Toonses
A little nonsense now and then...
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2019
- Messages
- 110
I thought I'd post a review of this restaurant since it's still pretty new.
First, we had an unfortunately long wait (like over an hour) to get in. This was partly my fault as I requested a window so we could see fireworks, as we were celebrating my mother's birthday. I made the reservations for 8:30 and checked in at 8:15. Apparently the people on the window tables had come in at 6 and 7 and were basically refusing to leave till after the fireworks. Personally I find that rude to both the restaurant and the other people trying to get in, since you're tying up a table for so long, but that's another discussion. At any rate, we watched the 9pm fireworks from the Dahlia, and then we also got to see the 10 pm fireworks from our table, so it worked out.
Moving on to the actual food, there's good and bad here. Let's start with the 'not recommended' list first. I do NOT recommend the 'churros' or the patatas bravas. Someone is VERY heavy handed with smoked paprika on these dishes, and they end up being completely unbalanced as a result. Essentially it's like eating smoked paprika straight up. I mean I like paprika and use it a LOT in my own cooking, but this was WAY over the top.
Also the 'churros' are not actually churros. The texture/batter is wrong for churros, and while it has a nice texture, it's a lot softer than a churro which should have a crunch and a chew to it, if that makes sense. Also, there was literally NO seasoning put in the dough, so they're relying entirely on the smoked paprika and salt bomb on the outside to provide flavor. What they need to do is put some of the salt from the outside into the batter, dial the smoked paprika WAY back, add some other spices to balance the paprika, and stop calling them churros because it sets up the wrong expectation of texture.
Finally - the Spanish Tortilla was not a favorite of mine or my aunt, though my mother liked it. I also grew up eating this style of Tortilla as my mother's side of the family is Cuban, and my abuela made this dish. Of course she was also an incredible cook, and I swear my abuela could make shoe leather taste good. Anyway, I mention this to point out that I am familiar with the dish. I'm not certain what flavor was in this that i didn't like - it might have been the olive relish, even though I love olives, but yeah, this isn't something I'd order again, though my mother might.
On the - 'it was good but I won't order it again' front was the "Artisanal Manchego Cheese Vertical" which is a really long name for a plate that give you four small pieces of Manchego that are aged 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. I liked this plate, and I have to give high props on their membrillo - possibly the best one I've had - but I felt that the pieces of cheese were very small for the price, and there were other items I liked better.
Also in this category was the Heirloom Tomatoes. Note that we LOVE tomatoes, and are very experienced with many varietals of heirlooms (I grow my own tomatoes), and we've all had many versions of tomato salads. This one was... fine, but not memorable. I think there was a flavor in there that came across a little unbalanced, but I honestly can't remember what it was. In fact, if I hadn't double checked the menu, I would have completely forgotten that we'd eaten this, which might just say it all right there.
Now moving along into my favorites. Let's start with the "Tronchon Cheese Gratinado" which is basically melted cheese on toast. This was delicious - like really delicious - and I would totally order again. I do recommend eating this one while it's still hot, though, as the cheese will cool and solidify.
And finally, my absolute favorite of all the various starters/apps/tapas/pintxos was to my huge surprise - the "Pan con Tomate" which is just bread with a side of crushed tomatoes. The seasoning on this was so beautiful, and the bread so perfectly paired, it was one of the best bites of the night. This honestly surprised me, as I didn't think they'd have the refined hand required for such a simple dish to actually blow us away, but... dang! I'd not only order this again, I'd probably order extra. REALLY good!
Now on the entree, I should mention that we all just shared the Hanger Steak. We're accustomed to eating at Tapas restaurants in my area, and typically we would just order the steak tapas (often a skirt steak) that those restaurants have since there's no way any of us could have eaten a full entree after all the other food. So since there's no tapas sized version, we just shared the entree. Anyway - I'm not usually much of a steak person - I mean I like steak, but it's rarely memorable, especially since we like our steak medium well (I know - I just offended a bunch of steak eaters lol). Anyway, with that temp, it means we've eaten a lot of dry steaks. I am very happy to say that they nailed the cook on the Hanger at med well. It was beautifully seasoned, super tender and delicious, and the potatoes that came with it were WAYYY better than the patas bravas. Highly recommend this dish.
