Sean and I have been big fans of the midtown seafood restaurant Lure since it opened a few years back. Overall, we love Fifith Group Restaurants and feel we always have a consistently great, personalized service experience with interesting menus that offer seasonal items as well as ongoing staples. When I saw an ad for a Coastal Spain, community-style dinner at Lure, I knew it as for us. And at $45 per person, it was a tremendous value for what we got. Read on for the highlights!Basically everything we love. 😉

Well, Sean doesn’t love olives but will always try and these were amazing. I usually prefer green olives to black ones, but the black olives in this marinade were some of the best I’ve ever had.

Included in the $45 was one drink per person. There was a Cava and a light, effervescent rose. I had a few sips of each, as they went very well with the food – but also had a refreshing, housemade cherry shrub.

Spiced nuts – sometimes nuts can feel like an afterthought or mindless filler. Not these, which were perfectly toasted and tossed with earthy spices.

Can’t be a Spanish meal without some meat and cheese, right? Manchego, chorizo and a velvety, melt-in-your-mouth jamon that we couldn’t get enough of. YUM!

And these were just the hors d’oeuvres.

The appetizer was gazpacho. I make this at home and also puree everything for a smooth texture. Some versions are chunky. This had a fresh tomato flavor complimented by some spices and topped with olive oil for a delicious richness than can be hard to achieve in a cold, uncooked soup.

Next up was the brandada with grilled crostini. Brandada is an emulsion of salt cod and olive oil. We’ve made a similar dish out of our Curate cookbook and we love this dish. Warm, rich but still light enough to enjoy on a hot summer night.

Ohhhhh, this octopus. Wowza. Best dish of the night. So, so, so soft with bright flavor of lemon and a slight crunch from onions this was what we call “a party in my mouth” dish. Sean accurately called the method of preparation – sous-vide. This was how he made octopus at home last fall. The long and slow cooking makes the otherwise tough, chewy meat break down into something pillowy and wonderful.

I enjoyed the patatas bravas but Sean thought the potatoes were a bit overcooked and dried out. I always enjoy this dish but agree this might have been a bit off for accompaniment with the light branzino for the main but it’s a crowd-pleaser and filling. And looked great on the plate, too.

I LOVED the branzino. I’ve never ordered it before because I was always intimidated by the whole fish with all the bones. Our servers opened the fish up into manageable pieces and I found the bones not a problem at all. It made me slow down while I was eating and I felt I really experienced the wonderful flavors of lemon and herbs. The dressed greens to accompany were perfect.

Dessert was warn, sugar-cinnamon, crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside churros with a big mug of rich, thick, warm chocolate dipping sauce. This pregnant lady ate so many. 😉

Lure is planning to do a dinner like this each month. Be on the lookout on their website or email list if this is something you’d be interested. We loved it!