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.
I hear such great things about Little Giant that I am convinced people rave about in hopes that they can will it into being a better restaurant. It’s a cute little spot on the corner of Orchard and Broome, and the food is generally good, but there are some real downsides that keep it from reaching the level of awesomeness required for us to back it. For one, it seems that the name Little Giant is meant to evoke the feeling you get when you sit at one of the tiny, cramped tables. At just over six feet tall, I’m certainly no giant, but I felt like Shaquille O’Neal eating dinner in a 3rd grade classroom. The tables are also extremely close together. So close that you might as well be eating from the same plate as the stranger that you are now essentially having dinner with. Second problem – the service confounds me. I swear that every time I have been to Little Giant, my server decides to punish me for something halfway through the meal. Why did you stop coming to the table? Why did you forget my wine? Are you mad at me? Is it because I don’t listen to Belle & Sebastian? You were so nice to me earlier. Lastly, when it comes to the meal, consistency is a problem, and the dishes don’t seem to fully come together. Maybe that’s partly due to greenmarket availability, but also maybe Concord grapes just don’t go well with scallops. Then again, I still hear people rave about the place, so maybe they do. Or maybe there are just plenty of people who are fine with spending a lot of money to eat mediocre food at a tiny table.
Feature: Infatuation TV: P.O.S.
