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| - My gf's and I were staying at Aria so we wanted to keep it simple and just eat in the hotel. We did not make a reservation and we lucky to get seated right away, it was a pretty late dinner as well. The inside is very nice. Lots of bright lighting, outside seating, and very open. I would say casual dressy, but we were all pretty casual. It is a Spanish tapas style restaurant so everything would be shareable and our waiter mentioned about 2-3 plates each. We were a table of 5 girls. The menu is pretty big and overwhelming, so it took us awhile to decided what to get.
_Lobster Salad ($18) Lobster meat | corn | tomatoes | avocado | country baguette. This sounded pretty good but the way it came out was not what I imagine. It was listed under salad, so I expected a big salad, with lobster and a side of country bread. Instead it came out as a tiny side salad and a small half of the baguette that was extra toasted with some tiny bits of lobster on top, of what seems to be avocado toast. I get tapas, but this was almost a joke. The side salad was just a few greens, you would get a better salad if you went to Panera bread and ordered a 1/2 sandwich, 1/2 salad dish. The lobster was good but nothing amazing. Rewind the overall dish was just bland, nothing amazing or memorable, and for the price point I could have easily made this myself.
_Ensalada Mixta Salad ($12) Mix greens | tomato | cucumber | onion | olive | egg.A simple salad but pretty good in overall flavor. Again nothing amzing, just a simple salad, but I loved all the ingredients above and the dressing was a tad sweet and citrusy.
_Tuna Cones ($16, comes in 6 cones) Ahi tartare | cucumber | crispy won ton | avocado | ponzu. This was pretty good. The won ton cones were thin and crisp. The tuna was fresh and covered in some sauce, that seemed a bit like spicy mayo. The avocado is on the bottom, so you don't get that till the last 2 bites. This was a bit spicy as I was not expecting it, so which is was on the menu to give me a heads up.
_Bronzino Donostiarra ($19) Mediterranean sea bass | tapenade | tomato confit. The Branzino was fresh flaky. It was well seasoned and the crispy skin have it extra texture and saltiness. The tapenade, gave this light fish some extra flavor and depth. A very light dish and can be a bit forgetful if everything else you order is heavier in flavor and richness.
_Grilled New York ($19) Piquillo confit | mushroom demi | potato puree. This was good. The steak was nicely cooked, although I wish it could have been more tender. The potato puree was silky and the sauce was sweet, salty and paired well with the steak and potato. Pretty standard nothing to rave home about.
_Serrano Tender ($33) Foie gras | prime tenderloin | white chocolate bread. This was the most memorable dish. I loved the presentation, it had a toothpick on top of the meat that read M.Rare, which I thought was cute and clever. The tenderloin was well cooked and seasoned and the foe gras was just perfect. On it's own I find it gamey and rich but a little bite of the foie, with the tenderloin and bread was the perfect bite. Full of flavor and depth, it was dish that was just right for the size. The white bread was great, as you can taste the hints of white chocolate, it was like dessert.
_Rabo de Toro ($18) Red wine braised oxtail | iberian pork | potato puree. This was another great dish. The oxtail was tender and juicy. The potato puree was whipped nicely and together with the sauce made it a very well balanced dish with a feeling of comfort and satisfaction.
_Paella Serano ($50) Morcilla spanish sausage | iberico ribs | saffron | baby kale. Allow upto 45-60 minutes to prepare. The portion is for 2 people per say but it was more than enough to feed our whole table of 5 gals, plus with all the tapas above. They charge more if you want to make it a bigger serving. I found this just okay. Damn can it really be this hard to find a good paella?! The sausage was decent, no wow factor. It was soft in texture and a bit salty. The ribs were not that great. So fatty and oily I can barely taste or see any meat, all just fat. The rice was well cooked and I loved the taste of saffron. But the overall dish was very oily! I could see all the oil in my plate and everything just felt heavy.
Overall for the price point I expected way more. Nothing really stood out and all seemed a bit flat. I would recommend checking it out if you are staying at the hotel, but don't expect too much.
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