Sharing is Caring

My cousin, Allen recently arrived in NY for culinary school and as a way to welcome him to the big city, we took him to this little Spanish restaurant in our neighborhood. 

The restaurant is pretty small, but it makes fantastic use of the space with sleek, modern furniture and a beautiful skylight ceiling that definitely made the place look brighter and seem a little bigger. At night, the rustic dark wood adds an extra touch of sophistication. 

One of the aspects of this restaurant that stands out up to now is their impeccable service. The waitstaff here is so friendly that my cousin, Ginger ended up making friends with one of the girls during a previous visit to the establishment. Maybe it was a good night when I went but they seemed to be the happiest people to ever be working in a restaurant. 

Their dishes, while pricey were very flavorful and delicious. For starters we had skewers of chorizo wrapped in shrimp, and an amazing mac and cheese made with manchego and black hog ham which was one of my favorite dishes that evening.

We then ordered two different kinds of paella, the first of which was this decadent arroz cremoso negro made of black rice, white truffle oil and drunken goat cheese. That first bite was just an explosion of flavor and probably the standout dish for the night. The second paella was their traditional paella with prawn, chorizo, clams, mussels and squid. Dishes like these run the risk of certain parts being undercooked or overcooked but this dish was just right.

The cochinta, their crispy pork belly with roasted peaches dish was also a favorite dish of the night. It was moist, juicy with a delicious crunch on top. We also liked the croquettas trio with pork and spicy black bean, crabmeat with goat cheese and quince, and truffled cauliflower. The crispy flat bread with serrano ham and seedless grapes was a great mixture of salty and sweet.

I know those dishes above seem like a whole lot, but in reality because of the nature of these tapas dishes (small portions), anyone could realistically order all of these and still have room for desserts. 

Yes, definitely save room for their desserts. We ordered the flan, the sangria granita and the churros which were all big winners in my opinion. Each had just the right amount of sweetness which allowed you to end the meal on a great note.

With its great atmosphere, wonderful service and flavorful food, Islero is the perfect place to take your family, your date (great lighting? food sharing? score!), or a small intimate group of friends. 

Islero
247 E 50th St (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue)
New York, 10022
Tel: (212) 752-1414

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