Fun with Tapas
So I want to write more here, and right now it looks like that means writing about food.
Last night Frankie and I went to Lola Tapas.
Ignore those reviews, it had great food, and a fun atmosphere.
We recently met one of the chefs there, who is a really cool guy, and also completely adorable, and so we decided to drop in to visit him, and get dinner at the same time.
Seating is all family style, there are only two large tables in the whole place which I think seat a total of 16. Not a big place at all, very intimate feeling. While I imagine this can be awkward, the people sitting by us were great, so it all worked out.
We started with a tortilla de patata, which was a thick layer of potatoes, egg, roasted red pepper, and spices, which is baked into a pie-ish (yes, that is the proper foodie term, clearly.....shut up) shape then served cool with saffron mayo. Sounds a little odd, but I could happily eat about 6 of them. And the saffron mayo was perfect, and that is a hard balance to find, I have tried.
Second up on our tapas menu was pork tenderloin in Moroccan spices. I really have nothing bad to say about this dish. Thin slices of tenderloin, spiced really well, tender enough to cut with a fork, as it damn well better be really. I am also biased because I love pork tenderloin when it is cooked well. Especially if the chef knows how to salt it properly, as so many over or under salt.
Last entree-like dish was beef braised in orange juice and a spice blend with carrots and onions. Lets be honest, braised beef is hard to fuck up. I could make a decent braised beef when I was 15. That being said, it is also hard to add something new, and the orange juice did just that. I am definitely stealing that idea. The lady next to us was eying it like she wanted to steal some. I was ready to beat her down if I had to. She had half a bottle of wine in her and weighed like 110. I think I would have won.
At this point, the chef told us he was making us a special palate cleanser. This item he threw together for us was the best part of the meal. Grilled slices of bread topped with manchego cheese, sliced fig, almonds, and drizzled with olive oil. Simple, but awesome, and all the right proportions. I should mention it also came with some of their house marinated olives. I am assured they are wonderful, but I hate olives so I ignored them. Much like the caper berries that acted as garnish for the tortilla.
Dessert was a rustic strawberry tart with whipped cream, every bit of it homemade. I need to ask him for the crust recipe. It was a nice light dessert and he did not make it overly sweet, which is a problem i have with a lot of strawberry desserts. Yes, I am a finicky demanding bitch, just ask Frankie.
All in all a really good meal. If you are ever in the downtown area with a small group looking for dinner, drop in.
Last night Frankie and I went to Lola Tapas.
Ignore those reviews, it had great food, and a fun atmosphere.
We recently met one of the chefs there, who is a really cool guy, and also completely adorable, and so we decided to drop in to visit him, and get dinner at the same time.
Seating is all family style, there are only two large tables in the whole place which I think seat a total of 16. Not a big place at all, very intimate feeling. While I imagine this can be awkward, the people sitting by us were great, so it all worked out.
We started with a tortilla de patata, which was a thick layer of potatoes, egg, roasted red pepper, and spices, which is baked into a pie-ish (yes, that is the proper foodie term, clearly.....shut up) shape then served cool with saffron mayo. Sounds a little odd, but I could happily eat about 6 of them. And the saffron mayo was perfect, and that is a hard balance to find, I have tried.
Second up on our tapas menu was pork tenderloin in Moroccan spices. I really have nothing bad to say about this dish. Thin slices of tenderloin, spiced really well, tender enough to cut with a fork, as it damn well better be really. I am also biased because I love pork tenderloin when it is cooked well. Especially if the chef knows how to salt it properly, as so many over or under salt.
Last entree-like dish was beef braised in orange juice and a spice blend with carrots and onions. Lets be honest, braised beef is hard to fuck up. I could make a decent braised beef when I was 15. That being said, it is also hard to add something new, and the orange juice did just that. I am definitely stealing that idea. The lady next to us was eying it like she wanted to steal some. I was ready to beat her down if I had to. She had half a bottle of wine in her and weighed like 110. I think I would have won.
At this point, the chef told us he was making us a special palate cleanser. This item he threw together for us was the best part of the meal. Grilled slices of bread topped with manchego cheese, sliced fig, almonds, and drizzled with olive oil. Simple, but awesome, and all the right proportions. I should mention it also came with some of their house marinated olives. I am assured they are wonderful, but I hate olives so I ignored them. Much like the caper berries that acted as garnish for the tortilla.
Dessert was a rustic strawberry tart with whipped cream, every bit of it homemade. I need to ask him for the crust recipe. It was a nice light dessert and he did not make it overly sweet, which is a problem i have with a lot of strawberry desserts. Yes, I am a finicky demanding bitch, just ask Frankie.
All in all a really good meal. If you are ever in the downtown area with a small group looking for dinner, drop in.