ref=”https://thinktasty1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rsz_2109299371_8607da1738.jpg”>Summer has returned, and with it, so has my increase in business travel.  With a little bit of coordination, my husband and I usually are able to schedule our business travels so that they align for the same dates in the same city.  Last week was our first week of such travels, which we started with meetings in New York City.  There are many wonderful things about traveling to NYC, but one of my favorite features is the wide array of restaurants available- all open late into the night.

As our travel had us in New York on a Monday night, my husband did a little searching for a tapas restaurant that could replace our normal Tapas Monday dinner.  What he found was Boqueria Flatiron, one of three locations in a tapas bar/restaurant group.  Located on West 19th Street, it was a short trip from our hotel.

We arrived there about 8:00 on Monday and found the restaurant to be fairly full.  However, we were able to be seated immediately and were greeted within moments by our server, Diego.  After choosing our water (tap, thank you very much), we took a moment to review the wine list.  When Diego returned with water, we had chosen a bottle of Cava to enjoy during our dinner.  Tapas Monday does require a bottle of sparkling wine, no matter where we are!

While awaiting our Cava, we decided to play our regular game of narrowing down the menu and ended up with three dishes for our evening.  Our first choice was Albóndigas.  These tender lamb meatballs were served in a light tomato sauce with sheep’s milk cheese.  Nicely seasoned, I enjoyed each bite with a little sauce and cheese to round out all of the flavors.

Our second dish was Salteado de Setas.  This dish was a combination of sautéed mushrooms, Manchego cheese, and herbs.  The mushrooms were sliced thickly enough to have a meat-like consistency, yet they still were tender.  With a generous portion of thyme, these mushrooms had a flavor that was both woody and floral.

Our third and final dish of the evening was a flatbread pizza that was topped with goat cheese, Iberico ham, arugula, and a fried quail egg.  The crust was thin, though not quite as thin as other flat bread we have had.  There was enough thickness to the crust to give a slight chewiness to the crust but also a nice crisp to the edges.  My husband adored the fact there was a runny quail egg on two of the four slices, while I liked the bite of the melted goat cheese.

We found our evening at Boqueria to be enjoyable.  Although none of these three dishes was big, our appetites were mostly satiated after the meal.  We did leave room for dessert, but we had plans to have that elsewhere.  The service that we received was attentive.  As space is tight at the restaurant, our Cava was kept cold separate from our table.  Diego made sure to refill our glasses at appropriate times.

For a Monday Tapas dinner away from home, Boqueria made a fine replacement:  delicious Cava, tasty dishes, great service.  If we are in New York on a future Monday night, we just might return.