Spain In New York

The Iberian Peninsula has so many delicious and flavorful dishes. Now New Yorkers can have the best of Spain thanks to culinary greats Jose Andres and Ferran Adria. These two famed chefs along with Chef Adria's brother, Albert have brought the best of their country to underneath the famed High Line walkway and Manhattan's newest mall. Their mercado or market is worth a trip to the city on a hot summer's day.

Pete Well,s restaurant critic for the New York Times visited the market and highlighted the best dishes for yesterday's NYT 's Food section. This is a drool worthy pictorial that features a vast array of savory and sweet dishes.The place itself , called Mercado Little Spain, is situated underneath Hudson Yards, a melange of mall, hotel (home of the famed Equinox Hotel),  food court and residences.  You can easily see most of the above however it's the mercado that is the most interesting. According to Mr.  Wells, stick to the kiosks. The restaurants , in his words "are poky and a bit green". There are Lena - which offers grilled suckling pig(!) and lamb and Mar - a seafood restaurant featuring all sorts of seafood. There is also The Spanish Diner which is a Spanish take on American diner cuisine.It offers classics such as pan con tomate and French toast. Best to stick to the many kiosks that offer everything from savory to sweet, decadent to awesome.

There are pictures of the best dishes and all can make you take a trip to the mercado. There is the classic gazpacho which would drive me over there. It's blended with bread crumbs which undoubtedly gives it another layer of flavor and texture.Another must try is pan con tomate made with pan cristal or glass bread. Its' crumb is so delicate that it breaks like glass yet toughens up when olive oil is poured in it. Another worthy bite is chistorria con patatas fritas, a potato chip like fritter stuffed with a small sausage. There are the original empanadas, not those crescent shaped pasties but squares of flaky crust filled with tuna or stewed pork.  Of course the sweets rule too. There is the classic churro, crispy and dense with a rich bittersweet chocolate dipping sauce. Another must taste is Albert Adria's cardenal,  meringue domes gracing a sponge cake.It comes with a small creamer of dark molten chocolate for more decadence. For a real naughty treat try the pina borracha or drunk pineapple, shot through with dark rum and spiked with chopped mint and lime zest.A more sedate yet heavenly alternative is the tarta de queso, a cheesecake with a blackened crust and fluffy , light interior.

New York in the summer can be hellish. Get a bit of heaven and visit the Mercado Little Spain. It is worth visiting for the variety of delicious foods of Spain.