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| - A great atmosphere with great food, but choose your dishes wisely.
I went to Barsa Taberna with a group of friends this past weekend, and was immediately impressed with the decor. They were able to balance simple and bright with being intimate enough to bring a date. We sat in the back of the restaurant, where it was an almost cave-like with the stone walls.
Our table ordered the $50 tapas menu ($50 per person). The waitress explained that they would bring us a selection based on our collective tastes. Overall they did a great job. Most of the dishes were excellent - I would recommend the whole sea bass especially, and the beef tongue was very flavorful.
There were two notable blips: The ceviche that they tried to serve was overly lemony, and I discovered why quickly - the fish they were serving wasn't fresh, it had a very fishy taste, even with the strong lemon overtone. The waitress was quick to acknowledge and replace the dish, almost as if she knew about it beforehand. I don't think they should have tried to serve it to begin with.
Secondly, they served a plate of three scallops to a group of four people. Considering they were the ones to make the choices of our plates we were surprised that they wouldn't think of choosing a plate that could be evenly split. We mentioned it to them and were brought an extra scallop a few minutes later, but just like the old fish we were served, they should have known better.
That said, the service was fast and professional. Our waitress made excellent wine selections, and with the exception of the two blips mentioned above, the food tasted fantastic. If I were to go again, I would make sure to consult the wait staff on what to order beforehand, and select the tapas I was interested in rather than letting the kitchen decide.
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