Restaurant Review: El Porron

In planning dinner with some girl friends, everyone seemed to know about El Porron but me. They all were raving, so I was excited to see what this place was all about. Five of us went to this Upper East Side tapas place, and enjoyed a really wonderful meal.

We started with some wine, ordered from a pretty reasonable wine list. I am not a wine connoisseur but I know it was good Sauvignon Blanc!

Then we went rattled off several small plates and a few entrees to the waiter:

The Jamon Serrano - thin slices of dry-cured Spanish country ham served with toast and topped with tomato and garlic. The ham was delicious, and the flavors paired well when eaten on top of the toast with tomato/garlic. This was a good starter.

Jamon Serrano

Pulpo A La Gallega - boiled octopus in EVOO, red wine vinegar, Spanish "pimenton" paprika and Mediterranean sea salt. I prefer octopus to be grilled and charred, but this was still tasty and not rubbery or too chewy. The vinegar gave it a nice tang and I found the dish to be very tasty.

Pulpo A La Gallega

Gambas A La Plancha Con Sal Gorda - whole grilled tiger shrimp with coarse Mediterranean sea salt. I was hoping this would come with either more shrimp or larger shrimp (or both!), but nonetheless it was extremely flavorful and served in a delicious garlicky sauce.

Gambas A La Plancha Con Sal Gorda

Croquettes special with risotto, spinach, and pinenuts served a tomato-based sauce. This was fried perfectly without grease and everything inside was creamy and heavenly.

Croquettes special

Vieras Con Tocino En Salsa De Esparragos - pan-seared sea scallops sprinkled with crispy bacon bits, garlic and breadcrumbs in a white asparagus sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly (lightly browned on the edges and smooth inside) and the bacon on top was perfect for a salty contrast. The asparagus sauce was creamy and rich and really brought the whole thing together.

Vieras Con Tocino En Salsa De Esparragos

The skirt steak special entree came perfectly cooked- medium rare as requested. This is not on the regular menu so I don't remember the details, but I do know that it was well-seasoned, fantastic, and accompanied by some fresh sauteed veggies such as snow peas, carrots, and zucchini.

Skirt Steak special

Paella Marinera - saffron rice with chicken, veal, Spanish chorizo, monkfish, mussels, squid, clams, bay scallops, shrimp, bell peppers, green peas and onions. This paella entree was pretty good, but not the best paella I have ever had. Everything in it was tasty and there was a wide variety of ingredients, but it just wasn't the most memorable. However, it seemed to be a good thing to order for the table as it's easy to share and everyone can find something in it that they like.

Paella Marinera

After some debate, we decided to go with one of the dessert specials to cap off the meal - churros with chocolate sauce and berry garnish. Not only was this the smallest portion of churros I have ever seen, they were rock hard. It literally crumbled when you bit into it. This was pretty disappointing because the rest of the meal was so good and this is the last thing you are left with.

Churros dessert special

However, I will look beyond the terrible dessert and say that I had a wonderful, highly flavorful meal with good service and a relaxed, intimate atmosphere. I will definitely be going back to try out more of the extensive menu. I definitely recommend checking it out and bringing along at least a group of 4 here so you can make the most of your order.