Buceo 95: When a Tapas and Wine bar combine.

One of my favorite types of cuisine if not my favorite is the Spanish tradition of Tapas. Tapas Bars traditionally offer a variety of small dishes from which a table of say 2 or 3 choose about 5 to 6 different tapas for the table to share. There are many myths for where the tapas tradition originated from, among them and my favorite is the idea that the plate were originally provided to block fruit fly access to the glass of wine in between sips. What has developed since the early days is the care and attention given to what is on top of that plate, the tapa.

Tapas dishes can be hot or cold and can be meat or vegetarian. Some very traditional tapas include gambas ajillo (garlic shrimp), croquettes (deep-fried cylindrical pieces of anything from potatoes to chicken to codfish), albondigas (Spanish meatballs), and of course cheese plates including the very Spanish Manchego cheese.

Buceo 95 located on the Upper West Side delivers on the tapas tradition with the added bonus of being a wine bar on top of a tapas bar. The restaurant itself is very tiny and hides out on 95th street between Broadway and Amsterdam. The environment could not exude a more friendly and familial atmosphere with the tables close together and the south wall exposed to the street suggesting a continuation of the restaurants atmosphere onto the street itself. Though the tables are packed in and when full (which it appears to be many nights out of the week) it gets very loud, the ability to have an intimate dinner is not lost. The food itself is worthy of the tapas distinction and Buceo provides many of the traditional dishes I have come to expect when dining out. One dish in particular was the baby octopus grilled over a potato and olive puree. As a fan of grilled octopus I thought this dish to be done just right and with the added distinction of being presented over a very light and well mixed puree. Unfortunately we ordered one dish that I do not think stood up to the rest, which was their paella. I am a very big paella fan and was not to impressed with the tapas sized paella they served us. Paella should never be cooked or served in such a small pan and therefor cannot exist as a tapas, it goes against the definition of the dish itself. On the other hand I am a big fan of going against definitions and trying new things, but this time it didn’t work.

Before providing the ranking I should also mention Buceo’s commitment to wine and the extensive wine menu the offer. Though I went there for dinner and selected a rather delicious bottle of rose to accompany the dinner, I do see myself returning to Buceo solely for a wine tasting.

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 3 Straws (With limited options for tapas dinners in New York City this is a good addition).

Wine: TBA (for a future visit, look for the review soon).

Price: $$traws, Average ($15 a person gets four tapas dishes).

Atmosphere: Casual and welcoming (smiles and closely packed tables delivers the neighborhood feel).

Overall: 3 Straws (A solid tapas experience with great potential as a new member of the Upper West Side).

The Details:

Website: N/A

Location: 201 W 95th, between Broadway and Amsterdam, Manhattan, New York.

Phone: (212) 662-7010

Reservation: No need.

Dress: Casual.

Hours:

Daily: 5:30pm- 2:00am.