The pleasures of tapas and Spanish dishes at Bar Celona – Pasadena Star

While it may seem as if all of Spain is dining nightly at temples of molecular gastronomy like El Bulli, Arzak and Mugaritz, the truth be told that large numbers do their dining standing up at multi-story tapas markets, where there are dozens of stands, each doing a singular item.

Here in Los Angeles, we’ve flirted with tapas for years. It can be argued that the current small dish craze (and the grazing craze of the `70s and `80s) are and were tapas redefined. It can be argued that sushi (and izakaya) are Japanese tapas; and dim sum Chinese tapas. All of which is true, more or less. But in Spain, tapas are tapas, no matter how we try to redefine them.

Though there’s an undeniable eclecticism to the tapas (and other dish) menu at Bar Celona in the heart of Old Pasadena, they do try hard to hew close to the defining quality of tapas.

This sibling of Villa Sorriso and Ixtapa Cantina rambles through a number of spaces on the south side of Colorado Boulevard, halfway between Raymond and Fair Oaks. It’s about two-third bar, and one-third restaurant, with a bar, and then another bar, at which to bend an elbow, and watch whatever game is being shown on the forest of overhead big screens. (There’s a fine energy when a local team is playing: lots of cheers and shrieks and the sort of sports spirit Los Angelenos famously lack.)

The menu is divided both vertically and horizontally. The smaller dishes are indicated in black ink; the “medium size” dishes are in red. (Some of the black dishes are large enough for a meal; the four paellas, for example, are all in black, and they’re definitely substantial.) The menu is also divided into appetizers, soups and salads, empanadas and croquetas, flatbreads, pasta, vegetables, paellas, fish and shellfish, and meat.

This means you’ve got to think in two directions at once. If you want the allspice and tomato-flavored meatballs (albondigas), you may need two orders for your table. If you want the crispy pork belly topped with a fried egg, one order should do. And if you want to pretend that you’re in Barcelona, there are enough classic tapas dishes to cover your table.

The basics begin with the “Daly Selection of Dips, Olives, Spanish Cheeses and Cured Meats, Housemade Conservas” – a heading that covers a lot of bases. Certainly, order the small plate of olives – olives are a touchstone of Spanish food in general, and tapas in particular.

Get the trio of Spanish cheeses (though really, all I need is manchego, which is the most ubiquitous of tapas cheeses). Get the aged serrano ham, which melts in your mouth. If you feel the need, order the garbanzo bean dip or the feta cheese dip. Dips are not a constant in tapas bars in Spain, but for a meal of small dishes, they work well.

They have a Spanish tuna salad here, as well as salads of arugula and tomatoes, and of beets and green beans. Empanadas are more Argentinean than Spanish. But what the heck! The empanada filled with rib meat tastes just fine. I liked the flatbread topped with roasted peppers and manchego cheese, though I’m not sure why there was apple on top.

Those peppers reappear with goat cheese – a very good dish. There’s thick, peasanty bread that’s charred and topped with garlic, tomato and manchego. And, as I said, there are four paellas to choose from: vegetable, beef, pork and chicken; seafood; and both meat and seafood.

Perhaps even better were a pair of Spanish pastas – made using the short vermicelli called fideus – one with meatballs, the other with shrimp. The shortness of the pasta makes it look a bit messy on the plate. But it’s hard to stop eating it. And it goes very good with Spanish wines. But then, in a tapas bar, doesn’t everything?

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BAR CELONA

46 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 626-793-2233.

Lunch and dinner, every day

The Food: There are many wines, many tapas, and many paellas to be found at this taste of Spain in the heart of Old Pasadena, a restaurant that sprawls across several spaces along Colorado Boulevard, with a number of rooms in which to bend an elbow, and outdoor dining as well.

About $30 per person. MC, V.

Full bar.

 

Reservations: Important.

Rating: Two and a half stars

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mreats@aol.com

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There’s a reason Tapas Picasso’s been around for 20 years

In America, happy hour is a designated period of time to blow off steam after work and, in many cases, eat food for which you’d never pay full price.

But in Spain, the tapas bar serves a different purpose; prior to dinner, the Spanish seek out wine, friends and robust appetizers—a custom that speaks not only to the fact that dinner is traditionally served late but also to the culture’s affection for life and its vibrant flavors, enjoyed at a pace that’s a few strides slower.      

Tapas Picasso bridges the ethnic gap of pre-meal merriment from 5 to 7 p.m. daily with happy-hour pricing on tapas inspired by Northern Spanish cuisine. Of the 33 sharable offerings, six are $5 each, and sangria is discounted, too. Specials run all night on Monday, and Tuesday through Thursday, there are an additional three $5 items, three “premium” tapas for $10 and drink specials including bottled Spanish beers—all offered ’til closing time. 

