Txikito

Say “Chi-KEE-toe,” kind of like the banana. It’s not as hard as it looks. The word means “little” in Euskera, the Basque language. And it’s not every day you find such wonderful, passionately made Basque food outside of Spain. This simple, tiled cubbyhole (28 seats) in Chelsea has a wide-ranging tapas menu, good for sharing along with some earthy Spanish wine. Chef Alex Raij and her Bilbao-born husband, Eder Montero, gained a following at the nearby Tia Pol and El Quinto Pino, and have branched out on their own, creating a completely new menu here. There are little sandwiches of Basque tuna with piquillo oil and sweet onions; blistered peppers with sea salt; crispy, creamy croquettes; and legendary Basque salt cod poached in olive oil, among many other treats.