This feature is only available to our registered members. If you are
registered with us, please login. Not registered? Do it now in less
than a New York minute!
With Shouts, you can let your connections know about something (e.g. an
event, a restaurant) FAST! When you don't feel like writing a full
review but still want to draw attention to something on our site, shouts are a
great option. When you send a Shout, anyone who has made you a
connection will see what you have to say about it in their 'Connections' window.
Some examples of shouts are: "This play closes tonight - don't miss it!" or
"Ate here last night. Check it out before it gets discovered!"
You can TAG any business or event you find on NYC.com. A tag is like a
personal keyword or category label. So with tags, you can label what
interests you on NYC.com with words that make sense to you. Your tags
can
then be used to help you share, store and organize this information.
For
example, you could tag a Japanese restaurant you like with "great
sushi,"
"delicious," "expensive," "downtown." In the future, if you're in the
mood
for great sushi, you can easily find any restaurant fast that you
tagged
"great sushi." Or if you're looking for a restaurant downtown, just
search
with "downtown." What's more, you can also see all the records everyone
else has tagged "great sushi" or "downtown" at NYC.com.
This is different than a normal search, because it shows you what the
users
at NYC.com are thinking about and reviewing. TAGS are a great resource
for
finding out what's going on, what's hot, what people are talking about.
Some
rise and others fall in importance, depending on how the tag is being
used.
So why use TAGS?
1. Tags keep found things found. Tags make it easy for you to find
businesses or events again, using the terms you use to describe them.
If
you can't remember the name of that great French bistro you went to
four
months ago, just click on your FRENCH tag, and there it is!
2. Tags let you find things using other users' language. We
might
tag a restaurant as FRENCH, but someone else might tag it as PARIS
CHEF.
And you can see the most popular tags on NYC.com by visiting
http://www.nyc.com/tags/ - the size of each link shows how many records
are tagged with that word or phrase. The bigger the word, the bigger
and
more powerful the tag!
3. Tags let you visualize your NYC and see how others see it.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
All Images © Barça 18
|
| |
Park Avalon
(212) 533-2500
225 Park Ave S,
New York, NY 10003+1604
|
|
|
SELECT:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
EDITORIAL REVIEW
The former Park Avalon space looks great after its update: dark wood accented by yellow, orange and red tones, soft lighting cascading into dark the dining room, elegant furnishings and a knowing wink at modern art. Named after the famous Catalan city of Barcelona, Barça aims to bring a bit of the Spanish “tapas” habit to New York.
While the interior is nicely appointed, somehow it does not inspire Barcelona, nor Catalunya, nor even Madrid. In fact, there is much about it that seems strictly New World Urban. The red, yellow and orange tones do not evoke the Spanish flag so much as they do the desert southwest. It’s not that one cannot find these colors in Spain. It is the feel of the place that misses the mark. Traditional eateries in Barcelona and Madrid have that “comedor” feel (appointed in heavy wood and white tablecloths, where white-coated waiters serve small tumblers of wine and assume that you interested in the house specialty). Or, there are the true “tapas” bars, where people crowd in for a glass of wine or beer and a plate of “gambas al ajillo” (shrimp and garlic) or “tortilla Espanola” (potato omelet), or “jamón Serrano” (dry cured ham) served with a triangle of Manchego cheese. Or, there are the sleek, cutting edge venues, inspired by the legacy of Miro and Gaudi and by a newfound Spanish interest in the flavors of the “New World”.
Barça 18 seems to be caught somewhere in the middle of these impulses, and never quite makes its goal clear. It is not really a tapas place nor a comedor, nor is it Catalan, Basque or Andalus. It’s like a picture postcard with a dozen different squares all trying to tell a very long and complex story.
The spacious entry way is nice, and there is room to mill around the bar for a glass of wine and a tapa, an activity that is at the heart of the Spanish nightlife, the “la marcha” that attracts visitors and makes them sad to leave. But Barça feels static, so the energy buzzing at the bar quickly dissipates. One could forgive this when considering that the wine list is fantastic, and a big rioja by the glass is always a beautiful thing. But the tapas are expensive for what they are. One has to make a commitment to a pricey ”snack”. It seems better to commit to the $36 kobe beef entrée, than two or three tapas, one of which can be pleasing (bacalao coca) and the other perplexing (the empanada).
Yet the service here is exceptional. The host staff are welcoming, professional and “muy guapo”. It is nice to have so many beautiful people greet you and look after you and bring you things. There is a sense a comfort in all of this that again evokes the “comedor”, and one could suspect for a few seconds that roast suckling pig or a nice joint slow roasted with plum will be on the table. Alas, no. There is a mysterious absence of pork, except for the jamón Serrano and the chorizo.
While the bar-buzz pulls at guests, inviting them to investigate, while the dining room promises something different altogether; confusion can ensue. “Do I just want to hang out with a glass of wine and a tapa, or do I want to plunge into a huge plate of paella? I am no longer sure.”
If one does stay for dinner, comfortable two-tops provide private little nooks for the romantic, while roomy banquettes serve groups of four or more. If you are with a group of friends, get a roomy table and order several tapas and a pitcher of sangria or a bottle of rioja. Sit and talk and enjoy the space and the service. For two people, stick to the seafood entrees; order the swordfish and one of the paellas.
Notes on the menu:
The “aceitunas y almendras” (olives with toasted almonds) is not a mix not of Spanish olives but of Greek and Italian. In our order, were none of the ubiquitous varieties known throughout Spain, like manzanillas or camporreales. The olives are fine and well seasoned but they are not Spanish. The “empanadas” do not resemble the Spanish street food made with tuna and tomato. For paella, the plates are a decent size and the seafood choices are best. The best items are those “a la plancha”, cooked on the grill, or those that are traditional, such as the jamón Serrano and the manchego cheese.
Perhaps with time, the menu will come to lean to the pork and seafood dishes of coastal Spain, and the tapas will speak a little more Castelllano, Valenciano, Catalá and Euskadi.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
HOURS AND ADDITIONAL INFO
LUNCH
Monday - Saturday: 11:30am - 4:00pm
DINNER
Sunday - Monday: 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Tuesday - Thursday: 5:00pm - 12:00am
Friday - Saturday: 5:00pm - 12:30am
BRUNCH
Sunday: 11:30am - 4:00pm
|
Price: Moderate. About $16 to $30 per person.
Cuisines:
Spanish
|
|
|
|
| |
PARK AVALON INFORMATION
|
|
|
Payment:
All Major
|
Ambience:
Business Casual
Casual
|
|
| |
Reservations:
Recommended
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
NYC.COM'S TOP 10 SPANISH RESTAURANTS
|
|
|
|
| |
MOST VISITED RESTAURANT PROFILES
|
|
|
|
|
| |
PARK AVALON ADDRESS |
|
|
| |
Telephone: |
|
(212) 533-2500 |
|
|
| |
Address: |
|
225 Park Ave S
New York NY 10003+1604 |
|
|
| |
Cross Streets: |
|
bet. 18th & 19th Sts. |
|
|
| |
Subway: |
|
4, 5, 6, N, R, L to 14th Street/Union Square |
|
|
| |
Web Site: |
|
Visit Official Site |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|