TAPAS AT LA NACIONAL

La Nacional Tapas Bar

MARCI:

After reviewing a lengthy list of cuisines on menupages.com, Jeremy picked Spanish Tapas as our first cuisine to try.  I usually head to Casa Mono for tapas but was looking to find a place a little more authentic and a little less money.

We selected La Nacional Tapas Bar on 14th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. Housed in a space dating back to 1868, the owner says its "the second oldest Spanish social club in America and the oldest Spanish restaurant in NYC."

JEREMY:

When I walked through the front door at La Nacional, I felt like I went though a portal to Spain.  First I heard Spanish music playing then I saw about five cheerful men watching soccer at the bar.  When the waitress came, she guided us to a table in the dining room.  The restaurant smelled of garlic and herbs.  When the waitress came back to take our order, we asked her what she thought was best.  She suggested we have the croquetas (ham and crayfish) .  We added grilled artichokes, grilled calamari and fried potatoes and a bean and chorizo soup.

My mom ordered a Sangria and she asked me if I wanted a sip.  I said sure.  It tasted like a very fruity wine; just the kind I like.  I took a small sip at first and then a couple of more after that.

First came the grilled calamari.  It wasn't the best I ever had but on a scale of 1 to 10, I would say it was a 7.  The calamari was a little tough but the sauce was astonishing:  the garlic, lemon and spices were divine.  I really liked dipping my bread in the sauce.  Then the artichokes, potatoes and croquetas showed up.  The artichokes were pretty good, the potatoes were crispy and delicious -- just how I like them.  I didn't really like the crayfish croquetas but the ham was very good.  It tasted like melted ham and cheese in a fried ball.  The soup was okay so we ordered one last dish:  the meatballs.  They were tasty but we were full so we took them home.

In conclusion, I enjoyed going to the restaurant with my mom.  We shared a couple of laughs --although that might have been from the sangria. I would definitely try tapas again.

MARCI:

Wow!  Hard to top that review and he wrote it all himself -- really.  I would have to agree with most everything Jeremy said except he only had two small sips of Sangria.  

The food was definitely authentic.  Difficult for me to decide on a highlight of the afternoon:  the artichokes, the potatoes or just having a meal with my boy.   It was fun talking about the foods of Spain and some of our favorite dining experiences.   We discussed another Spanish culinary mainstay -- paella. But that's for another restaurant visit.

We left the cozy little restaurant and walked outside in the bitter cold.  He and I decided to cap off our afternoon lunch by going home and baking brownies.  What more could a mother want?

La Nacional Tapas Bar

239 West 14th Street

NYC

212  243 9308

http://www.lanacionaltapas.com

 a diagonal thumbs up, according to Jeremy, means 3:4 stars.