192 Grand Street (between Mott and Mulberry St.) 212-933-4763 www.tominonyc.com
Spanish, Tapas. The heart of Little Italy. Cannolis! Zeppoles! Tapas? Ohhhh yeah. And Tomiño Taberna Gallega is the real deal, right down to the accent mark. On Grand between Mott and Mulberry, you’ll find yourself tucked into the northwest corner of Spain indulging in some deliciously authentic cuisine.
My voyage began at the salpicón de marisco salad. With not a leafy green in sight, it’s a stunningly crafted, miraculously lengthy guest list: lump crab, prawns, cod, onions, peppers, potato, egg, white asparagus and herb vinaigrette. From there, it was a short hop to the empanadillas (turnovers) of the day in the form of veal Bolognese. An unusual and inspired filling for those fortunate breaded blankets.
The tour next took another mouthwatering turn with the highly addictive seafood and aioli croquetas. In no rush to get back to dry land, I lingered over the langostino a la plancha, this scampi further proof of fish mastery. Equally brilliant, the macarrón de la abuela (free range chicken and macaroni stew) shouting to the world grandma isn’t just family, she’s genius.
You cannot leave without dessert and here’s why — torrija de bica gallega (Galician sponge cake, crème brûlée topping and butterscotch ice cream). I don’t know whose idea it was to cap a cake with crème brûlée then pair it with ice cream (was it you, abuela?), but it is the most inspired trio I’ve had the privilege of tasting in a long time. At Tomiño the service is bilingual, so the choice is yours. It’s also as genial as can be; you’ll be friends with your server well before you exit. Which is something you will want to delay for as long as possible.
Spanish, Tapas. The heart of Little Italy. Cannolis! Zeppoles! Tapas? Ohhhh yeah. And Tomiño Taberna Gallega is the real deal, right down to the accent mark. On Grand between Mott and Mulberry, you’ll find yourself tucked into the northwest corner of Spain indulging in some deliciously authentic cuisine. My voyage began at the salpicón de marisco salad. With not a leafy green in sight, it’s a stunningly crafted, miraculously lengthy guest list: lump crab, prawns, cod, onions, peppers, potato, egg, white asparagus and herb vinaigrette. From there, it was a short hop to the empanadillas (turnovers) of the day in the form of veal Bolognese. An unusual and inspired filling for those fortunate breaded blankets. The tour next took another mouthwatering turn with the highly addictive seafood and aioli croquetas. In no rush to get back to dry land, I lingered over the langostino a la plancha, this scampi further proof of fish mastery. Equally brilliant, the macarrón de la abuela (free range chicken and macaroni stew) shouting to the world grandma isn’t just family, she’s genius. You cannot leave without dessert and here is why — torrija de bica gallega (Galician sponge cake, crème brûlée topping and butterscotch ice cream). I don’t know whose idea it was to cap a cake with crème brûlée then pair it with ice cream (was it you, abuela?), but it is the most inspired trio I’ve had the privilege of tasting in a long time. At Tomiño the service is bilingual, so the choice is yours. It’s also as genial as can be; you’ll be friends with your server well before you exit. Which is something you will want to delay for as long as possible.