Ed U.
Yelp
Jamie W. and I had not been to Hudson Yards before we decided at the last minute to visit the Edge for the panoramic views. We were a bit bummed that Vessel was closed, so we spent more time in the mall than we planned. I had no idea that celebrity chef Jose Andres had opened Mercado Little Spain downstairs, so since we are both devoted Barcelona-philes, we thought we should give one of the many eateries a try. We randomly chose La Barra just because frankly it looked spacious.
As the case with most restaurants these days, we relied on our phones and the QR code to access the menu, and the ease of the procedure probably contributed to our eventual gluttony. First things first, we had to have the $40 half pitcher of the Sangria Rosada, a sparkling mix of rosé wine, gin, vermouth, and orange slices (photo: https://bit.ly/3mvxLe5). So refreshing that we were starting to order like Catalan banshees. We started with a plateful of the $6 Spanish Marinated Olives (Aceitunas Alinadas), which provided the ideal salty, briny start to our feast (photo: https://bit.ly/3vYLhdr).
We segued into the $17 Pulpo a la Gallega, hearty chunks of boiled Spanish octopus nestled over creamy mashed potatoes with olive oil and paprika (photo: https://bit.ly/2ZFX0kI). This dish went well with the $9 Pan Con Tomate, toasted cristal bread brushed with fresh tomato (photo: https://bit.ly/3mvhCFn). We swore we were done at this point, but the sangria seemed to double our appetite. I suddenly ordered the $9.50 Patatas Bravas, chunks of deep-fried potatoes drowning in red salsa brava and drizzled liberally with aioli (photo: https://bit.ly/3w7XWuv).
We weren't complaining, all the more reason to get the $1.50 wedge of rustic Spanish bread (photo: https://bit.ly/3bpyjvF). By all reasonable measures, we should've been done at this point, but we were a bit sloshed from the sangria. We could've devoured a bushel of churros dipped in chocolate sauce, but we settled on sharing a $7 slice of the Tarta de Chocolate, a flourless dark chocolate confection that signaled to us our reign of decadence was over (photo: https://bit.ly/3vZKRDv). Time to walk all of the High Line. We weren't quite transported to the Boqueria on the Ramblas, but we definitely had a good time.
FOOD - 4 stars...Spanish-style edibles as experienced through a sangria pitcher
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...nice job on the entire Little Spain concept though it feels more like an upscale mall food court than the Boqueria
SERVICE - 4 stars...responsive to our compulsive ordering
TOTAL - 4 stars....a festive spot in Mercado Little Spain worth a nibble or three if not an indulgent meal
RELATED - Hungry in NYC? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2YS9ELs