Generally speaking, traditional Spanish foods are not becoming popular in New York. Rather, it is the progressive cooking of North Central and North Eastern Spain which has little to do with molecular gastronomy and everything to do with applying classic French technique to a myriad of Spanish and pan-Med influences. According to Mani Dawes, co-owner of Tia Pol, “Spanish food in New York is reflecting what’s going on in Spain. It’s no longer the stuffy guy in a tux pouring Sangria. In both places, the food scene is exciting and there is more of an emphasis on freshness over heaviness.”
Alex Velez, general manager of Despana, the best place in the city to buy all things Iberian, notes, “We first opened as a wholesale distributor to only a few Spanish restaurants, but grew so quickly because of the demand for Spanish food that we are now filling orders for five Spanish restaurants in the city that haven’t even opened yet.”
Not only is Spanish food incredibly popular, so is the wine. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that imports of Spanish wines increased 17% last year and 100% since 2000. According to Michael Greene, wine and spirits columnist for Gourmet magazine, after a long time of being relegated to the far corners of wine shops and paid little attention on wine lists, Spanish wines have finally reached “the sipping point.” And according to Katrin Naelapaa, director of Wines from Spain, “In the late 20th century, a new, young and very talented generation of winemakers started experimenting with modern wine-making techniques and cultivating very old varieties of Spanish grapes. Regions like Toro, Priorat and Bierzo have now become as fashionable for their fragrant red wines as their more famous cousins, Rioja and Ribera del Duero.”
So, go out and get a glass of wine and some queso at Bar Jamon, take a Spanish wine class at the Instituto Cervantes, or down some Serrano ham, tapas and chorizo at Suba before the food snobs start adoring British gastronomy and saying that Spanish is so passé.
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