Haute Spot: Tapas as an Art Form at Graffit Restaurant

Visit Madrid and you’ll find an ever growing bounty of both traditional and avant-garde tapas bars, cafés and cuisine, many of them mingling playfully with world class art museums peppered about.

Art and food; Food and art; What a perfect pair they are.

Enter Graffit.

Artist and Chef Jesus Núñez took this passion driven dynamic duo to the next level at his new UWS restaurant. Graffit fuses old-world recipes into exciting and breathtaking new-world preparations, which are creatively expressed with dishes that are showcased with all of the aesthetic bang of edible masterpieces. Taking his youthful history as a graffiti and fine artist along with his prior seasoned experience as a great chef in Madrid, Chef Nunez magically combines urban design and street art with colorful creations that many diners have already determined as almost “too beautiful to eat.”

Soft strains of light, a rich brick-walled dining room with pleated banquettes, and a fun matador mural by Chilean artist Dasic Fernandez, join forces seamlessly in making for a most appealing ambiance. A quaint and intimate greenhouse in the back and communal tables in the front complete the vibe.

In the Tapas and Bar Room, guests can enjoy reinterpretations of Spanish tapas paired with one of their signature cocktails. In the Dining and Garden Rooms, a spectacular and diverse dinner menu is available. Both showcase rich, imaginative cooking with a focus on simple yet robust flavors. A must try is the Cauliflower (yes, cauliflower!); a colorful vegetable fricassee dressed with romanesco, brussels sprouts leaves, asparagus and carrots, all surrounding a perfectly poached egg. Pair this with one of their signature cocktails such as the Da Vinci’s Muse, a scrumptious concoction of gin, maraschino liqueur, lime, sage and sweet Bergamot mist.

The lobster with Spanish paprika and zucchini ribbons, olive oil textures, roasted red pepper caviar is a perfect example of textures and flavors happily colliding. Baked Dorado with squid, tomato compote in a squid reduction is another fabulous choice. Add a healthy wine list and you have a Spanish culinary experience complete. Graffit also offers a strong cheese selection. Add a nice glass of red desert wine and all is well.

www.graffitrestaurant.com

Like Haute Living New York? Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @HauteLivingNY. Want Haute Living New York delivered to your in box once a week? Sign up for our newsletter.