Stay awhile: Tap and Tapas focuses on small plates with big flavor, quality time together

Ramon Martinez hasn’t felt community quite like he has since moving to Long Island; not in Mexico, where he emigrated from in the late 1990s, not in Queens or Manhattan, where for over 20 years he had been busy shuffling between home and work.

The 40-something-year-old opened Tap and Tapas in Northport Village earlier this year and is fully embracing the neighborhood’s tight, small-knit community feel. The intimate and cozy small-plates restaurant is slowly but surely becoming a favorite among locals who return not just for the food, but personal service and laid-back atmosphere.

“It is wonderful for Northport to have this new addition with such high quality offerings,” Village resident Dina Capeci told the Journal. Capeci lives within walking distance to the restaurant and said it’s the perfect place to meet up with friends. While there to pick up a meal shortly after the restaurant’s official opening, Capeci was greeted warmly and offered samples of staple menu items. “I was definitely struck by the attention to detail in every bite,” she said.

“I can learn”
Martinez came to the states when he was 19 years old and quickly got a job in the Delta terminal of LaGuardia airport, as a replacement for someone on temporary leave. After a few months, he tried his hand at a deli, but didn’t like the job. Unemployed, and fairly new to New York CIty, he found himself one Tuesday walking past Rincón de España, a neighborhood eatery and fixture in Greenwich Village since 1964.

Martinez went in and asked if he could have a job.

“How old are you?” Spanish chef and restaurant owner Carlos Ventoso asked. “What do you know?”

“I don’t know nothing,” Martinez responded. “But I can learn.” Ventoso told him to come back on Thursday at 5 o’clock. While he enjoyed his mom’s cooking, Martinez never pictured himself in the food industry, or even a kitchen.

Martinez worked at Rincón de España, or corner of Spain, for 11 years. He started as a dishwasher, then a busboy, became a waiter, and by the time he was 21 years old, was running the restaurant as manager. He pursued a degree from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York and worked in high-end Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants in the city, eventually cooking alongside veteran New York City chef Ricardo Cardona and award-winning chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Seamus Mullen.

When a rent hike forced the closing of El Colmado, a classic Spanish tapas and wine bar created by Chef Mullen and located in NYC’s Gotham West Market (Martinez was a partner), Martinez decided to make the move to Long Island, where he settled with his wife and their son in Deer Park.

Spanish with a Mediterranean flair
Originally, the Martinezes imagined they’d move back to the city. But then the pandemic hit, and Martinez and his family decided to fully settle into their new home. Perhaps being here would afford him a chance at his own business, Martinez thought.

“I was looking for a restaurant,” Martinez told the Journal in an interview late last month. He saw a Facebook listing for the then-Nina’s Pizzeria about one year ago and contacted the landlord. By July, he had purchased the business. “Having partners is good but being on your own is different,” Martinez shared. “It’s more responsibility, of course, but it’s worth it.”

A plan to open in October 2022 was delayed due to existing building violations; in March, Martinez began serving take-out only. He followed up with outdoor dining on the restaurant patio and more recently opened up to both outdoor and indoor service.

Martinez describes the menu at Tap and Tapas as Spanish with a Mediterranean flair. At the time of our interview, lamb meatballs with mint labneh, octopus with a parsnip mash, and chorizo with onions were just some of the dinner options. Vegetable dishes such as the crispy brussel sprouts are plentiful, and most of them are naturally vegan and/or gluten-free, Martinez said.

As chef, Martinez plans on switching out the menu weekly when possible, to keep things new and exciting for his customers, and to take advantage of fresh, seasonal ingredients. Visitors to the restaurant can expect a shift toward more earthy items for the fall (think squash); even staple items like octopus will be paired with different complementary ingredients.

Sangrias and cider are available with local beers on tap and a whole new list of curated Spanish wines on the menu as well.

“Become friends in a way”
Martinez hopes to recreate in Tap and Tapas the sense of community he felt immediately upon moving to Long Island, and the small-town engagement he sensed when he first discovered Northport, a stark contrast to his former life.

“The city is very fast-paced, you barely have time to talk to somebody else,” Martinez said. “Even when it’s your customer, you still can give very few minutes to them because you have a lot of things to do.” Here, on Northport Village’s Main Street, Martinez can often be found at the door to his restaurant, overlooking the patio, or checking in on customers engaged in their own conversations, bonding over food and drink. They don’t feel rushed, and Martinez likes it that way.

“It’s not about money, it’s about time. I like to be friendly, I like to be very open with people and become friends in a way,” he said.

Tap and Tapas, located at 487 Main Street in Northport Village, opens every day at 3pm for dining in or on the outdoor patio, takeout and delivery. For the most current offerings, and links to the restaurant’s social media accounts, visit the Tap and Tapas website.