Recently, I had the pleasure of eating at Txikito; a charming and unpretentious Basque tapas restaurant in Chelsea. Normally with tapas you order a ton of food and you’re still hungry – not so at Txikito. The menu offers so much deliciousness that a single night there just isn’t enough.From the first sip of Rioja, I knew I was in for a treat. It’s not surprising that chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero were nominated as semi-finalists for this year’s James Beard Awards.
We started the evening with a special – it included cauliflower, chanterelle mushrooms, greens and a poached egg. I never thought I would love the taste of brassica with egg, but it was delicious. It was the perfect combination of creamy and savory. In swift procession, our next dish was – Txipiron “encebollado” – squid ribbons a la plantxa with sweet onion and pine nuts. I’m not going to lie, it looks weird; like a pile of white, fleshy ribbons. This however, was a mere occipital deception. Once you take a bite, the flavors were a revelation. The fresh squid is doused in just the right amount pine nuts and the sweet onion sauce was gastronomy heaven. We liked it so much, we immediately order a second helping. When does that ever happen? This time, the waiter brought us small slices of baguette to soak up every last creamy drop of sauce off the plate. If you’re looking for an unpretentious dining experience with incredible food Tkikito is your place.
My New York Note Book 