The setting was rustic but warm, although the indoors were dimly lit purposefully. Candles added intimacy to the meal, although the bustling crowd proved quiet conversations difficult. I don't think quiet is what they aimed for anyways. Rustic vibrance was the name of the game.
The unfortunate but unforgivable part of our dinner here was the service, and the quality of the food could not make up for it. I cannot talk about our dishes without being reminded about how we were treated, but I will try to distance it as much as possible. To start, we thought our entrance was met with a dismissive cold welcome and there was no one to direct us on where to go even though we were a bit early.
As we were waiting for the rest of our party, we started with some cocktails. I ordered a Frescita due to its minty component - a favorite in the hot weather. My friend ordered the Rose sangria, but we both thought it was underwhelming.
Since it was their policy that we could not have a table until our full party was here (and they were highly inflexible about this), we began ordering tapas to pass the time.
Mollejas ($15)
These are veal sweetbreads that have a crispy outer crust and soft tender meat inside. It is served in a orange-flavored sauce garnished with celery root. A fermented black bean sauce did well to complement the tangy morsel. I thought it was a delightful piece, just not worth $5 a piece. It bordered on "orange chicken" territory.
Ventresca ($5)
Spanish tuna belly with tomato and celery notes styled as bruschetta. We didn't realize that this appetizer was one serving, and the waitress failed to make a mention of that when our party of four ordered. We had to order more when one lonely piece arrived. To add to the sour note, it tasted a lot like canned tuna.
Atune tartare ($12)
In stark contrast to the tuna above, this tartare was phenomenal. The texture was silky and flavors vibrant. There's coconut milk, lime, and green onions, and the dish was served with crusty grilled toast. I would have loved to mop up the plate, but someone got to it before me.
Pato con membrillo ($9)
The grilled duck was spectacular. Smoked and glazed, the meat was eventfully tender. The taste is similar to the style of Chinese BBQ pork, especially with that sesame seed garnish. There serving size was decent after stripping the meat from the bone; all of us got to try a mouthful with meat still leftover.
Asado de huesos ($10)
The roasted bone marrow was served with a radish salad and oxtail marmalade. The bone marrow tasted like bone marrow - juicy, fattening, and rich. It was great with the oxtail as the salty bone fat melded nicely with the crispy bread and hearty marmalade. Another winner here, although I didn't care for the radishes.
Maiz asado con alioli y queso cotija ($8)
Grilled corn served with aged cheese, alioli sauce, and peppers. It was buttery and juicy. The cheese gave a nice salty kick to it while the alioli added a creamy tang. Unfortunately, our order was short by 2 and a few of us had to wait before we got to savor this treasure.
Calamari?
It was a day special and I forgot the name of it, but it was similar to calamari. Fried crispy and well-seasoned. I did not think it was too special, however. I tend to prefer sweet-spicy plum sauces over alioli ones for this type of dish.
Paella Valenciana ($38 whole)
This seafood paella was endowed with mussels, shrimp, clams, and chicken. The flavor was fantastic - rustic tomato tones and a robust stock enveloped the seafood smorgasbord. The Calasparra rice was cooked perfectly as well. Although a bit pricey, the plate was enormous and there was no sparing of the amount of seafood included.
When we finally were seated, we were almost done with our dinner. It was surprising to me that no one came to assure us about our seating in the 2 hours we were waiting. We felt forgotten and unwelcomed. I don't think it takes much to pop in and say "we're still working on that table, is there anything we can get you meanwhile?", especially for a restaurant of this price caliber. To salt our wounds, I think the hostess gave us an annoyed glance at us when she seated smaller parties that arrived later. Uh, rude?
In summary, the customer does not come first for this restaurant. Although a popular restaurant, it is sad to say that they can "get away" with our mistreatment simply because of the high volume and good food. Keep your party to 2 and some snacks to pass the wait time. A huge disappointment, I will not be coming back even for the paella and corn.
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