Quiet vs. tasty

By the time we got to Tia Pol after work Weds night, it was so packed, we couldn't even walk in the door. Rather than fight the hordes of yelling twentysomethings, we went to a related restaurant at 24th and Ninth.

We had no trouble getting two seats at the bar at El Quinto Pino, but it gave us a view into the kitchen. I say but because it meant we could see how small the kitchen was.

We started with the pincho of the day, a seafood salad on bread. My favorite dish there was the anchoas de ondarroa, or anchovies marinated in tomato sauce: the salty fish tasted of summers spent at the beach. The chickpeas w/spinach were good too: I particularly liked the texture, which was creamy between the lumps of chickpea. Our third round was Spanish-style cracklins and fried salt cod. The former was about what you'd expect, with the intense flavor you get with European hams. My companion described the fried salt cod as upscale Long John Silver's.

They have four sherries on the menu, generically described as a manzanilla, a fino, an amontillado, and an oloroso. Our bartender David was eager to share his patter about them, but at the end of the day, I found them dull. Yes, I tried them all. The first two were crisp and dry, nothing thrilling. The biggest disappointment though was the amontillado: I've had some great ones and if you're going to affiliate yourself with the only Spanish wine store in Manhattan, shouldn't you have something more interesting than Tio Pepe at least? I found the oloroso was also drier than I'd have preferred.

Overall, I found it took the edge off my desire for tapas, and I'd return if Tia Pol was too busy. I'll have lower expectations next time though.