Tomiño Taberna Gallega
We had a late lunch with some friends, and they wanted to take us to this interesting Spanish restaurant nestled in Little Italy, which is nestled in a few blocks between Nolita and Chinatown. This area is not something we frequent, and we were excited to try this restaurant because we were told that this is very authentic. We arrived around 1:30 in the afternoon, and it was still fairly bustling. This restaurant has a Michelin bib gourmand, which is given out to restaurants with good quality and good value cooking.
Ambiance & Service
The interior was very lively, and our Spanish friend said it is very similar to other requests they frequent in their city in Spain. The service was speedy, both in turning around dishes and cleaning up the table.
Food
The bottle of Sin Palabras Albariño ($50) came from Castrobrey, Rias Baixas, Spain. Like many Albariño wines, this has a very nice, harmonious essence to it for a white wine. You get vibrant sensations of white pear, apricot, grapefruit, and other with a touch of acidity. It definitely has minerality, but it comes quite balanced. It went well with the dishes we got tonight, and it was pleasant to drink by itself.
The Pimientos “Estilo” Padrón ($10) came with blistered peppers and sea salt. This tasted similar to shishito peppers, so there isn’t that much difference. It’s the same principle where the unlucky person gets hit with a lot of heat. Fortunately, none of our table got one.
The Croquetas ($12) came with 4 pieces filled with serrano ham and La Peral blue cheese. This was pretty good. The croquette was crispy, and it had a nice blend of flavors inside.
The Sardinillas ($22) came with small sardines in extra virgin olive oil. This came from the can, and we found the sardines quite delicious.
The Callos ($16) was a hearty stew of tripe, chorizo, and chickpeas. This was also pretty good, though our friends weren’t fond of it. The tripe was soft and clean, and the chorizo flavors really spice and accentuate the broth flavor well. We also dipped bread in this, and we found this to be a very rustic, delicious dish.
The Zamburiñas ($18) came with 6 bay scallops on the shell. The scallops unfortunately were overcooked because they were rubbery, and they were still attached to the shell. This made it hard to scrape the scallop off. The surrounding flavors in the shell were tasty.
The Tortilla de “Betanzos” ($12) came from a town famed for its runny egg and golden potato omelette. This reminded me of an egg souffle, but we found it to be more flavorful than the one we had in Boqueria.
The Arroz Negro ($28) came with bomba rice with squid in its own ink and aioli garnish. This tasted like the very typical paella sort of dish. The squid was good, albeit with a slight chew to it. Nonetheless, the flavors were all pretty good.
The Pulpo a Feira ($24) came with Galician octopus, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, and pimenton. This was a super good value. Maybe it’s because they cut up the octopus into smaller portions, but it felt like we got a lot value for the price. The octopus was very tender and flavorful. They did in some cases seasoned it a bit too much with pimenton (aka paprika).
The Filloas Rellenas ($12) came with Galician-crepe, raspberry & white chocolate mousse, yogurt ice cream, and a cookie crumble. This dessert tasted basically like a crepe with mousse in it. It’s a light dessert, and it was decent.
Final Verdict
For Spanish food in Manhattan, this is a must-try. According to our Spanish friends, they said the service was very authentic to Spain, and we all agreed this is much better than Boqueria. The best part of this restaurant is the price doesn’t hurt, and if you come in a decent sized party of 4 or more, you will be able to try many things.
Yelp Jabs
We got six items and the bill was already $203 after taxes and tip - worse is leaving unsatisfied and still hungry haha … Arroz Caldoso Con Bogavante $68: I was pretty surprised by how soupy this was (we were saying the whole time it was like we were eating congee).
This Elitist got the “arroz caldoso con bogavante”, which translates to “soupy rice with lobster”. All the Yelpers and Elitists complained about how soupy this was, even though it’s literally what the dish translates to.
The food itself, however, didn’t blow me away. We had an octopus dish that was far too salty, and the octopus itself was almost mealy with each bite. Not a great start… Finally, the arroz dish, almost like a soupy paella, was fine, but didn’t stand out. The lobster was a really nice touch, and prepared perfectly, but overall, the dish isn’t going to have me racing to come back.
Just like the aforementioned Elitist, this particular Elitist didn’t bother to translate what the “soupy paella” was meant to be. It was supposed to be soupy rice. The “mealy” texture of the octopus was probably due to the paprika seasoning because they have a heavy hand. So no, Mr. Elitist, it’s not the octopus that was mealy, but more the heavy-handed seasoning.
Food was okay. Nothing special. Surprised to see this was a Michelin star restaurant
Lastly, this Elitist from New Jersey thought they were going to a Michelin Star restaurant. Not sure how … they ought to check again in the Michelin guide the difference between the Bib Gourmand and Michelin Star.
Revisions
- Nov 16, 2024 - Initial revision.