At Lena, Carnes a la Brasa, the rice in the so-called paella was brown, just brown, and the paella by appearance and taste had no saffron in it at all -- none. And they call it Paella Valenciana. For $17 (with tax) for one portion. Total fraud.
I am always a big fan of Spanish food and I make Paella at home( took cooking classes a few time in Spain). Having tried many tapas places in the city including the chain restaurant Boqueria in different locations. While most of them have left me with good impressions, none have come close to the real authentic food I had in Spain.
Excited to see Hudson Yard opened little Spain in the form of local market. Reading Mr. Wells review certainly got me intrigued more. Until I start reading google and yelp reviews on Spanish Diner...
What happened?
Many two or three star reviews accompanied with pictures, make me doubting this is the same place Pete Wells is talking about?
An innocent question come to mind. Do they serve the same food to us- the ordinary customers as to Mr. Wells?
I reserved a table in Lena for two, as I test places before getting together with more friends, despite the glowing Pete Wells' review. Place is uninviting, noisy, cold. Service is dismal. They bring tepid, almost cold and indifferently cooked dishes after a long wait. Soviet style empathy with the customers. Food is nothing particular. Their turbot is quite tasteless, poorly presented in a platter with oil stains, without individual plates to eat your portion, and with meat cutlery. Despite the minuscule portions served in the place, we did not have the fortitude to ask for dessert and wait amidst the din, air blasts and poor atmosphere. I agree that prices are vastly overblown for the offered quality. Were I in the restaurant business and had I some repute, I would be ashamed to attach my name to such a place. It reminded me of an ill fated Adria initiative years ago selling bacon sandwiches in Iberia flights for 8-9 euro a piece. Cashing in on your name recognition.
I went with out-of-town friends last night, just to check it out. I have little desire to go back. For the life of me, I do not understand Pete Wells' effusive praise of this place. Concerned Citizen hit it right on the head: It just felt like eating at an overly expensive food court in a shopping mall. The food was generally good-- okay, the churros chocolate sauce was really good-- but nothing to write home about, particularly at those prices, which start to add up fast with multiple dishes. Even though it was not that busy, going station-to-station was still mostly irritating, particularly given the service from the young and bored people they've hired, which ranged from half-hearted to downright condescending and surly. It took forever to get a drink ($15 for a tiny glass of vermouth), even with only a handful of people at the bar. In sum, not a great experience: I'd much rather go to, say, North 3d Street Market if I'm looking to pick and choose, and leave Mercado to the tourists.
How could they leave out the Patatas Bravas, my go-to tapa in Spain?!? This was as good as the best I've had there, and better than many I've had there.
The food sounds sublime -- I love Spanish food -- but frankly....folks, this is a food court. Like in a mall. A very expensive, high end ethnic mall food court.
That is not conducive IMHO to a leisurely or pleasant meal. It would have to be noisy and hectic and very commercial looking.
Also: the graphics here make it hard to read and parse -- novelty for the sake of novelty. Please make it stop.
I heard Pete the other night at a restaurant that I can't name but so funny. "That guy Shelley Silver reminds me of someone haunting me on the comments section. Marjorie Summons. Everyone knows her. l...
I heard a consiprirascy theory concerning Pete Wellls and Shelley Silver. Lost interest as soon as they started talking.
Hate the layout and design. Stopped reading after the intro. Keep it simple NYT. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
Oh look, Pete Wells has found something he doesn’t hate about Hudson Yards. Could it be the presence of progressive icon José Andres? So predictable. Food Page might start checking its political biases please.
That cooked 3-month-old piglet is disturbing. No flavor is worth doing that to a baby animal.
1
Potato omelettes in Spain are almost always great...not sure what the disparaging comment was about. Also, when did gazpacho become salmorejo? That's what the picture looks like to me. Interesting article, but my husband (who is from Spain and a great cook) makes better stuff which I can have in my own home.
1
Couldn't agree more with omelette and salmorejo comments, of course when it comes to authentic Spanish cooking, there is indeed no place like home! "Saludos" from Huelva, one of the supreme -yet still unspoilt - culinary capitals in Andalusia.
Brilliant, brilliant. The best of Pete Wells and a stunning graphic display of the food.
In this very strange world, made even whackier, now, with Boris in No10, what would we do without Wednesdays and the Food section, and Pete Wells most of all.
1
So, it's basically Eataly but Spanish and in a really horrible fake NYC neighborhood? Pass. The tourists and the basics can have at it and call it culture. The rest of us intrepid foodies will keep exploring real New York.
P.S. Look at the comments below of people who've already eaten there or are looking to eat there. Need I say more?
1
My acting coach once told me that my acting resembled a pointless salad run through a blender for no good reason.
