There’s a new tapas joint in Carroll Gardens to keep us occupied while we wait for Seamus Mullen to open what may or may not be a new Spanish restaurant (“Stay tuned!” was all he told Restaurant Girl in an interview yesterday. [Update: he tells Feast “you’ll definitely see me cooking Spanish food again”]) and for his former Boqueria chef Franco Barrio’s place to open (October 28 is the latest). Alessandro Peluso of Bocca and Cacio e Pepe teamed up with Alessandro Piliego (former GM at the House) to open Palo Cortado last Tuesday. There you’ll find a dozen sherries, four draft beers, Spanish wines, and wine cocktails (sorry, no hard liquor). Cooking behind a 38-seat tapas counter, chef Jimmy Stafford is coming off of six years working for Hyatt (he recently helped open Wall & Water); in addition to the assortment of traditional tapas you can see below, he plans to offer daily specials “with a little bit of flair,” such as today’s house-cured salmon carpaccio with watercress apples and horseradish.
As you can see above, the room has a rustic look — the bar is topped with tiles from a 180-year-old church in Uruguay, the chandeliers are cast-iron, and there are a few prints from that newly buzzy artist, Botero. The seating is all bar height, with two communal tables up front and five or six deuces in the back. Grab a stool from 5 p.m. till midnight on weekends and till 1 a.m. on weekends.
TAPAS FRIA
ACEITUNAS ALINADAS 5
marinated Spanish olives
BOQUERONES EN VINAGRE 7
marinated white anchovies, capers
ALMENDRAS PICANTES 4
honey roasted almonds, pimenton
GAMBAS EN SALSA VERDE 9
poached shrimp in green sauce with crispy chorizo
TORTILLA A LA CAZADORA 6
mushroom and potato omelet,
roasted Poblano crème fraiche
ENSALADA PALO CORTADO 8
organic greens with caramelized onions,
Idiazabal cheese, almonds, house vinaigrette
CHARCUTERIA Y QUESOS
choose 3 for $15 or 6 for $25
CAÑA DE CABRA - soft ripened goat’s
milk cheese, creamy and mild with full flavor
IDIAZABAL - raw sheep’s milk cheese, lightly smoked, slightly acidic yet buttery, a robust flavor
VALDEON- cow and goat milk blue cheese, an
intense blue flavor that is salty, tangy and spicy
OVIN -organic cow’s milk cheese, complex,
supple, and slightly bitter
CHORIZO IMPERIAL -smokey pork sausage
flavored with sweet pimenton and garlic
SALCHICHON - dry cured pork sausage
flavored with black peppercorn
JAMON IBERICO - dry-cured ham
from acorn-fed Iberian black pigs
LOMO EMBUCHADO - dry-cured pork loin
TAPAS CALIENTE
PATATAS BRAVAS 4
fried potatoes with aioli and Rioja saucePAN CON TOMATE 4
toasted bread with garlic, fresh tomatoes,
Spanish olive oil, and sea salt
CROQUETAS - Choice of three 7
GOAT CHEESE - truffle honey
JAMON - Piquillo sauce
BACALAO - salsa verde
PULPO A LA GALLEGA 11
Spanish octopus, potatoes, pimenton vinaigrette
PIQUILLO RELLENOS 9
roasted Piquillo peppers stuffed with chicken,
creamy white bean puree, and chorizo
ALBONDIGAS DE CORDERO 9
spiced lamb meatballs,
mint cucumber yogurt, preserved lemon
BOCADILLOS
mini sandwiches served on baguette 7
SALMÓN CURADO
house cured salmon, roasted beets, watercress,
fresh horseradish crème
JAMON Y QUESO
Iberico ham and Idiazabal cheese
DESSERT
desserts are $6 each
FLAN DE CHOCOLATE
Traditional flan baked with chocolate cake
and caramel
CHURROS
Made to order, light crispy donuts served
with cinnamon chocolate sauce
MOUSSE DE VANILLA Y YOGUR
Served with mix berries and fresh mango sauce
Palo Cortado, 520 Court St., nr. Huntington St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn; 718-407-0047
