City Hall Bistro, the new restaurant in the remodeled Adolphus, is serving the best churros in town. They come with a savory olive oil caramel in a pool on the plate for dipping, along with a saffron gelato that’s sultry in aroma and color.
And the dough! The coils are crisp on the outside, light on the inside, more like a pate a choux (cream puff or éclair dough) than any churros I’ve had. They yield in beautiful, airy pockets, but they’re eggy-rich and satisfying. They sent me off to the research bunuelos, churros, pate a choux, to try and pin down what the particular magic might be, as though maybe it lived in some place where they all crossed. Ultimately, it’s irrelevant. The Spanish churros are the what they are, and they’re fabulous.
Our server knows his stuff when it comes to the dessert wines. The Ferreira tawny port, served chilled, is what makes sense with the churros, its caramel notes playing with the baked-good warmth and the caramel on the plate. (Just as the Chateau Tirecul-la-Graviere Les Pins, a really lovely hand-harvested, organic semillon-muscadelle blend from a small estate in southwest France is perfect with the pine nut tart. I’m a fan of City Hall Bistro’s wine list, with its interesting French, Greek, and Slovenian offerings. Also a fan of their desserts.)
But that saffron gelato with the pate-a-choux churros! Our server had a confession to make. His grandmother’s churros are amazing, he said, but he likes these better. “Don’t tell my grandmother,” he said.
