I feel like there aren't that many restaurants in New York City that serve authentic Spanish tapas, or maybe the ones that do exist don't get much press or aren't that spectacular. Whenever I talk to friends about where they went to eat, tapas is usually never on the agenda. I'm not sure why that is, but I do know that for me personally, the thought of making a dinner out of small plates of chorizos, omelettes and cured ham isn't all that appealing. But the delicious, authentic tapas I tried at Tia Pol (in the heart of Chelsea of all places!) changed my mind on this Spanish tradition completely.
Tia Pol's headquarters is, like a lot of specialized NY restaurants, very small and cozy. The lighting is dim but not in a sleepy, romantic way, more in a lively, lounge-like way, which I liked. So you can come with a date or friends, but keep the party small, because seating is tight. Once when I came here at 6:30 (the restaurant opened at 6) we had to wait an hour for a table, and that was just for a party of two. This time we decided to just take a seat at the bar, which honestly was like seating at a table since everyone was in such close quarters anyways. I would say the crowd here is 30+...people were dressed dressy casual, low key but still presentable. I'm not sure why there wasn't a more diverse group of diners, the prices are reasonable, you don't need to beg for a table and the atmosphere is nice...who knows.
Since we were ordering small plates, we chose five plates to share. From the regular menu, we ordered the patatas bravas (home fries covered in a spicy mayo sauce), txipirones en su tinta (squid in an ink sauce) and esparragos navarros con caviar mujol (white asparagus in a mayo and caviar sauce). From that day's specials, we tried the pinxto de berenjena, which was an eggplant salad topped with marcona almonds and coriander served on grilled bread, and the trucha a la navarra, a whole brook trout served with serrano ham in a crispy garlic vinaigrette seasoning. The picture's a little dark, which is a shame, because the presentation is wonderful.
I wasn't too crazy about the white asparagus, I don't think vegetables should ever taste like they're heavy and bad for you, and with that mayo sauce, I felt like I was just downing chunks of cold fatty stalks. But the presentation was beautiful, the white asparagus was laid out elegantly, and the black caviar was a great contrast, almost like piano keys, very modern and artsy in my book. The squid was ok, I've had better squid elsewhere, like at the Modern and Bouley's Upstairs, for instance, but my boyfriend loved it.
Now let me get to the things you have to try. The spicy home fries were AMAZING. The potatoes were perfectly fried, just crispy and hot all around, and the spicy sauce kicked up the flavor of an otherwise drab, dependable staple. The trout was also fabulous, the fish was presented on a platter, split down its middle so that its fillets were spread like butterfly wings, what an amazing way to plate the food! I don't think the ham on the fish was necessary, so I mostly ate the fish on its own, and the fleshy white meat and oil were perfect together. I was also blown away by the eggplant dish; it was really simple in terms of preparation, but the blend of seasonings was just perfect.
I was really impressed by how Tia Pol elevated familiar food and ingredients to something extremely tasty yet interesting and memorable at the same time. I almost don't want to tell people about Tia Pol because now it'll be even harder to get a seat, but they did open up a sister restaurant nearby called El Quinto Pino on 24th and 9th, so now more people can get their fill of this fabulous tapas meal!
(Picture courtesy of foodcandy.com)
Tia Pol
205 10th Ave.
212-675-8805
(22nd and 23rd)
Rating (out of 5 stars):***
Style: Spanish Tapas
Prices: $5-$18
Summary: The only place in town for memorable Spanish tapas at reasonable prices in a small but lively, lounge-y atmosphere.
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