El Quinto Pino

This tapas bar is about the size of a walk-in closet. It is kind of a cozy place, with very simple decor: a battered natural wood floor, a narrow dark-wood bar around the perimeter, mirrors with a patina, high stools.

We had the place to ourselves at breakfast recently, we had a nice time chowing down and chatting with our server/cook. Our desayuno choices included strong, creamy cafe con leche and a kind of do-it-yourself hot chocolate -- three or four pieces of dark chocolate, a little pitcher of hot milk and several packets of raw sugar. You assemble the elements in a stubby glass, stirring the hot milk and chocolate till it dissolves, and sweetening to your heart's content. Very tasty.

We shared several small plates. Tortilla espanola -- an egg and potato frittata-like creation -- is one of those simple dishes that everyone does a little bit differently. Some are mostly thinly sliced spuds, barely bound together with beaten eggs. This version was more on the egg-y side, a nice thick wedge, thoroughly cooked without being dry. It was served at room temperature, as is the custom, with a nice doodle of aioli on the side. The bikini -- a grilled serrano jamon and manchego cheese sandwich, cut into triangles -- was constructed on buttered thinly sliced crust-free white bread. Croquetas de jamon had crisp brown crusts and creamy, savory centers. We finished our meal with warm, golden-brown churros, dusted with cinnamon and sugar and served in a wax-paper bag.

Everything was very good, well prepared and authentic to what I ate in Spain.

El Quinto Pino is open for desayuno (breakfast) and la cena (dinner) and there's a certain amount of overlap in the menus. I'm looking forward to going back for la cena, the evening menu had several faves on it, such as bocadillos of lomo or calamar, patatas bravas, cava and jerez.