If you are trapped in the US, and happen to be in NYC, a great tapas fix can be enjoyed at Las Ramblas on West 4th Street. We held a fleet summit there just yesterday and every single dish was delicious and served by a madrileno who knew the wines and food inside and out and also helped out with some Spanish history/language/culture info. Specifically, gambas, tortilla, and albondigas are beyond compare.

Enjoy the meal and go forth like a conquistador, or maybe just a sentimental affectionado.

(MadridMan, forgive me for this shameless endorsement but this place is well worth the visit.)

El Almirante

admiral44

Thanks for the info will give it a try.

Is seems it gets very good rating from this website MenuPages.com


Bill

Oooohoohoo... A Madrileño serving food in a Catalán restaurant. Hahaha.. His family must be writhing in shame and agony! hahaha....

Their website is http://www.lasramblasnyc.com/ . I have to wonder why a Spanish restaurant - claiming to be a Spanish restaurant - would call itself someplace Catalán like "Barcelona Restaurant" (there was one in Columbus, Ohio - trendy, expensive) or "Las Ramblas" since, as we all know, Barcelona IS NOT part of Spain nor do they have Spanish food in Cataluña. They have Catalán food in Cataluña/Catalunya because, as we all know, Cataluña is not part of Spain. NOR is Barcelona a tapas city - as addressed in another thread (I think).

2006 New York Times review on the Greenwich Village restaurant here .

Still, sounds like an interesting place unto itself. Next time I find myself visiting long-lost-member JoeSambuca in New York City I'll have to take him along - my treat!

Saludos, MadridMan/ BarcelonaMan

You are absolutelly right MM. There's a place here in KC with a Barcelona inspired architecture and all they serve is Tapas. I have also found many establishments with Spanish names that have nothing to do with Spain. Like Night clubs with a tropical atmosphere but called "Barcelona" or places called "Madrid" that offer a main dish Paella!! Even better, the other day I saw on the menu "gazpacho" at a French restaurant...

I think Spain is so cool that they use any name related to it just to attract people...

I'm sure you're right, jabch. Imagine the potential success of a USA-based Spanish restaurant in the USA called "Iruña" (which is "Pamplona" in Basque). People would see that, laugh, and pronounce it as "I Ruin Ya'". That'd be certain death for that restaurant.

So yes, familiarity is important when marketing something/someplace. But naming a Spanish restaurant something like "Las Ramblas" is almost an insult to ones intelligence. I'll guess the owner was expecting patrons to be one-time-Barcelona-visitors and knowing nothing about Catalunya itself or its relevance within the country but having good memories of the Sangria they drank there, the paella they ate, or flamenco show they saw in Barcelona - all 3 of these things so seemingly out-of-place in Barcelona for those whom know Spain as a whole.

Saludos, MadridMan/BarcelonaMan

I couldn't agree with you more, MM@!@

this thread is so funny, comparing things people do in restos. well my best friends in NJ, Spanish from Gijon, came down to Daytona Beach Florida; open a restaurant across from the raceway (Daytona 500 etc fame) call it Villa Madrid.
first patrons in ask if they had any Tacos!! ha ha ha!! the restaurant lasted 4 months.
marketing and knowing history is very hard to combine.

I have a feeling this is going to be the last time someone posts a recommendation of a Spanish related restaurant that is not in Spain.

To bad and hopefully I am wrong.

Bill

I hope it's NOT the last time someone posts a recommendation of a Spanish-related restaurant that is not in Spain. Afterall, it sparked Spain-related discussion.

Saludos, MadridMan

well i shall recommend the la tasca we have in bolton its superb authentic spanish decor, spanish waiters/waitreses, spanish music the food is not bulls tails or pigs trotters or but very much the same as you get in spanish tapas bars, the garlic sausage is to die for it, is a chain of restaurants all over england and if you get the chance to go, do not hesitate i well recomend them!
http://www.latasca.co.uk/