We went to SOS last night, so here’s brief summary. I’ll disclose upfront that Stephen Gelber is one of the people behind the restaurant, and since I know him you might take my opinion with a grain of…well, you know.
The food is excellent–very interesting, with great flavors and textures. Our table’s favorites were the chef’s special shrimp (sorry, didn’t catch the full description), the wood-fired grilled whole sea bass, and the fried potatoes/serrano ham/chorizo/fried egg. The latter is a regular menu item and is sort of a tapas version of what I would consider comfort food. The smoked octopus and Iberico ham were also quite good, if not as satisfying/complex as our top three. The squid ink pasta was also tasty. The only disappointment (for me, at least) was the touted flam d’erico–a sea urchin flan with caviar and shrimp chili oil. Part of it was texture–I tend to think of flan as something for dessert vs. a starter. Also, it was a relatively subtle dish, and thus it didn’t impress me as much as many of the other dishes, which had stronger flavors and sauces or dressings. If I ordered it again, I would get the flan first and try it by itself before anything else was served.
The service was quite attentive, and the sommelier’s wine service in particular was very good. We brought in some wines and ordered some things off the list, and in both instances we got fresh glasses and proper pours (not too much, not too little).
Overall, we really enjoyed our experience. I’ve heard some people have commented on the smoky atmosphere, but there’s a front room and a back room–the back room as the grill. We sat in the front room and didn’t have any issues with smoke.
went on opening night and steve is one of my best friends, so won’t say much other than i really loved the place and plan on going back and would recommend it without hesitation.
as for the uni flan - it was one of the best dishes i’ve had in a long time, anywhere. most of the menu reads quite rustic which is the style and what i prefer, but the uni flan is really beautiful in every way. would not be out of place on the menu at per se, etc.
I had hoped to go opening night but Paul R. was on crutches and wasn’t comfortable navigating the space. Sorry I missed you. Happy for Stephen that it is a hit.
I’ve never been to Spain, so I’m not the best person to say what is/isn’t “traditional” Spanish. I think there’s definitely a modern twist on many of the dishes, but with many standard ingredients one would expect from a Spanish restaurant.
