Torero Paella Bar 940 S. Ninth Street (215)925–1010 $$$ Don’t miss: Croquetas de Serrano Skip: Gambas al Ajillo
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Don’t be fooled: the Italian Market boasts much more than spaghetti and meatballs. Torero Paella Bar inhabits an unassuming nook on 9th Street between the specialty food shops, restaurants and stores that make up the historic market off of South Street. Red window paint listing the restaurant’s selection of cocktails, paella and tapas drew market visitors in from the blustery February afternoon.
Owner and chef Miguel Rossello and his staff don’t take themselves too seriously. They cook in view of their customers and the sounds of steaming dishes mixes with the Latin music coming from overhead. On my visit, a soccer game played on the two televisions on either side of the restaurant.
My friend and I took our waiter’s recommendations and ordered tapas and paella, the restaurant’s specialty. We had a lot to choose from—Torero’s menu lists a wide selection of charcuterie, tapas, entrees and drinks.
Croquetas de serrano ($7) came out first. An almost melt–in–your–mouth crispy shell surrounded creamy bechamel sauce with a hint of classic serrano ham. Simple and well–executed, the croquettes were by far the best dish of our meal. A paella de mariscos ($25) followed and fell short in comparison. This seafood paella featured lobster, shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, clams, mussels and scallops, all over rice. I found myself searching for more rice and avoiding the dry shrimp, clams and mussels. When our tapas dish of sauteed shrimp ($12) emerged, it was still steaming. Though doused in olive oil, pepper and white wine, these shrimp were just as dry and tasteless as those in the paella. Next, Miguel cut us a plate of the jamón serrano ($10) to sample. It’d be hard to do this wrong, and these salty slices were quite satisfying. On our visit, Torero’s best dishes were meat–based. Though the seafood missed the mark, every dish was at least authentic. Chef Miguel's Spanish–bred palate never failed to shine through.
