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I almost lost my camera at Olea the other night! Thank god the waitress ran after me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to post about this delicious Mediterranean meal. Olea is a cute, open space on Lafayette Avenue and Adelphi with high ceilings, big windows, and a tavern-like appeal. I'd been here once before for tapas, and found the food to be simple, well-seasoned and fresh. The wine list was also pretty great. After that experience, I couldn't wait to return for a full meal.
We started with Boquerones Marinated White Anchovies served with chopped toasted almonds and celery leaves. These were so good that they were all gone before I realized I forgot to take a picture! I've never had almonds with anchovies -- they added great texture to the fish which was pickled and marinated in a delicious mix of oil and vinegar.
For my main course, I had a special; Pan-Seared Scallops served with a barley-like grain sauteed with roasted red peppers, spinach, and portobello mushrooms. The scallops were amazing! I never really order scallops because I fear there will only be three on the plate and I will leave starving but I decided to go for it and I'm glad I did. These were perfectly seared with a nice crisp exterior and a great buttery flavor inside. The grain mixture was a nice complement; it was much lighter in flavor. The only thing was it was a bit oily in taste. Surprisingly, the dish was kind of filling.
My husband ordered the Roasted Mediterranean Brazino with fingerling potatoes and balsamic glazed cipollini onions. The dipping sauce was a lemony-garlic combo with what we think was parsley. While there were a lot of bones to navigate around, the fish was really well prepared and the sauce was to die for. I didn't try the onions or potatoes, so can't comment on those (but he said both were great).
We shared the Roasted Brussell Sprouts as a side. All I can say is yum.
All in all, a great meal. Really glad this place is only a five-minute walk from our apartment!
I am not a big fan of one-pot meals. Don't get me wrong, if someone were to offer me a bowl of lasagna or mac 'n cheese or some kind of curry stew, (or dumplings of course) I'd eat it and probably love it. But, my favorite way to eat is what I call, "a little this, a little that" -- it's pretty self-explanatory but the idea is that you get to take a couple bites of one thing, then move on to the next. You don't get sick of what you're eating because each bite is like the first all over again. Each bite does not have to be dramatically different from the next, but it should be distinct enough to feel like a new experience. Potlucks, really amazing salad bars, dim sum and tapas fit perfectly into the ALTALT way of eating. More on the others later, the focus here is tapas.
Below is a recent pictorial recording of an awesome tapas meal at Boqueria in Chelsea.
Started with Red Sangria. I typically prefer a nice glass of medium-bodied, smooth, dry red but this was a nice change of pace. Went down a little too easily!
One of the first dishes to arrive: Patatas Bravas (Crispy potatoes, "salsa brava" roasted garlic al i oli). Perfectly crisp potatoes with a light garlic aioli. The "Salsa Brava" was underneath. It added a bit of spice to the dish.
These came next: Datiles con Beicon (Dates stuffed with almonds and Valdeon, wrapped in bacon). We couldn't stop raving about this perfect combination. I didn't realize until just now that they were filled with Valdeon as well as the almond. No wonder they were SO good. My only criticism is that the bacon could have been a little crispier.
The selection of Croquetas Cremosas: Setas, Bacalao y Cochinillo (Creamy Croquettes: Mushroom, Salt Cod, Suckling Pig) and Croquetas de Jamon (Croquette with Spanish Ham) rolled out next (actually I skipped the Tortilla that came in betwen -- the photo didn't come out that well and it was salty and not really a favorite at the table). These were only okay, in my opinion. The mushroom was the best, then the Cochinillo and the Jamon. The salt cod was very fishy and a little too salty. They tasted more baked than fried.
Gambas... oops, I failed to record the name of this gem. When this dish was brought out, the shrimp were somewhat translucent and the platter was sizzling. We assumed they were supposed to cook from the residual heat of the platter but as the dish cooled the shrimp didn't appear to have fully cooked, so we had to have them reheated. When the shrimp were brought back out they were fantastic. They rivaled the dates as a favorite at the table. The sauce was AMAZING -- really garlicky with hot peppers and shrimp stock; particularly good for bread-dipping.
The Coles de Bruseles (Pan-roasted brussel sprouts, chorizo) were also delicious and perfectly-cooked.
A very unique combo: the Bocata de ... not sure what this was called as it was a special, featured pickled anchovies, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and an olive tapenade, I think. I personally loved these but one person from our party was not a fan. Anchovies are such a love 'em or leave 'em kind of thing. We actually also got a really good sardine dish that came breaded on a bed of white beans. Yum, but not stand-out.
This was a special -- I can't recall what it was called, but the "square" was suckling pig with a very crispy skin. The meat was really tender, almost like a pulled pork. This was served with artichoke hearts and wild mushrooms -- both deliciously tender and buttery.
By the way, at this point I was wishing I had worn elastic waistband pants! I was SO full, but everything was really good so I couldn't stop... and up next was dessert.
Our waiter told us that Churros con Chocolate (Traditional fried dough, thick hot chocolate) were a favorite, so we ordered these. They were good, but nothing compared to the grand finale below.
The creme de la creme: Torriya y Helado (Carmelized "Spanish toast," goat's milk ice cream). Wow. I am not really a dessert person but this was freaking fantastic. It was essentially French toast, but probably the best French toast I've ever had. The exterior had a crispy caramelized sugar coating and the interior was incredibly fluffy. Even the way it smelled -- all cinnamon-y and vanilla-y was amazing. And the goat cheese ice cream was the perfect accompaniment, though I barely noticed it next to the toast.
At the end of the meal, I felt so incredibly full. Perhaps I should rename this post, A Lot of This, A Lot of That...
