Lon’s uncle Allan and aunt Heather have been raving about Sevilla Sevilla for a long time. We made plans to try it with our friends Sara and Eric, but it didn’t meet our expectations. The corner space has an old-school charm, with charming old waiters, and possibly the same old customers since the current owners took over in 1962.
The bread basket is just supermarket hero bread. There is a complimentary salad swimming in dressing that I could do without. The popular Sangria (we chose white) is nice but surprisingly light.
We started with three appetizers which were mostly ok. The Little Neck Clams on the Half Shell were average.
The Clams Casino were cooked correctly and possibly the best dish we had, but still completely forgettable. I already can’t really remember a few hours later.
The Broiled Chorizo was smoky but lacked the other familiar flavors, resulting in general disinterest from our table.
Our entrees arrived in pots which I liked cause it kept stuff hot. Our waiter portioned rice and some Mariscada with Green Sauce (more like soup) on each plate, displaying their historic style. The flavor was fine but most of the seafood was over-cooked.
The same goes for the Shrimp Ajillo, decent flavor, terribly over-cooked shrimp, again swimming in a pot of broth.
The Paella a la Valenciana (lobster, chicken, sausage, seafood) was the most disappointing to me because it wasn’t anywhere close to a Paella. Without even a hint of saffron, it’s just rice with some chicken, sausage and seafood in a pot, again mostly over-cooked.
The major pro at Sevilla is that they give huge portions of seafood for reasonable prices. The four of us coudn’t finish three entrees. Unfortunately, they haven’t mastered the cooking part and until then, Lon and I will not be back.
I’m so glad someone had the same experience at Sevilla! I went a few years ago based on tips and subtle nudges from friends when I was visiting NYC for business, and I left completely unsatisfied. All of the seafood was overcooked and tough. Now I don’t feel like a jerk for shooting down the raves–thanks!
As the French chef I worked for used to say…Why do so many Americans like their food over-cooked?
I can’t understand it at all! Occasionally, when I order lamb or duck, a waiter will ask me apologetically if it’s ok that the chef serves it medium rare. Of course its ok damn it! That’s the only way it should be served!
I can only imagine the frustration of chefs on a daily basis…
About the overcooking thing… This usually happens when you try to REHEAT previously cooked seafood… So maybe the food was not as fresh as expected. This also explains the high amount of fluids in it… EASIER TO REHEAT! and of course, the fact that it was brought to you in pots… Of course! You could hardly bring semiliquid food on plates…