I love Spanish tapas. Trying a little bit of everything is the way the NYC FOODIE likes to eat, thus tapas style dining suits me perfectly!

El Quinto Pino, a teeny tiny box of a restaurant, or rather Spanish tapas wine bar, I have been to many times, and wrote about two years ago, is one of the best tapas spots in town. The chef Alex Raij who opened it, and then left to open Txikito across the street, has now taken the reigns back, and it is still just as wonderful as it always has been.

Fideua, a Spanish noodle paella ($12), a dish I love, was superb here. The other word I'd use to descibe each mouthwatering bite of tasty noodles, shrimp, and squid would be "orgasmic".

Fava beans with morcilla (Spanish blood sausage) ($9) was also excellent. This dish does wonders to the fava bean, almost making it feel and taste like a meat, combined with the morcilla, it was a bowl of meaty goodness!

Torreznos, Castilian pork cracklin's ($6), is one of my favorite dishes in all of NYC. You need to order these little bites of salty, crispy, joy every time you come to El Quinto Pino. A phenomenal snack!

So for some of the best Spanish tapas in NYC, El Quinto Pino is the place to be. It might be a small space, but the food packs a powerful, memorable punch, you shall never forget.

El Quinto Pino
401 W. 24th St. (and 9th Ave.)
New York, NY 10011
212-206-6900
www.elquintopinonyc.com