This is another awesome Tasting Collective dining club event we attended. (You can read about the previous posts about Tasting Collective events here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/fish-cheeks/ http://www.foodlovergirl.com/win-son/ http://www.foodlovergirl.com/f-o-b/ and http://www.foodlovergirl.com/xixa/). Tasting Collective is a dining club for food lovers, and they offer brunch and dinner at great NYC restaurants. They close off the restaurants for the club, so we get to have the entire restaurant and chef(s) all to ourselves. So, this is more than just eating food at a restaurant, but you get to have the background story and its passion from the chef(s), eating 8- to 12-course brunch/dinner created specifically for Tasting Collectives. This event was held at a Spanish restaurant offering Basque-style cuisine, 10-Course Basque Inspired Brunch Feast!
So far, I have never been to any of the restaurants before, until they were introduced to me through Tasting Collective. What a great way to discover a new restaurant, while getting so many wonderful dishes!
The inside was really nice and warm, with lots and lots of wood used throughout. Even the sign outside had wood. The left side was exposed red brick wall, beautiful and brings out the rick history behind it. The inside is long but not so narrow. I liked how the tables are set in a way that they are more spacious than most other restaurants in Manhattan. They have counters to the right side of the entrance. The chef told us that this area used be set up for “standing” area, as that is how people in Spain dine sometimes, at more casual setting. He realized that people here are not so into standing and eating, so he added some bar stools here.
Right behind these counters is a huge, beautiful, wooden bar, fully stacked. The light fixture is rather simple, kind of industrial look. With the exposed red bricks, lots of woods and metal bar stools, it brings out more of a warm industrial style to it. Even though this is not an old restaurant, it somehow has such rich, historic atmosphere.
The front wall is covered with windows, from floor to ceiling, bringing in lots of natural lights. They use soft lighting throughout to help with the middle part of the restaurant. Since this restaurant stretches out the entire block, they also have windows at the back of the restaurant as well. All done in nice earth tones, very relaxing.
I especially loved the design of the middle seating area. It had beautiful curves coming out of straight line of the booth chairs. The contrast of hard lines and curved, soft lines made it look like an art form. With the area being long and a bit narrow, mostly covered with wood with some metal and glass, it made me imagine some sort of old wooden boat or a ship, floating somewhere in Mediterranean ocean. Right next to these booth seating is an open kitchen, also beautifully designed.
The booth has high back, providing a bit more privacy from the table next to you. The bottom of the curve has glass added on top, providing softer edges to the hard lines, and effortlessly disappears into the beautiful curve.
I can see how much thought and time has been put into the interior, as it is such a beautiful, calming, relaxing space. But, they have not forgotten a fun part of design. Their chalk boards held lots of cute little drawing that makes you smile, like a little piggy or a duck.
Behind the kitchen and the booth seating is a back room. It is also covered by wood, creating a cozy, warm atmosphere. They have several tables arranged with nice space in between. It is rare to see this much of space on the floor, I really like how they don’t have tables on top of each other.
The chef, Jonah Miller, a Gramercy Tavern alumni, told us that during his traveling and studying in Spain, he fell in love with their cuisine. He wanted to bring in all of the Spanish traditions, from the restaurant style, cuisine, and even the way people eat. But then, he had to learn to adjust all of that a bit to be more suitable for the New Yorkers and alike. He seemed like very passionate about his restaurant and food, which always is a great thing!
We were welcomed by a plate full of fresh bread. I actually have not seen any kind of complimentary bread being offered at any other event that we’ve attended, so it was a nice surprise. They had three kinds of bread, and they were all very good. Moist, airy but with nice density, and the butter was super awesome. It was creamy and had a hint of salty flavor, it was great.
They don’t usually serve brunch here at Huertas, so the brunch menu was created just for this event. So cool! And the menu was really cute, with the similar drawings that I saw on their chalkboard.
The first of the 10-course brunch was Arctic Char Mousse Stuffed Peppers, a.k.a. Piquillos Rellenos. It is made with piquillo peppers, smoked arctic char mousse, and toast. Since all the dishes are served family style, we each got to have one Piquillo Rellenos. This was a cold appetizer, and for some reason, I was a bit surprised with the coldness at the first bite. It was refreshing and tasty, I liked the little charred part. The coldness and the fresh flavor was kind of a nice palate cleanser, a great way to start the meal.
The second one was Membrillo and Idiazabal Toasts, made with sheep’s milk cheese, house quince paste, and toast. I liked the sweetness of the quince paste, it tasted a bit like a mix of apple and pear. The sheep’s milk cheese was really fully, almost like shredded clouds. I was a fun appetizer item.
