Seamus Mullen’s new butcher shop can be anything you want it to be. A wine bar, a lunch pick-up situation, your local meat source, a comfortable date or a little snack and a catch up. Snag a seat at one of two counter seatings or cozy up in a slick yet open booth. Beware these booths will hang on to you for hours, and it’s possible that you can stay all night ordering more wine and tapas. We started with the special crudo of the day which was beef with an egg. Mix it all up, spread atop the freshly cut toast and there you have a little appetizer. The menu begins with several Spanish sandwiches that you can find in Spain such as: Spanish Cheeses with Membrillo (that amazing gelatin spread); Cured Meats and Boneless Pork Shoulder. This may be a butcher shop with lots of ham, meat, cheese and lamb, but do not sleep on the veggies here. The carrots- oh, the carrots! Who knew four little roasted twigs with some seasoning could be so delicious. The Ensalada Primavera with shaved red and black radishes, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, Mahon cheese and anchovy vinaigrette would be a perfect picnic or beach day treat. It’s light, refreshing and so thinly shaved you almost don’t know which vegetable you’re eating at once. Tapas range from the typical Spanish Tortilla, Smoked Deviled Egg, Shishito Peppers, Octopus, Gulf Shrimp, Beef & Pork Meatballs. What’s so great about El Colmado is that you can have your heartier dishes and they don’t feel too overwhelming and you can have lighter dishes making everyone happy.
The Rotisserie Chicken receives my praises immensely. Get a half for $14 and consider that a steal for two who are sharing. The chimichuri sauce only makes this perfectly roasted chicken even better. The impactful and bold flavor really hits the spot and makes this a place you could eat at nightly and never get sick of it- or too full. You can get a half chicken to go for $9 or whole for $16. Pack this up and bring it to The High Line and consider yourself the luckiest eater up there. I’ll be coming back for that Bomba rice, lamb, mushrooms and butcher’s stock. While this place is definitely a destination as it’s almost falling so far west into the Hudson river next to Brass Monkey, it’s a restaurant that you should make an effort to visit. It’s pretty small, available for dining in or take out. It’s carefree with a menu of pretty much every ingredient or dish you could ask for, and you don’t have to commit. Have one glass of wine, a few snacks or stay the whole evening for a full meal and a little rendezvous. Everything works here. It’s so satisfying and comforting. El Colmado is soothing and a great New York edition to the chaotic Meatpacking scene where you don’t have to look over your shoulder for anything except for the hanging pig.