Unbreaded

Bold Flavors Of The Basque Region: Bocadillos At Tinto

Chef Jose Garces and Chef de Cuisine Dave Conn have brought a taste of San Sebastian to Philadelphia.  A tapas and wine bar modeled after the Basque region of northern Spain (purported to have the most bars per capita in the world), Tinto is a bit more upscale than traditional pintxos bars, casual dining and drinking establishments where people go from bar to bar, grazing their way through the night.  Spanish pintxos bars serve an array of small bites on bread – seafood, cured meats, ham, chorizo – all laid out on the counter for patrons to serve themselves.  Patrons collect the skewers and toothpicks from each small bite they eat and present them to a cashier in lieu of a bill from a server.

Tinto offers a number of bocadillos (sandwiches) at lunch and dinner; though dinner portions are actually smaller sandwiches.  Only the shortrib and oyster bocadillos are available on both menus.

The short rib bocadillo, a sandwich characterized by big flavor and tender, flaky meat, is the result of a complex braise composed of grain mustard, smoked paprika, Spanish beer, and some other secret ingredients.  It is served on a Metropolitan demi baguette with frisee, bits of crisp bacon, shaved asparagus, a cracked pepper caramel sauce that balances the savory meat, and a cool celery root aioli.

The fried oyster bocadillo features seasonally fresh oysters dusted with smoked paprika and fried golden crisp.  In summer, Tinto uses Wianno oysters from the cold waters of Cape Cod; in spring and fall, oysters are sourced locally; and in the winter, oysters are brought in from the West Coast.  The oysters are paired with a sweet pickled red onion escabeche and a spicy-tangy tartar sauce.  Fresh aioli with cornichons and capers is married with a Basquaise sauce flavored with choricero and espelette chiles that are traditionally used in the production of chorizo.

Tinto sources its meats, seafood and produce as locally as they can, working with local farmer co-ops to get seasonal ingredients like Jersey tomatoes in the summer.  The menu has evolved since opening in 2007, incorporating modern American influences using Basque flavors and techniques.  At the end of the night, Tinto’s staff gets to enjoy what’s left of the braised shortrib, as new pieces are cooked fresh each day.  Chef Conn gets a smile on his face talking about the occasional 2-foot sandwich he wolfs down after the restaurant closes.  He also enjoys falafel from Mama’s Vegetarian and a roast pork sandwich from George’s.

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Tinto
114 S 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)