1
The small dead baby pig breaks my heart.
4
Super irritating navigation design. Keep it simple, Times, so the reader can simply enjoy Pete and his finds.
1
Too much new style cuisine and not enough truly traditional Spanish tapas: boquerones fritos for example and the pan de cristal con tomate is missing an anchoa on top of each slice. Heaven!
2
Spanish food is just not exciting! Ham, potatoes, bread with tomatoes, eggs. I've been to Spain several times and the best paella I've had is one I've made at home. Terrible bread there, too. I'm willing to give it another try but even though I love Pete Wells' reviews nothing grabs me here either! I must note I'm not a fan of molecular gastronomy or the 'put two ingredients on a plate and call it a dish' approach.
1
I'm sorry you have not had good food in Spain. There is great local food available, but if you see a menu which included descriptions in English, you are in the wrong place (unless your meal is over 50 euro a person, then it will be quite good).
Oh my. Where in Spain have you eaten? Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastian (the incomparable Arzak).. I can think of many sublime meals in each of these places. In Barcelona, for example, I remember a fava bean salad with mint, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, that I still crave. Go back. Spanish cuisine is right up there with the very best of France or Italy.
3
Maybe her being from the UK has something to do with it. I watched a group of Brits having an argument with a waiter about the food in a place in Seville years ago. Couldn't figure out what their problem was because the food was excellent.
1
This reminds me of Christchurch, New Zealand's 'Little High', an upmarket eatery with eight vendors serving cuisine from around the world and internationally-sourced decor more impressive than that shown in this piece.
Shall we all break out in song: "This lil piggy went to market..."
1
Will the Times ever feature, in the food section, restaurants for the average person, kinda a more advanced culinary version of Diners/Drive In/ and Dives, where mere mortals having reasonable resources can eat really good stuff at above average but reasonable prices?.
@ Richard Frauenglass Huntington, NY
As sympathetic as I am with your comment on prices, and always on the lookout for restaurants with higher benefit/cost ratios, there is a rule of thumb: if you think you found an exceptional restaurant and want to sample its food, forget the price. Money and food are ephemeral goods only.
not while Manhattan rents are what they are. In Nyc you need to read the reviews then spend an hour or 2 getting out t to some obscure street in Queens or the Bronx for an immigrant - run restaurant. Affordable good food starts with a location where rents are cheap. Thats why Charleston SC is the #1 place in the USA for affordable chef-driven food
1
The three things next to the pig in the first picture didn't get descriptions. What are they?
That's not fair to the pig.
1
I wondered that as well. The Lena website says "Served with: ensalada de cogollos, pimientos del piquillo confitado and puré de patatas al aceite de oliva"
Kudos to Udi Syam (and Mr. Wells) for putting this beautiful feature together. I like to think that I subscribe to the Times for the news, but pieces like this that combine stunning food photography with Pete Wells's reviews are just as much reason to support the Times. Well done, and I can't wait to visit the places featured here.
We enjoyed an early dinner at Mar. Very professional and efficient service, contrary to what Pete said. Simple grilled fish and delicious fried sliced potatoes and a couple of glasses of wine - well priced and satisfying. We were visiting NYC and my wife is a fan of the Jose Andres restaurants in Miami, so we had to stop by. Next time, we will focus more on the kiosks...I saw cheese, gazpacho and my favorite tortilla española that I must try. No piglet, thanks. See you soon.
2
Great to have good places featuring good food, but once again it's taking affordable food into a not so affordable level for most New Yorkers. A pity that even small pleasures the 90% in this world could enjoyed on ordinary occasions keep shifting to the 10%'s en vogue lifetstyle. It is sign of a world going lopsided back to the serfdom days again.
1
Thanks a lot for featuring a $370 piglet few can afford or even want to -- and this is but for a snack. I have eaten in many places, many restaurants but this is more than beyond the pale. So as much as I do might enjoy, having had many versions of roast pig both here and in Spain, I stick with the Peking duck at not too far away Chinatown.
2
Had the pleasure of enjoying lunch at the Spanish Diner...and absolutely everything exceeded our expectations...the pan con tomate, albondigas con patatas fritas dish, & even the drunk'n pineapple were super flavorful & delicioso!! A winner for sure despite the humble name of this amazing, cool, chill spot!
You lost me after the three-week-old piglets. And I'm not even a vegetarian.
8
The UX of this piece is delicious.
My partner and I were surprised to see this and walked through the market on Saturday. We are going back, this time to eat.
2
All absolutely mouth watering. Except for in Slide 4, where I would have preferred the gambas without the purée of caramelized onions, even if I had to peel the shrimp with the fingers at the table.