Spanish food and Dim Sum

[rhirhic]

Sorry for the multi parter but I am going to NYC in May with the boyfriend who has never been. I'm there about once a year and am pretty familiar with many of chowhounds' beloved restaurants however, I've never come across any good recommendations for Spanish restaurants.

And since it's been 2 years since my last visit, I was hoping to get updated recs for the best dim sum.

Our budget is very flexible! And we are open to all areas of Manhattan. Thank you!

[RCC]

Tapas is the way to go for good Spanish in NYC. But if you insist on restaurants with non-tapas large-portion dishes, I'll recommend Sevilla in the W Village and La Nacional in Chelsea.

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La Nacional
239 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

Sevilla
62 Charles St, New York, NY 10014

[rhirhic]

Thanks so much! I was hoping for something similar to a Jamoneria but tapas will do. Thanks again!

[kathryn]

For Basque inspired tapas, El Quinto Pino or Txikito are excellent but not cheap (no reservations). I also like Casa Mono a whole lot but it's not traditional Spanish tapas (they take reservations, call a month in advance to the numerical date). For traditional Spanish tapas, not Basque, I usually go to Boqueria (no reservations except for larger groups). There's also Degustation (call to ereserve) which is Spanish influenced small plates.

For best dim sum, Chinatown Brasserie but it's a) not in Chinatown; b) pricey; c) you order off a menu. The dumplings are exquisite but small. More like precious jewels. Delicious, though. A notch down would be Dim Sum Go Go. Maybe Red Egg. Otherwise, the good stuff is in Flushing, Queens (check out Guang Zhou restaurant). But compared to Hong Kong or the west coast (Southern California, Vancouver, etc.) NYC dim sum is only OK overall.

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Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003

Dim Sum Go Go
5 E Broadway, New York, NY 10038

El Quinto Pino
401 W 24th St, New York, NY 10011

Chinatown Brasserie
380 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012

Boqueria
53 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011

Red Egg
202 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013

Txikito
240 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001

[rhirhic]

Thanks so much Kathryn! I've added Txikito to our list and I will check out the Dim Sum places.

I have been to Degustation and already have plans to return!

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Txikito
240 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001

[kathryn]

You might also be interested in shopping into Despana (retail store) if shopping for Spanish goods appeals to you (not sure what you have at home). They have awesome chorizo that they make in Queens.

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Despana
408 Broome St, New York, NY 10013

[RCC]

Despana also has a mini-tapas bar. Pretty good and quite authentic, too.

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Despana
408 Broome St, New York, NY 10013

[scoopG]

Any Chinese here will be head and shoulders above Phoenix!

[Chandavkl]

Not so fast my friend! Tao Garden in Chandler is as good as the stuff in the San Gabriel valley and better than most places in NY Chinatown. There are a handful of others in the Chandler/Mesa area that are in the same category of quality. Still, there is no place like New York Chinatown for the combination of ambiance (and I don't mean upscale) and decent Chinese food.

[scoopG]

Oops! Last time In Phoenix I headed straight for Kai - a Native American restaurant.

[Chandavkl]

You should have gone to Chino Bandido in Chandler instead! Actually, the jerk fried rice was OK.