Chef Alex Raij | Recommendations - Find. Eat. Drink.
Chef Alex Raij, El Quinto Pino, Txikito, La Vara, New York, NY, NYC, Manhattan, Brooklyn, NY, Spanish, Basque, Chelsea, Cobble Hill, Where to eat, Where to drink, What to eat, Where to shop, What to drink, Wine, Sherry, Recommendations, Chef’s Recommendations, Chef’s Favorite Restaurants, Spanish, Spain, Galicia, Madrid, Bilbao, New York, Anchovies, Sardines, Markets, Stores, Restaurants, Bakery, Wine, Canned Seafood
DESPANA
Soho
Spanish Speciality Foods
Find | Food Markets & Stores - New York, NY
It’s the best retail store I know of in the country, not just in New York. Others may have more pottery and music, but for food it can't be beat.
Recommendations
ESSEX STREET MARKET
120 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002
Lower East Side
Market / Food Stores
I love Essex Market, which is not Spanish but Hispanic, with an ever-growing roster of new vendors, like Heritage and Saxelby Cheese. I love this place, because the price and quality are great. It is a meeting point for food lovers and cookers, and I feel like I am in a Spanish market.
Photographs courtesy of Alex Raij, Txikito and El Quinto Pino
Who
Alex Raij and Eder Montero are the chef / owners of Txikito, El Quinto Pino restaurants in Manhattan and La Vara restaurant in Brooklyn.
Why
Chefs Raij and Montero (a native of Bilbao) bring authentic and traditional Basque Country flavors to New York City.
Chef Alex Raij | Recommendations
May 1, 2012
Txikito - El Quinto Pino | New York, NY & La Vara | Brooklyn, NY
Recommended By
- Chef Marc Vidal (Boqueria in New York, NY)
- Chef Jesus Nunez (Gastroarte in New York, NY)
- Chef Jason Hall (Crown in New York, NY)
- Restaurateur Lolo Manso (Socarrat Paella Bar, Socarrat Wine Bar, La Nacional, La Churreria in New York, NY)
- Wine Importer Andre Tamers (De Maison Selections)
PATISSERIE CLAUDE
187 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10014
T: 212.255.5911
West Village
Bakery
Find | Bakeries - New York, NY
For awesome for palmiers and French pastry.
CONG LY
124 Hester Street, New York, NY 10002
T: 212.343.1111
Chinatown
Vietnamese
Eat | Restaurants - New York, NY
Cong Ly is a Pho noodle shop for pitch-perfect, unsurpassed in NYC broths. I order traditional Xue La or Curried Chicken with thin noodles. Stick to noodles and stews here.
NORTH DUMPLING
27 Essex Street, Suite A, New York, NY 10002
T: 212.529.2760
Chinatown
Chinese
Hands down the best for dumplings. They need no sauce, skins are handmade and stuffed, and they use Chinese garlic chives instead of scallion for a very special flavor. Their soups also have seaweed... everything here is just a little better than it has to be!
Japanese
Midtown West
I love Yakitori Totto for beef tongue, chicken cartilage and a view of the super hip Japanese cooks. Come for the food, leave with a T shirt.
Eat | Restaurants - Bilbao, Spain
ARBOLAGANA
Museo de Bellas Artes Bilbao, c/ Museo Plaza, 2, 48011 Bilbao, Spain
T: +34/944.424.657
Abando
Spanish
I love Arbolagana in the Museum of Fine Arts for a fancier meal. The tasting menus always include really cool wines and well-prepared pork hocks and desserts.
RIO OJA
c/ Perro, 6, 48005 Bilbao, Spain
T: +34/94.415.0871
Bilbo Zaharra
Seafood
The stews and casuelas at Rio Oja are always wonderful whether snails or trotters served with lots of bread for mopping up great sauces.
Eat | Restaurants - Galicia, Spain
DON CAMILLO
Do Ferreiro Wine’s family Restaurant
Calle Poetas Galegos, 9-B, 36960 San Xenxo, Spain
T: +34/98.669.1124
San Xenxo
Spanish
In San Xenxo, Galicia, I love Don Camillo for awesome seafood and Albarinos.
Find | Markets & Eat | Restaurants - Madrid, Spain
MERCADO SAN MIGUEL
Plaza San Miguel
Food Market / Tapas
In Madrid, a trip to Mercado San Miguel is in order, but expect to pay lots for delicacies from all of Spain. Still a must see.
Find | Ingredients - Anchovies
DON BOCARTE
Spain / Cantabria
Anchovies
NARDIN ANCHOVIES
Spain / Cantabria
Anchovies
Find | Wine
TERRA ALTA GARNATXA BLANCA
Spanish / Terra Alta
White Wine
Grenache Blanc from the DO of Terra Alta.
RIBEIRO WHITE WINES
Spanish / Ribeiro
White Wine
White wines from the Ribeiro DO.
Naturally I love Txakoli in all its styles but lately I have been enjoying the Garnatxa Blancas (Grenache Blanc) of Terra Alta and the white wines from Ribeiro -- two styles from La Vara. I also love the new roses from Ostatu and El Cortijo.
CORTIJO RIOJA ROSADO
Spanish / Rioja
Rose Wine
I love their new rose.
OSTATU ROSADO
Spanish / Rioja Alavesa
Rose Wine
I love their new rose.
I love Don Bocarte and Nardin Anchovies. I am kind of an anchovy fanatic and what I love about them is Umami and salinity, but the higher the quality the more rarefied elegance you can find in a product that is the true meaning of artisanal.
Find | Ingredients
ÑORAS PEPPERS
Spain
Hot Peppers
It’s a smoky dry pepper used to make Romesco sauce from Valencia. I rehydrate them and harvest all their meaty pulp and blend it with olive oil garlic. I cook it out in a pan and add in the reserved liquid from hydrating the peppers to make a paste. This can then be combined with soffrito to make a rice dish, for example, or with salt cod for Valencian Pericana, which I love.
ORTIZ
Spain / Cantabria
Seafood
I have gone on at length about Ortiz and how great those products are.
RIAS GALLEGAS
Spain / Galicia
Seafood
Rias Gallegas has amazing products.
