A Taste of Home

When you come from far away, homesickness will constantly eat at you. One way I found I can defeat it is by doing just that: eating. Being of Spanish decent, it is my cuisine of choice that always manages to put my nostalgic mind at ease.

So naturally when I decided to dine out last Friday night, I chose La Paella Spanish tapas restaurant. La Paella restaurant has been adding a Spanish twist to the East Village by serving tapas and pouring out their sangria since May 1995 when owner Rachid first opened its doors. Today, people still flock to its rustic wooden tables and benches for a deliciously foreign dining experience, crowding it to capacity on Friday and Saturday nights.

A true gem of the East Village, La Paella is not part of a chain and is the owner’s only restaurant. La Paella as well as the block it sits on, East Ninth Street between second and third avenues, are true representatives of the diverse village they call home.

When I arrived for dinner, most of the 70 seats in both the upper and lower levels of the restaurant were filled. The only available table-for-two was a small one by the front glass window overlooking bustling Ninth Street. It was perfect for my friend Gina and me.

Almost every other table had a pitcher of La Paella’s renowned sangria or a plate of its famous paella (a typical Spanish rice dish with delicious chunks of seafood, meat or anything that tickles your taste buds). But that’s not all La Paella has to offer. The moderately priced menu boasts a variety of tapas as well as soups, salads, ceviche (citrus-marinated seafood dish) and desserts. My dish of choice, “Croquetas de Bacalao” (cod and potato croquettes), is $9.50 and enough to fill me up.

The food is not only well priced, but phenomenal and truly authentic. The familiar flavors remind me of my mother; an array of ingredients surrounding her as she stands over the stove cooking and singing the songs of my childhood.

With the ability to conjure such strong memories in Hispanics like me, it’s no wonder the restaurant has been praised and featured in publications and guides such as the New York Times, New York magazine, NYCgo and TripAdvisor.

No one rushed us out despite the increasing amount of people waiting outside. I hated to leave because once we were done I could feel the homesickness coming back and the sound of my mother’s voice fading away.