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| - The newly opened Tres Tempe bills itself as a Mediterranean/Southwest fusion spot. It is attached to the Hilton located between Guadalupe and Elliot on price. The dark metal, black stone, and warm wood interior create a warm contemporary feel. There's a semi open kitchen and a spacious bar in the main restaurant. There's also a nice patio/beer garden with an additional bar, several tables, TVs, and games like bags. All the staff is friendly and happy to answer questions and the service was good.
For the month of March (2018), happy hour is all day with deals on several small plates and $4 drafts. Small plates run $6-14, medium $12-$30, large (shared by 2-4 people) $59-69. The draft list is small, but local with good options. We didn't venture into the cocktail or wine list on this visit. We ordered the papa bravas, chickpea fritto misto, and crunchy shrimp lettuce wraps.
The problem with fusion, in my opinion anyhow, is that sometimes the traditional takes are kind of perfect and the "new" spin falls flat. Okay, so I'm really just not a fan of fusion, but I love tapas so I had high hopes.
The papa bravas were a perfect example of not messing with perfection. The dish was made with halved fingerling potatoes. They weren't roasted in enough fat and were very dry and bland--a little salt would have gone a long way here. The menu description didn't seem to apply to what we were served--I'm assuming the harissa sauce was red and the green sauce was some kind of ailoi. Regardless the balance was off on the dish. The red sauce was sweet, spicy, and the best thing on the plate. This was not an improvement on the tapas staple.
The shrimp cups were refreshing, but again the balance seemed off. I though the shrimp and jicama slaw were tasty, though the shrimp seemed a bit limp and my dining companion complained they were too "shrimpy." I felt like it should have been pico or pickled jalapenos--both was a little too acidic.
The chickpea fritto misto (veggies battered in chickpea flour) were tasty. As someone who is not a huge fan of kale, battered and fried it was pretty good. We both agreed the "red chili jelly" (it tasted like spicy sweet and sour) smeared on the plate was much better than the lime crema dipping sauce, which was pretty bland. There was no queso fresco on the plate. I doubt it would have added much to the flavor, but without it, this was a brown plate that was visually unappealing. It was still the best thing we ordered.
On a whole, we felt like the food was solid, but not exceptional. Given the prices, we expected more. Our verdict was that Tres Tempe is a solid happy hour stop, but not a regular dinner spot.
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