The Best Thing We Ate This Weekend: Tapas at Casa Pomona

Casa Pomona's Pan Con Tomate

By James Mulcahy

This weekend, we headed to the Upper West Side to check out the Our Global Kitchen exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, a must-visit display for anyone who's interested in the history of their food. After we hit our cultural quota for the day, we traveled a few blocks uptown to the newly opened Casa Pomona, a tapas joint that started dishing out small plates last week.

While Downtown Spanish eateries pack you in like the sardines that were on top of our tasty pan con tomate, there is an abundance of space here. A selection of pub-height tables up front are ideal for a glass of tempranillo and a post-museum chat, while a more formal dining room has plenty of room for a sit down dinner. The staff reported that it has been busy for the first couple days, and the room was moderately full despite a dusting of rain outside. We had the oxtail-stuffed meatballs, the aforementioned tomato bread, a few cheeses and some jamon, and a sherry-spiked take on the Manhattan. It was hard to choose which was our favorite, but isn't that the best thing about small plates eateries? Why pick one when you can have them all (212-362-3200)?