A Paella Feast at Socarrat

Since returning from Spain, I have been craving great paella, which, frustratingly, is almost impossible to find Stateside. Not paella in name only, which is what you often get in Manhattan restaurants. Glorified saffron flavored risotto in a large shallow pan does not a paella make. An authentic paella can NOT be missing the crunchy, just shy of burnt, top and bottom layers of rice in the pan, truly elevating a dish whose main ingredient is merely rice. Granted, that is a difficult line to toe, but if you are not going to do it right, why bother. Don't tease me with fake paellas, please.

So I had high hopes when I first heard of Socarrat Paella Bar, considering that socarrat refers to that elusive texture I sought, the crispy, caramelized, toasted bottom layer of rice. That seemed to bode well as the restaurant was at least aware of what the key component to a great paella was. So off I went to dinner, keeping my fingers crossed that I wouldn't be disappointed.

A tiny sliver of a restaurant on a quiet block in Chelsea, Socarrat is dominated by a long communal bar where the majority of diners are seated (as much as anything can dominate a tiny 400 square foot space; a normal table for 4 would dominate as well). The antiqued decor is pleasant enough and makes Socarrat a cute date spot if the need arises.

Obviously, the main reason to come to Socarrat is the paella and as we waited for ours to be prepared, we ordered a couple of tapas to nibble on. The standout was the calamari a la plancha, which consisted of lovely grilled calamari in a garlic lemon marinade. Exceedingly tender and expertly grilled, my only hesitation in recommending the calamari is if you really were on a date. The garlic, as often is the case for Spanish food, was quite pronounced; luckily, no worries for me and the calamari was quickly dispatched. Fried sardines were our other choice, skewered and served over a nicely acidic tomato sauce. Although a bit heavy on the breading, the acidity of the tomato sauce held up nicely to the oiliness of the sardines making the dish pleasant enough.

The tapas did a good job distracting us while we waited for the star of the show, which soon emerged from the kitchen. The paella de carne for 2 that we ordered, interspersed with chunks of pork, chicken, duck, chorizo, and green beans, looked absolutely spectacular. Was this paella simply a pretty face or had I found a real paella outside of Valencia? Spooning the rice onto our dishes you could immediately tell we were in for a treat. The rice had the perfect consistency and textural crunch you want and the meats were all surprisingly juicy and well-seasoned. Bite after bite was quickly devoured and as the top layer of rice disappeared, our waiter sauntered over and scraped the crispy, truly delicious bits off the bottom of the pan, making sure we got every morsel of the socarrat. One wouldn't want to waste the best part.

It was actually nice for once for my expectations to actually be met; this was a truly great paella worthy of standing up to any competitors back in Spain and deserving, in and of itself, 3 stars. Easily worth a trip above 14th Street. I would even travel to the far reaches of Brooklyn for this paella, its just that good. Ok, maybe not to the far reaches, but regardless go to Socarrat and experience paella as it should be, in all its crispy glory.

3 stars: Worth Traveling Above 14th Street For

Socarrat Paella Bar
259 W. 19th Street between 7th and 8th Ave.
Cost: Dinner for 2 $80 (excluding tip)
Highlights: calamari a la plancha; paella de carne
Service: Friendly service characterized by the jovial presence of the Spanish owner/host

Lunchin' at Momofuku Ssam Bar

As the cult of David Chang continues to grow, I thought I would revisit the runt of the Momofuku litter, Momofuku Ssam Bar. I used to frequent Momofuku Ssam Bar in its infancy, when the concept behind it was that of a burrito bar, the Korean answer to Baja Fresh. And god, did I love it. It was inexpensive and the Asian-inspired burritos filled with kimchi, red bean paste, and chicken were things of genius. Unfortunately, Momofuku Ssam Bar as a burrito joint didn't find much favor with the East Village locals, so it was gradually transformed into the restaurant it is today. And so, I found myself eating lunch there on a recent rainy Wednesday afternoon, making my own determination as to whether change is good.

Momofuku Ssam Bar is all dark wood, low slung tables, and stools with an open kitchen peeking out onto the dining room. Lunch time is quiet for the Ssam Bar, but it can get pretty boisterous at night. All the dishes are meant to be shared, so they come out rather haphazardly, which I don't mind because it allows you to sneak bites of your companion's food and try even more dishes.

The first dish we sampled was a cured hamachi plated with an edamame horseradish puree. The fish was fresh enough but the edamame horseradish puree lacked any punch whatsoever, so instead of a creatively composed dish, you had a simple plate of sashimi. A bit of a letdown as I have come to expect more from Mr. Chang.

The next dish to emerge from the kitchen is quite often the highlight to any visit to a Momofuku establishment: the steamed buns filled with unctuous pork belly, hoisin sauce, scallions, and pickled cucumbers. The highest compliment I can pay these delicious little buns is that I inevitably share an order (which consists of two buns) and always end up hating whoever I am sharing the dish with because I don't get seconds. The pork belly is so wonderfully fatty and the fluffy buns perfectly soak up the pork fat and hoisin sauce. Truly delicious. Just don't say I didn't warn you if you share an order of pork buns and have strange feelings of hatred towards your companion. Its not you, it's the buns.

