Buceo 95

Lovely, warm environment. Love that you can order 1/2 bottles for almost all the wines. Good tapas, great service, a great UWS addition.

Since BUCEO 95 is a three block stone's throw from my house I have been a frequent filler at this restaurant. I have never been disappointed. The drinks are well done, especially the sangria (white/red) which is pleasantly fruity. The bar is friendly. I have had the pleasure of eating EVERYTHING on this menu and I have found that it is consistent from night to night. Vegetables are grilled to perfection and the meat and fish are never overcooked, as they can often be at Tapas. I believe the restaurant has improved since its opening with the arrival of a new chef. This is THE neighborhood gem on Manhattan's West Side which has in the last few years had an influx of very fine larger scale restaurants. If you are a single person or have a family entourage, this is a wonderful place to dine.

Lovely new neighborhood place, decided to try for my wife's birthday dinner. Our 13-year-old aspiring gourmet vegetarian had eaten here with friends and urged us to try it. Our 8 year old, who will eat anything as long as it's chicken fingers and fries, was willing since the special was a fried chicken. We were seated quickly and service was attentive. White sangria was fruity but good. Trio of croquettas was excellent, except we couldn't tell which was the ham (which the vegetarian won't eat) and which were the others. They all tasted like potato. Aioli accompanying them was terrific. Mushroom canneloni was good but undistinguished. Tiny crabcakes were one-bite tasty, and cheese-stuffed peppers were a big hit. Then the fried chicken came out, an intriguing black skin lights are low so you can't see detail too well but a *raw* interior. The waiter took it back in a nanosecond and brought it to the open-kitchen window, where the two cooks puzzled over it. It came back in a while, and was nicely seasoned even the vegetarian loved the breading. The sauce, a chopped-pepper, olive oil and pistachio melange, was so wonderful we ate it with forks, bread, anything. And the eight year old was satisfied. Then came the chorizo, a long-time favorite of ours. The plate holds one solitary, plump sausage. We cut it up, enticed the eight year old to taste, and three of us noticed immediately that the inside was cold, mushy and clearly uncooked. We called back our friendly waiter and told him that this, too, was raw. When I told him to touch a piece he was convinced, and back it went to the kitchen window. Animated conversation again, now including the hostess. He came back and told us they would do it again, on the house. A new sausage came back shortly. Again, the inside was room temperature and mushy. (Both this and the first one were bright red, but chorizo should be, so that didn't tell us anything, especially in the low light of the room.) This was not moist, cooked sausage, or even underdone this was raw meat. The waiter took it away. We ordered grilled asparagus instead. It was great. They were solicitous, deducted the cost of the sausage and the asparagus from the bill, and comped us to two free desserts. But bottom line: At these high prices, I don't want to have to worry about whether my food has been cooked at all. It isn't worth it. We won't be back.

Really pleased with the wine list. We had a beautiful and reasonably priced Rioja. Food was decent to average everything was a bit lukewarm...nothing was served at the temperature at which you expect your food to be delivered. Chorizo lollipops were disappointing. Think next time we visit it will be to enjoy a bottle of wine at the bar.

We walked in and said we were going to be 8 people and they went out of their way to arrange tables in a nice corner for us. The friendly owner was present and more than accommodating when we turned out to be 11 people. The food is outstanding. We practically ordered one of every dish on the menu and each dish exceeded our expectations. Standouts were the beets with valdeon, frisse salad and crab cakes. My favorite was (the waitress' recommendation) the churrasco which melted in your mouth. We ordered seconds pretty quickly. The wine list is perfect, and the mini carafes they are served in provide an ample amount for one person. We are looking forward to another evening there with friends soon.