Binomio

The first thing you need to know about this spot is that there are two distinct sections to the restaurant. All you can see from the outside is the casual 20-seat tapas bar, but really, three quarters of the establishment is the 70-seat dining room, a real posh space with starched white table clothes and formal table service (two people—front and back waiters—serve each dish).

For a quick meal, chowing down on simple tapas like tortilla de patatas ($8), Spanish potato omelette, at the convivial bar will do. But for a full experience, you’ll need to head to the dining room. In the kitchen is chef Jose Alonso, who’s fine dining experience at Restaurant ANDRE and the now-closed Santi, shows in the menu of precise small plates like baby octopus and potato escabeche ($16), which balances bites of briny octopus with tangy cylinders of vinegar-soused potato. Or the vegetable stew Rioja-style with slow cooked organic egg ($29), a peasant dish turned haute, featuring perfectly brunoised red pepper, zucchini and onions. The light touch is less appreciated when it comes to their paellas though. The arroz negro with squid ink ($70 for two) lacked the requisite crusty rice bottom, which could’ve been easily achieved by cooking the dish on a nice gutsy flame. Still, that’s a small gripe.

We have no complaints of their meatier mains like the slow-cooked roasted suckling pig ($124), a portion of crisp skinned animal with meltingly tender meat, or their fine selection of mostly Spanish red and white wines (from $49). Besides, in this age when even the most overpriced small plates joints look like glorified bars, Binomio’s commendable for providing a level of décor and service to match the prices.