Description
You may be familiar with the sensations provided by good prosciutto or Kentucky ham, but Ibérico ham is something else entirely. Slightly chewy, it dissolves slowly into a rondelay of flavors - hazelnuts, sweat, caramel, smoke, amber, and Parmesan cheese. Advocates of the Spanish ham say that the fat is as healthy as pure olive oil. Ibérico is also one of the most expensive meats on Earth - the plain-wrap runs about $90 a pound, and the bellota hams, unavailable until July, are being sold for more than you probably paid for your first car. Tiny Bar Pintxo in Santa Monica serves Ibérico ham, and its only slightly less expensive cousin- jamón serrano as well as tapas-style dishes that are Catalan-inspired. While the ham is amazing, some of the actual cooking is less so. The tapas, served on a doughy slice of baguette, range from a perfectly good endive with walnut-studded blue cheese to Serrano ham buried under tasteless sofrito. But still, there is that ham. And the wine list, though it lacks the vermouth and fino sherry which ought to accompany tapas, has excellent bottles in any price range. 45 minutes validated parking (but instead, park in one of the Second Street city lots). See full review.
