A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa Meets New York

It's been months since I met Diana Bauman of A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa but I can still remember the intense sparkle of enthusiasm that radiated from her eyes upon our meeting. It's always a neat experience when the worlds of virtual and tangible collide. In early February, she and her husband, Gabe, visited New York City when she won the opportunity to participate in the Electrolux Cake Decorating Contest to raise money for ovarian cancer research. And even though I was dazed from a long international flight, I was only excited to meet her.

Diana embodies the spirit of Fresh Local and Best, supporting local and sustainable farmers in Iowa, choosing organic and natural whenever possible, and making almost everything from scratch. Why? The answer is very simple: because she can! And she's very good at showing us how we can too.

Amid a passionate conversation of local and sustainable food in New York, where I live, and Iowa, where Diana lives, we headed out into the Big Apple's expansive restaurant scene. First, we headed to Bar Jamón, a Spanish tapas bar in Gramercy.

With the first sight of jamón on the slicer, our stomachs grumbled, and we jumped to quickly claim a few freshly vacated seats in the over-filled and dimly lit bar.

Bar Jamón offers an extensive menu of creative tapas, along with an impressive portfolio of recommended Spanish wines, which enticed our curiosity. The only problem we encountered on the list was deciding which one to choose.

In place of wine, Gabe went for a gratifying bottle of Spanish beer, and the Hudson Valley pork embutidos ($18), which is a variety of small pork dishes including Serrano jamón, pate, a small lightly dressed salad topped with bits of crisp fried pork rind, and sliced toasted bread accompanied with a sauce made of farm fresh lard, all served on a wide cutting board.

Diana ordered a roasted beet salad ($8) stacked with goat cheese and tender sliced greens, which she enjoyed.

Can you guess what the above picture is? I ordered a marinated calamari salad ($9) that was refreshing with sun-dried tomatoes, soft lemon notes, olive oil and herbs integrated among a pile of fresh tender calamari. This is one of my favorite dishes at Bar Jamón.

And because that was meant only be an appetizer, we headed to my favorite ramen house, Ippudo's in the East Village for dinner.

If you're visiting New York, there are a few must try foods that I recommend, one is the pork bun either at Ippudo's or Momofuku. I personally am biased toward the one at Ippudo's, because the steamed bread enveloping the tender slice of Berkshire pork belly has this amazing pillowy texture that seamlessly dissipates upon carnivorous bite.

Typically there is a one to two hour wait to be seated, which can be agonizing and confusing to outsiders.  Fortunately, we were seated immediately. I'm not making this up, New Yorkers wait this long to order a steaming bowl of noodles that is notoriously affiliated as the staple for poor college students. Only this bowl is filled with noodles that are fresh and firm, and brimming with a rich umami driven broth. Depending on what you order, each serving can be accompanied by a generous succulent piece of Berkshire pork, green onion and lots of other goodies. 

By the end of the evening we were all satiated and I was beat, my internal clock still ticking on the Mediterrannean time zone. I was glad to be able to meet Diana and Gabe in the flesh, two people who are as kind, genuine and interesting in person as they appear on the blog. When you have a chance, please visit Diana's lovely and informative blog, A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa.