39 replies to this topic

[Aaron T]

TXIKITO Alexandra Raij, who was the chef at Tía Pol and El Quinto Pino nearby, and her husband, Eder Montero, also a chef, will open their own Basque-style spot Nov. 13. Its name is pronounced chee-KEE-toe, meaning “little” in Basque. There are red patent leather stools at a limestone counter for canapés called pinxos, tapas and regional dishes meant for sharing: 240 Ninth Avenue (24th Street), (212) 242-4730.

I await Daisy's report with baited breath.

[Wilfrid1]

As noted in my Pink Pig Barcelona reports, Basque pintxos are the sensation right now. I guess we're due for someone to try them on New Yorkers. Essentially, these are miniature open sandwiches, with interesting combinations of toppings held to the bread with a toothpick.




Please ignore the commercial beneath the picture. I need to find an alternative to Image Shack if they are going to do that.

[TaliesinNYC]

Get a Flickr account. It's better imo.

[awbrig]

Get a Flickr account. It's better imo.

Without question. I'm 100% in agreement with the hobbit. Especially considering the amount of photography you are engaged in, Wilf. And good looking photos, too! FlickR allows for higher resolutions and larger images. And when you're posting photos of "foie gras shabu shabu", etc. I think you owe it to your adoring fans. The pics currently scattered across the Pink Pig are the size of friggin' forum avatars.

[TaliesinNYC]

For $25 a year you get unlimited uploads and the ability to make photo sets. There are other neat features.

Perhaps ulterior epicure will weigh in at some point.

[g.johnson]

As noted in my Pink Pig Barcelona reports, Basque pintxos are the sensation right now. I guess we're due for someone to try them on New Yorkers. Essentially, these are miniature open sandwiches, with interesting combinations of toppings held to the bread with a toothpick.




Please ignore the commercial beneath the picture. I need to find an alternative to Image Shack if they are going to do that.

Those look unhappily like something Fanny Craddock would make for a cocktail party.

[Wilfrid1]

I was going to comment that "canapes" is as good a name for them as anything. The toppings make them (or otherwise). Part of the excitement in Spain lies in the fact that you help yourself and are charged according to number of toothpicks left on yoru plate. I don't know if anyone in New York would risk that system.

[Daisy]

Grub Street has Txikito's menu posted. And it's open.

[nuxvomica]

definitely open. alas, got there too late last night for the food - a little after 11pm and the kitchen closes at 11. it was totally empty save for a couple of people at the tiny bar. seems now is a good time to go - no crowds yet

[Daisy]

Last night by 7 it was what the Spanish (although not the Basques I suppose) would call 'botta a botta'. Like a subway car at rush hour. Fortunately I had arrived about 6:20 and the friendly bartender allowed me to save a seat for my friend, who was running late. While waiting I chatted with a local character who seems to have already adopted the place (and this was its second night!) and tried a 'ginkass' (Plymouth gin and Spanish lemon soda) which seemed like a good drink for a muggy night. Eh. Didn't finish it and it reinforced my theory that if you don't grow up drinking a particular soda you will most likely find it disgusting.

Nice if simple decor--soft lighting, mostly blues and grays save for the red barstools, rough wood on ceiling and upper walls, tile below, concrete floors, some sort of stone-like composition material topping the bar which is nicely deep as well it needs to be if one is eating at it since the dishes tend to arrive on the heels of one another. Which was impressive given how busy the place was when we put in our second food order. No textiles and all that tile and concrete means of course it gets quite noisy. I had to strain to hear the man sitting on the other side of my companion who had struck up a conversation with us.

The menu is divided into three parts, the bartender explaining that the first was 'canapes, little appetizers', the second section is cold plates,slightly larger tapa-like portions, the third hot plates, a bit larger (although not main course servings by any means). Most of it was very good. The best dishes we tried were the croquetas (kroketas) which were crisp outside, creamy within, and beautifully fried (even the second order when the place was slammed) and the chorizo hash sandwiches (txitxiki) which were killer. The blistered padron peppers (here called piperrak) from Tia Pol are on the menu and were lovely. Txipiron,ribbons of squid in a creamy sweet onion and pignoli sauce, was a soothing dish and the sauce was so good we polished the plate with our bread. Atuna, tuna sandwiches with piquillo oil and pepper, were nice enough if a little unexciting. Green beans with garlic and oil, lekak, were tasty even if they rather swam in the very good oil. And they needed salt, a dish of which was provided when I requested it. The only disappointment was txilindron, billed as spicy cross-cut spareribs, which were not only unspicy but tasteless and I thought too fatty although my companion opined that the fat was not crisp enough. I suppose. We left most of it. People sitting near us who ordered a ton of food said the tripe and morcilla were excellent, the tongue disappointing, the trotters a little bland, and they too liked the txitxiki the best of what they ordered.

