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| - This restaurant is what got my family into Spanish tapas (I had my introduction a bit earlier) and consider this their favorite restaurant so far. After my 2nd visit there, I can say this is a place I can take someone to without getting an urge to overstuff myself to get my money's worth. A bit pricier than other tapas places I've been, but hey, it's Vegas; nothing comes cheap.
The restaurant looks kinda like a transparent enclave of the Aria, which can make this spot a perfect place to people-watch as you eat, if you get a good spot. We had a wonderful waiter who made suggestions that were spot-on and made sure that we had a good dining experience. I got to try both the red and white sangria before I picked a glass of red as my drink. A good sangria has a taste of spiked punch that doesn't taste like it has been spiked. The dash of cinnamon was the perfect touch. Mom had one too, but started feeling lightheaded halfway and asked me to finish it. At one point she forgot what room we were staying in.
Here were the tapas we had that day. We tried to go for a balance between meat and vegetables. At the end of it, our party of 3 felt quite satiated without feeling stuffed.
Ahi Tuna Tartare - the tuna was a bit tough, but went well with the wasabi foam. Suprisingly, the avocado and mango ensaladilla was tasty by itself.
Avocado Cannelloni - SOFT salmon mixed with mayo and paired with this bread. Yum.
Brava Potatoes - spicy potato and alioli sauce. One of the most popular tapas according to the waiter. This is an example of a GOOD mix of alioli and brava sauce WITHOUT the excess grease that goes in frying the potatoes in said sauces. They were bite-sized that makes it easy to just gorge on the bowl.
Stuffed Piquillo Peppers - got as part of the waiter's suggestion. The goat cheese just melted in your mouth and the pepper had a good spicy "bite".
Fried Calamari - a little bit too salty, but still crispy. Liked it with the alioli sauce
Grilled Lamb Chop - at least this was a better rendition of a lamb chop than a certain buffet we went the other day...
The meal ended with Molten Chocolate Cake. The cake, though small, contained quite a bit of molten chocolate with just enough amount of cake. Paired with the blood orange ice cream, it was like a chocolate orange explosion in my mouth. One of the best renditions I've had in a while, especially since molten chocolate cake is one of my favorite type of desserts.
I thought I would pass up this restaurant as it was too "Vegas-y" and not enough Spanish, but the food was just too good this time. There's already Paris in Vegas, I guess there's enough room for one more culture to be represented.
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