An Andalusian Escape

Place: La Nacional

Nationality: Spanish

Occasion: Casual lunch or dinner with the intention of
satisfying the craving for good food without the frills.

Location: 239 West 14th Street between Seventh and Eighth
Avenues. 212-243-9308

Transportation: 20 minutes from campus via the 1/9 subway to
14th Street.

Budget: Tapas range from $4 to $9, entrees range from $13 to
$15, and all desserts are $4.

Atmosphere: La Nacional is a classic Spanish Cantina. There are
no signs and the entrance is hidden under a stairway. Once inside,
you walk down a small hall covered by pamphlets for their Saturday
night Flamenco shows. The halls ends with a typical old Spanish
bar, with blaring TVs fixed on fútbol, cycling, and
baseball. Turning right, there is an unexpected small dining room
with strong Sevillian influences: bright colors, rustic wooden
furniture, and torero pictures. The predominant language is
Spanish, and on my visit, an old woman was sitting by the window,
battling the Indian summer heat with her albanico (fan).

Standout feature: Paella, tapas, paella, and paella.

Highlights of menu: The wine list is all Spanish, with a very
solid house red. There is both white and red sangria. Wonderful
assortment of hot and cold tapas. We had an array of the former:
grilled chorizo sautéed in garlic ($7); grilled sardines a
la plancha ($6), which won me over with their simple preparation
and clean flavor; croquetas del dia ($6), fluffy fried balls of
béchamel with egg and ham; and fried calamari ($8), very
fresh and not at all greasy. And then we ordered the paella ($15).
Big enough for two, this dish was incredible. It was adorned with
bits of chicken, clams, mussels, calamari, and shrimp. The rice was
al dente, and the right balance of tomatoes, saffron, chicken, and
shellfish stock (they wouldn’t disclose the rest of the
ingredients) kept it from being too soupy or dry. This is the best
paella I’ve had on this island.

Side notes: Cash only.��