The third one was Jamón Croquetas, made with bechamel, serrano ham, and breadcrumbs. I really loved this one. The outside was perfectly fried and crunchy, and inside was creamy and velvety. It had really nice flavor of bechamel, and ham was present but not overwhelming, they worked great together. I wish if I could have more than just one croqueta…
Next one up was Ensalada, with Little Gem Lettuce, tonnato sauce and smoked almonds, and radish. So, what is tonnato, you might ask? It is a creamy sauce that is made with mayonnaise, tuna, lemon juice, and few others things blended together. I really liked the sauce, great tuna flavor without being fishy or anything. The salad was very fresh and crispy, and I liked the added almond and radish for extra flavor and texture.
Then there came the Pimentón Bacon and Pea “Migas” made with house pimentón bacon, peas, breadcrumbs, poached egg. This was a quite a surprise. I must say, I didn’t think it would be anything special…that was until I had my first bite. The fact was, it was quite wonderful! The peas were really fresh, not mushy at all, and eggs…my goodness, it was cooked perfectly, allowing the egg porn right in front of our eyes… The “breadcrumbs” were more like bread “pieces” and with them soaking up the juice from the peas, they were turned into green as well. There were not many bacon pieces, but they sure did leave a mark. The flavor of the bacon was really nice, and went great with the rest. It was an interesting mix of flavor and texture.
The sixth item was Green Garlic Tortilla Española. No, it is not green in color, but it uses green garlic. It is essentially an omelet, made in the small cast iron skillet, with potato, onion, and yes, green garlic. We (tried) to cut them into four pieces to share, but I didn’t do a good job there with a spoon… I did my best… And don’t mind the little pea that got away.
So, this “omelet” is made with layers and layers of sliced potatoes, and some onions in between. It was nice and hot, potatoes were cooked really well so that they are soft without being too soft. It was buttery without being oily, very comforting. And yes it was garlic-y, which I really enjoyed.
Lucky number seven was Setas, or Marinated Mushrooms, with goat cream cheese and salsa verde. It was mushroom lover’s dream dish. The mushrooms were cooked just right, soft but still holding on to its firm texture. The goat cream cheese was a nice touch, went great with the mushroom. It was seasoned really nicely, great flavor throughout, with velvety sauce. Most of the dishes are rather simple, with minimum ingredients, but they were all certainly rich, deep, earthy and delicious. There is nothing “simple” about their flavor.
Number eight was something that has eight arms – octopus! It was Pulpo y Pimientos, or Octopus and Shishito Pepper Skewers. On their regular menu, they offer octopus and shishito peppers, but separately. So, if you want to get the combined creation, well…you need to order both items and create your own combo dish!
If I remember correctly, the chef told us that the way octopus is prepared is a bit different from the way it is done in Spain. To be more suitable to American’s palate, he grill the octopus with a little char. This texture is more preferred by Americans. And I certainly enjoyed it, a whole lot! The octopus was nice and firm, but soft enough so that they are not chewy. The shishito peppers are not all spicy, but you get a mix of spicy ones with not spicy ones. I liked the little kick that I got from the spicy one.
The last dish before the dessert was Smoked Pork Fat Potatoes, with smoked garlic aioli. This one was another simple-looking dish that surprises you with explosion of flavor. It had really nice smokey flavor to it, with soft, juicy potatoes, packed with amazing flavor. The garlic aioli was a perfect match, adding a mild, calm flavor. It was really, really delicious! Super comforting.
The last but not least, the dessert! It was Citrus and Cream Torrijas, or spanish-style french toast with citrus and cream. I got to see a bit of their final preparation of this dessert, and it certainly was not your regular french toast that we are used to.
When it arrived at our table, it had nice, white cream on top, and then some honey (I believe) drizzled over it. The toast was really crunchy, and we were only given a spoon, so it was not easy to eat with it. I wish if they provided us with a knife also… Anyways, maybe we received an extra crunchy one, who knows. The cream was really nice, melting over the warm french toast, and the citrus was awesome! It was kind of like fried square dough with creme, citrus and honey, it was really nice.
They have bathroom at the beginning of the booth seating, right by the kitchen, and another one at the end of booth seating as well. It was spacious, clean, and keeping the earthy tone here as well with exposed brick and wood. They added a beautiful emerald green tile on the wall, it was really pretty. I liked the little sign that says Employee Must Wash Hands, but the one depicted was a happy pig.
I had an amazing brunch here at Huertas, thanks to the chef, staff, and of course, Tasting Collective. We also got to sit with other wonderful food lovers, so it was extra fun. I would love to go back for more of their high quality, tasty food. One thing I learned about this restaurant is that they use “Hospitality Included” structure, meaning, no tips required. Therefore, their staffs are treated equally and fairy, and they have more connection to the restaurant and it’s success. It is good to know your server is not working to get your tip, but they are working to do their best, without any concern for tips. I really like and support that! This is a great spot to have an amazing, high quality meal to share with your loved ones, in very comforting, relaxing atmosphere. I can already think of several people to bring with us for our future visits…!
For those of you who are interested in joining this great dining club, Tasting Collective, you can use this link to get a discounted annual rate of $115 (over 30% off the normal $165/year) for the first year: https://tastingcollective.com/?invite_code=JUN4346
Huertas – 107 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003