Tintol in Times Square

Last night RRR & I had dinner smack dab in the middle of tourist central, Times Square. No we did not dine at Red Lobster, but at Tintol, a Portuguese tapas restaurant a mere block and a half from my office.

The decor was fairly non-descript: dark wooden tables, white walls, exposed brick and candles that actually reminded me of about five other smaller restaurants. The service was attentive and the small menu was easy to navigate.

We wound up sharing four glasses of wine, two Spanish, two Portuguese from different regions of each country. Yes, we are in a bit of 'pre-production' for a Spain-Portugal trip we will hopefully take in the next year and we have to do our research!

On the food side, we each chose two tapas plus an extra for good measure. Wild mushrooms with sherry wine and almondegas (lamb meat balls) for RRR; chorizo and mussels with garlic and white wine for me with an order of mixed olives to kick off our meal.

The tapas was pretty standand and good, but the chorizo was the suprise of the night. It came on a ceramic plate with a (ceramic) rack on top where the chorizo was placed. The waiter doused the chorizo with grappa, set it on fire and we watched the flames crackle as it cooked the sausage. He came over to check on it and turned the chorizo so it wasn't too charred (one side was a bit of a casualty but I like the crispy charcoal) eventually removing the spicy meat and cutting it for us tableside.

I'd share some photos, but unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so my apologies. This is definitely a decent, inexpensive dining option in an area overrun with fast-food chain restaurants so check it out if you are in the neighborhood and looking to escape the jam-packed sidewalks of Times Square.