Filed under American, Union Square + Murray Hill · Print This Post
225 Park Avenue South at 18th Street
212/533.2500
about $40 each for four, with a pitcher of beer, with tip
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Sorry, we’re out of the pork spare ribs.
A long pause from our table and then, what do you mean you’re out of the pork spare ribs? Well, you can try the Memphis-style baby back ribs instead. What time is it? Almost 7:30pm. And you’re out of the ribs already? Seriously?
I wanted to try Wildwood Barbeque because “Big Lou” Elrose of Hill Country was going to be handling the meat. You can say I was very disappointed when the dry-dusted pork spare ribs with Lou’s sugar and spice rub were already out by 7:30pm. Between the four of us, we ended up sharing everything else in the pit barbeque menu. The Texas-smoked brisket, cooked “low and slow”, was pretty good but it was even better with the house sauce. The Carolina pulled pork made my night because of the vinegar sauce that came with it. Both weren’t as moist as I would have liked but delicious enough to enjoy with a side of smoked sausages and a pitcher of local beer. I tried not to eat too much of the corn bread to make room for the meat but I couldn’t help but pick from the cast iron skillet it came in. The mac and cheese was indeed cheesy and it was definitely favored over the baked beans.
The portions looked small though I felt like I had enough by the time the three smores came for dessert. Maybe it was good that I didn’t have a tray of meat in front of me ala Fette Sau or Hill Country because I know I would have stuffed myself silly if that was the case. But not even a month old and they already can’t keep up with the demand? I would have liked the option of saying no instead of being said no to.
Related post/s:
They ran out of beef ribs at Hill Country during my first visit
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is still up on my list
Filed under Spanish, Union Square + Murray Hill · Print This Post
37 East 28th Street between Park and Madison Avenues
212/213.2328
$180 for five people, with drinks and a lot of comps, with tip
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I can’t say that I remember much of our night in Pamplona, but when you dine with four other women, you’d bill forgetfulness as a good thing, too. I was half an hour early, so I sat at the bar for a glass of wine. Being Filipino and alone, I’ve gotten used to being approached by men with the “Are you Philippine?” line. The older man next to me was such a gentleman, I couldn’t refuse his offer to recommend and buy me a glass of Spanish white wine. Of course, it turned out that his daughter-in-law is Filipino. My friends arrived and more rounds of complimentary drinks followed.
When our new friend left to catch his Knicks game, we were finally seated. We’ve made enough ruckus in the front of the restaurant that Chef Alex Ureña stepped out to introduce himself. We were famished and ordered the entire appetizers menu to share, and later, the chef sent out several other plates with glasses of sparkling wine to end our night properly.
Some of the memorable dishes included the asparagus salad with thinly-sliced chorizo, topped with frisée and baby greens and dressed with pimiento. A meatball dish with eggplants disappeared quite fast, too, with a semi-sweet sherry sauce. I’m not a big fan of shrimps, but the Manchego rice made them fuller and beefier. A suckling pig dish was described by one of my Dominican friends as something better than Christmas pork.
One of the things that makes Pamplona irresistible is the fact that the chef serves the dishes he is familiar with, albeit, minus the foam that he learned at El Bulli and experimented with at his first restaurant, Ureña. Nothing is complicated on the menu, but most of the dishes were straight-up delicious. Tapas fans will also be glad that the prices won’t break the bank and critics will appreciate that the previous interior design has been stripped to make the space more intimate and inviting.
Related post/s:
Pamplona used to be Ureña
Tia Pol is on the west side
Where to eat in Barcelona, Spain