Lastly, on to dessert. We shared the Crema Catalan which had a very nice, subtle citrus flavor to it. I think one of our peeps liked it, but would have preferred it without the citrus, but I thought it was delicious. Beautiful texture, and great flavors on that one. I should note that the chocolate tuile is not really what I would have expected. It was a lot chewier than I would expect a tuile to be, though it was tasty. It my be better for them to change that description as well.
Now a few comments on our service. It was clear our server was inexperienced with both tapas style dining and high end dining. When we asked if they had a tapas sized portion of steak, she reacted like we were crazy to ask such a thing, and the way in which she spoke on a number of items demonstrated that she didn't understand it, and thought the food they were serving in the restuarant was strange and weird. This wouldn't have been a big deal (though I find it very unprofessional), but she kept forgetting to put in items we'd ordered into the kitchen. We had to ask after two or three of our small plates, and she'd completely forgot to put in the order for the steak, which we also had to ask about. I think they may have a training issue here, and perhaps they're short staffed and are shoving people onto the floor before they know what they're doing. However, your server is the face of your restaurant - I feel that you can't afford to put them out there if they're not prepared to represent you properly.
Finally a bit on the atmosphere - it's GORGEOUS. That's all I can really say, but this is true of the entire tower. I don't know who was responsible for the styling and decor the Gran Destino and all its restaurant, but dang they deserve a bonus. The styling, lighting and just everything combines into one of the most beautiful spaces I've dined in.
Finally the nitty gritty - would I eat here again? Yes, but I would be very specific with what I ordered. Would I go out of my way to eat here again? No, it's not a must try restaurant, though I definitely think it has the potential to become one, and I don't think it's too far off, either.
First, we had an unfortunately long wait (like over an hour) to get in. This was partly my fault as I requested a window so we could see fireworks, as we were celebrating my mother's birthday. I made the reservations for 8:30 and checked in at 8:15. Apparently the people on the window tables had come in at 6 and 7 and were basically refusing to leave till after the fireworks. Personally I find that rude to both the restaurant and the other people trying to get in, since you're tying up a table for so long, but that's another discussion. At any rate, we watched the 9pm fireworks from the Dahlia, and then we also got to see the 10 pm fireworks from our table, so it worked out.
Moving on to the actual food, there's good and bad here. Let's start with the 'not recommended' list first. I do NOT recommend the 'churros' or the patatas bravas. Someone is VERY heavy handed with smoked paprika on these dishes, and they end up being completely unbalanced as a result. Essentially it's like eating smoked paprika straight up. I mean I like paprika and use it a LOT in my own cooking, but this was WAY over the top.
Also the 'churros' are not actually churros. The texture/batter is wrong for churros, and while it has a nice texture, it's a lot softer than a churro which should have a crunch and a chew to it, if that makes sense. Also, there was literally NO seasoning put in the dough, so they're relying entirely on the smoked paprika and salt bomb on the outside to provide flavor. What they need to do is put some of the salt from the outside into the batter, dial the smoked paprika WAY back, add some other spices to balance the paprika, and stop calling them churros because it sets up the wrong expectation of texture.
Finally - the Spanish Tortilla was not a favorite of mine or my aunt, though my mother liked it. I also grew up eating this style of Tortilla as my mother's side of the family is Cuban, and my abuela made this dish. Of course she was also an incredible cook, and I swear my abuela could make shoe leather taste good. Anyway, I mention this to point out that I am familiar with the dish. I'm not certain what flavor was in this that i didn't like - it might have been the olive relish, even though I love olives, but yeah, this isn't something I'd order again, though my mother might.
