Paella in Piermont and Tarrytown is Jeanne Muchnick's Best Thing She Ate This Week

When I'm dreaming of Spain (which I do a lot having been in Barcelona a month ago), I head to Basque Tapas Bar which has locations in Piermont and Tarrytown.

Their "Marisco" paella, with clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, baby squid, olives, tomato and onion sofrito is the best thing I ate this week.

Why is it so good? The touch of Jerez wine probably helps. But so does that fact that it's made "old school" with time, patience, and the chef starting the dish on the stovetop and then transitioning it to the oven.

The entire dish is a showstopper starting with its fragrant aroma, well seasoned rice and abundant seafood. Trust me, you'll probably want to take a picture before you dig in!

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There are four paella choices here, making it a toss-up over what to choose. Since they're made for more than one and sharing with friends and family means agreeing and compromising, I'm also just as enamoured with the "Mar y Tierra," a surf and turf version with certified Angus New York Strip, baby lobster tails, scallops, tomato and onion sofrito.

There's also a meat option and one that's exclusively vegetables. Each paella — what the menu calls "a perfect seductive" dish — is prepared in the traditional Spanish method with scratch-made ingredients and takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes to prepare; giving you plenty of time to feast on tapas beforehand.

My suggestions: The Langostinos, four head-on prawns with pan seared garlic, lemon, brandy and seasoning and the Burrata y Iberico, a burrata salad that's nestled alongside arugula, cherry tomatoes, Iberico ham, olive oil, balsamic glaze. The dish comes with country toast and dried cranberries.

If you're a cheeselover, try the "Manchego Frito," fried manchego cheese with drizzled honey and a balsamic glaze.

This being a Spanish place — the food is influenced by cuisine from Galicia, Catalun?a and the Basque country (hence, the name) — also means trying the sangria which is available in rose?, cava, white and red and is made using a Spanish brandy which Castro said is more aromatic. I also recommend the restaurant's private label wine that's made specifically for them, though there are other Spanish wines to try in addition to Spanish beers.

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Owner Benny Castro grew up in the industry — his father owned Spanish restaurants in Manhattan — and, later, he did too. Castro owned Meson Sevilla and Sangria 46 in New York's Theater district for many years and said the business — and specifically Spanish cuisine — is in his blood. He opened the Piermont restaurant in 2018 and the Tarrytown spot in 2022.

What's he's created is so true to its roots that Basque Tapas was awarded recognition as being an authentic world ambassador of Spanish cuisine from the Food and Wines of Spain Commission in 2022.

If you go

Address: 587 Piermont Ave., Piermont, 845-395-3100; 61 Main St., Tarrytown, 914-801-9200, basquetapasbar.com

Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; from 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday; in Piermont the restaurant has the same hours except it's open from 1 to 10:30 on Saturday.

Good to know: No reservations unless its for six or more. As an FYI, there's no separate space in Piermont for private dining but there is a room in Tarrytown which can accommodate up to 40. Piermont also has an outside deck for alfresco dining, weather permitting.

Price: From $12 to $20 for tapas; paellas for two are generally $58 though the vegetarian one is $35.

If you order paella: You have your choice of one for two or a larger one that feeds up to five.

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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Muchnick's Best Thing I Ate: Tapas, seafood in Westchester, Rockland