The narrow, humble space is warm with colorful art and lively patrons equally engaged in food, drink and conversation. There’s a tall bar to get things started, intimate seating for couples and tables toward the front that can be pushed together to accommodate larger parties. The scene is boisterous but relaxed, loud with conversations and flamenco music and service so charming that it begs you to stay and enjoy more.

A sheet of butcher paper is placed on each table, drink orders are taken and French bread rubbed with tomato and garlic arrives gratis. The large pitcher of sangria ($20) quenched our party of three, yielding three glasses each of the refreshing fruit-punch cocktail that’s light and effervescent.

I attempted to order a sausage dish, but our server insisted on the $5 special version instead. “This,” he pointed to my menu pick, “is like a Volkswagen.” Then to his: “This is like a Volkswagen with a paint job.” Fried Spanish sausages cut on a bias, with a red-wine sauce over a slice of bread plump from savory juices, proved a wonderful recommendation; it reminded me of a tapas dish cooked in someone’s countryside home, even though I’ve never experienced such a thing.

Tortilla Espanola, commonly referred to as a Spanish omelet, had more of a dense, cakey consistency, thanks to cubed potatoes versus the sliced ones traditionally used. It came in wedges with a pool of aioli, more garlicky and yolky-rich than most versions, and it was great.

“Dip this bread in it,” our server said, motioning to the tomato-rubbed basketful rather than the plain that was also on our table.

Five large, perfectly sautéed shrimp in white wine with mushrooms and garlic (another $5 special) left us craving more, so we decided to share a bowl of the bisque ($6.96); an order of breaded, fried artichoke hearts with a tangy dipping cream; and the Paella a la Valenciana ($10 special) whose mix of sweet seafood and moist, dark chicken meat thrilled us all.

“I wanted to serve a soup at my restaurant that didn’t taste like it came from a can,” our server revealed as we wowed about our first spoonfuls. He returned to stir in some sherry. “Try it now.” The creamy soup with chunks of sweet shrimp came to life with its brandy-fortified wine accent and reinvigorated the waning feeding frenzy at our table.

Tapas Picasso marks its 20th year of business in 2012; as if to celebrate its place as a fixture in an ever-changing neighborhood, the proud owner who served us poured a complimentary round of sherry. The warm, nutty alcohol brought forth the flavors of the soup we’d long ago devoured, and even after we left, the sweet experience remained on the tips of our tongues.

Amy blogs at saysgranite.com and you can follow her on Twitter @saysgranite.

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The ultra-modern tapas bar is here

When you’re in Spain — as I was for two weeks last year to study flamenco — it’s impossible not to get caught up in the food scene. It’s a gastronome’s heaven over there: for one meal alone you have the option of hitting a jamon “museum” for an appetizer, a paella restaurant for a main course and a churros café for dessert.

As damaging as that might be to a dancer’s waistline, anyone who eats in España quickly realizes that the tapas bar is the heart and soul of Spanish cuisine. Traditional tapas bars are like extensions of Spaniards’ living rooms except with no chairs: you stand at the bar, order a drink and they give you a free plate of patatas bravas or some other bite-size nibbles to wash down with that drink. Elbow to elbow with the other patrons you can socialize as much as you want, smoking is permitted and everyone feels so at home they usually just throw their paper napkins on the floor.

Protein of champions: The fresh Angus-beef tartar de toro Photos by FERNAN NEBRES

But in culinary hotspots like Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastian (where the tapas are called “pintxos,”), modern tapas bars are rapidly replacing the old ones; a new breed of Spanish chef is experimenting with multiculti fusions, and the only limits to what he puts on a plate are that of his imagination and the size of the tableware.

Wanting to bring that kind of vibrant spirit and exciting food to Manila, half-German chef brothers Daniel and Patrick Hesse recently opened Cova, a tapas and sangria bar on Jupiter Street in Makati.

As soon as you set foot in this modern bar, you know you’re not in trad territory anymore. With its ceiling curving down in wavy, organic lines, you feel like you’re entering a stylish cave (so it’s no surprise that “cova” means “cave” in Catalan). Designed by Luigi Tabuena, the gleaming black, chrome and white interiors reminded me uncannily of the W Hotel Downtown lobby in New York City.

Cova’s food is equally inventive. Though you can find customary favorites like calamares, gambas and my ever-reliable patatas bravas, the menu, which features around 20 kinds of tapas, is rife with intriguing choices like the cappuccino de jamon Iberico (Iberian ham and almond soup with veal sweetbread cookies) and espuma de bacalao (salt-cod foam, potato, olives and a garlic confit).

