By Ava Stryker-Robbins
Typically, when restaurants mix different cuisines, they are known as fusion restaurants. Though Tasca, which opened during the pandemic on Columbus between 84th and 85th Streets, has a menu that features dishes from Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, they “don’t like the word fusion. Fusion is when you’re taking two different metals and forcing them together. We like to call our food more evolutionary,” said owner Jay Espinal on a phone interview with WSR.
Tasca’s menu draws on Espinal’s background in the Dominican Republic, his wife and co-owner Norisa’s Puerto Rican heritage, and the experience of Tasca’s executive chef operating Cuban restaurants in Miami and training in restaurants in Spain. It features new takes on traditional dishes as well as a few family recipes.
“We’re trying to bring the worlds together. Old world from Spain and new world from the Caribbean,” Espinal says.
Abadejo al Ajo Arreiro is a traditional Spanish dish from the La Rioja region of Spain, he explains. Though it is typically made using salt cod, Tasca makes it with fresh cod. The dish includes tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and roasted garlic. It is delicious. The combination of the subtle saltiness of the fish with the refreshing flavor of the tomato makes each bite more enjoyable than the last.
Espinal said this dish is very popular, even among those who would not expect to like it. “We have a lot of guests that tell us that they don’t eat cod and they don’t like cod and then, when they have this dish…it’s taken very well,” he says.
Espinal loves working in the restaurant business. He has been around it since he was a child and has been working in restaurants for the past 20 years. Before opening Tasca, he owned the restaurant, Don Pedro, on the Upper East Side, which is now closed. He says he loves that Tasca is on the Upper West Side. “The heart and soul of a West Sider is looking for something that’s different, looking for creativity. West Siders really get our cuisine and what we’re doing,” he said.
The Abadejo al Ajo Arreiro costs $29.
The Dish: Abadejo al Ajo Arreiro
The Restaurant: Tasca (505 Columbus Avenue between 84th and 85th Streets)
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wow, that looks good.
The outdoor space looks really charming! And you make that dish sound amazing!
“The combination of the subtle saltiness of the fish with the refreshing flavor of the tomato makes each bite more enjoyable than the next.”
I hope you mean “the last,” not “the next.”
Thanks
They were at Taste of the Upper West Side last year and I had never heard of them, but they served something delicious there. Seems like a great spot! I have been meaning to go – this is a good reminder.
They are a little more expensive than I like to spend for a casual meal – but the quality is consistent with the price. The food is delicious, the people who served the food were delightful, and we really enjoyed our meal there. A lovely place!
The food is bland and overpriced. The server was obnoxious. Beware, if you do not like calamari, do not order any dish with it because the dish will be served mostly with calamari. They have this dish and the menu states that it comes with calamari, mussels, clams, shrimp, and fish. It was 99 % calamari. Boy, did I learn a lesson. One must always inquire about the distribution of shellfish in a dish.