the joys of paella - care to share?

[shirlotta]

my boyfriend recently moved to west village, which is very exciting both for the neighborhood and the proximity to many great restaurants. (living on the upper east side myself, i'm often frustrated by my lack of options near my apt.) i was especially happy to be closer to sevilla, my favorite paella place in the city. mmm, paella and sangria. however, i would like to expand my paella horizons, and would really appreciate suggestions for new places. i've been hesitant to try paella at other restaurants given the price of the dish (with lobster) and a few strong disappointments - but i know you won't lead me astray. thank you!

[dbird]

Just returned from my first visit to Las Ramblas (yes, it merits the enthusiasm). They have a paella special tonight, in case anyone is looking now. Didn't order it but bet it is terrific.

[shirlotta]

ooo, i'll definitely check out la nacional. thanks for the recommendations, everyone! i also passed el faro the other day, on 823 Greenwich St at Horatio - has anyone been there before?

[Simon]

i tried it a few years ago when i was craving paella...i wanted to like it because it's a cute location/room and it'd been highly recommended...but i thought the paella was miserable: tasted like Uncle Ben's rice tossed w/ leftover takeout food...could have been an off night but i wouldn't return...

[Blumie]

I've been very pleased with the paella at Sala One Nine, on 19th between 5th and 6th. I order it together with their grilled chorizo, which I add to the paella.

[theannerska]

I'm at the very beginning of my NYC hunt for good paella...so far on the list:
- Centro Vasco
- Sevilla
- El Cid
- La Mesa d'Espana
- La Nacional
- La Paella

There are a bunch of threads about paella, but I wonder if any fellow 'hounds would like to update...?

I was at Centro Vasco tonight - fantastic service, lobster was great, but the seafood paella was a bit too greasy/slimy for me. Shrimp a bit overcooked, scallops were great, mussels were somewhat tasteless...and the sangria was a little too sweet. The atmosphere is cute though, and we had some excellent flan for dessert that never showed up on our check...

[Wu_Kong]

I'm a fan of Solera, in mid-town. The paella is excellent, with just the right amount of saffron. Here's a link if you want to check it out:

http://www.solerany.com/

[harrison]

i'm not sure you're experience is going to be that much different at other "traditional" spanish places.

for something a little different, bolo serves one w/ black squid ink.

if you like sevilla, stick with that. maybe expand beyond paella - try their mariscada in green sauce.

[theannerska]

Mmm, squid ink paella - I actually had that all the time in Spain, so I will be adding that to my list of places to try, thanks!

[Lucia]

Go to La Nacional on 14th St. (N side) between 7th and 8th Ave. Great, authentic food. If you do a search for "paella," you'll find a lot of other information.

[Simon]

absolutely...La Nacional is basically a very lowkey tapas place but the paella is excellent...frankly, it's the only good paella i've had in NYC...my ex-gf is Spanish and she used to cook it for me: La Nacional's paella is only version that comes close to hers...