Ernesto's

“Side notes- Prices aren't online, and the menu changes frequently. In general, as of a few months ago, the pintxos/bites are $14 to $16, the entradas/appetizers are mostly in the low or mid-$20s, and the platos/entrees are mostly in the $30s and $40s. Anyway, I was at this dimly lit Basque restaurant a while back with a small group. The place got pretty loud eventually, and the service was friendly. As we were waiting, I had some time to kill and ordered a tasty vermut. In this case, it was the Lustao Blanco for $16 on the rocks with an olive. In terms of small bites/Pintxos, someone ordered the Gildas for $14 while waiting, and another person enjoyed the similarly tiny Croquetas de Jamon for the same price point. Speaking of prices, I am unsure exactly how much everything cost, and I can't find descriptions of everything I ate, so I'm approximating, which is why you'll see the "~" before each price point. My entrada, or appetizer, was the Salmorejo de Atun for ~$25. Salmorejo is essentially a much thicker version of gazpacho, with olive oil, tomato, bread, and a few other ingredients. In this case, it was topped with plenty of raw tuna, cucumbers, and other greens. The cold soup worked surprisingly well with the high-quality fatty tuna, and I would order this again if I came back here. Another person ordered one of the appetizers as their entree, the Bikini Hemingway, which is a type of sandwich. In this case, it was ~$25 and was filled with txistorra, queso, shrimp, and pan de cristal. They seemed to like it but not love it. My main dish/plato was, unfortunately, the Magret de Pato for ~$40, with grilled magret duck breast, port and foie sauce, and pomme puree. Unfortunately, a few pieces of the duck were a little chewy, especially the ones with more fat. The sauce was alright, tasting like a slightly above-average red wine demi-glace with a touch more richness and sweetness than usual. The pomme puree was good, being rich with a nice texture. Overall, I think a bit of acid would have helped as well. This was alright, and I would have appreciated some bread to mop up the remaining sauce. Another person thought the Bacalao for ~$35, which was topped with two shrimp in this presentation, was pretty good. This place reminded me of Txikito in many ways. Both are a bit too pricey for the quality, with comparable food. For spending around $100, there are many other spots I would prefer, such as Casa Mono, El Pote, or a few others. If I were to go back, I'd probably just order appetizers. I'll leave the same score as the other restaurant, a bare 4/upper 3, and I would give a 3.5 if available.”

“This is a typical trendy Manhattan restaurant. Charming interior, great mixed drinks, delicious food but like all Manhattan restaurants expensive. You'll drop $100 per person if you include drinks. That being said the food and mixed drinks were delicious so absolutely no complaints. We walked in early and had no problems getting seating but I would recommend getting a reservation if you plan to eat later. The restaurant was quickly filling up.”

“had the chance to sit down at the chef's counter for a great meal last night. service was spectacular. tried most of the menu and cant recommend the counter experience more. favorites included the short rib stuffed peppers, jamon croquetas, pintxo matrimonio (!!!!), bikini hemingway, and the duck confit.”