Hidden in the meat packing district is a small restaurant with a very ambitious mission—a whole animal butcher, a casual restaurant roasting local meat to order, and a late night tapas bar.
Around the corner from The Standard and in the shadow of the new Whitney is El Colmado Butchery, Spanish for small grocery store. The space is small but very handsomely outfitted, with a counter for meat, communal seating and four or so tables that seat four to five people. I was there this weekend when it just opened and was getting its sea legs.
Seamus Mullen is a local food hero who became passionate about food and Spanish food while an exchange student in Spain. Originally from Vermont, he was transformed by his first experience in Spain as a high school student and has spent some subsequent years becoming accomplished in rustic Spanish food.
He opened a restaurant called Boqueria and went on to open Tertulia on 6th Ave and Waverly place. He also was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and wrote a book named Seamus Mullen’s Hero Food How Cooking with Delicious Things Can Make Us Feel Better; his writing is full of flavor and personal reflection.
I am happy to report that he is now sharing his culinary prowess with the Meat Packing District, which does seem appropriate since he is using the new space to butcher, sell and roast local meats (often grass fed and without hormones.)
The menu at El Colmado includes some of the standard tapas favorites, some of which are similar to the larger menu at Tartulia. In addition, there is a rotisserie on which brined chicken and vegetables are prepared. There is also a broad selection of house wines on tap along with a list of carefully chosen Spanish wines.
From amongst the “bites to share” we started with Shishito Peppers ($9) and Smoked Deviled Egg ($2 each) both tempted the appetite with maybe a bit too much salt from the “Pimientos” as they are called on the menu.
From “small plates to share” we enjoyed the Ensalada Invierno ($13), the Pulpo ($13) and Arroze de Carne ($18). All were tasty and a bit different from the usual. The salad was a mixture of red and black radishes, Kohlrabi, Brussel sprouts, anchovies and cheese. When I go to Turlulia I am impressed with the salads—they incorporate less typical ingredients with generally a very light dressing; the kitchen takes notice of the details. The rice was a very rich meaty mixture somewhere between risotto and paella and was served with the meat we ordered.
Small grilled lamb chops with Moroccan spice were an extravagant treat at $11 each. The price concerned the group of four I was with, but I could understand it. Everybody wants the lamb chops, but there is less interest in the shoulder or other less desirable but flavorful cuts. When you are butchering whole animals, you want to price accordingly.
We also had pork chops which were maybe cooked a bit too long and were priced individually, a chicken (whole $26) which was simply good, and a grilled sausage—a handy way to use some of the meat from whole butchered animal and sometimes overlooked. Desserts were Chocolate Mousse or Crème Catalan, and both were very respectable.
It is great having Seamus Mullen and El Colmado Butchery in the neighborhood. From getting a hamburger—and not just any hamburger—and fries during the day, to picking up some good local meat to grill, to stopping in later on a Friday or Saturday night when they are open until midnight for food and wine—there is a lot offered in a small space.
Supporting well-made food that thinks carefully about where food comes from and how it affects your body makes me feel well connected. That it tastes good makes me happy.
El Colmado Butchery
53 Little West 12th Street, west of Washington
212 488-0000
ElColmadoNYC.com
