Txikito

March 15th, 2009

It takes time to figure out how how to pronounce the name of this little tapas restaurant in Chelsea but I get a sense that I’ll be saying it a lot more. Txikito (actually pronounced chee-kee-toe) is a new venture by Alex Raij and Eder Montero of Tia Pol and El Quinto Pino. Once again this duet has brought tremendous new Basque flavors to Chelsea, with top notch service to boot.

The restaurant only has about 28 seats and a sliver of a bar at the front with bright red stools. The space is small so expect intimacy and bring a sense of adventure, there’s a lot to try here. The menu is divided between Ostatutik, Pintxoak, Hotzak and Beroak (from the bar, canapes, cold items and hot items) and each dish is as intriguing as the next. There is a lot of focus on seafood including a myriad cod dishes, anchovy, tuna, mussels and squid though meat lovers will find nice selections including odd parts like trotters, tripe and head cheese. Though a tough decision, we decided to start with mushroom and shrimp grilled cheese sandwiches (txiki txanpi) and atuna, a little sandwich of tuna with sweet onion and olive oil. The atuna was the surprising star, nestled into a mini baguette with slick tuna that oozed with flavor from the onions. The grilled cheese sandwiches had dots of earthiness from the mushroom but lacked the depth of flavor that the atuna had and the bread was a bit dry, they were thirsty for a dipping sauce.

Next came a special for the evening which was chickpea and cod stew with spinach. The yellow sauce of the stew was smokey and rich, so good that we slurped up the last drops in our spoons! Next we had squid in its own ink, a bountiful, deep-black portion served with short grain white rice. Lastly huge, salty lamb chops (chuletillas) with watercress, lemon juice and a decadent layer of fat on each. We asked for bread to cut some of the richness of the food and enjoyed sopping up the squid ink with it. I washed it down with a Basque rose and a redhook ale.

Txikito was a fantastic meal with lots of unique flavors. I can’t wait to go back.

Txikito: 240 9th Ave (betw 24th and 25th)
Cuisine: Tapas
Average Appetizer/Entree Price: Tapas run from $5-$20 with the “Beroak” (hot items) being as large as a regular entrees
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Value: Very Good
You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
Word to the Wise: They do not take reservations but at 9PM on a Friday there was only a 20 minute wait for 2. Give them your phone number and get a beer around the corner at Half King or West Side Tavern!
Txikito on Urbanspoon

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Filed under Chelsea, Neighborhood, Restaurant Reviews, Tapas | Comment (1)

One Response to “Txikito”

  1. ashleý on March 16, 2009 7:35 am

    And the sangria had a unique spicy flavor, tasted like a chilled mulled wine.

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