Roman K.
Yelp
After visiting grandma in the East Village, my son and decided to have dinner in the city.
Came upon Nai, a Spanish Tapas bar/place/restaurant on 2nd Ave, OK, looked inviting. It was relatively early for our dinner 17:45 but ok. We walked in, besides the wait staff and one single dinner in the corner, the place was empty...no, no reservation, in any case we got a prime window table (window floor to ceiling) for two.
In few minutes the host came to the table and said - we are a Spanish Tapas establishment. Do you know what tapas are?...yes we do. Now that was amusing.
After perusing the menu for a few minutes we decided on: Braised Lamb in Garlic Oil and another dish, only to be told that they are not available :(
So, we settled on:
Grilled Octopus - Salsa Brava, Paprika Breadcrumbs. Forgettable, rubbery, not at all comforting.
Fideua - Mussel Escabeche, Shrimp, Spicy Sausage, Alioli, Tobiko, Nori. Nice take on the paella with the pasta instead of rice, but, the nori & tobiko do not belong in a paella, leave that to the Japanese, saffron does.
St. Louis Rib Confit - Cilantro-Chimichurri, Spicy Pepper Marmalade. Nothing to write home about - chimichurri & spicy pepper marmalade...forgettable
For dessert we had a lemon something, something??? brûlée, probably the best course of the meal and
Churro - when it arrived my response was where is the chocolate sauce...inside was the response. With the sauce inside, it was neither crunchy or crispy :(
Asked the host why no Iberico ham on the menu. The response was more than amusing...the guy who brings it in from Spain did come this week, he missed his flight....I'm puzzled and more than amused now
Had so many better tapas- ehhhh, find another place for tapas