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| - Decent if you're jonesing for tapas. (This is not a paella review. Yet.) I apologize in advance if this comes off as one of those reviews that makes managers and PR firms cringe. I know you can't do authentic tapas in Southbridge/Waterfront and stay open. But I have to rate it honestly, or not at all.
I remember the original TPF on Camelback, I think where Sportsmans or Tarbell's is now. I recall it being exotic and delicious, with the right intimate atmosphere. My memory could be clouded by lack of experience at the time. But overall, *this* place is a little too big, clean and corporatey to match an authentic tapas experience like you'd get in Barcelona, or Basque Spain, or some of the real deal places like in NYC. I don't think you can be located where they are and pull that off. So it's dumbed down a bit for the market. I think if you're not on the search for a super authentic, intimate experience (small bar, communal tables, etc) it will fit the bill.
ATMOSPHERE
Big, open, lively and trying a little too hard, IMHO. The uniforms look like Halloween costumes. It comes off a bit too kitschy. Staff all seemed pretty friendly, if a little harried. The live music is a nice touch, even though pretty low energy when we were there. I'm anxious to catch some Flamenco though.
SERVICE
Our server, Timo, was the epitome of charm and enthusiasm. Big thumbs up for him. But timing was all over the place. First round of drinks took f-o-r-e-v-e-r. We saw other tables clearly looking around for their servers. Not sure if the bar is the hold-up or what. Food took much longer than expected as well, since we didn't order paella or anything that was likely made to order. Once the food started coming, we got it all pretty quickly.
DRINKS
Man. Do not order the mojitos. I admit I'm pretty picky about them. I love making them at home. I want them muddled fresh and I want to taste all the ingredients. They have a "pitcher approach". It's like they have mojitos on tap. I asked for a fresh mojito, not a whole pitcher. I just wanted to try their mojito, and then move on to an Albariño or some other wine. I got the pitcher anyway. And what came out was refreshing alright. Much like ice water is refreshing. Basically clear liquid with some rum aftertaste. No detectable lime. One sad little shred of mint in each pour. Very little sugar. The pitcher approach works well for sangria, obviously. But do not do this for mojitos. Doesn't do them justice. My wife's red wine choice (a pintoresco by the glass) was very good. A friend who tracked us down there after a Yelp check-in said the sangria was very good. So there you go.
FOOD
I'll point out the stand-outs:
Boquerones
Fresh white anchovies in light oil. Delicious. Smaller than I've had elsewhere. A little more body to the fillet is nice. But a great light dish.
Rabbit Stew
This one gets you bang for the buck, if you're not averse to eating cute little bunny rabbits. Lots of tender delicious sweet meat in a light tomato broth with a nice acid too it. Bone-in meat ensured lots of flavor.
Shrimp a la Plancha (or whatever they called it)
Head-on, shell-on shrimp. Messy to eat unless you crunch the whole shell. Not quite crispy enough to allow for that though. So mostly we peeled them. Quality white shrimp with real shrimp flavor. Not the rubber you so often get with grilled shrimp.
Oxtail Stew
This should be so up my alley. Classic mirepoix dark stew flavor. Did I detect a little store-bought demi-glace starter? But it could have been braised a bit longer. Like a couple more hours. There was still too much un-rendered fat and connective stuff; not enough meat.
Basque Sausage
Not memorable. If you've ever gotten the Spanish Chorizo from Schreiner's, or LaTienda.com, you'll know what I wish it was like. When we get the Schreiner's, it never makes it through the car ride home.
Mix of Snails, Sausage and something else
Didn't do it for us. No individual character to each of the proteins. Just a mash-up of savory chewy bits. Be a pretty good starter bread dip if you were hungry, but not a great dish.
Pan con Tomate (pan boli?)
For me, this is a benchmark item. This would have been better if the bread had more chewiness and structure to it.
And of course they have all the stand-bys like Potatas Bravas, Fried Squid, etc. And Paella. Next time, I'm trying the Valenciana for sure. That alone could add a star if the flavors are there. But there better be smokiness, bone-in dark meat chicken and the rice better be crispy on the bottom of the pan.
So, just A-OK for now.
I could see an updated 4 star review once...
a) I've further explored the menu and know what all the gems are, and learn what to avoid, for my taste.
b) they fine-tune the service and hopefully work on the authenticity. the crowd that was there and the location don't give me much hope for tuning toward the more authentic. if anything, i fear it being dumbed down even more.
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