Oliva

Last night before the show I had dinner with the ladies at Oliva. This little LES tapas joint is a true gem! When we walked in we were immediately welcomed by the bartender with complimentary shots of his signature "Chillax" (a shot of tequilla with a chaser of EXTREMELY spicy bloody mary mix - now THAT will get you going!). All of the food that we chose was great and took me right back to Barcelona - croquetas de jamon (serrano ham croquettes - $8), calamari a la plancha (grilled calamari sauteed with stringbeans & tomato - $9), patatas bravas (fried yukon potatoes with spicy aoli - $5), txangurro (crab stuffed with peppers, taragon, cognac and panko - $10), chorizo a la plancha (spanish sausage sauteed in olive oil - $8). The space was quite a rocking party by the time we left with big pitchers of homemade sangria flowing and a band called Sin Compacion playing (they have live music at 8:30pm Sunday-Thursday). Check this place out for sure next time you are on the L.E.S!