Nina O’Keefe and I both eat out… a lot. Sometimes it’s a casual event, sometimes we get dressed up just to get undressed again. We’ve read the restaurant reviews, we know the usual song and dance: “I went out for dinner, I ordered drinks, the setting was cozy yet ambient, the service was friendly… blah, blah, blah.”
We started talking about our experiences together and we thought we might like to stick our fingers in this pie, and offer another point of view on wining and dining. So every month, Nina and I are going to experience eating out (let’s face it folks, it should happen more than once a month) and share with you our level of satisfaction with the fine establishments in this town. Will they be one night stands? Or do they warrant a repeat performance?
Our first soiree into the world of restaurant reviews lead us to the Tapa Bar. A date to remember as all firsts are. It started off with an awkward introduction. We were greeted at the door by a young boy with the confidence of a virgin host getting ready to seat his first table. After an awkward hello, he led us to a table for two in a quiet corner. With the candle lit, and the menus open, Kiki and I were ready to wet our whistles and have our taste buds teased and tantalized.
The menu at Tapa Bar is meant for sharing. It’s a place you can eat with your fingers and really get in to the food. The server was cute, the wine she recommended was delicious (Montes Chilean); so far, the date was off to a great start.
½ litre of red wine
grilled eggplant,
four bean salad with salted cod,
garlic prawns,
chipotle chicken wings
The server orchestrated our experience by bringing out the grilled eggplant and four bean salad with salted cod as our first course. The first taste of anything is with the eyes. So, what do our lovely eyes see before us? Beans as pale as a frat boy and eggplant swimming in a red sauce. However, one must not judge fully on first impressions. In order to come to any conclusion we had to also taste the treats. Forks in hand we delved in. Turns out, the red sauce was spiced to perfection, and the soft flesh of the eggplant delectable. We did have to work through the tough skin of the eggplant though because it was a little on the blackened side, but all was forgiven with a bit of goat cheese and tomato sauce. The salted cod salad, well, it was just as the ingredients described. Four varieties of beans and a scant whisper of salted cod. Good, but not great. |
