Oh well, still in Dodo Land, so typing w/o images continues.
Recently, the restaurant began offering 2 different tasting menus after 4:00 PM so I made sure to book a 4:15 PM reservation via opentable.com and an early and satisfying meal it was. It was difficult for the waiter to explain what was the difference between the 2 menus as no written list existed at that time. He did give me a hint though which made better sense once the food was received: the least expensive of the two menus was comprised of the less costly or
Basic tapas.
This is what we had upon ordering the Jaleo Experience tasting menu:
pan cristal - toasted bread spread with a tomato confit
queso manchego- wedges of Spanish goat cheese
paleta Iberica de bellota - thin slices of a ham similar to procuitto;
not carved at table
endibias- endive leaves topped with a mixture of small curd soft cheese, oranges and almond slivers. Tastes much better than it sounds + none left on the plate.
gazpacho shots- salad soup is what we call it in my home
. Served cold.
ensalada manzanas- sliced apples, fennel, cheese and nut salad.
croquettas de pollo- deep fried chicken croquettes. Quite rich and creamy with boneless meat.
espinacas - sauteed spinach with garlic.
tortilla de patatas- thin sliced potato and onion omelette. Redolent with the flavors of olive oil. Creamy texture which showed off the versatility of eggs.
gambas al ajillo- shrimps (headless) on a bed of olive oil braised leeks and tons of yummy garlic
patatas bravas- divine potato chunks with garlic and - tomato sauces. Tender with a nice crust. Prolly the tomato sauce used smoked paprika as the main spice.
butifarra con mongetes- "homemade" pork sausage with Spanish (not Mexican) styled fried white beans. Head spinningly good but we were stuffed by the time it was served so it was packed to go. And and I enjoyed it one night when we were home and there was no competition awake
.
My summation is that all of the dishes listed above are considered basic for the dining plan but it's best to double check with your server.
Our favorites?
Keep in mind that in my family veggies are just as desirable as meat in the evaluation:
endibias
croquette de pollo
gazpacho
gambas al ajillo
tortilla patatas
patatas bravas
espinacas
butifarra
We also ordered the oysters gin and tonic tapa since the man and I enjoy them and plan to order the dish again. I needed some care eating one of the oysters as it had a bit of shell in the liquid. Hopefully practice will make for perfection next time around for the kitchen staff.
For drinks, the kiddos, ordered bottles of a non alcoholic wine soda called la casera tinto de verano; one drank it all and the other 1/2 a bottle. It reminded them of the Beverly Coke product at Epcot from Italy in bitterness and acidity. Should you prefer the sweetness level of most American style sodas this is not the drink for you.
The man had a salt foamed Margarita (listed on the menu as Salt Air) and ga dang it was yummilicious and certainly will be ordered again. This is a variation on a classic margarita with no overt sweetness from fruit juices or sugar syrups; be forewarned
.
I ordered the red sangria sort of under duress as I really wanted sherry but couldn't decide which one to order, LOL. Sooo glad I went with the red wine drink instead.
As for the included desserts... I admit to
wishing I could make a flan that creamy in texture. Methinks it's time for me to move off the French recipe I normally use and look to that of Spain. The second dessert was called pan chocolate and the 3 chocoholics in the party scarfed it down.
