 3/8 cup) granulated sugar
2 1/4 oz. (or 4 1/2 Tbs.) butter
1 egg

Chop the pistachios in a food processor until fine. Incorporate the granulated sugar and then the butter. When the mixture is soft, add the egg. Mix until smooth and spread onto the compote. Bake the tart again for about 15 minutes or until a crust forms on the pistachio cream. Remove to cool.

Pignoli Topping
9 oz (or 2 cups) pignolis
1 oz. (or 2 Tbs.) butter
1 oz (or 1/8 cup) honey
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Lower the oven to 325°. On a low flame, saute the pignolis in the butter, honey and rosemary until golden brown. Remove the sprig and place the nuts over the pistachio cream layer and bake an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Serving Suggestion:
Reheat the tart to warm it through and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Food Shop: Morgiewicz Produce

Produce Pick for Thanksgiving

57th Street Greenmarket

Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8AM to 6PM
9th Avenue and 57th Street

We’ve been going to the 57th Street Greenmarket on Saturday mornings this fall. Although there are only a handful of vendors, it’s a nice change from the packed crowds at Union Square. We have nothing against dogs, strollers and cameras, and have ourselves been guilty of all three, but sometimes, it seems, well, just too much of a scene.

So, we were happy to discover Morgiewicz Produce at this calm neighborhood Greenmarket on the border of Hell’s Kitchen. With their extensive selection and terrific quality, we decided this is where we’ll be buying our Thanksgiving produce this year. The owner told us that the soil in Goshen, NY, where they are located, is particularly rich in nutrients and is not the least bit sandy. And to us, the colors and flavors seem just a bit more intense than the usual fare.

Service is always helpful and the prices overall seem to be a tad lower than many of the other farm stands we visit around at the Greenmarkets. Look for a variety of squashes—we made an easy soup with their excellent cheese pumpkin. You’ll also find Brussels sprouts, all kinds of greens, multiple types of potatoes and onions, herbs, celery root, and fennel, just to start the list. The day before Thanksgiving will be their last Wednesday of the season, but they hope to keep up the Saturday schedule until shortly before Christmas.

And if you need local seasonal fruit, the neighboring stand, Toigo Orchards, sells very good apples and pears, albeit a bit pricey.

Wine Shops: Beaujolais Nouveau Day

Found at Wine Shops All Around NY Today

Today is the official release date for the wine that is called Beaujolais Nouveau. No matter where you go in NY, wine shops will have it out on prominent display. This is more the result of good French public relations work than the quality of the product. Beaujolais Nouveau is a light and fruity red that was harvested literally weeks ago. The grapes come from the picturesque vines of the southern Burgundy countryside. Every year on the third Thursday of November we buy a bottle, chill it up, and drink it the same night with dinner. You will find it goes well with a hamburger or a pizza. Expect to pay about $10 a bottle now, and probably a dollar or two less than that in a few weeks.

The release of this wine is supposed to signify the end of the fall harvest. For us, Beaujolais Nouveau Day is sort of an anniversary. In 1994, we wrote about the Nouveau for the New York Daily News. As a result of that story and the big picture of the Georges Duboeuf “flower label” that ran next to it, we were invited to the Beaujolais Nouveau kick-off luncheon at the Rainbow Room. They sat us up front with all of the food and wine dignitaries from France and NY. It was a blast. So tonight we again toast our memory of that event with a bottle of the new vintage.

Food Shop: Schatzie’s Prime Meats

The Best Thanksgiving Turkey
1200 Madison Avenue (bet. East 87th-88th Streets)
212-410-1555

We have lived on the East Side and the West Side, Brooklyn and Hell’s Kitchen, and are always ready for an excursion to a different neighborhood butcher shop. These are the places that help make NY a food town. But now after more than two decades of cooking a fresh-killed turkey on Thanksgiving Day, we can say the best source for that once-a-year big bird is Schatzie the butcher. His tiny shop is located on Madison Avenue just off East 88h Street.

Schatzie is a character. Check him out on YouTube.

The better you get to know him the more his charming but crude sense of humor comes pouring out. Guaranteed you will leave his store with a smile. Right before Thanksgiving, Schatzie rents two refrigerated trucks that are parked right out front of the store just to handle the orders. The operation pick-up with the huge lists of names on the wall is well run. It is very festive in a NY sort of way.

All he will tell you is that the turkeys come from a farm in Pennsylvania. It doesn’t matter. The roast turkey will have terrifically moist breast meat with a delicious flavor. Standard sizes range from 12 to 32 lbs. with the 18/20 size being the most popular, and there’s even an order this year for a 40-lb. bird. The cost is $3.98 per lb. You can also order an already cooked 18/20 lb. turkey with all the trimmings for $249, but that was never our style. We always use the traditional James Beard recipes especially for the pine nut stuffing. How can you improve on the true American classic dinner?

