Friday, April 3, 2009

CONTIGO**'

Pulpo - tender nicely cooked octopus with fingerling potatoes, dusted with a nice hit of spice.
Calamares a la plancha - another good rendition of this dish, loved the harissa kick.
Clams - too salty and the broth lacked flavor.
Fried Sardines - medium sized sardines with delicious thin pieces of fried meyer lemon
Oxtail Croquettes - the fried outer shell was a nice crunchy compliment to the slow cooked oxtail.
Callos - tripe, reminded me of trippa a la fiorentina at Delifina, the tripe was well cooked though the sauce was a bit one note.
Butter Beans w/ trotter - bacony beans with chorizo, didn't get a bit of the trotter
Papas Bravas - this was a decent recital of this dish, crunchy potatoes. The smokey spanish paprika was familiar, but I would've liked some spiciness.

Halibut with peas and romesco sauce was somewhat bland. The fish was steamed and the romesco sauce lacked flavor to carry the dish.

Catalan musician's tart with vanilla ice cream - definitely get this again. pecan pie with mixed nuts, buttery flakey tart crust and a perfect balance of savory nuts on the sweet filling.

Overall, the quality of the food is high, though the value is questionable due to the portion size. While I appreciate their expertise, time, sourcing, overhead etc, it's a challenge not to feel a bit foolish for paying $7 for three little sardines the size of my pinky finger, or some fried potatoes equivalent to about half a potato. Particularly when the ingredients aren't so precious that such spending feels decadent.

The atmosphere was nice and the service efficient. Something about this place reminded me of Nopa (which I like better). I'd probably go to La Ciccia or Incanto instead where I might spend more but get a better value. That said, it's nice to have a good Spanish place nearby. It's a good place for someone on a diet. If I did return, I might get: pulpo, calamares and butter beans again. Also good were the tripe and oxtail croquettes. Next time try some of the beet salad.

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