Cafe Español.

Thanks to fellow foodies Roomie and AM, we were able to begin to sample some more expensive fare with the use of discount coupons! After dreaming about really good paella, we ventured on down to Cafe Español to sample there well-known paella.

We started off with fresh green olives. They were soaking in fresh olive oil and were very tasty. The flavor was smooth and slightly sour and salty, just how a good olive should be.

A very simple bread basket full of soft bread great with a smidgen of butter.

Our paellas came with a complementary salad of fresh greens. It was very cool and refreshing. It was also a huge portion!

These are Champinones Rellenos, or stuffed mushrooms. It was presented to us in a cast-iron platter and it was sizzling hot. The mushrooms were fresh and the stuffing was not too salty, very good for a dish that too often salted too heavily.

Next we got sauteed octopus. It was very good. The meat was not chewy, as I had expected it to be, but was rather firm and tender. It was nicely accented with garlic.

This is the Paella Marinara, paella with mussels, shrimp, scallops, and clams. H and Mic split this dish and said that it was good, though salty.

Here is the Paella Valenciana, paella with scallops, mussels, shrimp, clams, sausage, and salmon. The rice was very moist and had sweet peas spread throughout. The seafood was fresh, though I am not a big fan of gritty shellfish, sometimes. The salmon, however, was quite dry and I did not finish it. I was hoping that the salmon would be as moist as the accompanying rice. The whole dish, in general, was extremely salty for my taste and was, in the end, very disappointing.

After suffering through over-salted entrees, we hoped that the dessert would save the meal. Thankfully, the dessert was actually quite good. Here is the flan, which came with dollops of fresh whipped cream. The flan was very smooth and creamy and the caramel sauce was perfect.

Here are churros, dusted with powdered sugar, with a chocolate fondue. The churros were crispy and, when dipped in rich chocolate, they were so good. A great combination of chewy, crunchy, and soft textures and sweet and salty tastes.

Last, but not least, was the Tres Leches, a cake that is soaked in three different kinds of milk. I thought that this was quite good, but H said that he has had better tres leches before.

Overall, I was quite disappointed by this meal. I was expecting the paella to be better than it turned out to be. The dessert save the meal, slightly, but I do not know if I'd return to this place. Their menu, however, is vast, with many other options besides paella. If another coupon were to arise, I will perhaps return to Cafe Español.

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: OK to try

Ottomanelli Bros.; Beard Papa's.

March 26th, 2009 was day of epic eating for us.  To start it off, Roomie, M, L, J, and I went to Ottomanelli Bros. for lunch after class.  Roomie really wanted to go there because he fell in love with their Hulk Burger Challenge and wanted to ask the burger out for a challenge.  The food journey that thus ensued was sick, yet memorable.

M got the 1/2 lb. Steak Burger, I believe, with American cheese, cooked medium rare.  It came with waffle fries and a pickle.  He ate it extremely slowly, as he normally does, but stated that it was cooked just the way he liked it: bleeding.

J wasn't that hungry, so he got the Popcorn Shrimp appetizer.  He said that it was alright.  I tasted it with a little bit of the "spicy" dipping sauce.  The dipping sauce was disappointing and the popcorn shrimp was only mediocre.  It was nothing out of the ordinary.

Unfortunately, the Hulk Burger Challenge ended at 2:30 and we arrived at Ottomanelli's around 2:40, so Roomie and I both settled for the burger pictured above.  We both got it cooked medium well and it came with waffle fries and a pickle spear.  The burger itself was alright, but I did especially like the nicely cooked peppers on the top.  The roll that the burger was placed on was a potato roll and was nice and soft.  The fries were also nice a crisp and only need a tiny dash of salt.

Being stood up by the Hulk Burger Challenge, Roomie was dying to swallow something and preposterously proposed going down to Chinatown, buying a whole cake, and eating it all.  We, however, opted for something slightly less extreme and picked Beard Papa's.  I had heard about this sexy old guy after seeing some of Mellow's pictures, and wanted to check him out, so we headed on down to his joint in the village.

I got two cream puffs.  The first one, pictured above, was a Green Tea Cream Puff.  Unknownlingly, I bit into the puff and was splurged on by the precious cream filling.  I was unable to salvage a lot of the cream, sadly, but did enjoy whatever was left.  It had a very subtle, yet nice green tea bitterness to it.

As shown in the picture, I made sure to splunk right into the hole of this cream puff and did not waste any of the precious vanilla cream inside.  The filling was nice a light, not overly sweet.  The puff was very airy and light also, with a very flaky feel to it.  It was very delicious and satisfying.

Overall, Ottomanelli's was a decent place and I'd like to go back and try their steak one day.  They had good food for reasonable prices.  Beard Papa's was pretty good, but I must complain that they need more seats inside of there.  Maybe Papa should consider investing in a bigger place, no?

Ottomanelli Bros.

Price: <3<3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: OK to try

Beard Papa's

Price: <3<3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<

Opinion: Recommended

Ottomanelli Bros.

in Upper East Side

1325 5th Ave. (On the corner of 111th St. and 5th Ave.)

(212) 828-8900