Restaurants: Thanksgiving Reservations Made Easy

http://www.opentable.com/

Every year, on the fourth Thursday in November, without fail, we’re out early at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We head uptown to catch the parade near its starting point, ensuring that we’re back home well before noon. Then, we tune into Channel 4 (or 704 this year in HD?), and we re-watch the end of the parade all while we start our own culinary festivities, taking us into the very late afternoon before our meal is finally on the table. It’s a fun tradition, but who sometimes doesn’t fantasize about just letting someone else do the cooking? Or maybe you’re in town just for the holiday and a restaurant reservation is in order.

We think the folks at http://www.opentable.com/ did a great job this year organizing the details of Thanksgiving menus around town. Gone are the days of thinking about which places might be worth going to and then calling around to see what the menus are like and how much they’ll cost. Just scan the Thanksgiving 2007 link on their home page, and see what appeals to you and how much you’re willing to spend. Your reservation is only a few clicks away.

We’re firm believers that Thanksgiving should be about serving American food and wine, and using local ingredients wherever possible. So, if we had to choose from this restaurant list, our top pick this year would be Porter House New York http://www.porterhousenewyork.com/. We think the chef, Michael Lomonaco, does a terrific job serving up American classics with flair. And the setting at the Time Warner Center with its windows overlooking Columbus Circle is particularly appealing on this festive day in New York City. We had a terrific lunch there early in the year, during NYC Restaurant Week. And the meals at the 21 Club for us were at their best when Michael was at the helm. We’d be happy to leave our Thanksgiving meal in his capable hands, but then what would we do with that turkey we ordered from Schatzie? More on that tomorrow…

Wine Shop: Tinto Fino

Vinos de España
85 First Avenue (bet. 5th & 6th Streets)
212-254-0850
http://www.tintofino.com/

If you’re interested in discovering Spanish wines outside of the more typical riojas found in NY wine shops, then head over to the East Village and go to Tinto Fino, a tiny gem of a shop that opened about a year ago. Grouped by geographic region, there are usually about 150 different wines in stock, many of which you won’t find at any other wine store in New York.

When we were there today, the selection seemed mostly skewed to what we call “special occasion” wines ($20-$30+), i.e., not in our everyday budget. But salesperson Stephanie said that she was just about to replenish after the weekend, since the shop tries to have representation in the $7-15 range as well. Stephanie was knowledgeable, helpful, and enthusiastic without being the least bit overbearing. Shortly after we walked into the shop, she offered us a taste of this week’s featured wine, the Descendientes Pétalos 2006 Bierzo, ($23) which she explained is made from mencía, an indigenous Spanish grape. The featured wine is offered at a 10% discount, and the store usually offers tastings once a week.

Tinto Fino has just launched a new website, and is offering 15% off all wines purchased online (minimum of 6 bottles) in November. If you visit, bear in mind that the store keeps “East Village” hours, currently 12PM to 10PM Monday through Saturday; and 1PM to 9PM on Sunday.

Event: Chocolate Show

November 9-11, 2007
Metropolitan Pavilion & Altman Building
125 West 18th Street (bet. 6th & 7th Avenues)
http://www.chocolateshow.com/

I went to the annual Chocolate Show New York this afternoon. Bill declined my invitation; apparently he was the wiser.

The show opened at 11 AM; I got there at 1:30PM. Admission was $28 (cash only) and it was quite packed. And as crowded and uncomfortable as it was for me today, I expect it will only be more so over the weekend.

There were more than 60 booths hosted by companies from all over the country and some importers as well. Only a handful of well known New York City chocolatiers set up camp: Jacques Torres, Payard, and Christopher Norman, and only Jacques Torres was offering samples. The other two had “run out.”

A few things were of interest. Mary’s Chocolatier of Tokyo (http://www.mary.co.jp/) was quite good and had a team of artists demonstrating their “seasonal flower” decorating techniques. Theo Chocolate (http://www.theochocolate/) from Seattle offered a generous array of tastings of their fine fair trade certified chocolate bars. But beyond that, there wasn’t much I could get too excited about.

Here are other things I did see: an artist selling a collage of wrappers from chocolate that she had eaten ($6,000—I am not making this up); a “fashion show” of mannequins all of whom had some component of their costume made in chocolate; Capital One trying to get attendees to sign up for a credit card in exchange for a free fleece blanket; and an adult walking around in a monkey costume (a tie-in to a peanut butter product).

Coincidentally and by contrast, we were walking around SoHo yesterday afternoon and stopped in at three charming and different chocolate shops within a 10-minute radius of each other: Kee’s, MarieBelle, and Vosges. The latter two graciously offered samples of their confections, and MarieBelle even gave us small cups of hot chocolate. At Kee’s we bought two exquisite chocolates ($2.16 each) that were freshly made that day. It was a delightful and rewarding mini-chocolate tour for a New York chocolate lover.

We’ll return to a Spanish theme with our next report on Monday.

--PMM

Food Shop: Despaña

408 Broome Street (between Lafayette and Centre Streets)
212-219-5050
www.despananyc.com

We love this appealing Spanish import food shop with a SoHo vibe. Opened just last year, we think it’s become an instant NYC food classic.

