Spanish
http://www.graffitrestaurant.com/home.html
141 West 69th St. – Upper West Side

The new hot spot has gotten quite a bit of press of late. The chef, Jesus Nunez is a native Spaniard who was a rather famous graffiti artist in Spain. The decor reflects his somewhat elegant graffiti style and the food is artfully presented. Unfortunately for Jesus, I think he should stick to the graffiti.
We had a great time, however, my Dad was in town and we were doing a special weekend celebration and I was hoping to impress. We went to a play, the Hudson Library, the Mandarin Oriental bar (MOBar), Graffit and followed with brunch at the Ritz on Sunday.

We had a few rounds of Tapas and Appetizers, then shared entrees as well. There were a few standouts, but not many. The Spanish wine was flowing, so I am not sure anyone cared that the food wasn’t great. It seems between 4 of us we had 12 drinks? Overall, I’d say this might be a nice ‘neighborhood spot’ if you live uptown, but don’t make the journey otherwise. The prices are actually quite reasonable.

TAPAS:

• Albondigas de la Abuela $9 – your basic mini meatballs

• Croquetas de Jamon $8 – your basic croquettes

• Empanadillias de Vieiras y Mejillones $9 – your basic mini empanadas

I would not recommend ordering Tapas at the dinner table. Save it for the bar.

APPETIZERS:

• Special ‘Pepper Salad’ $14 – this was layers of cheese, essentially. Kind of a bummer.
• Savory Carrot ‘Cake’, Mahon Cheese, Asparagus $11.50 – vegetable terrine, best item on the menu!
• Migas del Pastor, Spanish Chorizo, pancetta $11 – Fried breadcrumbs, sausage and pork belly…delish!
• Oxtail Ravioli, Apple, Sunchoke Cream $13.50 – House made ravioli. Note the beef was not served on the side.

This round was a huge improvement. I recommend all but the special.

ENTREES:

• Cod in Salsa Verde, Cocochas, Poached Onions $26
• Beef Cheeks, Banana Polenta, Hazelnuts, Spicy Plantain Chips $25

I am not going to comment on the Entrees specifically other than to say I wasn’t impressed.