I love the cozy, yet classy ambiance of Café Madrid. This award-winning gem of a restaurant has been featured in Bon Appétit magazine. But that’s not why I go there. I return because the owners, in particular Gabrielle McAfee and her brother J.C. Pino, make me feel like family. Pino instructs customers to “get messy,” encouraging the use of fresh rolls for sopping up Café Madrid’s luscious sauces and mixing and matching various croquettes with those accompanying sauces. Start with small, tender black mussels in a rich, roasted red pepper and tomato sauce or make an entire meal of classic Spanish tapas like croquetas, gambas con bacon, piquillo rellenos, butifarritas and tortilla Española. Seafood “lasagna” is wonderful: Layers of tilapia and shrimp snuggled between sheets of pasta with a light, creamy tomato sauce comes to the table in the small pan in which it was baked. All that’s left is to order a glass or bottle of wine from the extensive Spanish wine list.