Part of the fun of Despaña is just walking around and trying the products. Samples are generously offered throughout the store. Last visit we tasted four cheeses, three meats, red pepper spread, olive oils, vinegars and a fantastic and intriguing cactus-banana confiture.

When we were there on Thursday at lunchtime, the two men behind the counter were in perpetual motion, one slicing ham, and the other weighing and cutting cheeses. This shop carries 55 kinds of cheese imported from Spain and an assortment of meats including Serrano ham and their own chorizo sausages.

Despaña calls them “bocadillos,” but we just call them some of the best sandwiches around. Served on Sullivan Street Bakery bread (our current vote for NYC’s best bread--more on this another day), there are about a dozen choices, most costing $8, and all feature ingredients for sale in the shop. Do try the terrific “picante,” served warm, and made with spicy chorizo, Mahon cheese, Basque guindilla peppers, tomatoes and aioli. They also serve a limited selection of tapas, Pintxos (little dishes from the Basque region) and desserts. There’s limited seating to eat there—three small marble countertops each with two stools, and a wooden bench out front.

The floor-to-ceiling shelves lining one wall of the store are well stocked with sweet and savory staples, cookware including paella pans, and even cookbooks. Quality is tops at Despaña, and the prices fairly reflect that.

Restaurant: Pamplona

37 E. 28th Street (bet. Park & Madison Avenues)
212-213-2328
http://www.pamplonanyc.com/
http://www.opentable.com/

Dining at Pamplona Last Night
Funny to open up the New York Times this morning to read Frank Bruni’s review of Pamplona. We were just there for dinner last night with our friend Steve Geerts of John Varvatos and had an all round terrific meal. For years, we’ve considered Alex Ureña to be in the top echelon of New York City chefs, yet one who never quite gets the recognition that we think he deserves. We hope that Mr. Bruni’s favorable review will encourage more people to try Alex’s new venue.

Why You Should Go
Pamplona is a casual place serving seriously good Spanish food. Prices are extremely reasonable considering the quality delivered. What comes on the plate is the one but absolutely compelling reason to make your reservation at Pamplona. Keep in mind that the décor is very simple, neither exciting nor offensive. Service is okay; if last night’s dinner is any indication, it can be pleasant, but not always attentive and at times quite slow.

The Menu
It seems you can’t miss by starting to nibble on the tapas, little dishes in the $4-6 range. Just pick what sounds appealing to you. Last night we sampled various meats (embutidos) and cheese balls (quesos). All absolutely delicious! Moving on, we all loved our first courses, trying three different choices: the poached shrimp with creamy Manchego rice and fresh chorizo sauce, the cured tuna sliced thin with sobreasada aioli, and the truffle oil poached egg with white asparagus salad, fresh chorizo and pimiento del piquillo sauce. Expect to pay in the $9-14 range for your first course.

Sea scallops with salsify, shiitake mushrooms morcilla, Cantipalo, Vizcaina ($24), the slow cooked chicken with artichoke-truffle puree and oyster mushrooms ($20), and the “hamburguesa,” a beef suckling pig and chorizo burger server with salad and fries ($18) were our main course selections.

The burger was addictive and like nothing any of us ever tasted. Alex explained that he uses a lesser known soft chorizo as one of the ingredients. (In fact, while “chorizo” appears all over the menu, Alex explained that he actually works with nine different varieties in Pamplona’s menu.) Steve insisted he was coming back over the weekend to eat the burger again! The scallop dish disappeared in a New York minute. Only some of the chicken was left on the plate. It was incredibly rich and too intensely truffled for our taste, especially after all that we had already eaten.

We looked at the dessert menu, but the choices did not leave us feeling compelled to order anything. Perhaps next time we’ll try, but Mr. Bruni’s comments today led some credibility to our gut reaction to take a pass.

The Bar/Cocktails/Wine List
There is an appealing, comfortable bar when you walk in. Last night while waiting for our friend to arrive we witnessed a solo diner having a terrific time ordering up several tapas and an appetizer (entrada) while sipping a glass of red wine. The amiable bartender gave him a second glass on the house. We would think it would be a great place to meet up, and even if you can’t stay for dinner, just have a glass of wine and some tapas. There are some house cocktails with a Spanish accent, house Sangria, and a wine list dedicated exclusively to Spanish wines.

On a Personal Note
We’ve been longtime fans of Chef Alex Ureña, and he and his wife Martine, who runs the dining room, have always been sincerely appreciative of our compliments and repeat visits over the years.

We first met Alex at Marseille in Hell’s Kitchen in 2000, followed him to Suba on the Lower East Side a few years ago and visited Ureña last year. Five weeks ago, Alex and Martine reopened the space into the current Pamplona (and had a baby girl six weeks ago!) Say hello to Martine when you come in & tell her that Pat & Bill sent you. If she’s not there, then ask the waitstaff to let Chef Alex know.