Albarino sings at Txikito!
By Akiko Katayama
Albarino! A hot, summery, shiny day calls for it (especially after all those stormy days). But where is the best place to cherish a glass?
My friend knew, so we went to a lovely Basque-ish restaurant called Txikito (Chic-Kee-Toe) in Chelsea for lunch.
This place is owned by the very talented chefs Alex Raij and her husband Eder Montero. Since Alex just had a baby girl, she was not there, although I was surprised that she was there yesterday and will be there all next week. In other words, Txikito is another baby by Alex and Eder.
The lunch menu seemed an abbreviated version of their large dinner menu, but it was in disguise: The menu was the greatest hit collection to us, and we could not decide easily what to have, out of the mere 16 dishes. The menu was divided into four categories (snacks, soups & salads, sandwiches, ‘other plates’). After 20 minutes of contemplation and discussion, we settled on 4 dishes.
And of course, we had Albarino to pair with them. One was Pazo Senorans, and the other was Laxas, both 2008 from Rias Baixas.
Our first dish was Piperrak, blistered peppers with sea salt ($8). The Japanese shishito peppers were lightly fried. The clean oiliness got a nice lift from the large crystals of Maldon sea salt. Laxas’ white grapefruit-y nose and crispness balanced with the smooth oiliness of the peppers.
The second dish was a very rustic Rusa, a classic Russian salad of potato, Spanish tuna and homemade mayo ($8). Its presentation was quite bucolic, and looked like a cute birthday cake. Feeling happy about its generous portion, we dived into it, and wow, it was a healthy comfort food. I haven’t tasted peas and carrots in a salad this vivid in a long time. Chopped green olives topped the dish, which made it more Spanish than Russian. The creaminess of the dish went beautifully with Pazo Senorans’ viscosity and fuller, light honey flavor.
The day’s special squid cooked in its own ink ($?) was next. The richness and slight sweetness of the ink came perfectly with Laxas that started to develop red citrus notes such as tangerine, pink grapefruit and orange peel.
As our final course, we had a double burger a la Basque ($11). They do not serve burgers in Basque, but “the melted Idiazábal (a smoked Basque sheep’s milk cheese) between the two patties is Basque”, said Eder, as he laughed for not being a classically Basque chef, even if he is from the region. Well, that is exactly the charm of Txikito, in my opinion.
The burger was served with pickled red onion, ginger, crème fraiche & mayo sauce, and Tomcat Bakery’s bun. It had a somewhat dry, and chewy texture, which prevented the burger from becoming soggy until the last bite despite the ample juiciness of the whole. This impressive burger went well with both Pazo and Laxas, because of the pickles’ acidity, deep richness of the cheese and the sauce, giving each bite a different character.
The contrast of the two Albarino wines definitely multiplied this special dining experience. I could not believe that the crispier, lighter Laxas and the fuller, creamier Pazo were made close-by in the same region.
1) (Laxas)
2) (Pazo)
3) Blistered Shishito peppers. Shishito is viewed as a Japanese vegetable now, but Eder said it originally came from Iberia … that is quite possible!
4) Rusa, a classic Russian potato & tuna salad with twists.
5) Squid in its own ink. The friendly server gave us pieces of bread to mop up the rich ink sauce. Mission completed!
6) “El Doble” hamburger. Lots of bold yet elegant flavors.
