Good paella?

There's a place on Flatbush. Spanish sounding name. I want to say Castillo. It's at the end of the block from Prospect Perk. Which would make it Park Place I think. I remember when I got paella there it was $20. They have a paella for one and paella for two. I got the paella for one. Like most times I get paella at places in Manhattan I had the distinct impression 2 could share.

restaurant called sevilla in west village. best paella i've had outside of the actual city

La Nacional on W 14th is about as authentic as you can get outside of Spain. The paella is $18.

http://www.lanacionaltapas.com/

Castillo is for Caribbean food.

bradedward wrote: There IS no good paella.

There is amazing paella to be had, but there's lots more lousy paella. I've had absolutely sublime paella in Spain, but it's hard to find that caliber in Brooklyn.

I love Castillo, but I don't love their paella. It's ok, but not something to go out of your way for.

So, where'd you end up going? And how was it?

LongTimeSloper wrote: We went to El Gran Castillo de JUAGA, and we were very happy with the food! I had shrimps with rice which was some of the best shrimps with rice that I have ever had and we also tried Mofongo con pernil which we both liked (had never had that anywhere before, so, can't compare).

the portions were HUGE, more than enough to share a plate (which we will do next time) and we all liked our food.

Castillo (or Carneviento, in the local Brooklynian parlance) is great, but I think their meat dishes tend to be better than the seafood. The fried pork chops (chuletas) are amazing, in entree or sandwich form, and they have good pernil and rotisserie chicken. The soups are delicious. Two seafood items I like there are the seafood soup (only available on Fridays) and the fried shrimp sandwich. Also, a tip I learned from Stacey, the alcapurrias are delicious as well. I haven't tried the shrimps with rice after being a little disappointed in their chorizo with rice, but I'll definitely give it a try now.

I love that 2 people can eat for $20 there and have enough left over for another complete meal.

Here's the origin of the "Carneviento" name:
http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=513

And here's the follow-up thread:
http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=724

LongTimeSloper wrote: Hubby LOVES pork chops, I will tell him this.

What are alcapurrias?

They're croquettes made of mashed plaintain, filled with spiced ground pork and deep fried. It's a fantastic appetizer. Each order is one approximately twinkie-sized croquette.

There is no possible way Carneviento can make a good paella. Just no way.

A "real" paella.....as in a really slow-cooked one-pot concoction with rice, an array of seafood, chicken.....i don't know of any places in Brooklyn that can pull that off. you need a solid Spanish (and, by "Spanish," I mean "from Spain") place to be able to get a real paella. I remember having some solid tapas at a place called, ironically, "La Paella" in the East Village. If it's still around, it may be worth it. I know there's also a bunch of newer, hip, Spanish joints all over the city. Not being that hip anymore, I've never been to any of them.

I've been to so many Spanish joints around the city (including Brooklyn) that I could write a book. But I won't because it would be a very boring & repetitive book. Your best bet for paella, I'd have to say, would be La Nacional on 14th St. in Manhattan. The clientele is mostly Spanish, so the kitchen pretty much has to keep it honest & not stray too far from Spanish tastes. And I've tried their paella & it's fine.

As far as Brooklyn goes, I just can't give a safe recommendation. Does anyone know what's happened to Zipi Zape, the tapas-oriented place in Williamsburg? I heard it was morphing into a different kind of Mediterranean restaurant. Also, what about Olea in Ft. Greene - do they do a paella?

Take a look at this video, trust me it's worth it. The funniest BBC show about foodies and making fun of them.

Carnivore wrote: [quote=LongTimeSloper][quote=Carnivore][quote=J0518]There is no possible way Carneviento can make a good paella. Just no way.

A "real" paella.....as in a really slow-cooked one-pot concoction with rice, an array of seafood, chicken.....i don't know of any places in Brooklyn that can pull that off. you need a solid Spanish (and, by "Spanish," I mean "from Spain") place to be able to get a real paella. I remember having some solid tapas at a place called, ironically, "La Paella" in the East Village. If it's still around, it may be worth it. I know there's also a bunch of newer, hip, Spanish joints all over the city. Not being that hip anymore, I've never been to any of them.

This is 100% true. If you really want rice and seafood at Carneviento, you can get it, but it's not a real paella.

So, a 'real" paella is all based on how long it is cooked? Places that call things paella that have rice and seafood and chicken and so on in it aren't really paellas? Just asking to get a better understanding.

It doesn't have to be cooked for a long time- that depends on the ingredients. I took a cooking class in Seville last year and learned to make a paella with chorizo and squid that cooked for less than a half-hour. Maybe "real" isn't the best way to put it. Maybe I should just say it's not as delicious as paella can really be.

yeah.....to me, i think it's more about it being a "one-pot" deal than how long it takes. i take that part back.

i agree with you - i'm sure there's plenty of places that will serve you a damn good plate of rice and seafood, and there's plenty of places that will serve you a tasty plate of food they've called "paella." but that, if you're looking for something authentic, most of those dishes are going to fall short.

my grandma use to cook a big pot of chicken and rice, with all the trimmings, all day long, and would then pour a beer over it all....."arroz con pollo a la chorrera......" YUM.

According to Wikipedia, one of the original recipes for Valencian Paella required a marsh rat. The real question here should be if there's any neighborhood spots that will serve you a marsh rat. Who got DOHed last year?