There are reasons, of course, that Apamate has hovered just below my radar, mostly matters of timing and the cafe's own struggle to define itself. But after some memorable meals in the last month, its moment has finally come. And it is well-deserved, reaching far beyond those churros to a parade of striking tapas and other soulful Iberian classics.
Seared scallops come beneath a lemony froth of green apple foam, which gently pops on the tongue to enhance the scallops' sweetness. Tender clams peek up from a bowl of parsley essence so green, they could be bathing in forest ink. The juice is so zesty, we mop it with bread until it's gone.
Among the handful of larger plates, there were stellar seafood paellas in a classic saffron hue, but also tinted to a luxurious black with squid, whose tender white rings also snapped inside the moist rice alongside sweet, head-on gamba shrimp. At brunch, which has perhaps become Apamate's signature meal, the tortilla Española exudes the savory magnetism of the flavorful northern Asturian style. The micro-thin potato slices are slow-poached in olive oil before forming with onions the delicate layers of a thick and garlicky omelet pie that comes dabbed with a rust-colored paprika-chile aioli.
Ormaechea, 29, was born in Venezuela, and the restaurant is named both for her favorite tree there and for El Rey's Apamate, the 73.5 percent cocoa bars used in her hot chocolate. But she also spent much of her childhood visiting her parents' native Spain, so she has an intimate grasp of authentic Spanish flavors. When she makes something as simple as "La Catalana," a grilled baguette painted with garlicky tomato puree, arbequina olive oil, and a sheer slice of Serrano ham, it has the touch and the taste of a snack passed down from someone's mama's kitchen.
