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Times Square has been called a lot of bad things—culinary Siberia, restaurant wasteland—and for the most part, these designations are apt. Enter Tintol, a Portuguese-inflected tapas bar opened by Jose Meirelles, one of the founders of Les Halles. Just around the corner from the billboards and bright lights, it destroys any argument that the neighborhood is unfertile soil for restaurants. Even the décor hints that you're in for something un-Disneyesque. The tin ceiling, concrete floors, and exposed brick create a downtown vibe, and a small bar near the front buzzes with an after-work crowd nibbling olives and ham and sipping reasonably priced wines by the glass. Most dishes deserve the highest compliment one can pay food in the area: that they taste like they're from another neighborhood. Portuguese small plates, featuring staples like salt cod, mingle on the menu with more familiar Spanish ones. A reinterpretation of a classic Portuguese dish that pairs clams with chunks of pork is presented here with a slice of luxuriant pork belly and a juicy little slab of tenderloin. In general, however, it's best to stick with simple fare, such as perfectly cooked shrimp in a garlicky, sop-worthy sauce, and smoky chorizo, doused with Portuguese grappa and flamed at your table. — JJ Goode

Chorizo, $8.50; shrimp scampi, $12; lamb meatballs, $7; warm custard tart, $2