Dining at Tertulia in New York City
Last Saturday, a group of us shared a very special meal in the West Village of New York City at Tertulia, a fun and casual Spanish gastropub owned by Chef Seamus Mullen. Chef Mullen traveled around Spain for several years and developed a particular fondness for the region of Asturias in Northern Spain and the sidrerias, or the local cider houses found there. Mullen was impressed with the unique flavors of the cider and with the terrific home-style foods made in the kitchens. When creating Tertulia, he drew from his experiences in Spain, both for ambiance and for flavors and has come up with a real winner!
1 Here I am with Chef Seamus Mullen, the owner of Tertulia.
2 We started our meal with some delicious tapas - This is Cojonudo - fried quail eggs, on a smoked pig cheek with a pickled pepper.
3 And of course, the amazingly flavorful Ibérico ham - Jamón Ibérico de Bellota - Cinco Jotas acorn-fed Ibérico ham, cut by hand
4 Pan Con Tomate - Toasted bread rubbed with tomato
5 Ensalada de Remolachas - Beet salad, Cañarejal cheese, grapefruit, mustard greens, and pistachios
6 Ensalada de Rábanos - Radish salad, baby rainbow carrots, with anchovy vinaigrette
7 Pimentos de Padrón - Fried Padrón peppers with lots of sea salt
8 Navajas a la Brasa - A dish of razor clams with crispy bacon served over dandelion greens with an apple vinaigrette
9 Tupinambures - Crispy smoked sunchokes, sumac, and citrus yogurt
10 We loved all the starters! Such amazing flavors!
11 Tertulia is a word referring to a gathering of friends marked by great conversation, food, and drink.
12 The menu at Tertulia celebrates Spain’s exquisite products and flavors. And, of course, Seamus Mullen uses the freshest ingredients possible.
13 Mullen, an accomplished New York chef, lived in Spain for several years, learning the art of Spanish cuisine and its rich blending of flavors.
14 The daily specials are written in Spanish on blackboards hung above the kitchen.
15 The special beverage board, including a choice of hard cider
16 More specials
17 The narrow restaurant space is lined with brick walls, reminiscent of an old Spanish wine cellar. There are curved wooden banquettes, like this one and casual wooden tables.
18 There is plenty of room around these tables for large parties to enjoy Chef Mullen's fantastic creations.
19 Always at the ready - A large ham of Ibérico pig fastened in a special ham vise sits waiting to be hand carved.
20 Tosta Mejillones - One of Chef Mullen's fabulous tosta creations with grilled mussels, fennel jam, raisins, and aioli
21 Succulent pork belly sizzling near the blazing chimney-style oven
22 This flatfish on the grill is turbot. The pig's cheek next to it is being smoked and will eventually be stuffed inside the turbot.
23 The turbot is finished off in the fireplace with that smoked pig's cheek inside and a coat of lemon slices and herbs on the outside.
24 After the slow grilling, the finished turbot comes out of the fireplace tasting amazingly delicious and smoky, pleasingly flavored by oak and lemon. Food is served on these wonderful hand-carved wooden platters that Mullen found during his travels in Northern Spain.
25 We ordered the evening's paella special, Del Huerto. It was made with a whole cut-up chicken cooked in different ways - fried wings and grilled white and dark meat.
26 The paella was enhanced with the wonderful flavors of fresh ramps and fiddlehead ferns.
27 We were all very happy!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
The Spanish have a magic touch with ham. I recall reading a book by a famous matador who grew up desperately poor. When he hit fame and fortune he hung a leg of Iberico ham in the bedroom of his mansion. The grim memories of his childhood hunger never left him, and whenever he thought of it he would shave off a fistful of that ham and gulp it down.
Posted by: r steven page | March 27th, 2012 at 3:07 am
Delicious and beautiful Love! Amazing place and food.
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | March 27th, 2012 at 4:26 am
Thanks for the deft editorial for this brilliant and beautiful fare. Inspiring food!
Posted by: Charles J Taylor | March 27th, 2012 at 7:53 am
Well, If I ever make it to New York I certainly have a list of must try eateries thanks to you Martha! The food at Tertulia looks so delicious and the atmosphere lively and welcoming!
BTW, I'm excited to see who wins the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest on your show today!
Posted by: Cindy F | March 27th, 2012 at 8:13 am
Hi Martha,
I am amazed at the varied foods you taste – what a trooper. Those who hang out and travel with you must really enjoy the many different restaurants you frequent. I’m kind of timid when it comes to taste testing but you seem to know all the ingredients of everything you eat. You’re definitely the person I would want to dine with and have order for me. Tertulia seems to be the place to go to in New York. I read a few of the reviews. All I know, other than what you’ve shown us in your pictures, is that one can’t go wrong with Paella. I have been making a version of that ever since I was 19 and purchased my first cookbook from BH&G. I wanted to impress my boyfriend who hailed from South America and he was impressed. I had never even heard of artichokes or saffron at the time so it was fun yet a bit hairy shopping for the ingredients. Thanks for introducing us to Tetulia and their inviting choices. I might taste everything but the fish. I just am not a fish eater unless it is fried trout or smelt. Like Cindy, I too am looking forward to seeing who won the Pillsbury Bake-Off. I enjoyed the pictures on Twitter yesterday! Trish
Posted by: Trish | March 27th, 2012 at 8:59 am
Hi Martha, How fun it is to see and read about all the different foods that are popular all over the world and you do such a nice job sharing your blogs featuring foreign foods available in restaurants in NYC and all over our country! I love it when you go to these special restaurants in NYC and introduce us to great chefs! Seamus Mullen is quite a handsome fellow and the foods he produced look so delicious in your photos that my mouth keeps watering-yummm! Sure wish I could read the Spanish written on the walls, but I never learned it! I think I would order the turbot! It looks fantastic! That hand carved wooden platter is beautiful! The paella looks delicious, too! You look so happy in photo's #1&26 and I can see you had a great time! Can't wait to see The Pillsbury Bake-Off in about 2 and a half hours! Have another great day! Off to see F&S looking for more flowers at the farm! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | March 27th, 2012 at 10:28 am
Happiness is another great dining spot!
Posted by: Sherey | March 27th, 2012 at 11:20 am
Their food looks wonderful. There aren't a lot of authentic Spanish restaurants, I find, but that place seems like the real deal. Also love their funky mix of serving dishware!
Posted by: Chuck Mallory | March 27th, 2012 at 11:24 am
Martha,
The food looks yummy! I missed the bake off winner announcement, I'll have to catch it this afternoon. Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | March 27th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I like the rustic atmosphere of the restaurant..and, the food looks amazing! Looks like you had a great time!
Posted by: Judy | March 27th, 2012 at 12:47 pm