A Fond Farewell to a Port Chester Eatery

Valladolid, a large city in north central Spain, contains the most bars per people of any city in the world. This is according to my British friend who studied abroad in the drinking friendly location. I never fact checked him (nor could I find anything confirming his statement when researching for this article), but I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

When my friend and I visited in the spring of 2006 the bar thesis held true. We were hard pressed to find one restaurant among the many watering holes. Luckily in Spain, if there is a bar, there are tapas, and Valladolid happens to host the International Tapas Competition every November.

Unlike most American bar food, fried and greasy, tapas offer a wider range of tastes, textures, and colors.

Spanish snacks or appetizers, tapas are served either warm or cold. There is a diverse range of choices throughout different parts of the country. Notable tapas include croquettes, small fried rolls encased with mashed potatoes and minced meat; banderillas, skewers of pickled veggies and anchovy; and tortilla de patatas, fried omelet cubes with potatoes and onions. When you think tapas, think dim sum minus the cart.

Walking down North Main Street last Thursday afternoon, I had my heart set on Colombian food. Before I got to Los Remolinos I passed a small café with the heading Patrias Tapas and Ceviche Bar, and a sign reading Tapas Lunch Special. I rubbernecked past the door, before ditching my original plan and indulging in Spanish flavors.

Looking over the tapas and appetizers, I saw few I recognized, but many that intrigued me. I settled on Anticuchos – slices of beef heart with potatoes in a yellow sauce, and Choros a la Chalaca – mussels prepared in lime juice topped with corn and tomatoes.

Both were enjoyable, yet unlike tapas I remember. Each one had a different Peruvian, not Spanish, element to them. The Anticuchos had an aji (a Peruvian pepper) based sauce flooded over the potatoes. The Choros were basically a ceviche dish with mussels instead of various seafoods. In addition, both dishes were much larger than your average tapas plate.

When my waitress came over with my main course of Paella (a Spanish rice dish with seafood) she awed at the two empty plates.

“Wow you eat a lot,” she exclaimed.

As I worked my way through the Paella, the other diners dispersed, leaving me alone in the cozy ten-table restaurant. Unable to devour my meal after two hearty appetizers I began to snap pictures of the paintings and setup. Apparently, I was not being stealth enough.

“I’m sorry,” the waitress asked in a pleasant tone. “May I ask why you are taking pictures?”

I froze.

In my young career as a restaurant reviewer I had no idea if it was acceptable to lie.

“Oh, I just liked the pictures,” I replied with a forced smile.

“Oh,” she responded unconvincingly.

Then I broke.

“I’m actually also doing a kind of review on the place for a website called Patch.com.”

Revealing my true intentions did not turn out horrible. My waitress, a college student who moved to the U.S. from Colombia nine months ago, informed me that the menu mixes Peruvian, Spanish, and Colombian cuisines. The two appetizers I ordered were in fact Peruvian dishes.

I asked about the different tapas on the menu, and how some diverted from tapas in Spain.

“Oh this is the main menu,” she said pointing at the leather bound cover.

She brought over a separate laminated sheet with the tapas lunch special I saw outside. (Note to self – always ask if there is a separate lunch menu). She walked me through the different “tapas boxes” (basically a bento box with tapas instead of sushi) available, resurrecting memories of popular ones I tasted in Valladolid.

As we continued to talk she told me her favorite Colombian places on Main Street, explaining how the food in her home country is much much better than the food here, and how being an English major is nothing like she thought.

Before I left, I asked her how long the restaurant had been opened.

“Four years, but we are closing in two weeks,” she said calmly.

I was shocked. The meal was incredible, the service was excellent, and the place was well kept.

She went on to explain that the owner is also a teacher, and was not able to keep the restaurant going with another job on her hands.

It reminded me that out of all the favorite eateries we have around town there are just as many that change hands frequently. The latter, it seems, are always deemed to produce inferior food, or have some obtrusive décor.

That is not the case when it comes to Patrias. Sometimes keeping a restaurant going is a lot harder than simply good food.

Patrias Tapas and Ceviche Bar is located at 35 1/2 North Main Street. For hours and take out call (914)-937-0177