It has been over a year since Bocado came into my life. I don't know why I have waited so long to review it but, in a way, I'm glad. Just last week I had the best experience there, ever.
My sister-in-law was to be married that weekend and we had friends visiting from all over. So we wanted to take them somewhere special. We made reservations at Bocado and sat down as soon as we walked in. There was a latin band playing at the bar--there was some salsa, bachata--a little bit of everything.
We were seated in the Cava lounge, which was away from the music and a bit more quiet. We were led to a long table with modern-looking chairs that had only a single cushion lumbar support. Tres chic. Opposite our chairs was a soft, cream-colored booth. With some original art in the decor, you can't really get more modern, or sexy (as the website claims) than that.
Bocado is a tapas bar. A little history on tapas: Tradition asserts that Spanish King Alfonso X mandated that no wine be served at any inns unless accompanied by something to eat. So, the “botillerias” (bottle-shops) and “tabernas” (taverns) started to place a piece of smoked ham or cheese atop the wine glasses of the guests. This also served to keep insects out of their drinks. Thus tapas sread throughout all Spain and are served all over the world today.
Some also feel that the tapa first appeared because of the need of farmers and workers of other unions to take a small amount of food during their working time, which allowed them to carry on working until time for the main meal.
Who knows. All I know is that I love it. The way Bocado serves tapas, bringing them out one at a time, allows me to eat like a European--slowly and enjoyably. I get to have a lot of variety and I don't have to stuff myself in the process. It allows me to feel full when I am full. But, I'm just a health nut.
The Food
There were 10 of us and, believe it or not, we ordered the Bocado Experience for 4 and we had food left over. I don't even know where to start in describing the food, but it included 4 choices from the charcuteria y queso menu, 10 choices from the tapas menu and a paella clasica for 2 (which can feed 6). By the time the paella arrived, most of us had had enough. Of course, I had some paella. It was absolutely scrumptuous. Steaming hot shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari with a saffron rice--it was delish.
As for the tapas and charcuteria: The crowd favorite was definitely the queso de cabra con miel. This is a honey goat cheese covered in panko and fried to a golden brown and then served with almonds. I think that we ordered two of them and people were still complaining they didn't get enough--"Hey stop hoarding the goat cheese!", somebody said.
My personal favorite is the DÁTILES CON QUESO DE CABRA Y TOCINO (dates filled with goat cheese and bacon -- separately $4). I am a huge fan of dates. I also like the ATÚN DE BOCADO (raw tuna with lemon basil crema, sweet potato chips & chili avocado -- separately $10). The lemon basil crema is light and delectable. Those two are from the "frias" side of the tapas menu, meaning cold.
On the "calientes" side, the CALAMARES CON AJO Y LIMÓN (separately $6) is always a god choice, and much better than most others' calamari. And the flavor of the PIQUILLO RELLENOS (piquillos peppers stuffed with tasso ham, garbanzo beans & goat cheese with grilled onion crema -- separately $6) will blow you away. The combination of sweet and savory is a pure work of art.
The Service
A Porrón
Outstanding. The entire team was wonderfully pleasant, attentive and, well, hospitable. They claim to be "redefining hospitality" and, boy, did we get a special dose that night.
The restaurant owner, Mike, came to our table with something called a porrón. It's a pitcher of sorts that resembles a teapot. It has a long spout and it is meant for drinking wine. He was hugely entertaining and showed us the technique that is used to drink from it. It's meant to be passed around so you don't touch it to your lips, but instead, you pour a stream of it into your mouth. I know some of you are already really liking this idea. Then you're supposed to see how far you can extend the stream from your mouth and demonstrate your skill. I tried it, and yeah, I got cava (a rosé of sorts) on my shirt. Just a little though. That's more than I can say for some others at the table.
It was an awesome experience for us that night. The porrón, the excllent food, the European atmosphere, the hospitable restaurant owner made it a night to remember. The Niche Hospitality Group has done it again and we have ourselves another Fantom Four Fave. One of our friends visiting from Buffalo said, "This must be the best resaurant in the northeast." Enough said.
http://www.bocadotapasbar.com/index.html
Scorecard:
// Menu Selection: 9.9
// Taste: 9.9
// Presentation: 9.9
// Ambiance/Atmosphere: 9.7
// Service: 9.9
1 comment:
Fabulous! You left my mouth watering! I can't wait to make reservations ASAP!
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