Spanish cuisine will have a good place in New York.
Italy had long had its official gastronomic space thanks to Eataly. France got hers not long ago in Le District. But the presence of Spanish cuisine in New York , the great gastronomic capital of the world, did not go beyond tapas restaurants with irregular success. Until now… Finally!
After a first brief announcement a few months ago, yesterday chef José Andrés, the Spaniard who has succeeded the most in the United States, confirmed the creation of a (great) corner of first class Spanish cuisine in Manhattan. It is no longer just a project, it is underway, it will be called Little Spain Market and will open in the spring of 2019.
Located in the new neighborhood of the island, hudson yards, in the west area, at the corner of 10th Avenue and 30th Street, below the High Line, Mercado Little Spain will be a place where Spanish gastronomy shines. They will take care of it José Andres and the brothers Ferran and Albert Adrià, that join forces to get the best out of our borders and take it to the other side of the pond. The clichés are over, not only tapas will be eaten.
For José Andrés, who landed in the United States in 1991, it is also a project with a lot of personal emotion. “I have dreamed of opening in New York ever since I first came here to this amazing country via New York Harbor,” he explains it in the official presentation statement. “I can't wait to tell many stories from Spain with my friends, Ferran and Albert, collaborating with this project”.
With the name, Mercado Little Spain, they wink at those immigrant neighborhoods in Manhattan where they settled by nationality. Although Little Italy was and is the most famous, Little Spain It also existed: it was on Calle 14 around where a famous bar and restaurant, La Nacional, still stands today (and recently reopened).
And as a concept, Mercado Little Spain will be “a true love letter to Spain”, where they will try to offer products from all corners of the country, in different formats.
The enormous space, which will also have tables outside, will be divided into three restaurants, with different culinary styles, and various posts They will give you that extra life on the market. Each one specialized in a dish or a product. There will be tapas, of course, and pintxos, but also sandwiches, salads and a sweet section. And you can eat there or buy typical products to take away and give as gifts. They will try to give presence to traditional cuisine and the most avant-garde chefs of today's Spanish cuisine.