On the - 'it was good but I won't order it again' front was the "Artisanal Manchego Cheese Vertical" which is a really long name for a plate that give you four small pieces of Manchego that are aged 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. I liked this plate, and I have to give high props on their membrillo - possibly the best one I've had - but I felt that the pieces of cheese were very small for the price, and there were other items I liked better.
Also in this category was the Heirloom Tomatoes. Note that we LOVE tomatoes, and are very experienced with many varietals of heirlooms (I grow my own tomatoes), and we've all had many versions of tomato salads. This one was... fine, but not memorable. I think there was a flavor in there that came across a little unbalanced, but I honestly can't remember what it was. In fact, if I hadn't double checked the menu, I would have completely forgotten that we'd eaten this, which might just say it all right there.
Now moving along into my favorites. Let's start with the "Tronchon Cheese Gratinado" which is basically melted cheese on toast. This was delicious - like really delicious - and I would totally order again. I do recommend eating this one while it's still hot, though, as the cheese will cool and solidify.
And finally, my absolute favorite of all the various starters/apps/tapas/pintxos was to my huge surprise - the "Pan con Tomate" which is just bread with a side of crushed tomatoes. The seasoning on this was so beautiful, and the bread so perfectly paired, it was one of the best bites of the night. This honestly surprised me, as I didn't think they'd have the refined hand required for such a simple dish to actually blow us away, but... dang! I'd not only order this again, I'd probably order extra. REALLY good!
Now on the entree, I should mention that we all just shared the Hanger Steak. We're accustomed to eating at Tapas restaurants in my area, and typically we would just order the steak tapas (often a skirt steak) that those restaurants have since there's no way any of us could have eaten a full entree after all the other food. So since there's no tapas sized version, we just shared the entree. Anyway - I'm not usually much of a steak person - I mean I like steak, but it's rarely memorable, especially since we like our steak medium well (I know - I just offended a bunch of steak eaters lol). Anyway, with that temp, it means we've eaten a lot of dry steaks. I am very happy to say that they nailed the cook on the Hanger at med well. It was beautifully seasoned, super tender and delicious, and the potatoes that came with it were WAYYY better than the patas bravas. Highly recommend this dish.
Lastly, on to dessert. We shared the Crema Catalan which had a very nice, subtle citrus flavor to it. I think one of our peeps liked it, but would have preferred it without the citrus, but I thought it was delicious. Beautiful texture, and great flavors on that one. I should note that the chocolate tuile is not really what I would have expected. It was a lot chewier than I would expect a tuile to be, though it was tasty. It my be better for them to change that description as well.
Now a few comments on our service. It was clear our server was inexperienced with both tapas style dining and high end dining. When we asked if they had a tapas sized portion of steak, she reacted like we were crazy to ask such a thing, and the way in which she spoke on a number of items demonstrated that she didn't understand it, and thought the food they were serving in the restuarant was strange and weird. This wouldn't have been a big deal (though I find it very unprofessional), but she kept forgetting to put in items we'd ordered into the kitchen. We had to ask after two or three of our small plates, and she'd completely forgot to put in the order for the steak, which we also had to ask about. I think they may have a training issue here, and perhaps they're short staffed and are shoving people onto the floor before they know what they're doing. However, your server is the face of your restaurant - I feel that you can't afford to put them out there if they're not prepared to represent you properly.
Finally a bit on the atmosphere - it's GORGEOUS. That's all I can really say, but this is true of the entire tower. I don't know who was responsible for the styling and decor the Gran Destino and all its restaurant, but dang they deserve a bonus. The styling, lighting and just everything combines into one of the most beautiful spaces I've dined in.
Finally the nitty gritty - would I eat here again? Yes, but I would be very specific with what I ordered. Would I go out of my way to eat here again? No, it's not a must try restaurant, though I definitely think it has the potential to become one, and I don't think it's too far off, either.
