Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Tablao is a Spanish restaurant located in TriBeCa. The menu features classic Spanish dishes such as paella, as well as tapas, these small plates that are sort of the signature of Spanish cuisine. I have to say that I love when restaurants offer small plates as it is a good way to order plenty of dishes to try. But, of course, it is also a good way for restaurants to make money as people usually order too much...
We went at Tablao on a Friday night. If you follow this blog, you know that I hate noisy settings, considering that a meal is a good moment to share and talk with my loved ones or friends (that I love too). Well, Friday night at Tablao is Flamenco night! So you can imagine how happy I was there...I mean, Flamenco is beautiful, but it was a bit loud for my taste. I should mentioned that they warned us when we arrived and proposed a table the farther away from the music, but still...
Dining room at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Flamenco at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
At first, they brought us some bread with some olive oil. I admit that I was a bit disappointed, hopping that they would bring something more original, such as some tortilla or olives.
Bread and olive oil at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
So we decided to order the tortilla Espanola.
Tortilla at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
A tortilla is a traditional Spanish omelet made with onions, potatoes and eggs. It is fairly thick and I always wonder how they keep it moist considering that it must take time for the omelet to be cooked all the way through. I really liked it.
Then, we got Montaditos that are tapas served on toasted bread.
Chorizo y huevo montaditos at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
We chose the chorizo y huevo that was chorizo topped with a quail egg. This was delicious: the bread, although toasted, was still soft, so it was easy to eat and not messy at all. And I loved the combination of chorizo and egg that paired perfectly together, the yolk adding some creaminess to the dish.
We also ordered the champinones ajillo or mushrooms in garlic sauce.
Mushrooms in garlic sauce at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
That was good, but I must disclose that there was enough garlic to empty a vampire convention by just breathing!
We also had the Tablao chips with manchego cheese.
Tablao Manchego chips at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
It was simply homemade potato chips topped with manchego. Original for sure, it was delicious. I just wish there was more cheese.
The last entree was the gambas a la plancha or head on shrimp seared on the grill with olive oil and sea salt.
Shrimp a la plancha at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Shrimp a la plancha at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
It was normally served with aioli, but they forgot to bring it and, in fact, it did not need it: it was simple, but so good. The only negative was that the shell was stuck on the flesh, making the removal of the shell with a knife and fork challenging.
We could not leave without any dessert. We decided to go for the churros.
Churros at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Churros at Tablao, Tapas restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
It was a disappointing dish: tasteless, it was missing a bit of crunch. We should have gone for the flan or the tres leches...
I loved the food at Tablao and would definitely go back to try other tapas dishes. The table next to us ordered the paella and I have to admit that it looked succulent. So, next time...
Enjoy (I did)!
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