Category Archives: Spanish

Aldea: new portuguese gem

Dear Food Diary:

A girlfriend from college who was MIA for the past year and change had dropped me a line the other day, so we met at Aldea (Named village in Portuguese. A small neighborhood gem that opened a few month back). We didn’t think reservations were necessary on a tuesday night, to our surprise, the place was packed. They did offer us a table on the ground level dining room, but it seemed tight and crowded, so we opted to dine at the bar with the company of the attentive and friendly bartender Ted (for you ladies who are wondering, yes, he’s pretty cute). The restaurant has a very chic, modern and elegant interior. I suggest making reservations at the chef’s table (only 6 seats) overlooking the busy kitchen. And I highly recommend it for a date, it’s nice but not stuffy, and the food will help you score points for sure (high five me later).

Despaña: Jamón ibérico + Surimi Baby Eel


click on yummy images to enlarge

Dear Food Diary:

I was so excited when my friend told me they opened this new store Despaña around Chinatown, for all things from España (hence the name De= from, España= Spain). A small but well stocked specialty store with an array of cure meats, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, canned seafoods and a back counter serving pintxo (small slice of bread with different toppings of cured meats and chorizo), tortillas (made with eggs, potatoe, onions and a variety of other ingredients).