I only glanced at the wine list but it appeared to be all Spanish wines, with about three reds and whites by the glass. We stuck to a crisp white for me- Txakolina-- and a light red for my friend, which seemed the best choices given the oppressive humidity.

I'll be back--I like eating this way, the bar is very comfortable, the bartender, Brian, extremely nice and competent. This is not a cheap way to eat, though. One drink, one beer, two glasses of wine each and a nice tip brought the tab close to around $160 I believe.

[Anthony Bonner]

I went last week.

Thought everything was pretty good - good list of txacoli tho nothing basque and red, which was a bit disappointing. Just got a bottle of Ameztoi txacoli, which is perfect for what it is, and is my standard summer time white for drinking outside when its hot out. Given the insane humidity the day we went it was a good choice

Started with croquetas and piquillo peppers both of which were excellent I thought. Croquetas were salt cod, which was plus in my book but I don't think the menu spec'd that.

Had some canape type things - a tuna one, a house cured pork loin and a boquerones. Only the loin was memorable. I am pretty capable of replicating the other two with about 30 seconds of effort, but they were tasty.

Had the Gambas - which anytime I can get shrimp head-on I'm happy.
Also got the Albondigas - which were good enough, tho not something I'd order again, and the Morcilla. The Morcilla itself was good, but it came deep friend in what appeared to be something similar to egg roll wrappers. It was just too rich for my tastes - and there are not a lot of things that can be said about.

Couple next to us got a whole Turbot that looked awesome. Regretted not ordering it.

Even tho this sounds like a less then positive review, I'm really just being overly critical, def looking forward to going back.

[The Princess]

Has anyone been back since?

[The Princess]

I am so loving the dinner I had at txikito. The place was less mobbed than Tia Pol and a lot less stressful than the other little place they were involved in.

The Croquettas were indeed lovely, light little fried balls, and the squid noodles were just fun and delicious. We also had a incredibly elegant octopus salad with paper thin octopus and a excellent lemon dressing with just the right crunch of onions. The white asparagus were cooked until they almost fall apart and reminded me of Europe and the foie terrine was savory and with the right balance of salty sweet. I want to go back to try other things even though the place is not exactly cheap.

Service was terrific, although once the food started coming out, it just does not stop. The laid back vibe and the warm decor just make it the perfect place for a snowy Sunday night.

[Daniel]

I had gone there a few weeks ago..I found the food to be ok.. I was more impressed with the list of the drinks that I did not think I would see until the next time I return to San Sebastian..I am too lazy to look up the spelling but they had txacoli, Cidre, and a few other drinks...

There were a few good options and some really bad ones.. The best item on the menu was the special suckling pig.. It was 30 dollars and order and it was fantastic.. There was a cod dish I could not swallow.. It was disgusting and oily.. A few other things were ok..

The star of the show was the pig and the drinks..It was expensive too.. I would pop in but, not return for dinner. Service was friendly..

[Sneakeater]

I liked this place, although maybe not as much as I expected to.

The menu was light on actual pintxos -- and, when you have to order them from a list instead of pointing and eating, they don't seem that compelling. From that portion of the menu, I didn't have any canapes but rather the txitxikis. These to me are more like rolls (in the Chinese/Thai sense) than sandwiches, and I'd even say mine were the slightest bit greasy. But the chorizo hash filling was addictive.

I had fried potatoes (called not potatoes bravas but some Basque name) with a cod-roe mayonnaise dip that I liked more when I started them than when I finished. But to be fair, this dish was intended to be shared, not wolfed down by a single person.

A special salad of fried smallthinfish and greens and other stuff was very good. This time no grease.

Then, another special, black squid, delicious as always.

I think my slight disappointment here was that, even more than Tia Pol, even more than Quinto Pino, this isn't really a tapas place but a bigger-small-plates place. (Tia Pol is the most tapas-like of the three.) For what it is, it's very good. But it didn't take me back to San Sebastian.

If this all sounds wishy-washy, let me say that I'll definitely be back.