Txikito

Txikito means “little” in Euskara, the Basque language, but in the hands of those Basque-dining experts, Alex Raij and Eder Montero, the word encompasses a whole variety of tongue-twisting delicacies at this convivial, reliably interesting Chelsea small-plates establishment. These include grilled chorizo sandwiches (txitxiki), braised, fatty spare ribs (txilidrion), crispy little bundles of blood sausage (morcilla), and cool little blocks of foie gras drizzled with a violet gelée (foie mi-cuit), all of which you can wash down with a variety of interesting Spanish wines (we recommend the sweet, sangria-like Basque Zurracapote, the hyperlocal Patxaran, and the reliably inky Tempranillos). This being Basque country, the offal offerings are reliably strong (pig trotters and tripe, veal jowl terrine, servings of crispy “lengua” beef tongue), although we’re sad to report that the great El Double burger disappeared from the menu.