Flavor bombs: The oxtail ravioli de rabo de toro

The gateway dish to all this Spanish goodness has to be the pintxo de queso frito. Cubes of Gruyere cheese are crunch-battered, fried, topped with caramelized onions and served with a honey sauce. For a peasant-at-heart like myself who could subsist on cheese and crusty bread, this is comfort-food supreme.

Another dish to die for is the huevos cabreados, a sunny side-up egg sandwiched in between a mound of crispy shoestring potatoes, with bits of crunchy chorizo scattered everywhere. The play on textures and flavors is deliriously good; if you find yourself at Cova with a hankering for brunch or a hangover cure, this is the dish to order.

Though the concept is predominantly tapas — “Whatever we can make in small portions: two bites at the most,” says Daniel — larger portions, or raciones, are also available, and indeed the norm for dishes like the huevos, in which one egg occupies a full plate. And they can all be accompanied by sangria. Cova offers not just one but four types: along with the Signature Red are lighter, more refreshing versions like the Summer Peachy white sangria, the mint-lychee white and the Millionaire sangria, based on Cava, or Spanish champagne.

Manila already possesses its fair share of Spanish restaurants and tapas joints, so I asked the Hesse brothers why they felt there was still a need for a tapas bar like Cova.

Chef Daniel Hesse

“It was my brother’s idea because he studied in Barcelona for a while and worked at restaurants there,” Daniel explains. “He liked it so much that he wanted to bring it here.”

“In Barcelona there’s lots of places like this, modern tapas bars, because the traditional ones are pretty much dying,” concurs Patrick. “People are inspired by Ferran Adria, so all the food is like this. It’s not even Spanish anymore; they fuse everything. I’ve eaten in some places where it’s tapas but Japanese fusion.”

Adds Daniel, “Actually, if you look at our menu, most of it’s not really Spanish, like the ravioli’s Italian.”

The ravioli he’s referring to is the ravioli de rabo de toro, a crisp, almost dumpling-like skin enclosing a filling of oxtail, foie gras, shiitake mushrooms and oxtail jus. It’s an intense bite — almost a flavor bomb of earthiness — and it’s a big hit with male diners, although daintier eaters might find it almost too intense.

Another dish that carnivores would hew to is the tartar de toro, fresh Angus beef sirloin topped with a raw egg yolk, chives, piparras (peppers), migas (seasoned breadcrumbs) and crispy onion. Mix it all together and you get the protein of champions — something Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky would definitely choose over his raw-egg smoothie.

Stylish cave: The interiors of Cova at 22 Jupiter St., Makati, were designed by Luigi Tabuena.

If you prefer your meat cooked I recommend you try the lengua con setas, which is stewed for four hours to ultra-tenderness, then cubed for easy consumption and lavished with Cova’s special sauce.

Older brother Daniel was the first Hesse in the food biz. (Cova is owned by the Hesse and Guevara families, the latter being related to Patrick’s girlfriend, Tatyana.) Dan studied culinary at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, before apprenticing at the Vegas outpost of the legendary New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace, which is “where Emeril Lagasse trained lots of people,” Dan says.

After that he went to another Southern-style restaurant, House of Blues, before trying his hand at Vegas hotels and restaurants like the Hyatt Regency and Japengo. “The last thing I did there was worked at Green Valley Ranch and Hank’s Steakhouse. You can see it on the Food Network.”

“He makes a really good steak,” confirms Dan’s girlfriend Michelline Syjuco, the jewelry artist and sculptor from the super-artistic, über-talented Syjuco clan. Michelline typically works on her jewelry at the restaurant, where it’s quiet in the daytime. “Usually he’ll pick me up and head here. While he’s prepping I do my designs,” she laughs.

Gateway to Spanish goodness: The pintxo de queso frito, fried Gruyere cheese with caramelized onions and honey

Patrick, on the other hand, studied at Enderun and interned for four-and-a-half months at the Ritz-Carlton’s Hotel Arts Barcelona, working with three-Michelin-star chef Sergi Arola at the latter’s eponymous restaurant. “A lot of my dishes, in terms of plating and texture, are influenced by a lot of dishes I used to make in Arola,” Patrick says.

Though I was incredibly full from the succession of small plates — average price for a tapa is a very reasonable P150 — I somehow managed to polish off a goblet of jamon y melon, Pinkerton’s candied maple-bacon ice cream strewed with crispy melon. But that’s just a testament to how good it is.

I’ll really have to bring my flamenco mates to Cova so we can relive our great times in Spain.

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Sweet and savory: Pinkerton’s candied maple-bacon ice cream

Cova Tapas Y Sangria is located at 22 Jupiter Street, Bel-Air Village, Makati. Open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. from Mondays to Saturdays, call 478-9700 for information and reservations.

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