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| - Loved the ambiance of this little place. Think intimate and relaxed. The old school hip hop they were playing was great. The vibe was fun for sure but that's where it ended for me. We had an early reservation but by the time we left the place was jammed. Obviously they're doing something right.
I guess I had higher expectations knowing the chef was Matt Blondin. I loved Acadia but felt this menu was a step down from that. I have to say that I'm not really a big fan of the Tapas style that has become so ubiquitous in the city, and with good reason. It's a clever way to get people to spend more. With each dish at around 15 bucks and the waiters suggestion to get three dishes per person... I'm just saying I feel like if I were to order a $45 entree, I'd be expecting something a lot better than most of these so-so tasters. My problem with a lot of tapas menus is that it's hard to get a coherent group of dishes. Most are good standing on their own, but together, it's just a foody mish-mash.
The other non-plus about tapas is all the clutter of dishes on the table. As a result, there was only enough room for small bread dish sized plates to eat from which were paired with large heavy utensils. Every time I tried to rest my giant fork on the edge of my itty bitty plate, it fell onto the table with a clatter. Awkward.
So about the food: We started off with the corn bread and the beef short ribs. The ribs were pretty good. Tender with a crust of coarse cornmeal and served with a light horseradish cream. The corn bread, on the other hand, was very salty and heavy on the baking soda which left an unpleasant aftertaste. I left it rejected on its plate after one bite.
The stone crab carbonara was a beautifully presented dish and my favourite of the plates we ordered. It's a nice creamy fettuccine sprinkled with black walnuts served inside a crab shell nestled on a bed of salt. If there was in fact any crab in this dish, I couldn't tell. But it tasted very good so I'm not complaining. Plus it was so appealing to the eye and that scores big points for me.
We ended with the 5 veg dish which was a little confusing to me as the various vegetables ranged in temperature from ice cold pureed something at the bottom to slightly cooler than room temp cooked cabbage in the middle to luke-warm baby carrots. It was topped with a bit of quinoa which I liked. I found it to be a nice refreshing dish for the end of the meal. The flavour was very good, just would have been better if it was all chilled to the same temp.
Sorry, guys. I feel like I'm complaining a lot for a 3-star review but I call it how I see it. I will probably still go back with a little different game plan. I'd go more for the drinks and the music and maybe order one dish instead of two or three.
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