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One of Europe's oldest cuisines, Basque, has a toehold on the west side. Though its roots lie in the Pyrenees, here it's surrounded by high rises in the form of nearby condominium building sites. But barring the occasional construction noise, this restaurant manages to feel unruffled and intimate. A husband-and-wife team serves not only in the namesake pintxos, the Basque equivalent of tapas, but also full-sized entrées. Simple dishes deploy characteristic Basque ingredients—seafood, peppers, pork—to great effect. For instance, the croquetas de bacalao, or codfish croquettes, are plump, eggy puffs with a flash of salty flavor, the kind of tantalizing bite that has you reaching for the menu to order more. Chorizo shows up as a plain handful of deliciously oily, spicy sausage slices in a small ceramic dish, to be speared with a toothpick in true pintxos style. Since the restaurant is so small, with just a handful of collage-topped tables, guests are often inspired by their neighbors to spring for just one more dish of sautéed peppers or grilled prawns. Entrées get more elaborate, with choices like seafood paella studded with squid, shrimp, and mussels. Don't overlook the cheese selection, though; some of the sheep's milk cheeses, like Idiazabal, are rare finds. — Jennifer Paull

Croquetas de bacalao, $6; chorizo piquante, $6; paella de mariscos, $34