Posted by: Diana
USA: Spanish restaurants? - 08/24/01 10:05 PM
(How about some restaurant reviews of Spanish restaurants in the US? I'm not sure if this is the right forum to stick this in - it's not really part of Spain travel - but I adore Spanish food, and love "talking" about it. Here's a review to start with.)
Restaurante La Encina (West Chester, PA)
[NOTE: JANUARY 7, 2004: This restaurant is closed. The chef is opening a new restaurant outside of Seville.]
OK, so it’s not in Spain. But this recently opened restaurant is so good, I thought I should spread the word to all you East Coast lovers of Spanish food. I just had my first dinner in the US there after a wonderful month in Spain, and a Spanish restaurant was just what I needed.
The chef/owner, an young Andaluz, offers a lovely selection of dishes from all over Spain. There’s a tapas menu, as well as a dinner menu consisting of appetizers and entrees. We were presented with a complimentary dish of marinated mussels that were very good - with a nice taste of cumin I’ve never tried before. Between the six of us we tried a lot, and I managed to sneak tastes of everything. I started with absolutely heavenly pimientos de piquillo stuffed with bacalao on a bed of rice in squid ink from the tapas menu . The gazpacho was excellent, the shrimps were not bad, and the tortilla de patatas was unfortunately slightly burned, as was the garlic in the sopa de ajo. The croquetas de jamon serrano were really yummy. The prices of these dishes ranged from $3.00 to $6.50.
We went on to dorado baked in a case of salt (delivered to the table and served by the very nice, dedicated chef, along with an outstanding hollandaise sauce and boiled potatoes with fresh garlic, parsley and olive oil - perfect for dipping bread into), lubina in sauce with clams, hard boiled eggs, and asparagus; paella, and angus beef on a bed of mojo colorado canario. It was all excellent. Prices for these dishes ran from $15.50 for the fish to $22.00 for the beef.
We were stuffed but decided we couldn’t leave without trying some of the desserts (all $5.00 each) and some nice strong café. The rice pudding, apple stuffed crepes, and tarta de Santiago (still warm from the oven) were beautifully presented with sauces, cinnamon, and fruit, and tasted out of this world. They were huge. I’ll be finishing my tarta de Santiago tomorrow for breakfast.
I’ve been wishing for a Spanish restaurant in the Philadelphia area since I came here five years ago, and my wish has been granted - and only 15 minutes from my house! I’m really picky about restaurants, but this food was better than the food I ate in most restaurants in Spain this summer. The decor was not terribly interesting, but the service was excellent. I’m definitely going back!
(Note - they don’t have a liquor license yet, so it’s BYOB.)
Restaurante La Encina (West Chester, PA)
[NOTE: JANUARY 7, 2004: This restaurant is closed. The chef is opening a new restaurant outside of Seville.]
OK, so it’s not in Spain. But this recently opened restaurant is so good, I thought I should spread the word to all you East Coast lovers of Spanish food. I just had my first dinner in the US there after a wonderful month in Spain, and a Spanish restaurant was just what I needed.
The chef/owner, an young Andaluz, offers a lovely selection of dishes from all over Spain. There’s a tapas menu, as well as a dinner menu consisting of appetizers and entrees. We were presented with a complimentary dish of marinated mussels that were very good - with a nice taste of cumin I’ve never tried before. Between the six of us we tried a lot, and I managed to sneak tastes of everything. I started with absolutely heavenly pimientos de piquillo stuffed with bacalao on a bed of rice in squid ink from the tapas menu . The gazpacho was excellent, the shrimps were not bad, and the tortilla de patatas was unfortunately slightly burned, as was the garlic in the sopa de ajo. The croquetas de jamon serrano were really yummy. The prices of these dishes ranged from $3.00 to $6.50.
We went on to dorado baked in a case of salt (delivered to the table and served by the very nice, dedicated chef, along with an outstanding hollandaise sauce and boiled potatoes with fresh garlic, parsley and olive oil - perfect for dipping bread into), lubina in sauce with clams, hard boiled eggs, and asparagus; paella, and angus beef on a bed of mojo colorado canario. It was all excellent. Prices for these dishes ran from $15.50 for the fish to $22.00 for the beef.
We were stuffed but decided we couldn’t leave without trying some of the desserts (all $5.00 each) and some nice strong café. The rice pudding, apple stuffed crepes, and tarta de Santiago (still warm from the oven) were beautifully presented with sauces, cinnamon, and fruit, and tasted out of this world. They were huge. I’ll be finishing my tarta de Santiago tomorrow for breakfast.
I’ve been wishing for a Spanish restaurant in the Philadelphia area since I came here five years ago, and my wish has been granted - and only 15 minutes from my house! I’m really picky about restaurants, but this food was better than the food I ate in most restaurants in Spain this summer. The decor was not terribly interesting, but the service was excellent. I’m definitely going back!
(Note - they don’t have a liquor license yet, so it’s BYOB.)
)
Food was good, small portions and a bit pricey.