Socarrat Paella Bar: Paella done to perfection!

When my boyfriend's parents suggested having a last minute Sunday dinner at Socarrat (953 2nd Ave.), I was very happy, since I was there for Valentine's Day and remembered that it was the best paella I had ever had! I've been craving it since!
It was nice going there on a Sunday night because it wasn't overly crowded. We had hoped to get a table upstairs to muffle the sound from the bar area, but unfortunately the upstairs was closed. Instead they seated us as far as possible from the bar area.

The bartenders and waitresses did not waste any time on offering us their signature red sangria, which was the perfect balance of sweet and dry that made us all wanting more all night long. To be honest,  I did not leave Socarrat 100% sober, as this stuff was delicious and potent! 

For appetizers we ordered a selection of tapas to share, all which were very interesting and different from each other. Socarrat has an extensive tapas menu with a variety of dishes. They were all very easy to share in a group since the portions were large enough for 5 people rather than 2 people like most places.

Coles de Bruselas - Brussel Sprouts, raisins, and mint yogurt

We started with Cole de Bruselas, which are charred brussel sprouts seasoned with spices and topped with raisins and a little mint yogurt mixed in. Luckily, the dish was not overloaded with raisins since I don't like raisins, and it was easy for me to pick around them. The spices gave the brussel sprouts tons of flavor with a little bit of a kick. The mint yogurt added a light, refreshing flavor to offset the spices. The collection of flavors in this dish was mouth watering delicious.

Gambas al Aijillo - Shrimp in garlic olive oil and guindilla pepper

The Gambas al Aijillo, which is shrimp in garlic olive oil was excellent, I could eat it every day. There were chunks of garlic floating around in the olive oil that I couldn't help but eat. This is one of those dishes that the bad breathe is worth every bite of garlic, because who wants to avoid the garlic? Not me! When the shrimp was all gone, we used some bread to dip into the garlic sauce,  every ounce of the garlic olive oil had to be eaten!

Tocino con Sandia - Grilled pork belly, watermelon & micro-greens 

The Tocino con Sandia, is grilled pork belly over a slice of watermelon was a very interesting concept. I had never even considered pairing these two items together in a dish, and we all really liked it! It added a nice light summer taste, to a dish that was already full of heavy, juicy pork belly! The mixing of the sweet melon with the savory pork was a winning combination. The pork was lightly seasoned with sweet and flavorful barbecue sauce, and grilled to the perfect consistency so that each bite of pork was tender and oozing with flavor.

Pulpo a La Gallega - Charred octopus, potatoes, and pimenton olive oil

The Pulpo a La Gallega, is charred octopus wrapped around potatoes seasoned with pimenton olive oil. Pimenton is the Spanish name for paprika, which is used in most Spanish dishes, especially over meats and eggs. This dish was beautiful in presentation and amazing in flavor! The octopus was charred perfectly, and every bite was meaty and very pleasing to my palate. The pimenton added just the right amount of spice, while the creamy texture of the potatoes added textural depth to the dish.

Cordero Paella - Lamb, short ribs, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli 

We originally planned to order two paellas to share for five people, which was more than enough! Since my boyfriend and his father are both allergic to mushrooms, we made sure to ask the waitress which paellas had mushrooms in them, especially in the sauces. The waitress helped us select two paellas that she assured us we would be safe ordering.
Our first paella, the Cordero Paella, had lamb, short ribs, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli in it. I noticed as I was eating this delicious dish, that there were actually tons of mushrooms in it, and the sauce seemed to be of a mushroom base as well! This was deeply upsetting since we specifically had spoken to the waitress about this. Luckily, my boyfriend and his father had not actually tasted the dish yet when we noticed this. We therefore, had to order a third paella for us that was mushroom free. The girls all loved the Cordero and were very happy we were able to have it anyway since it was very hearty with all the meat and also very creamy due to the mushroom based sauce. The lamb and short ribs were very tender and just shredded easily with a fork. The charred brussel sprouts and broccoli also made this dish for me, since I loved burnt veggies. Also, the bottom of the pan had very burnt rice stuck to it, which was amazing! I found myself literally picking at the bottom of the pan with my spoon at the end to make sure every drop of this paella was eaten.

Langosta Paella - Lobster, calamari, shrimp & scallops 

The Langosta paella had lobster, calamari, shrimp and scallops in it, which is the ultimate seafood lovers' paella! I didn't love this paella as much as the Cordero because it  had more of a red sauce base, which didn't taste as savory to me, but it was still very good. I loved the peas that were floating around in it, because it added some textural excitement and also a little nutrition to this dish :) There was a generous amount of seafood, and I especially loved the lobster claws! I do wish there was a little more lobster in the dish,because then we all would have been able to get a claw :)

Socarrat Paella - Chicken, beef, calamari, shrimp, bass fish, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, and green beans

The Socarrat Paella was the third paella we ordered so that the boys at the table could have a second type of paella to try, and also so they didn't leave hungry. The Socarrat had a similar sauce to the langosta, which was more of a red base. It had chicken, beef, calamari, shrimp, bass fish, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, green beans, and peppers in it. If you want a little bit of everything, this is your dish! I am still very partial to the Cordero, since that one was a whole other level of tastiness from the other two paellas we had.
At the end of the meal,  we were all very impressed with the quality of the paellas and were definitely stuffed to the brim. When our check came, the waitress had charged us for all three paellas, which we believe was not the right thing to do, since we would not have ordered three paellas if she had guided us correctly when we first ordered. When I said something to her, she fixed the bill to give us half off of the paella. This was still disappointing since it was not our fault and we still would not have ordered a third paella. When I spoke to her a second time about this, she corrected the bill by removing that paella all together. Thank goodness!
I definitely recommend Socarrat if you want good paella. It is good for groups, and also good for dates since there is nothing more romantic than sharing food on a date! I have had other paella in the city, and this one is by far the best!