Estela

In the grand tradition of tiny bar-restaurants everywhere, the best seats at this Ignacio Mattos flagship are the bar itself, which accommodates 14 people comfortably, and tends to fill up for good after seven o’clock. Unlike most other clamorous bar joints around town, this one serves small, perfectly crisped croquettes stuffed, in the classic Spanish style, with blood sausage; plump dumplings stuffed with ricotta; fork-tender lamb ribs; and plates of plum-sweet scallops, which were spritzed with wedges of orange and lemon and taste like they’ve just been brought up from the sea. The buzzy little room quiets down during lunchtime daylight hours, and the brunch features one of the finest egg sandwiches in town.