Manzanilla Spanish Brasserie In Flatiron - NYC

Dear Spain,

We'd like to thank you for lending us chef Dani García.

But you are going to have to pry him from our tortillita gaditana-covered fingers.

Because those diaphanous, olive-oil-fried shrimp crisps ($14) at García's brand-new Manzanilla in the Flatiron are shatteringly marvelous.

García is a legend back home in Spain, where his Michelin two-star restaurant, Calima, is closed during the winter. That cold-weather closure is a boon for Manhattan diners.

Styled as a "Spanish brasserie," Manzanilla has flash in spades. There's a punchy chevron floor, latticework recalling the Alhambra, and a diverse, exciting menu.

Dots of mango purée that resemble raw eggs grace cured tomato tartare ($8) in a play on the classic beef tartare presentation. Fathom the very inky depths of Bomba rice lacquered with squid ink ($26), and conclude that if a dish of glazed artichokes with barely poached eggs ($14) is any indication, Ibérico pork lardo does indeed improve everything

For dessert, vanilla rice pudding ($10) is made with milk that's slowly, repeatedly reduced for maximum lushness. Crested with a poof of cotton candy rimmed with freeze-dried raspberry powder, the rice pudding instantly induces smiles.