Side notes- Prices aren't online, and the menu changes frequently. In general, as of a few months…read moreago, 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 Jamón 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 Atún 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 purée. 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 purée 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.
