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Chicharron tuiles at Plan B in New York

This is the first post from ShopEatSleep contributor Deanna Ting, a New York-based writer and editor who hails from Los Angeles. She is a seasoned travel, lifestyle and fashion writer, having written for publications such as TravelAge West, Luxury Travel Advisor, Los Angeles magazine and WSAToday (a magazine that was entirely devoted to shoes). These days, you can find her working as a managing editor/senior editor for Incentive and Successful Meetings magazines, as well as scouring New York–and the globe–for her next favorite meal. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @deanna421.

New York City’s Plan B, an intimate tapas bar and restaurant inspired by Spain’s Basque and Barcelona regions, lives up to its name — both for better and worse. With Plan B, owner and seasoned New York restaurateur Hemant Phul (Masala Times, Earth Nightclub) has put together a restaurant that isn’t afraid to take risks — bulls testicles, anyone? — even if it sometimes stumbles in the process. All the elements are there, but it still feels like something is missing in a few of its dishes.

A case in point might be the chicharrón tuiles (pictured above): savory baked crescents of cilantro and butter wrapped around thick slices of fried pork skin. That combination of rich butter and salty pork, together with sweet garlic aioli, seems destined to be a success but, for some reason, it just misses the mark by being a bit too salty and soggy. Another example might be the hibiscus and Cynar ice cream, which was just a touch too icy and lacked a strong flavor profile.

Still, Plan B’s dedication to deliver the unexpected is something truly admirable and, if you happen to be in the Nolita neighborhood, it’s a great choice if (a) you’re feeling adventurous, (b) you have a hankering for Spanish small plates, and, (c) to be frank, aren’t entirely sure where you want to dine.

The service here is excellent — friendly, attentive, thoughtful, and never pushy — and so is the vibe, with its dark mood lighting and soaring ceilings. The bar is inviting, and serves up a variety of cocktails that showcase regional, often rare, Spanish liquors, from Basque cider in the signature “Skuntx” from Head Bartender Tess Sawyer to the Txakolina dessert wine added to the “Blancas de la Sangre Caliente.” A hard-to-find Picapoll white wine from Catalonia is refreshing when served with some of Plan B’s heartier fare.

Those would include its No. 1 best-seller rabbit meatballs accented with oregano and cooked with a demi-glaze and manchego cheese, and the more adventuresome bulls testicles. Given a choice between the two balls, I’d say go for the bulls testicles: they’re milder than you might expect, and the sautéed watercress and pickled onions that come with them only punch up the subtle flavors.

Rabbit meatballs, left, and bulls testicles

Plan B’s best tapas dish, by far, however, is the grilled octopus that’s lightly seared and topped with Iberian pesto. It’s so tender you’d never guess it were octopus unless you were told so. Paired with its version of a deconstructed, smoky paella — composed more like a bouillabaisse and served in a slender shot glass — it’s memorable, fun to eat, and filling.

Paella shooter, left, and grilled octopus

And that’s exactly what any meal out should be. Given some time and a few tweaks, who knows? Plan B might just become your Plan A.

All photos by Deanna Ting.

Note: This meal was hosted.