La Vara

La Vara is a Spanish-Moorish restaurant. It offers a wide range of dishes including Cordero Al Ajo Cabañil (cumin roasted lamb), Albondigas (lamb meatballs), Lengua Llucmaçanes (braised beef tongue), almond cake and orange blossom-scented date walnut tarts.

New York's high priestess of tapas, Alex Raij, may have had her greatest triumph yet with this tribute to the Jewish and Moorish flavors of Spain -- two neglected traditions which here enjoy the full force of her creativity and hard work.

Alex Raij and Eder Montero (Txikito, El Quinto Pino) "have done it again" with this Cobble Hill tapas champ where the "innovative, balanced", "deeply tasty" Southern Spanish cuisine is matched with "unique" cocktails and wines; its "simple" yet "elegant" interior and tiny patio are presided over by a "super-friendly", "knowledgeable" staff.

New York's high priestess of tapas, Alex Raij, may have had her greatest triumph yet with this tribute to the Jewish and Moorish flavors of Spain -- two neglected traditions which here enjoy the full force of her creativity and hard work.

Alexandra Raij (El Quinto Pino and Txikito in Chelsea) is behind this smallest of tapas joints in Cobble Hill. The narrow spot has a quiet garden out back, so try to score one of the prime seats under the trees. Many affordable wines by the glass are available on a list that leans toward Spanish offerings. Raij’s menu offers her signature fried chickpeas as well as other Spanish standards such...

The newest vessel in the small and nimble Spanish armada commanded by Alex Raij and her husband and co-chef, Eder Montero, who also own Txikito and El Quinto Pino in Manhattan. With La Vara, they are exploring new territory, the vast legacy of the Jews and Arabs who shared the Iberian Peninsula with Christians for centuries. The imprint of this three-way mixed marriage on Spain’s cuisine isn’t...

La Vara celebrates the Moorish and Jewish legacies in Spanish Cooking. Chef Alex Raij and Eder Montero, chefs and owners of Manhattan's premier Spanish restaurants El Quinto Pino and Txikito, extend their story in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.