You won’t find it unless you have been directed there or are simply curious about the red and yellow flag of Spain that hangs from the brownstone. In no need of signage, La Nacional Tapas Bar is the oldest – and many say the best – Spanish restaurant in New York City. Lolo Manso, the chef/owner who hails from Valladolid, turns out authentic, unfussy tapas and paellas accompanied by vinos from all the great growing regions of Spain. “I am passionate about food, ” says Lolo. “It is one of the most gratifying pleasures in life…eating is like a ritual, an expression of one’s soul.”
So, now…let’s be serious. Where else would you rather be this Sunday than sipping a good rioja, grazing on tapas, gracefully fanning the summer heat away, and cheering on the local boys playing their hearts out in Johannesburg?