Pata Negra

[lsclark]

A small intimate Spanish wine bar with a selection of jamón ibérico and cheeses for the tapas. I haven't had much of a chance to try the jamon yet but have tried a few of the red wines that they are pouring by the glass - which I have enjoyed quite a bit. I think my fave so far is the Juan Gil. Delicious! The owner, Mateo, is a very friendly guy who is more than happy to talk about his food and his wine. This place is very, very different from Bar Carrera and I think all the more interesting for it.

[guttergourmet]

Went back with Mrs. GG. The pata negra was good (though I recently had better at Despana) but the morcilla with chickpeas was great and the shrimp al ajillo the best I've had. The cheeses were nice (Serena and Idziabal). The chocolate dessert on grilled toast with olive oil was a great finish and went well with the jerez.

[guttergourmet]

Mateo is like a crack dealer. If you know about the real jamon pata negra bellota (not yet legal in this country), he'll give you a serving ($35 and worth it). He calls it "ham candy". I inhaled it in about 60 seconds. Once you have black (negra), you'll never go back to plain old serrano. Forget Bar Jamon. Nice selection of jerez and queso too.

[dionigi]

are you saying that he has the true jamon iberico de bellota, like joselito?? i have been craving this and even went so far as to bring a whole joselito gran reserva back with me from spain last summer (don't ask how). it would be life changing to find a place that has it available at any price.

[Flaco]

Suegra just mailed me a half kilo of jabugo sliced thin and vacuum packed. I'm curious as to which companies have the right to export and what they did to satisfy the FDA. I might mosey up to Despana tomorrow, bring some back and do a taste test.

[guttergourmet]

I believe he imports (smuggles) it from Fermin.

[Wilfrid]

It should be emphasized that Fermin is now USDA approved, so the earlier comments on this thread about smuggling no longer apply - if they ever did.

[chrispypanfry]

D'Espana gets the real stuff, pata negra de bellota in every now and again. Call them up. I they allow some into the country in either limited quantities or for limited periods of time (or both)

[il Trifulau]

My wife and I ate at Pata Negra last week and we really loved it. The slices of various hams we ordered were very flavorful and our wines were well-matched. The cheeses they offer are an uncommon treat.

We recommend it highly.

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Pata Negra
345 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003