A few things to note before we get into it. First, this is a review of the Boqueria on 19th St., not of the newer SoHo location, and not of both. Boqueria Soho has a different dynamic and clientele. Second, let us preface this by saying that we’ve been coming to Boqueria for a while now, and we generally enjoy the place. The only problem we have is that it’s slowly becoming to Spanish food what Sushi Samba is to Japanese. What does that mean exactly? It means that it’s on the short list of venues for Girls Night Out, and that the food is hit or miss. Don’t get us wrong, we’re absolutely fine with going to a restaurant loaded with girls, but consistency is what we crave and Boqueria seems to be all over the map these days. The best bets on the menu tend to be the more simple items like Brussels sprouts, pan con tomate, and anything with chorizo. The wine list is good and reasonably priced (plenty of bottles priced under forty dollars), and the churros are pretty excellent. Maybe even better than the ones that dude sells on the L train platform. At the end of the day, the good at Boqueria is definitely good, and if you stick to the right things, you’ll probably walk away happy. Then again, when we’re craving some Spanish food we’re probably headed to Bar Carerra, Mercat, or Casa Mono instead. For the purposes of this food rundown, we’re going to stick (mostly) to the stuff we liked.
We’ve walked by this place a million times and never considered it based on looks alone, but when a reliable source recommended it, we decided to hit La Paella up. Apparently our friend who recommended this place likes his tapas on a level playing field with airplane food. Lesson learned, just because a friend generally has good taste in life doesn’t mean you should trust his or her taste buds. Don’t be fooled, although it’s written differently on the menu, just about every dish is served in the exact same sauce; a thin, spicy, garlic and tomato broth that is both oily and forgettable. The service is choppy, music cheesy and everything tastes the same. Bottom line, this is a place you can easily skip. The EV is packed with restaurant talent and we don’t want you wasting your money here like we did.
Feature: Infatuation TV: P.O.S.