On the heels of the heavenly steamed pork buns came a rather disappointing dish. The buttermilk panna cotta salad with microgreens, pine nuts, and a white miso-soy broth just completely missed the mark. The buttermilk panna cotta seemed unsure as to how salty or sour it wanted to be leaving my tastebuds similarly confused. The pine nuts also could have spent some time toasting to add some much needed crunch to the dish. Really, the only thing that saved this 'salad' from being an unmitigated failure was that the white miso-soy broth was almost perfect with just the right hint of salinity and tangy-ness. That broth would have been better served standing alone.

Luckily, we finished the meal on a high note when a plate of spicy rice cakes, pork sausage, chinese broccoli, and crispy shallots arrived to the table. The spicy rice cakes had the consistency of plump little gnocchi with a pleasing crunch to the exterior, while the ground sausage was sufficiently spicy to make you sweat, which I find welcome. A hearty squeeze of lime to add some acidity would have truly made the dish perfect, but nevertheless, this dish showed the creativity and skill that a David Chang-inspired kitchen should always aspire to.

It may be a function of how much I love Momofuku Noodle Bar and the high expectations I have for a David Chang-led establishment, but my lunch time repast at Momofuku Ssam Bar left me disappointed. Although the steamed pork buns and spicy rice cakes deserve better, the overall experience only merited 1 star. While Momofuku Noodle Bar has noticeably improved since it moved to a new location, I fear that the Ssam Bar has lost its way. Obviously, David Chang knows what he is doing conceptually, but more attention needs to be paid to the food on the plate. You can definitely eat well at Ssam Bar if you order carefully enough, but ultimately, I would suggest heading to Momofuku Noodle Bar if you really want to see David Chang shine.

One Star: Good Concept, Poor Execution (pretty annoying considering Mr. Chang should know better)

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 Second Avenue, corner of 13th St. and 2nd Ave.
Cost: Lunch for 2 $60 (excluding tip)
Highlights: Steamed pork buns; spicy rice cakes with pork sausage, chinese broccoli, and crispy shallots
Service: The surprisingly knowledgeable and competent hipster-ish waitstaff does an admirable job

Postcard from San Sebastian

Michelin stars literally abound in the Basque countryside surrounding San Sebastian. If you are visiting, with cash to burn, and are into molecular gastronomy, by all means check out Arzak and Mugaritz. For those of middling means, however, I have compiled a list of more moderately priced restaurants in San Sebastian’s Old Quarter that truly wowed me.

Restaurante Urepel (Plaza Slamanca 3, 011.31.943424040)

This restaurant specializes in traditional Basque cuisine presented in a dining room straight from the gilded age of the eighties. Regardless, the fish is fresh as can be and a lovely salad of red vegetables took advantage of the sea’s bounty with grilled mackerel, tuna, anchovies and bluefish rising in a tower above the greens. Pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate. On our way to San Sebastian, the countryside was full of snowy white wooled lamb, so of course that's what we ordered. And sure enough, the roast lamb dish which consisted of lamb loin skewers with roast mushrooms, as well as lamb chops braised in honey and cider, was perfectly seasoned and made me Grumpy no more. At least until the next annoyance cropped up. Dinner for two with wine, €110.

Morgan Jatetxea (Narrika 7, 011.31.943.424661)

Morgan’s menu del dia is the steal of the century and, on the day we visited, the restaurant was filled with locals. Served at lunch, this three course meal will only set you back €17. Now if the food was bad, I wouldn’t care if the set menu was being given away. But serving traditional Basque dishes such as calamari stewed in its own ink with rice alongside international favorites such as lamb tagine somehow works in Morgan’s eclectic atmosphere. And most importantly, the food was tasty. One warning, the appetitizer, main course, and dessert that make up the menu del dia are enough food to feed a small army. Be prepared. Lunch for two with wine, €34.

Kokotxa Restaurante (Campanario 11, 011.34.943.421904)

Bright lights and uber-modern furnishings served as the backdrop to some of the most artistically plated and tastiest food I have had in ages. Course after course struggled to serve two masters – inventiveness and simplicity. My taste buds emerged victorious. The first course of fried artichokes with salt-water crayfish atop sweet potato puree was the best first course I had in all of Spain. The balance of the crayfish’ sweetness and the balsamic sauce was sensational. Truly delicious. Another standout dish was the red mullet fillets served with conch pieces and tomato tarter. So fresh and the dish was so evocative of the ocean that I fell in like with it. (Let’s not get crazy and LOVE a fish). Dinner for two with wine, €115.

One final note: before you leave San Sebastian, you MUST do a pintxos (tapas) crawl from bar to bar trying different snacks. My friend and I gorged ourselves on pintxos and wine the entire night and still only managed to spend upwards of €50. If you just wander around the old town in San Sebastian, you’ll find plenty of lively pintxo bars to pop into. However, one place not to be missed is Ganbara (San Jeronomino 21, 011.31.943422575), which was easily the most refined and elegant of the bunch. If you go to Ganbara, you must order, and this is a command, una surtido setas (a mixed plate of grilled wild mushrooms) and una pulpo gallego (boiled octopus with a spicy paprika sauce). You will thank me.