1/2 Closed: I think the owners are now focusing on Zipe Zape (which I've yet to try) down the street. (6/6/05)
It's about time Williamsburg got into the tapas game. Well, I'm not sure if quail with quince, chestnut puree and chocolate qualifies as tapas, but I was definitely intrigued. This was more of an entree, but Allioli also offers smaller, standard fare like grilled octopus and bread topped with serrano ham and olive oil.
Make sure to bring cash because they don't take credit cards and ATM's are none too near (as we discovered a bit to late). Cash-only seems to be a big trend these days. Is it the recession or primarily a Brooklyn thing? (2/1/02)
Both times I've eaten here, I've ended up with a stomach ache. I never know if it's because devouring tapas always seems to go hand-in-hand with imbibing heavily. I also feel like we must over-order, choosing four dishes. The waitress seems ready to take off after the mention of two. But then again, this is Williamsburg and if girls are going to persist in walking around with ten-year-old-boy bodies, the servings must be kept to a minimum. The baby squid baffled me because I wasn't sure if you were supposed to dig into its bulbous head or not. I wasn't put off by the notion until James talked me out of it. Suddenly self-conscious and squeamish, my thoughts turned to a conversation from earlier that evening about the Daniel Pearl video (which I still haven't watched–I tried the other day, but my internet connection was too slow, and the movements were drawn out and jerky and it seemed even more upsetting and ominous in slow motion so I turned it off) and the notion of eating this disembodied squid head made me uncomfortable. I relish in offal, innards and the like, but this time around I had to take the waitress's chiding ("how come no one eats the heads?"). I just couldn't bring myself to take a chomp out of the darn thing. (6/7/02)
Allioli * 291 Grand St., Brooklyn, NY
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