I’m facing a bit of a predicament: This summer one of my best friends is leaving the U.S. Navy and embarking on a world tour as a civilian. My hope is to join him, along with some other friends from college, on the Spanish leg. More specifically, a trip to San Sebastián in Basque Country. Money is, unfortunately, an object, but my fingers are crossed.
Chefs and restaurant obsessives famously love Spanish cuisine. The proof is in the restaurant pudding: Cervo’s, Txikito, Ernesto’s, El Quijote, Mercado Little Spain — the list goes on. Combine that with New York’s more recent fascination with tinned fish, and you’ve got a perfect climate for what I’ve recently identified as Spanish wine bar mania. Here are three new destinations for cava, conservas and croquetas.
Galician octopus in Park Slope
Let’s start our journey at Bar Vinazo on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, open since May and by far the most restaurant-y of the spots in this newsletter. It’s from the folks who brought us Fausto and LaLou, both in Prospect Heights, and once the weather warms up there’s a nice backyard worth checking out.
When I walked in on a recent Saturday afternoon, the bar had just wrapped up a sherry tasting so I was able to flag down one of the owners, Joe Campanale, who also happens to be the in-house wine expert. (Good timing, right?) Joe poured me an easy-drinking white blend from Catalonia that went very well with some tuna belly in olive oil — one of six tinned-fish options — and a small platter of jamon Ibérico and zamorano cheese.
The most surprising part of the meal, though, was the perfectly tender, pimenton-dusted octopus over fluffy potatoes, which restored my faith in a dish that is overcooked far too often. Over Instagram messages, the executive chef Silvia Garcia-Nevado told me that she prepares the octopus using a traditional Galician method: Boil for 30 minutes, hang the octopus to allow it to stretch and tenderize, and then pan-sear to order.
