Malaga

 
The 2nd street entertainment district has been filling in lately. And Malaga, at 440 2nd fits the area nicely. I always enjoyed this restaurant when it was in its original digs on 4th St. next to Cedar Street. But the move to a larger structure was a good one and Chef Alejandro Duran is at the top of his game.

We never get to focus that much on lunch on this show so today I thought we’d take some time to leisurely stroll through one of the most intriguing restaurants in the downtown area. Let’s do lunch at Malaga.

Malaga is well known for its tapas or Spanish appetizers. So let’s begin there. The Piquillos Rellenos are fire roasted peppers stuffed with an intoxicating mixture of goat cheese, chives, and capers. I first got to try these at the Lyric Opera charity “smackdown” and found they paired nicely with either beer or wine. They were extremely tasty the second time around. And the Albondigas Madrielenas is another fun choice from the tapas menu. These are little meatballs made of beef and pork and they’re covered with a luscious tomato sauce and idiazabal cheese (from the Basque area of Spain). And you have to try the Tortitas de Cigalas. These are fried crawfish cakes that are absolutely bubbling over with flavor. The coriander lemon aioli finishes the dish perfectly.

Salads are also pretty impressive in the hands of Chef Duran. We tried the Ensalada de Lomo a la Plancha. Now this is a salad! The marinated beef tenderloins are seared medium rare and served with roasted garlic aioli and pita bread. Into that ensemble is injected some lovely greens with a balsamic herb vinaigrette. Everything works here!

And the Tortillas are very creative and tasty as well at Malaga. They are really Spanish style frittatas. The Tortilla Catalana is over the top. This is a potato, egg and onion tortilla with a garlic aioli. The mixture is quite compelling and the shredded egg just sets the whole dish off.

I think my favorite item on the lunch menu on that day was the outstanding Coca (Spanish flatbread). I had the Coca de Pato Ahumado. This is smoked duck breast with caramelized onions along with fresh roasted brown figs and Cabrales bleu cheese. This disappeared so quickly that I was astonished. Every bite was pure bliss and the texture was amazing. I cannot recommend these highly enough.

If you are the type who enjoys a glass of wine with lunch, Malaga has an exceptional list. And Chef Duran will more than gladly help you choose the right pairing. He’s a wine expert on top of being a master chef.

So next time you find yourself wandering around the entertainment district and lunch or dinner time for that matter, do yourself a favor and wander in to Malaga. You will be rewarded!