We needed a place to eat an early and not too heavy dinner near the Theater
District for our second night in NYC. After some research, I found TXIKITO (the
Basque name for the Spanish "chicito" or little) at 9th Avenue at 25th Street
(240 9th Ave-www.txikitonyc.com) which is simple, basic and friendly
but offers up some of the most novel tapas and dishes in NYC.
The 15 minute walk from our Times Square matinee where we saw Aladdin
(loads of fun) was a bit taxing in the 90 degree heat, but worth it. On arrival,
the restaurant had no opened yet (they open at 530pm), but we were inside the
cooler dining room within minutes. The hostess took us to a table in a second
room, where we lasted several minutes before moving back to the first room and
bar area as the a/c had not yet kicked in! We drank lots of water and ordered up
a bottle of 2013 Domaine Ametiza Rose from the Basque region of France made from
Irouleguey, Tannat & Cab Franc which was dry and refreshing. I can't ever
recall hearing of Irouleguey so this was our first novelty.
The décor is simple with wooden tables in small rooms and simple wooden
chairs; it really is a neighborhood spot, and what a treat to find this in my
searches.
We chose a number of tapas starters to share and first to arrive (fotos on
FB page) was the op winner Esparragos made from Navarran white asparagus
marinated in Celery-Black Truffle Vinaigrette with Chopped Egg. We could not get
enough of the tasty treat and ended up using the bread to mop up all the excess
vinaigrette. Next came a Pintxos, usually a tapas served on bread, sandwich-like
and ours was called TUTERA with large toasted bread slices smothered with a
Gratin of Artichokes, Roncal Cheese and Jamon. Sam adored these and ended up
ordering extras!
Our third starter was as simple yet tasty PULPO which was layered carpaccio
of octopus with lemon oil, marjoram and piment d'espelette. It was superb and
seasoned just right with delicious fresh green herbs as were most of the dishes
(were those the first baby corn shoots of the season on the asparagus?).
Samuel chose the Albondigas (his often go to tapas) but here the huge
meatballs were made with lamb and served in a simple minted broth; a big
hit.
Will chose the special Suckling Pig with crunchy skin and Chimichurri sauce
that was tasty, but did not come close to the amazing quality of my Grilled
Brook Trout with Crispy Serrano, Crispy Garlic and Garnacha Vinaigrette.which
our server Carlos (who hailed from Guadalajara) said was his favorite special on
the menu and whenever it appeared sold out fast; no surprise there. The fish was
fileted to perfection with the head and tail and skin still on and smothered
with huge layers of crispy crunchy Serrano ham and small pieces of crunchy
garlic slices and the sauce which was light, still was rich with butter and
lemon and wine that simply made my mouth super happy. It was a sight to behold
on the plate and a magnificent revelation in the mouth.
We chose three desserts and Samuel got the winner with Pastel, a lemon
scented butter cake with crème fraiche which disappeared fast save for the two
bites he shared with us. Cuajada is a goat milk yogurt with honey and walnuts
that won no prizes and reminded me of a nice breakfast yogurt. The cheese tray
was very nice with Quince Paste and Raisin walnut toast but had three cheeses
very similar in texture and could have used a bit more variety. Ossau Irraty,
Roncal and Idiazabal are all tasty cheeses from the region that are hard with
different flavors and a Blue de Basques was a creamy rich blue we adored,
We loved our little new discovery and found out they have another just
tapas spot across the street called El Quinto Pino and two more different places
in Brooklyn, one a café, and the other, La Vara in Cobble Hill Park. Check them
all out.
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